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LATEST NEWS

SWAN SHANKS HAVE MOVED!

Sadly, the Black Swan in Langport recently closed its doors. This required the Swan Shanks to quickly find a new alley. They have been lucky enough to be able to move back to the Crown Inn at Fivehead, where they will play their remaining fixtures this season. The closure of the Black Swan also means that Ham Boys “clash” fixtures at Eli’s will now be played at the King’s Head at High Ham. The Captain of teams affected should be (or have already been) contacted by Darren Cousins and Colin Rock. Interesting times!!

SKITTLES FOOD 2025-26

Here is the list of who is and isn’t doing food this season. Any errors or changes let Steve Lonton or Pete Wescott know. NOTE TO CAPTAINS OF TEAMS THAT DO NOT PROVIDE FOOD: Please ensure that the opposing Team Captain is aware of whether your team would like food when playing on their alley.

Steve’s Roving Report

Hello everyone!

We are full systems go into the 2^nd half and we have a full set of league fixtures in February to get the taste buds flowing and these fixtures could answer a lot of questions at the top and bottom of both divisions.

In Division 1 all eyes were at Stoke Club as the leaders Duke of York were in town and this match was a tough one for them as they faced 3^rd placed and hosts Seahawks who can be formidable at home so could Duke of York make a statement win or could they be derailed? Stoke WMC are clinging to Duke of York and needed to nail this match this week as they faced 2^nd bottom S Club 8 who had a decent January and rose off the bottom for the first time in weeks so  S Club wouldn’t be fazed by their stronger opponents. Bakers Big Arms keep hanging in there in the top 4 and they had a home match this week to get their muscles going as they faced Nelsons Nomads who are picking up some decent form recently in the lower end of the table. January was a forgetful month for Monkey Spankers as they started 2^nd and now are 5^th so they need a good February to get back on track and they travelled to face new bottom team Rusty Axe who need form to pick up soon to avoid the trap door of relegation. A mid-table clash was at Bell Ash as Nobbys Nuts faced Bakers Rogues and two teams looking to stave off relegation faced off at East Lambrook as hosts VIPS hosted Pornstars.

Division 2 at the top is anyones guess right now and the top teams keep trading wins in the battle for the title & promotion race. The leaders Lamb & Larks had a tricky match this week as they were on the top alley at Stoke Club to face hosts Stoke Buoys who can show good form at any time so focus was key for Larks in this one. Crown Shanks also have to keep focus and not slip in their quest for the league title as they had a home match against Mucky Ducks who in turn can play well at anytime. Split Pins lost last week in the top of the table clash so needed to get back on track with a home match this week against Mandys Bell Boys who are showing decent form. Dolphins looked to keep their good tide of results going as they travelled to Lamb & Lark to face 2^nd bottom Hotspots who are in weak form currently. Lower table action was at Rose & Crown Bower Hinton as hosts Rosies Rebels looked for another win as they faced out of form Ham Boys and Lord Nelson looked for a good win this week as they hosted bottom team and Wooden Spoon favourites Thorns & Roses.

Would Round 15 make or break the teams at the top? Lets crack on with the action.

Division 1

We start at Stoke Club as all eyes were on this first match as the leaders were in town! Duke of York chalked off another win last week and extended their lead at the top to 8 points which is a decent lead at this stage but this match would test that lead as they were on the bottom alley to face 3^rd placed Seahawks who had a week off last week due to the weather issues were back in action and looked to help their league aspirations and put a dent in Duke of York’s unrelenting quest for the league title. This has been a bogey alley for Duke and Seahawks would hope their generally formidable home form would come good here but the start had to be good and it wasn’t! A plethora of low scores from a few of the Seahawks meant they didn’t take off and two mid 40 hands were a big worry considering the reply they might get from their opponents. Duke saw this and knew a decent lead was to be achieved and mixes of 7’s 8’s and 9’s was just the start that the leaders wanted and two 55’s meant a healthy 18 pin lead and both hands in the bank. There had to be a better response in the middle hands from Seahawks and opener Azz produced that with a flopper to end up with a 16 spare and a great start. The following scoring backed that up but captain Andy Harper was in worrying form as two 4’s crippled the hands slightly but 53,63 was much better and gave Duke of York something to think about. The reply was a bit mixed throughout and never really got going and 4’s and 5’s halted the progress for Duke and meant two 52s which cut the lead to 6 and a vital last two hands for both teams were coming up. Azz was superb in finishing with 51 but the big hands they needed to put pressure on Duke didn’t happen and 50,51 was not it and Duke were left two 48s to chalk off another win. This was a consistent team performance from Duke of York with 6 of their team in the 40s and it proved a comfortable chase as two 54s meant a important win for the leaders as they won 10-2 by 13 pins and are now 10 points clear at the top. Seahawks would’ve, could’ve, and maybe should’ve but they didn’t and drop to 5^th as a result of the loss.

