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Martock & District Skittles League

Hello Everyone.

We entered Round 5 with the league so varied in results that the league table especially in Division 1 has more leaders than an F1 race!!

The latest leaders in Division 1 are Duke of York who have started powerfully with only the solitary loss and 3 11-1 wins to their name. They had a sticky match this week as they were at East Lambrook at the Rose & Crown as they faced last seasons Runners Up VIPS who havent started at all well this season, but a first league win at Pornstars hopefully will kickstart their season in the right direction.

Hot on the heels of Duke of York are the reigning champs Stoke WMC who generally seem to start cold in the 1^st half of a season, but they have started superbly and sit a point behind Duke in 2nd. This week they were away to Rusty Axe who have struggled since the opening week win and are in a familiar spot to last season near the relegation trap door. A potential ‘Match of the Round’ was at the Bell Ash as Nobbys Nuts lost their unbeaten record last time out to Bakers Rogues so wanted to get back to winning ways, but they faced the resurgence of former champs Monkey Spankers who are determined to make amends for the disappointment of last season and have started well in 3^rd spot. There was a quality match of 2 strong teams at Stoke Club on the bottom alley. Hosts Seahawks have had a up and down start and are in mid table, they are generally strong at home which they needed to be as they faced Bakers Rogues who have started well and find themselves in 4^th looking to get a statement win here. The fun loving Bakers Big Arms have started very well and find themselves in the mix for the top spot but need big wins to give themselves that opportunity and they had a good chance here as they hosted bottom team S Club 8 needing that 1^st win of the season soon to not get cast adrift of the pack.

Another team winless and struggling are Nelsons Nomads who cant get that first win yet to get their season up and running and despite being at home this wasnt a match to trifle with as they faced Pornstars who are in a transition phase and were looking to get a 2^nd win of the season.

Division 2 has the only 100% team left in both divisions and thats Swan Shanks who are just superb so far 4 from 4 and after hitting 440 at Elis last week they mustve been on Cloud 9!! They were home this week against Lord Nelson who are always a tricky team and they posed a real threat on Shanks 100% record.

Lamb & Larks are in 2^nd spot chasing hard and this week it was their opportunity for a big score as they went to Elis to face Mucky Ducks who probably wish they wernt playing at home right now as losing last week with a ridiculous score of 420 means they are in form but could be in trouble again this week.

Dolphins are gliding and cruising at the moment in 3^rd with a decent start to the season and they looked to continue their positive form with a tricky visit to Bower Hinton to face Rosies Rebels who are in much better form to last season which might cause Dolphins a few headaches!

5^th v 4^th was at South Petherton Club as 5^th placed Split Pins are in good form at the moment and had a good chance to continue that further at home, but surprise package in 4^th are Ham Boys who have shocked everybody with their great form and will be no pushovers here compared to recent seasons.

Lower table action was at Limington as hosts Hotspots looked to get more consistent form with a win over their struggling opponents Thorns & Roses who are bottom and looking still for their 1^st win.

Stoke Club top alley had hosts Stoke Buoys also looking for their 1^st win of the season against fellow strugglers Mandys Bell Boys who had a good chance to get a good win here to help them move up the table.

Could anyone thrive in Round 5! Lets find out…..

Division 1

We start the league action at Rose & Crown East Lambrook as hosts VIPS have not got going at all yet this season and find themselves at the wrong end of the table and needing a boost from somewhere to get their season going, a first win of the season against Pornstars helped the cause last time out, but they had a big problem this week as they faced top of the table Duke of York who have nigh on been perfect so far with their league start and a 1 pin loss is the only blot so far and with 3 big 11-1 wins to the good they were looking for a 4^th win of the season. Duke knew this alley is tricky but VIPS start was not their best as a plethora of 5s stopped them from getting good opening hands as 54 and 48 wasnt the start they hoped for. Dukes response was a struggle as well as apart from Roger Lee and Adam Redwood the rest were finding it difficult to score but a lead of 6 after the opening 2 hands was a decent lead. VIPS majorly improved in the middle hands as an 11 spare from Vince backed up with 7s, 8s and 9s gave good late 50 hands. Dukes response was a struggle as they couldnt score freely enough and VIPS were now 6 up. VIPS had to put the pressure on if they were to get a good win here but the last 2 hands maybe a reason for lack of form as a 37 hand! Followed by a 61 wasnt good at all and left Duke needing 105 pins to win the match. Roger Lee was playing superbly but then absolutely put on a masterclass as a 12 and a 17 gave Duke the perfect start to the chase and he top scored with 58. Duke as a team did struggle with myself hitting 2 3s at the end, but despite this Duke did cruise to the winning line and won 8-4 by 12 pins. The small win however puts them 3rd. VIPS struggling form continues as they are 9th.

