Captain Baden Sparkes led by example as Oxfordshire made a winning start to their EBA Middleton Cup campaign with a 120-113 victory over Isle of Wight at Shanklin.

Sparkes' Carterton four of Andy Wise, Stuart Richens and Robert Clanfield gained a thumping 27-8 win over Isle of Wight skip Bruce Marks a margin of victory which was to ultimately prove crucial.

Oxon, who always had the edge, won on two of the other five rinks.

Mark Charlett's side of John Philpott, Sammy Timms and Colin Whitehead raced into a 12-1 lead after five ends against skip Alan Best on the way to a 25-19 win.

Skip Howard Watts made a triumphant return to the Middleton Cup scene, leading the four of Jim Gamage, Nathan Lewis and Ian Henwood, also back in the county fold, to a 21-16 victory over skip Peter Clayton.

The spoils were shared on two rinks with Oxon skips Greg Moon and Alan Prew seeing commanding leads wiped out.

Prew's four of cup debutant Remy Clanfield, George Moon and Ryan Buckett led 8-1 after five ends and 15-5 after ten, but Isle of Wight skip Peter Furmidge battled back to force a 19-19 draw.

Greg Moon's side of Keith Holloway, Barry Lambourne and Gary Lucas also built up a healthy position after ten ends, leading 11-4 against skip Ian Morey, but the Islanders rallied to tie the score 15-15.

The only disappointing note for Oxon was the 36-13 walloping for Calvin Carpenter's rink of Nick Welsh, Les Campion and Mark Sykes at the hands of skip Darren Griffith.

Oxon make one positional switch in an otherwise unchanged team for their next Middleton Cup match against Berkshire at Banbury Central on Saturday, June 17.

Campion, who was in Carpenter's four, swaps places with George Moon, who was in Prew's side.

Isle of Wight 113 (4pts), Oxfordshire 120 (18) (Isle of Wight rinks first)

Rink 1: S Lines, B Mackett, D Deacon, A Best 19; J Philpott, S Timms, C Whitehead, M Charlett 25.

Rink 2: M Butchers, H Brownsden, J Crews, D Griffith 36; N Welsh, L Campion, M Sykes, C Carpenter 13.

Rink 3: P Dickinson, D Gustar, D Jones, I Morey 15; K Holloway, B Lambourne, G Lucas, Gr Moon 15.

Rink 4: A Clarke, B Mortlock, P Turner, B Marks 8; A Wise, S Richens, R Clanfield, B Sparkes 27.

Rink 5: T Partridge, F Rylands, C New, P Furmidge 19; Re Clanfield, Ge Moon, R Buckett, A Prew 19.

Rink 6: S Lewis, C Worsfold, M Strand, P Clayton 16; J Gamage, N Lewis, I Henwood, H Watts 21.