Good points and bad points

Firstly an apology. Due to a rather delightful trip to Brussels with my better half, I was not able to do a blog after last week’s game.

Unfortunately, I clearly drank too much in the EU capital (which was fantastic by the way, if a little pricey) and I can’t really remember many details of the game! I know we won by quite a large margin but I’ll be damned if I can remember anything else…

Anyway, on to last night’s game at the Waggon and Horses at Doulting Beacon which was, for once, not shrouded in flog and soaked in tumultuous Mendip downpours. We were playing an all-female team so it was a good job the Fat Controller wasn’t there or we’d have lost him for the night…

We won the game by 27. Which was good. But we hit our lowest score of the season. Which was bad. But we kept hitting pins despite the demoralising score. Which was good. But I hit 32 and my lowest score of the season. Which was bad.

Top scorer was our man on the bottom Alan, who knocked 45 and took all the money. Next up was Mr T Lethaby Snr whose 43 keeps him in the hunt at the top of the averages, followed by DJ with 42 – his missile-like deliveries scaring the sticker-upper on numerous occasions.

I must make a couple of extra mentions as well. Firstly, sorry to Joe The New Kid for tipping my pint of Coke all down his jeans, I hope you’ve dried out now. And secondly, best of luck to Hurricane Hellard, who goes in to hospital on Monday to have a hip replacement, which will rule him out for the rest of the season.

Next week we play at home against Team Alvis, knowing that another win could almost seal promotion already. Fingers crossed for some top scoring. Anyway, until then…

Go for wood!

Tim

Player of the week: Alan – always one to join in the verbal abuse, our ex-newspaper group chief executive (pictured right looking very dapper) has been a Team Clothier member for many years. He plays less regularly these days, but when he does, he can still pull a score out of the bag.

Whatever the weather

Once again it was the weather which dominated our match last night as we were caught out by floods, snow drifts and blizzards.

We were playing at East Harptree on the concrete alley, and on the way there it was the deep flood waters resembling tropical water-splashes which caused concern, especially as none of us were driving big 4x4s normally used to tackle said torrents.

Then, halfway through the game, Mr T Lethaby Snr announced that snow was falling and settling. We tried to speed up the game but were hampered by the slowest sticker-up known to man.

On the way home, Team Clothier went in convoy and by now the roads resembled something you would find in the arctic. My MG struggled going up hill, but the best manoeuvre was performed by Mr T Lethaby Snr whose car did a Bambi on ice sliding impression near the Mendip Inn. Thankfully all of us got home safely.

As for the match, we were playing Team Currell and we won by 39 after winning all six legs. We are not huge fans of the Harptree Club alley but we hit one of our highest scores of the season and certainly our best ever there.

Top dogs were Wyatt Earp and Mr T Lethaby Snr who both hit 49 with a spare apiece, followed by me with 47, again including a spare. Skipper was in the Chair and for once failed to take much money, having to pay everyone bar one.

Next week we are back at the Poacher’s Pocket for a home game on Wednesday against Team Young. By then hopefully the snows and flood waters will have gone and we can worry about giving each other verbal abuse as usual. Anyway, until then…

Go for wood!

Tim

Player of the week: Wyatt Earp – the team’s resident gunslinger, pictured right, is another who has featured in the side for many years. Currently enjoying his best season for some time, Wyatt will be sorely missed over the next month or so as he has to take a break following an operation on his hand.

Get the snow chains ready

Team Clothier had a game in hand on most of the division so what does Skipper do? Arrange it for one of the snowiest nights of the year.

After Monday night’s conditions we thought we had seen the worst of the weather, but just as we arrived at the Poacher’s Pocket, the white stuff started to fall again. And it kept falling all game until we were ready to go.

By this point some of our cars were somewhat snowed in – Pasty got his out despite a barrage of snowballs from Nashy, DJ and Joe The New Kid. Mine was the farthest into the car park and the deepest in snow, but I put my knowledge of Rally Sweden to the test and got out of the thick stuff fine. Unfortunately, I then got to the icy main bit of the car park and promptly couldn’t get anywhere. Thankfully Mr T Lethaby Snr was on hand to lend a bit of weight, and he helped by pushing my car and I got away.

But what of the game? Well, we were playing Team Freestone who we beat by only four last week, and again it proved to be a tight encounter. We had fallen 14 behind after the first leg, but pulled back to only four down by the fourth leg.

We then monstered the leg and hit 81 thanks to two spares, but it could have been more if I hadn’t wasted my spare ball by throwing it straight through. We were 26 up going into our last leg but we didn’t hit too good a score. When they suddenly had two spares it made things interesting, but we won out by 10 in the end.

Top scorer on the night for us was Hurricane Hellard with a storming 53, followed by me with 50, thanks to me actually taking advantage of a spare and hitting 14 on the last leg. Joe The New Kid was in the Chair and he hit 48 meaning he only had to pay Hurricane and I.

It’s Nashy’s birthday on Saturday (watch out the pubs of Shepton/Wells/Street) so he did the five half-pint challenge last night and got his best time. He came in with a very respectable 12 minutes 36 seconds.

Next week we play away at Harptree Club, in East Harptree, on Monday on the concrete alley where we may or may not be playing with the rubber balls (ooh err missus, and all that). Let’s hope the snow stays away but looking at the forecast I may need to hunt out those snow chains. Anyway, until then…

Go for wood!

Tim

Player of the week: Hurricane Hellard – Hurricane (pictured front right in this old photo of Team Clothier from 1999) has been a member of the team since it was started some 40 years ago. A lynchpin of the side, normally playing at number four, he is also known for his performances on the dancefloor at the team’s Christmas bash…