A SMILING Caroline Cullum insisted that she was not disappointed after being denied a place in the last eight of the Bowls England women's national singles championship at Royal Leamington Spa.

Instead, the Cleethorpes player, who defeated her club-mate Amy Monkhouse and another Lincolnshire star Penny Strong in the first two rounds of the county championship, was delighted to have made it into England's last 16 on her first appearance in the singles.

"It would have been nice to have played in the quarter-finals, but I already achieved more than I expected – and I was holding a match lie against Lynne (Bowen), so I was nearly there."

Cullum trailed Bowen, a Commonwealth Games medallist and close friend of Monkhouse, by two shots (8-10) after 11 ends. But she took control mid-game and looked the likely winner when she raced into a 19-11 lead.

"I didn't do much wrong, but Lynne came back at me pretty strongly, and I was unlucky on one end, when, at 20-13, I went for the jack for game, and clipped the pot to one side, and dropped four shots," Cullum said.

Last week, the Cleethorpes star opened her bid for the national title with a splendid 21-4 dismissal of Lancastrian Joyce Jones, and she made further progress the following morning, beating Dorset ace Fran Hewett, 21-17.

"I was 11-17 down in that game," recalled Cullum.

"But I got my game together, and won in just four ends with two doubles and two trebles, so perhaps it was turn to be on the receiving end in the third round."

Ruth Cullum, pictured, who is a member of Cleethorpes and Perry Sports bowls clubs, teamed up again with Holbeach ace Annalisa Bellamy in an attempt to regain the Bowls England Under-25 pairs title at Royal Leamington Spa.

The Lincolnshire duo defeated Cumbria's Lucy Wallace and Stephanie Moffatt, 20-15, in the first round, were denied a place in the third round when they were edged out in a thrilling contest, 16-15, by Sussex starlets Keira Morley and Lorraine Kuhler.

The event was won by Somerset's Laura Holden and Stef Branfield, who beat the hotly tipped Devon duo Amanda Higginbotham and Sophie Tolchard, 22-7, in a high-quality final.

Natalie Melmore, who was controversially handed the Commonwealth Games singles berth that was expected to go to Cleethorpes ace Amy Monkhouse, justified her selection at the weekend by winning the Bowls England women's singles title.

The 21-year-old Melmore, from the Torquay Kings club in Devon, became the youngest-ever national four-wood singles champion, beating the record held by Monkhouse, who was 25 when she won the title in 2004.