We go next to Stembridge where hosts Rusty Axe have not won a game since their opening week win and needed some inspiration from somewhere to give them a boost up the table as they are in a bit of a freefall right now. Problem for them was their visitors as they hosted reigning champs Stoke WMC who currently sit nicely in 2^nd and at this early stage they are in good form and were big favourites to continue that good form here. Rusty Axe looked good in the early stages as spares from the bottom two Jon (12) and Paul (13) gave them two late 50+ hands. Stoke were good value chasing that but were void of a spare which meant that Rusty were 4 up and a shock was forming. The middle hands were where the game changed as no spares from Rusty and the ultra high consistency from Stoke and a spare from Jake (14) meant they were 13 up. Rusty could not break Stoke WMC and despite 2 last superb hands in the 60s Stoke replicated this and ended up winning 10-2 by 12 pins to hit top spot for the first time this season. Rusty will be fine if they play like that but the loss means they are 10th.

Bell at Ash is next as we have two heavyweight hitters slugging it out here as hosts Nobbys Nuts have started well this season, but their 1^st loss last time out against Bakers Rogues meant they had to get back on the winning trail to keep up the good start they’ve earned. They hosted former champs Monkey Spankers who have been equally good and been very good away from home. Nobbys Nuts had to get off to a flyer to put early pressure on Spankers and spares from Liam (12) and skipper Tim (14) led to a decent start of a late 50 hand and a 70 hand. In reply there was generally decent scoring from Spankers with the odd spare thrown in but Nuts led by 3 pins after the opening hands. Nuts had to keep putting their foot down but apart from Keith M with 2 spares (13,11) there was a falloff from them as 2 50+ hands gave Spankers big hope. High consistent scores and a 16 spare meant Spankers went 15 up and looked good for the win. Despite three big spares including 2 from Adam Westlake (14,13) it wasnt enough as Spankers also hit 3 spares and cruised to 10-2 win by 15 pins to move up to 2nd. Nobbys Nuts 2^nd loss in a row drops them to 7th.

Off to Bakers Arms next as the young guns and hosts Bakers Big Arms have had an impressive start to the season and by the looks of their form are looking to challenge for the top spot! They looked good for another win here as they hosted S Club 8 who need some divine inspiration from somewhere as they continue to search for that elusive 1^st win of the season and they would need top form if they were to win here. Scoring proved difficult for both sides with the lack of spares evident and 1 spare for each team but the opening hands proved the difference as S Club had a nightmare as 2 mid 40 hands had them reeling and Big Arms were 15 ahead. Big Arms flexed their muscles in the middle hands, but to S Clubs credit they fought back well but the lead was now 16 for Big Arms and looked good for another win. Despite more improvement from S Club 8 it was Bakers Big Arms who held on to win 11-1 by 7 pins to move into 4^th hunting down the top 3. S Club continue to struggle and still winless as they are bottom in 12th.

Off to Stoke Club for the first time as we go to a potential close match here as this was a battle of 2 strong teams. Hosts Seahawks are going well with 3 wins from 4 and looked to make it 4 from 5 on their home alley as they hosted Bakers Rogues who are in similar form but do struggle here generally and will want to turn the tide and get a significant win here. All was pretty tight in the opening hands as Rogues were 1 up. 2 spares from Azz (13) and skipper Andy (13) turned the heat on Bakers Rogues and fired back with a spare from Kev Phillips (15), but the lead was now 15 pins in Seahawks favour. Seahawks produce 2 good last hands which left it near impossible for Rogues to chase which they couldnt get near and Seahawks ended up comfortable winners 10-2 winners by 36 pins to move into 5th. Rogues fell away here but will keep plugging away as they are 6th.

Lord Nelson is next and to hosts Nelsons Nomads who seem to be having reverse psychology at the moment as seem to be revelling in their winless form at the moment which may have an effect on teams at some point, but the visitors Pornstars hoped to not get caught up in Nomads web as they had a good chance here to get a much needed win to move up the table. The early goings must’ve got Nomads a little bit excited for the win as they were 5 up after the opening hands. Nomads skipper Mike Poole was playing on a different alley to the rest as he was having a brilliant night with 2 spares (14,13) for 61, but this match was tight all the way and it needed an inspirational spare from Adam Gray (16) for a score of 55 to get Pornstars over the line with a 9-3 win by 6 pins to go to 8th. Nomads still winless and 11th.

