A LONG drive to Essex was rewarded with a place in the quarter-finals of a national competition for Salisbury's Over 40s ladies team on Sunday.

The quartet of June Keen, Janie Melhuish, Kath More and Diana O'Connell eased into the last eight of the veterans National Club Champion-ship with a comfortable 3-1 win against Westcliff in the heat at Southend.

A few days earlier the same four, representing Wiltshire in the Over 40s inter-county championship, showed their mettle in a 4-1 win over Oxfordshire at Pewsey.

Home Wiltshire Knock-Out quarter finals brought mixed results for Riverside teams - a convincing win over Ramsbury for the ladies, but a narrow defeat for the men by Pewsey.

The ladies did not drop a set in building a 5-0 winning lead, but the men were yet again floored by their all-too familiar loss of a deciding tie-break.

This time it was Steve Archer and Graham Hull who suffered. They went down 11-9 in a third-set shoot out.

It was enough to swing the match for Pewsey, whose win was built on a fine treble by first pair Negus and Turnstall.

In the Sarum League, Salisbury B claimed the second promotion place from Division Two by beating Sandleheath 6-2 at Harnham.

An unbeaten evening for mother and daughter Judith and Anne Cutler with their respective partners, swung the verdict which meant Sandleheath managed no more than a win in the men's doubles by brothers Nigel and Colin Mamone.

The result ensured disappointment for Sandle-heath and Winchester B whose own promotion hopes were ended by Salisbury's win. Andover B were already champions.

In the Hants and IOW Veterans League, Henry Hammond's debut in the men's Over 55s Salisbury team coincided with a win over Lee-on-Solent that avenged an away defeat by the same opponents a few days before.

In the Over 50s ladies competition Riverside and Salisbury both had sums to do after matches with the Hampshire Club B team. Rubbers and sets were level, so a games count was needed. Riverside, at home, won by four - Salis-bury away, lost by nine.

Salisbury Tennis Club stages its annual finals day on Saturday. Matches start at 10am with the men's and ladies singles likely to get under way around midday.