Off to Somerton Sports Club and to the hosts S Club 8 who have had a really productive January in terms of points and with that they are now off the bottom for the first time in weeks and will want to continue their decent form. This match however is as tough as it gets for them as the visitors were the reigning champs Stoke WMC who knew they have to put in big performances now if they are to defend their title successfully and reign in Duke of York slightly Stoke were big favourites to put in that performance. The opening from S Club was very cold and 5s and 3s were mixed in with ok scoring but skipper Mark Aylward was the rescuer as a big 18 spare salvaged the hands and 60,52 ended up not too bad. The reply was a very decent one from the reigning champs as opener Richie had a dream start with a 9 and a 15 spare. Andy recovered well after an opening 4 to get a 14 spare which gave a very strong 2^nd hand of 78 and a 20 pin lead early 1 hand each. S Club were right up against it now and needed big middle hands to get themselves back in the match, but that didn’t materialise despite lots of 8s and a couple of 9s and 58,55 was not ideal at all for them. Stoke had the chance to put their foot down and accelerate away from S Club but the top half for Stoke wobbled with 5s which meant they needed to score well to get fairly decent hands rather than the big ones they wanted. Mike Harper git a 15 spare to make the hands decent with 64,55 and that extended their lead to 26 despite sharing the hands 2 each. It was make or break for S Club in the last 2 hands and they made a good fist of it lots of 8s, a bolted 9 spare from Ian and a 12 spare from Andy Billing meant 68,60 but with the big deficit they had this meant that Stoke WMC only needed 51,52 to win. Mark Alward for S Club top scored with an impressive 56. The chase would seem a formality for Stoke WMC, but they had no spares despite the decent scoring and Richie top scoring with54 was good but 57,59 meant they lost both last hands as Stoke WMC won by 14 pins 8-4 which was disappointing on the points front as they are now 10 behind Duke of York and will need bigger results if they are to reign Duke in. Great effort from S Club 8 and they fought well but the loss means they stay 11th.

Lets call in at Bakers Arms as hosts Bakers Big Arms are having a breakthrough season and continue to impress each and every week. Before this match they were in 4^th and want to keep pushing as there are plenty of points to play for and big games to play. Their opponents this week were Nelsons Nomads who are picking up decent points themselves recently and closer to mid-table is a nice place to be when they are generally in the lower half of the table and can pose a threat to any team so despite this match being seen as a home win it wasn’t a foregone conclusion. From the start Big Arms were bang up for this and an opening spare from Peas with a 13 spare was the start of more to come and the mercurial talent that is Leon Taylor as two spares (16,15) was brilliant and a 75 opening hand and a 56 to follow was massive and Nomads were already backs to the wall here. A 12 spare was decent in response but the 2^nd total hand was a very weak 39 which with 57 meant that Big Arms flew to a 35 pin lead. When  this Big Arms team are in the mood we get treated to a spare fest and this time it was Nigel (11), Rooster (11) and Gaff (12) all having spares in the middle hands and strong backups hands of 58,63 meant that Nomads already needed more than a miracle to get anywhere near in this match. Nomads were getting outplayed and no luck and for all the endeavour their middle hands were low again and Big Arms were now 58 up and this was becoming a proper hammering. Big Arms did lay off the spares in the last two hands but their scoring continued to be good but Leon was in blistering form and finished with a brilliant score of 63 to add to a brilliant team performance from Big Arms. Nomads by this point were having fun and enjoyed themselves in the thumping they were getting and did well in the last two hands but Bakers Big Arms were far too good and won 12-0 by 60 pins to rise to 3^rd and with this performance a big threat in the coming weeks. Nomads no doubt laughed their way through and will bin this quickly as they are now 9th.

