Rita George ended the national singles hopes of Eastbourne's England international Carol Ashby.

Ashby was playing away for the third round in succession at King Alfred.

In a nail-biter George won 21-20 in the area quarter-final and now awaits to entertain either Sue Gunston (Egerton) or Lorraine Milburn (Falaise).

Preston's Pat Pearce and Jean Bowles have yet to play each other with the winner at home to Sheila Simmonds (Eastbourne), who won 21-18 at home to Daphne Magri-Overend, of Egerton Park.

Only three entered in the Sussex area under-31 singles. Lorraine Clarkson (Falaise) was given a walk-over by her scheduled host, Lorna Dale (Adur), and will now play Preston's Debbie Stavrou in the area final on a neutral green.

Downs member Pauline Adams won 21-14 at home to Wendy Davies (Worthing) in the quarter-finals of the champion of champions and now visits either Pam Pile (Grattons) or Gloria Michael (King Alfred).

The other quarter-finals are: Linda Gray (Adur) v Pat Bain (Eastbourne); Sue Jones (Preston) v Babs Saker of Denton.

Pairs quarter-finals: Irene Winston and Joan Howson (Wealden) v Jenny Law and Ann Briault (Worthing); Carol Ashby and Pat Bain (Eastbourne) v Freda Linberry and Wendy Davies (Worthing); Sheila Miller and Kathy Flood (Preston) v Myra Archibald and Valerie Atkins (Worthing); Gloria Michael and Rita George v Pat Pearce and Jean Bowles.

Unbadged pairs quarter-finals: Sue Taylor and Joan Wells (Eastbourne) v Vera Lammie and Freda Conley (Preston); Linda Gray and Pam Mole (Adur) v Myra Archibald and Valerie Atkins; Iris Grice and Ann Crouch (Adur) v Ellie Marson and Beryl Cousins of Grattons.

Egerton Park's Sue Gunston and Denise Hodd won 17-16 at Worthing over Jean Meneely and Freda Linberry and will be at home to Grice and Crouch or Marson and Cousins in the semi-finals.

In a triples quarter-final Sheila Miller, Terri Wall and Betty Durrant (who had won 12-11 in the previous round over Gill Lonsdale, Pat Hawkins and Sue Small of Grattons) had a runaway 28-7 home win over Vera Oram, Mary Reitze and Audrey Chatfield of King Alfred.

Val Menniss, Rosemary Richmond and Irene Scoble (Wealden), who picked up 3,4,3 to go into the last end five up, won 17-16 at home to Worthing's Doris Hodgson, Freda Linberry and Wendy Davies. They now play club colleagues Margaret Chad, Jean Durrant and Janet Noyes, who were 19-12 home winners over Monica Martin-Cramp, Pauline Sedgewick and Elaine Matthias, of Adur.

Egerton's Daphne Magri-Overend, Mary Williams and Denise Hodd play Beryl Brown, Pat Suter and Kay Quaife, of Worthing Pavilion, and the other tie is Joan Murrell, Jenny Bainbridge and Linda Gray, of Adur at home to Wealden's Janet Birch, Maureen Chown and Hazel Jepson.

Two wood triples quarter-finals: Betty Durrant, Sheila Miller and Ann Owen (Preston) v Mary Williams, Ann Moore, Jean Noble (Egerton); Jan Dearling, Terri Wall, Sue Jones (Preston) v Linda Lester, Jenny Bainbridge, Sandra Godfrey (Adur); Moira Levesley, Pat Younger, Kath Allvey (Wealden) v Marie Wilson, Pat Pearce, Jean Bowles (Preston); Iris Robinson, Jean Taylor, Betty Potten (Worthing) v Brenda Porter, Kathy Flood, Ann Millward (Preston).

Due to bad weather Kay Quaife's Worthing Pavilion team declined to travel to Eastbourne for a fours quarter-final and thus gave a walk-over to Ann Summers, Olive Boniface, June Liggins and Doris Stanton.

Starting 5,5, Preston's Sheila Miller, Ann Owen, Kathy Flood and Betty Durrant won 27-17 at Adur over Win Stevens, Jean Bridle, Pauline Sedgewick and Joan Pollard. In the semi-finals they will visit Linda Lester, Jenny Bainbridge, Sandra Godfrey and Linda Gray (Adur) or Beryl Pullen, Diane Stone, Marion Boswell and Lorraine Kemp (Egerton).