A BUSY weekend looms for bowlers across the district, starting with the Veterans' Inter-District taking on the West Riding team today (Friday).

The home team are playing on Settle's green, and have almost as far to travel as the away squad.

Chris Slater will be hoping to take the first step on the road to retaining the Hills Supplies competition when preliminary rounds in the popular Yorkshire handicap begin at 6.30pm.

The preliminary rounds of the Yorkshire Parks Brotherton and Wood Cups are also taking place this evening when Cross Roads A meet Pudsey Utd B. Cross Roads B have a bye.

The second round of the Valley and Supplementary Cups take place on Saturday, starting at 2.30. Winning teams will go through to the third round on June 14.

Valley Cup draw: Sutton v Highfield A (at Steeton); Lund A v Cross Hills A (Silsden PF), Keighley v Lund B (Sutton); Denholme B v Cross Roads A (Cullingworth), Whins A v Cullingworth (Cross Roads), Craven A v Craven B (Devon). Steeton A v Bradshaw B (byes).

Supplementary Cup: Steeton B v Devon (Cross Hills), Cross Roads B v Whins B (Denholme); Denholme A v Cross Hills B (Craven); Oakworth A v Bradshaw B (Highfield), Silsden PF v Highfield (Keighley). Oakworth B, Sutton B and Haworth (byes).

The Yorkshire Parks Inter-city event is on Sunday with preliminary rounds locally at Hebden Bridge and at Lund Park, starting at 10am. Group A, which is being played at Lund Park, includes Leeds, Leeds Ladies, Bradford and former holders Sheffield. If the 'Steel City' put out a strong team they could be the pace-setters of the competition.

Group B includes: Heavy Woollen, Aire-Wharfe, Barkston Ash and the Hebden Royd team which is made up of Cross Roads players with the addition of Sutton's David Cadwallader. Their games are to be played in the Hebden Bridge area.

Group winners meet at Luddendenfoot in the final showdown at about 5.30pm.

The Valley Federation team begins its county season on Sunday at 2pm. They have been moved to Division Six in a league sponsored by Hatter Comfort Shoes and are in a group which includes British Police, Rochdale and Furness.

Rochdale are their first opponents with the home leg at Cross Hills where they will come up against a team made up entirely of women.

The veterans also hit the county trail on Sunday in the Second Division of the Senior League, sponsored by DFDS Transport. They face tough matches against Doncaster in the opening match, Central Derbyshire and South Lancashire. The home team play at Highfield with the away squad travelling to Woodlands, Doncaster.

Yorkshire Parks made only a fair start to this year's campaign, losing 18-13 to a strong St Helens team.

They won easily enough in the home leg at Mytholmroyd after a slow start and were indebted to Mick Walsh and Graeme Lomax for 21-8 victories. It was a different story away where they were well beaten. The next game is a 'must win' against Cheshire on June 16.

Richard Hargreaves of Cross Roads retained the J H Sutcliffe handicap at Haworth with an easy 21-8 win over David 'Anchor Man' Hewitt (Denholme). Losing semi-finalists were Paul Cartwright and Alan Downing.

Cross Roads lead Division One in the Hebden League with Whins A third while newcomers Oakworth a have mid-table respectability. Haworth are third in Division Two by Cullingworth B and Lund B remain locked together at the bottom of the table. Cross Roads C are at the bottom of Division Three.