Next we move to Stembridge and to host team Rusty Axe who have just recently hit the bottom of the table due to their weak form and S Club 8 improving so for them it is important to pick up decent points soon to get themselves going otherwise they could be cast adrift in the relegation picture. Although they weren’t favourites, they did have a chance as the visitors Monkey Spankers are on a bad losing run and are still looking for their first win in 2026 which is very surprising considering how strong they generally are. Rusty Axe are very decent at home and the start was all important for them to impose themselves on Spankers and Gary did that for Rusty with a 13 spare to help them towards a fairly decent start with two mid 50 hands which might be tricky considering Spankers recent form. Indeed they seemed to start like their recent form and couldn’t get going at all and a couple of 4s mixed in with varied other scores meant that they lost the hands and Rusty Axe were off to a good start, 2 hands up and 7 pins up. Both teams were searching for positive form to turn their way and Rusty Axe especially but they needed to take advantage of the lead they acquired but apart from skipper Jon Ellard who hit a 9 and a 12 spare the rest didn’t back that up and a mid 40 and a mid 50 hand was not good at all and gave Monkey Spankers a massive chance to turn a positive corner in this match. Spankers were finally back! 3 spares of 13, 15 and a 14 from a returning Rosco meant two 60+ hands and Spankers were now 18 up and flying towards their first win of the year. Rusty needed big scores and unfortunately the big numbers didn’t come despite Shawn hitting an 11 spare. A 51 and a 55 meant a routine 89 pins for Monkey Spankers to finally get that first win of the year. This was a much better performance from Monkey Spankers and they put the cherry on top of this match with 2 spares in the final hands and Rosco was superb with a final hand 17 spare to finish with 61 and Monkey Spankers won 10-2 by 42 pins to move up to 4th. Rusty Axe were hammered here and stay bottom in 12th.

Off to Bell at Ash and to a tasty clash in the middle of Division 1 as hosts Nobbys Nuts would be glad to be home this week after the big loss they had last week against the leaders Duke of York, but they still had a tricky match this week as the visitors were Bakers Rogues who on their day are more than a match for anyone and being this was at the Bell this had the makings of a quality high scoring match. This was indeed a quality match from the off as Nobbys warmed to the task but it wasn’t plain sailing as there was the odd slip up early doors but Adam Westlake hit a 12 spare and Nobbys two late 50 hands were not too bad but could’ve been a bit better. Bakers Rogues definitely fired early as Paul Batten with an opening 16 spare was a peach of a start for him and Rogues and the scoring throughout the opening hands was decent and 68,57 meant an early 8 pin lead for Rogues and a good start. The middle hands from Nobbys were nothing but explosive as everyone scored well and opener Keith B with a 14 spare, Liam with a 14 spare and then skipper Tim got going with 2 spares (15,16) to give massive hands of 77,75 to put huge pressure on Rogues to match that which would be some effort. The reply was good from Rogues with skipper Paul Gould joining the spares party with a 15 spare and there was good scoring throughout but that was the only spare from them as two mid 60 hands meant that Nobbys were now leading by 11 pins and 3-1 up in points. Nobbys needed to push their advantage to make the game out of reach for Rogues but no spares and a sudden lack of big scores meant that 57,58 gave Rogues a decent chance to win the game as they needed 127 pins to win this quality scoring match. The top 3 from Rogues were brilliant here as Paul with 54, Kev Rawle hitting a 5^th hand 16 spare for 52 and top scorer Paul Batten with his 2^nd spare (15) for 58 and good scoring throughout again meant that the target was achieved and a little bit more as Rogues won 9-3 by 9 pins and stay 6th. Nobbys Nuts need a winning formula to happen soon as they are 7th.

Next we go to Rose & Crown at East Lambrook and to a match between two currently struggling sides as hosts VIPS just can’t get any decent form going this season and sitting in the lower half of the table flirting near the relegation trap door is not where they thought they’d be at the start of the season but their opponents Pornstars are in the same boat and have dropped down the table alarmingly to the point they are battling to stay away from the relegation zone and need to get wins on the board quickly to move in the right direction. This game would be great for both teams to win. This was a low scoring match but VIPS started decently as Craig hit a opening 13 spare and 56,46 wasn’t a bad start. Pornstars started decently as well and Joe was the standout with 7 and 9 in the opening hands as 48,54 meant scores were tied and 1 hand each. The hand scores meant this match was a battle to the finish and the middle hands were a battle for VIPS but they did ok as two low 50 hands gave Pornstars the chance to grow into this match. Unfortunately though, Pornstars struggles continued as there were too many 5s early on in the middle hands and despite continued decent scoring from Joe, Pornstars missed out on getting a lead as VIPS led by 4 pins. VIPS had the chance to set Pornstars a tough chasing score but they were spluttering and the hero was Craig again as he hit a timely 11 spare to top score with 51 to give them a better chance of winning but Pornstars needed two 52s to win the match and was very achievable. The chase was pretty much the story of Pornstars season so far in which chances are there but not quite taken as lots of 5s crippled their chances again and what might’ve been as VIPS won this low scoring match 11-1 by 9 pins to move up to 8th. Pornstars drop to 10^th and are in a battle to survive the drop.

