SALISBURY'S Over 40 ladies have landed a plum tie in the third round of the National Inter Club Veterans Championship after a battling victory over West Hants at Harnham.

Next up will be either the Queen's Club team from London, or George's Hill, Weybridge, another respected side. The venue has yet to be decided. Sunday's win was Salis-bury's second at home.

Full-length three set rubbers are a rarity these days following the adoption of tiebreak deciders, but the third set is played in the Inter-Club Veterans event. Three of the four rubbers went the distance on Sunday and Salisbury's eventual 3-1 win was built on victory in two of them.

Salisbury's run in the Men's Over 35 national event was ended by David Lloyd, Bristol, although the 4-0 result did scant justice to the fight put up by Roger Witt, Darrell Amison, Nigel Watts and Bill Herlihy.

Janie Melhuish, in singles, and with Karina Weedon in doubles earned the victories to give respectability to the margin of defeat when Salisbury ladies went down 4-2 to Purley in their third defeat in three matches in the National Club League.

Hants and IOW League fixtures at the weekend should have seen no fewer than nine local sides in action, but because of heavy rain on Saturday, only four matches started, and two of those were quickly abandoned, needing rearrangement.

Indoor courts were the salvation for Salisbury Ladies' match at Kingsley, where the hosts won 5-4.