A return to last season

Last year, Team Clothier just could not win a game due to low scores and in particular spare opportunities missed. Sadly this form appears to have returned for us!

Last night we played the jovial team captained by Dave Watts, even though he wasn’t there, and we lost by 20, hitting a rather pants total and generally harking back to the dark days of last season.

I didn’t help, hitting a rubbish 33! Y’know those games sometimes, when you step up to play and you just know the ball is going to go where you aim? Well, I had a match exactly the opposite. The number of times I just clipped the front or quarter pins and just took a pin or two really frustrated me. It left me with a horrible frame each time and then all I could hope for was a hard-working 6.

The Fat Controller did not fare any better as he only hit 33 as well but it was not bad news all round. Pasty hit an impressive 51, as he actually took his spare chance. Nashy hit 47, and Mr T Lethaby Snr hit 41 in the chair, taking money off six of us.

We are nearing the midway point of the season and it looks like our division is going to be a close three-way fight for the two promotion spots. Our next two games are against the top team so they could be the deciding weeks of the season.

We are happy with how things have gone so far, but are a bit worried with our little slump, a la Arsenal and William Gallas (pictured) at the moment. The question is: how happy are you with your skittles team’s performance so far? Get commenting if things are going spectacularly good or bad!

Next week we don’t have a game as we were due to play the team Crozier, but they have pulled out of the league. Therefore the next fixture is at home again against Sparks, the aforementioned top side. Time to get into training! Anyway, until then…

Go for wood!

Tim

Definition of the week: Foot fault – where you step over the foot fault line, supposedly giving you an advantage. In reality, it quite often does the opposite, and in some alleys there is not even one marked!

Hip, hip hooray! (But not for the result)

One of Team Clothier had a rather unusual conversation with his doctor this week.

Hurricane Hellard has been having hip problems and went to see his quack about it. Pointing at his side, he explained to the doc that the hip which had previously been replaced was playing up badly and was making him uncomfortable.

The doctor nodded as he listened intently to what Hurricane was saying. After hearing all about the pain, the doctor replied: “But it was your other hip we replaced…”

Hurricane was convinced but after much discussion and a check of the hospital records, it turned out that the GP was right and Hurricane had thought the wrong hip had been done all along.

Suffice to say, he wasn’t at skittles last night, and we all hope his non-replaced hip isn’t giving him too much trouble. Also, it’s good to see how well the Fat Controller is progressing after his operation.

Unfortunately, though, we lost for the first time in the league last night against a team also looking for promotion this year. The game ebbed and flowed with first us taking the lead, and then our opposition (Witts at Pilton Working Mens’ Club).

Going into the last leg, we trailed by only 1. However, they hit an excellent last leg leaving us 67 to win. We did OK, but it came down to me needing to hit 15 to win. I sent my first ball down perfectly to get a flopper, or at least 7. At the last minute it veered off to just clip the front pin and make a spare nearly impossible. In the end we lost by 8.

Pasty led the score sheets with 54 (I think, but then the game was even more exciting than individual scores this week) including starting with two spares. Nashy was in the chair and hit 45, drawing from more than half the team. I hit 44 to keep my solid season going.

Next week, we are back home at the Poacher’s Pocket and hopefully we will halt the little wobble we are on at the moment. We should have a full squad available so the pressure for places will be back on. Anyway, until then…

Go for wood!

Tim

Definition of the week: Sticker-up – the poor young person, normally a spotty teenager being paid a pittance, who has to put the pins back up for both teams. We don’t normally give them much work to do, but they are issued with a hard hat when DJ is playing.

Free to concentrate on the league

I have just returned from 10 days in sunny Florida, holidaying with the fiancée and the youngsters in DisneyWorld. A wonderful time was had by all, and the only part of my body which I sunburnt was my feet!

However, while we were off enjoying the wildlife at Animal Kingdom, Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom (pictured) and the spectacle that is Indiana Jones at Disney Hollywood Studios, the skittles matches went on.

First up was the front pin first, four-a-side cup for Team Clothier, and this is not our favourite event. Normally, when Skipper says: “It’s front pin first next week, who wants to make up the team?” he is met with a deathly silence.

The four unfortunate souls who did play were Pasty, Nashy, Nashy’s dad and DJ. Nashy and Pasty did OK with scores in the 30s, but Old Man Nash only hit 12. And then came DJ…

Try as he might, DJ could not hit that front pin and ended up with a total of, wait for it, five. That’s only five over the whole six legs! It does beg the question – what’s your lowest ever front pin first score? Mine’s 12…

Nevertheless, undeterred, DJ fought back in the third round of the proper cup, top scoring with 50. Played at the George Inn, Gurney Slade, Team Clothier was playing a side from Division B, two divisions higher than us.

We made a good fight of it, being only two down going into the last leg, but the pressure proved to be too much as we ended up losing by 21. However, this means we are left to concentrate on the league, of course…

Next week, we play on Thursday at the Pilton Working Mens’ Club, a venue which has seen us win a few times in the past. Let’s hope that continues, even if I am playing on the bottom as I missed the cup game. Anyway, until then…

Go for wood!

Tim

Definition of the week: Dam buster – A shot which is bounced down the alley, rather than rolled. This can sometimes lead to eyebrows being raised by the landlord and hard hats being worn by the two teams.