BASINGSTOKE indoor bowler Nicole Rogers has had a great start to 2016.

The teenager has retained the Hampshire title of the English Bowls Youth Development Scheme for under 18s for the third consecutive year.

This has qualified her for the South of England zone finals in April, and she hopes to qualify for the national finals for the fourth time in October.

At the beginning of last month, Rogers qualified for the finals of the English Indoor under-25 Ladies Championship, held at White Oak, Kent.

Last year, the 17-year-old was beaten in the quarter-finals by World Champion Katherine Rednall. This year she went a step further reaching the last four, losing out to senior England skip Sophie Tolchard, seven years her senior, who then lost to Rednall in the final.

The following weekend, she participated in the inaugural Open Single Circuit event at Loddon Vale, where 64 of the top English players took part in the two day event for a purse of £2,400.

After an easy win in her first round, Rogers then beat Egham's Steve Touhy, ranked number one and a previous winner.

She then disposed of ex England player Ian Jenkins (Egham) and Tom Warner (Five Rivers) to reach the semi-finals.

Unfortunately, she lost to eventual winner Egham's Sean Gingell on a tie break. Gingwell then beat Keith Bailey (Clarrie Dunbar) 2-0 in the final to pick up the £1,000 winner’s cheque.

Rogers' next event is the English Indoor Under-18 finals to be held in Spalding on March 13, where she is one of only two girls to have reached the last 16 of the mixed event.

The Peter Symonds pupil also has England under-18 trials for both the indoor and outdoor squads in May.

Rogers is also on course to retain her Hampshire Ladies Senior title, which she won last year, becoming the first junior ever to win the title. She has already reached the quarter- finals.