Division 2

Even at this early stage we are starting to wonder who is going to stick with the leaders Swan Shanks, as they are 100%, 4 from 4 and that huge score last time out at Elis mustve put their confidence sky high and they looked to continue this as they were at home at Black Swan and hosted Lord Nelson who in turn were right up against it here but if there is ever a team to shock leaders of Division 2 it was Nelson as they can produce good form at any time. Rob Cornelius continued his excellent form with a spare (14) for 52 and Matt Irving with a spare (16) also with 52 to which was far too much for Lord Nelson to cope with as the level of power scoring from Shanks proved effective as they made it 5 from 5 with a 11-1 win by 47 pins to be 5 points clear at the top of the table. Lord Nelson were outplayed here despite good early signs of form, but they are now 8th.

Now we go to Eli’s again this week and Mucky Ducks must think they’ve been run over by a truck! Not many teams can hit 420 and lose! That’s what happened to them last week and they will hope that their scoring will turn into a win as they faced 2^nd placed Lamb & Larks who fancied their chances of a high score here, but would take some going to beat Swan Shanks score from last week right!

Mucky Ducks couldn’t produce the level of high scoring from last week as only 2 spares were hit! An 18 and a 15 aren’t shabby though! The match was all about Larks and where do I start! Rearon with 3 spares, one of them 24! Was brilliant for 66. Andy Webb though had a night to remember as 4 spares (14,14,13,16) meant he set the Highest Away Individual score with 71 and spares kept flowing for Larks as 13 spares in total meant they also set the Highest Team Away Score with 441! Complete insanity again as Lamb & Larks won 11-1 by 67 pins in a brilliant performance and stay 2nd. Mucky Ducks need to go on an away game after the last 2 weeks have mushed their brains as they are 9th.

We go from a high scoring alley to a tough low scoring one as Rose & Crown, Bower Hinton is the next venue as hosts Rosies Rebels are looking to gain some positive form to their inconsistent start, but it has been a lot better than last season. Their opponents are in form Dolphins who despite lack of high scores are being very business like with their wins and continue to go along their merry way and will want to stick in their near the top of the division. There was’nt much to write in terms of high scores but Dolphins Chris with a spare (12) and Buttsy with a 9 spare made a difference here as Rosies Rebels had a poor night of scoring here as Dolphins glided to a 9-3 win by 27 pins to go 3rd. Rosies Rebels will want improvement as they are 7th.

Off to South Petherton Club now where this was 5^th v 4^th as we look at hosts Split Pins who are in decent form in mid-table and looked to push further up the table as they entertained visitors Ham Boys who are starting to wane a bit after their brilliant start and needed a win to keep their lofty position in the table. No photo was taken, but Split Pins made home advantage count and won 11-1 by 21  pins to move up to 4th. Another loss for Ham Boys means they drop to 5th.

We are at Limington next and to Lamb & Lark where we see hosts Hotspots turning in some inconsistent form right now and needed a decent win to get some positive vibes going to their season. They had the chance to do this as they entertained visitors and bottom team Thorns & Roses who desperately need that first win of the season to kickstart them as they continue to struggle in the hope they get over the winning line. Scoring was hard here from both teams but Thorns for a while mustve though they were getting the win as they were 3 up going into the last 2 hands, but Hotspots got it right when it mattered as they won both the last 2 hands to win the game 10-2 by 13 pins to move into 6th. Thorns & Roses are getting closer to that 1^st win but are still winless and bottom in 12th.

We finish back at Stoke Club as hosts Stoke Buoys have had a tough time since being relegated to Division 2 as they cant win in this division either! 4 losses from 4 is dire at the moment and they are a much better team than what they are showing. They hosted Mandys Bell Boys who played nomination cup on this alley last time out so will not have fond memories but hoped to take advantage of Stoke Buoys poor form. Mandys were 19 up after the first 2 hands and Stoke Buoys just couldnt get going, but thats where Mandys scoring stopped as they were getting worse and Stoke Buoys were taking heart and getting better as Rob top scored with 52 to finally get the 1^st win on the board as Stoke Buoys won by 12 pins 9-3 to move up to 10th. Mandys Bell Boys are 11^th after that loss.

Fantastic scoring again this week as we now move to Week 6 and its spooky times as its HALLOWEEN!!

Who will ghost to wins next week!! We shall find out.

Cheers all

Steve