Division 2

In a topsy turvy Division 2 with teams swapping positions at the top we go first to Stoke Club and to the top alley where hosts Stoke Buoys have been decent of late and are in mid-table looking to continue good form and they would need it as their opponents were the leaders Lamb & Larks who continue to go along on a crest of a wave this season and know that the more they win it will be harder for the chasing pack to keep up with them but with only a 3 point lead they had to win here and win well. Stoke Buoys started well with Alan nailing a 13 spare and 54,63 was a cracking start. In reply Coach replied in kind for Lamb & Larks as a 12 spare was good but they had a bad wobble after that and 57,53 meant a 7 pin lead for Stoke Buoys. There was a delay here as the balls got stuck in the shute to never be found! Luckily there were balls available and we got going again but it seemed to affect Stoke Buoys as the scoring was weaker in the middle hands and 55,50 was not what was needed after the good start they had. Lamb & Larks though did take kindly to the change of balls and Coach was superb again with a 16 spare and contributed greatly to the leaders as 61,62 meant a lead of 11 for Larks and another win was on the cards for them. Scoring got worse for Stoke Buoys and the match effectively as well as 53,47 meant two 45’s to win for the leaders. This was achieved without too much of a push from Larks and Coach top scoring with 56 was the standout as Larks stay top with a 11-1 win by 18 pins and stay 3 points clear. Stoke Buoys start was great but they fell away and are now 8th.

We go to Fivehead for an obligatory high scoring match as 2^nd placed hosts Crown Shanks are keeping firmly on the coattails of Lamb & Larks and winning is massive to their chances of the Division 2 title and also promotion, Darren Cousins have to keep the burners well and truly on, but they had a tricky match this week as the visitors were Mucky Ducks who can score big themselves and in 5^th place at the moment they could potentially do some damage here. You can definitely tell that Shanks feel comfortable here as they went big straight from the off as Ollie Wills went berserk early on with two 13 spares and Rob L carried on the momentum with a 9 and a 17 spare and then also skipper Darren felt he needed to join in as a 16 spare and a 7 was scored by him so 77 and 67 were the opening totals which put Ducks under massive pressure. Unfortunately from Ducks the pressure was too much and low scores were too frequent but two spares of 14 and 13 were ok but gave little solace as Crown Shanks led by 31 pins after the opening hands. Momentum was key for Shanks so as to not slip at any point and Ollie was having a golden night as he added a 15 spare to his already high score and Pete added a 14 but there was blips around that so 57,66 was ok but not as big as the first two hands. Ducks may as well let the handbrake off and go for it as there was nothing to lose but the 3^rd hand was terrible with 49 but the 4^th hand made up for it as 3 spares of 13,13 and 11 made a 73 hand but the lead was now 32 and 3 hands to 1 in favour of Crown Shanks. Shanks did not stop though and a 15 spare from Stave and a 2^nd spare of 13 from Pete meant that with both Ollie and Pete top scoring with 60 it was a stellar night for Shanks and left too much for Ducks to get here. Ducks to their credit kept going to the end and two spares (13) were good but they were still thoroughly outplayed as Crown Shanks won 11-1 by 36 pins and still stay 3 points behind Lamb & Larks in 2nd. Mucky Ducks were outplayed and stay 5th.

Next we go to South Petherton Club and to Split Pins who have spluttered a bit since the turn of the year and find themselves off the pace in 3^rd and with a gap developing they needed to get the win at home here as they hosted Mandys Bell Boys who have a little knack of getting the odd win here and there down in the lower table and they were capable of springing another one here if Split Pins are off their game. Josh with a 1 was not what they needed early on and despite decent scoring 46,60 was ok at best for them. Likewise Mandys Bell Boys were ok with their scoring but were slightly more consistent as two 50+ hands meant a 4 pin lead for them and a vast improvement was needed from Split Pins. There was an improvement but lack of spares were evident and 59.56 was still not quite enough to put pressure on their opponents. Indeed Mandys Bell Boys took advantage of Split Pins spare woes and lots of decent scoring throughout was achieved and topped nicely with Mandy herself with a timely 15 spare which meant a 10 pin lead and Split Pins were in big trouble. Josh despite his early 1 scored really well after that and two 9s at the end were a good finish but again Split Pins spluttered to two 55’s which meant 50,51 for Mandys to take a great win here. There was a weak start to the chase with 3s going in early on but Tom settled Mandys Bell Boys with a 12 and Mandy finished off well to secure a win for Mandys Bell Boys 8-4 by 4 pins and they are now 7th. Split Pins recent weak form continues as they stay 3^rd .

The next match we look at is at Limington and to Lamb & Lark as hosts Hotspots are having a struggling season this time around as they continue to struggle for wins and find themselves wallowing away in 11^th currently. This would be a tough ask to win as well as their opponents were 4^th place Dolphins who looked to keep pace near the top places and a win here like any win is important to their chances of promotion. Hotspots struggled early on and there wasn’t much to comment on in their opening hands as 44,51 was not the start they wanted. Dolphins were short of players this week and included their sticker up Holly to give them impetus. They struggled at times as well but a 13 spare at the end of the hands meant that Dolphins were leading by 9 pins. It wasn’t getting any better for Hotspots with low scores littering decent scores and 45,55 was not the hands they wanted and looked doomed to another defeat here. As much as Dolphins were also struggling they were finding a way to keep ahead of Hotspots and 52,50 meant a 12 pin lead and a good chance of taking the win here. Hotspots however sprang a surge right at the end as Olly with a 12 spare gave Hotspots 54,61 gave Dolphins a tricky two 52s to win but were favourites to do so. Despite the lack of players Dolphins fought hard and well done to Holly for playing at short notice and was unlucky on a few hands Dolphins collapsed under the chase and Hotspots from nowhere won 9-3 by 6 pins to stay 11th. Dolphins stay 4^th despite the loss and will hope for a full team next week.

Lord Nelson is next as Chris Westwood’s Lord Nelson team are sitting comfortably in mid-table and are having a mixed season hence the position they are in the table. They were favourites for the win here as the visitors were Thorns & Roses who pretty much have one hand on the Wooden Spoon as they are very much cast adrift at the bottom of the table, but they keep hoping that luck might finally turn for them. Indeed there was hope for Thorns early on as 2 ducks from Nic and Mike meant a horrid hand of 39 to accompany 55 which was not a great start. Ryan for Thorns hit a 14 spare which was brilliant but a duck from Dazz cancelled that out and 46,44 meant that Nelson despite the bad start led by 4 pins. The middle two hands were a mix of strong and weak as the 3^rd hand was superb with 62 and no spare but 47 to back that up wasn’t great. Thorns gave it a really good go though and were just short on the 62 hand with 58 but a 43 as well just made life more harder for them as Nelsons lead was now 12 pins. Nelson continued to make a game of this though and skipper Chris’s 1 meant scores of 49,52 which was not ideal but Thorns needed an unlikely two 57’s to win the game. This was too stiffer target for Thorns & Roses despite no lack of effort and Lord Nelson won 10-2 by 17 pins to move up to 6th. Thorns stay rooted in 12th.

Last we go to Rose & Crown Bower Hinton and to the hosts Rosies Rebels who are in need of a few wins to push themselves up the table and they had a decent chance to do that here as they hosted Ham Boys who similarly are experiencing lack of wins and are dropping down the table after the great first half they experienced. I’m not sure how to explain this match but if anyone looked at the scoreboard you would think it was a game of Nomination! Yes folks this indeed was a league game and both teams struggled with scoring and both sides having ducks were adding to the insanity of this match. I wont name and shame anyone here but Ham Boys had an early 2 pin lead, then Rebels had a 20 pin lead and then won the last 2 hands to win this match 11-1 by 27 pins to be 10th. Ham Boys sad loss here means they are 9th.

Duke of York look really good at the moment and a 10 point lead is a big one to make up from Stoke WMC but there are still some games to play.

Division 2 is tight between Lamb & Larks and Crown Shanks with 3 points between them and its looking like the match between them both could swing the title in each others favour.

Round 16 is next on Friday 13th! Coul anything mysterious happen!!

Cheers

Steve