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LATEST NEWS
NEW AND RELOCATED TEAMS 2026-27!
Welcome to our new teams for this season:-
Rosie’s Rogues captained by Dave Rogers will be based at the ROSE & CROWN at BOWER HINTON and will play in Division 2.
The YORKIES captained by ADAM GRAY will be based at the DUKE OF YORK, SHEPTON BEAUCHAMP and will also play in Division 2. NB this is NOT the team that was previously called the Yorkies who now play at the Rusty Axe with the very original moniker “The Rusty Axe”!!
HAM BOYS are now permanently based at Eli’ (Rose & Crown, Huish Episcopi)
SKITTLES FOOD 2026-27
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
ROUND 3
The league season is in full swing now and being its early days in the season the league tables will be topsy turvy for a bit until we get into the meat of the season. There were some quality matches to look at in Round 3.
Bakers Big Arms have started powerfully and 2 wins from 2 including a big win over rivals Duke of York mean they are the team to beat. They were massive favourites this week as they hosted last season’s strugglers S Club 8 who will want to pull a shock here to get their season off and running.
Bakers Big Arms home derby rivals Bakers Rogues are keeping with their younger counterparts and they also have had a big start to the season and also 100%. They had a tricky match as they travelled to Crown Inn at Fivehead to face Crown Shanks who got off to winning ways in Round 2 and looked to continue momentum. VIPS had back to back home games last week and this week and the 11-1 win last week puts them in good stead as they hosted Lamb & Larks who were buoyed by their big win against the reigning champs Stoke WMC.
Talking of Stoke WMC they have had a very damp start to the season with a fortunate home win to VIPS and a drubbing at Lamb & Larks so they needed a clinical performance, but we had an early season appetizer to wet the tastebuds as the opponents were Duke of York who have also had a up and down start with a defeat last time out at home to Big Arms it was imperative that they got the hoodoo off their back against Stoke there to gain momentum for the season. Monkey Spankers got their season off and running last week with a battering of Pornstars away and they were away again as they went to Bell at Ash to face Nobbys Nuts who need a momentum push after the humping they got at Lambrook last time out. On the bottom alley at Stoke Club was a battle of teams looking for their first win as Seahawks hosted Pornstars. Nelsons Nomads had the bye this week.
Division 2 is looking tight at the moment and one of the joint leaders are Mucky Ducks who drew with Ham Boys in the home derby last week. They travelled to Rose & Crown Bower Hinton to face annual strugglers Rosies Rebels who are still looking for their first win of the season. Joint leaders Lord Nelson are 2 wins from 2 and looked to go 3 from 3 as they travelled to face Rusty Axe at Stembridge in a fascinating tie. Mandys Bell Boys travelled to Duke of York to face new boys Yorkies who the latter need a first win to feel comfortable into the season. Dolphins looked to get back on track after a pasting at home to Rusty Axe as they travelled to South Petherton club to face Split Pins who started the season off with a big win in Round 1 then a bye last week so will reset and go again. Hotspots look to get back to winning ways as they hosted Stoke Buoys and a high scoring clash was possible as Ham Boys faced new team Rosies Rogues who got their season off and running with a good 11-1 home win over Yorkies last week. Thorns & Roses had the bye this week.
More quality action coming your way as we wrap up Round 3!
Division 1
We start Round 3 at Bakers Arms Martock as we look at the leaders Bakers Big Arms who are making their strength felt already and a very key early win at Duke of York only makes them look stronger and are definite title contenders. They hosted S Club 8 who have had a struggling start to the season with no wins currently and 2nd bottom in the table so this was an uphill task for the visitors.The opening punches from Big Arms were pretty good as they focused on hitting their pins throughout with 7s thru to 9s a feature as they started with hands of 57,64 and a good start. The reply had real issues for S Club 8 as low scores flittered in with decent scores but it was the low scores that blighted them as hand scores of 49,47 and Big Arms were well on their way to victory already with a 25 pin lead. Big Arms looked to take control even further and with Farage hitting a 14 spare and Leon Taylor hitting a 13 spare they had hand scores of 63,60 and the writing was on the wall for S Club. The visitors did improve in the middle hands but despite 8s and the odd 9 they were having problems keeping up with the hosts as 50,57 hands meant the leaders were miles ahead and 41 up. Big Arms power was all to see and they were sending a statement out to the rest with this performance and Gaff with a 13 spare to go with good back up especially with Leon hitting a total of 53 meant that two 60 hands gave S Club an impossible target of two 81s to win. The visitors plugged at it but were never close and the bright side was Tony with an 11 spare and a few 8s to finish but two 57 hands meant that Bakers Big Arms were superb with a whitewash 12-0 win by 47 pins and are 8 points clear at the top already! S Club 8 were battered here and no wins still meaning they are bottom in 13th.
We next go to Rose & Crown at Lambrook and to hosts for a 2nd week in a row VIPS who are having a much better start to the season already compared to last season and will hope to keep momentum going from last weeks home win against Nobbys Nuts and look to move up the table. Their visitors were Lamb & Larks who were fantastic last week in demolishing the reigning champs Stoke WMC and will definitely feel confident going into this match. The hosts were very assured in the opening hands as they pinned well and Dave with an 8 and a 10 spare lifted them and 49,59 was a decent start considering how tough the alley can be. Indeed the alley was proving difficult for the visitors and Andy Webb with a 2 didn’t start well at all. The hands were very mixed hence 43,53 meant the hosts VIPS led by 12 in the early goings. What makes VIPS tough to beat is their ultra consistent scoring and they proved that in the middle hands as they pinned well throughout and two 56’s was ramping the pressure on the Larks to stick with them. That pressure was starting to get to the visitors as the scores barely got above 7s and they were lagging behind in the match as 51,46 middle hands meant the lead extended to 27 for VIPS and a likely home win. VIPS accelerated to the finish in the last hands and Dave especially was superb as he had his 2nd spare of the night with a 15 and Brian Terry was the ultra anchorman with two 9s to finish the hands with 63,55 and left Larks drowning needing two 73s to win. There was no chance that happening here and they did their best but nowhere near and two 48s meant that high of last week came crashing down as VIPS had back to back home wins with a 12-0 bashing and winning by 49 to move up to 2nd. Lamb & Larks will lick their wounds and carry on as they drop to 10th.
Off for our next instalment at Crown Fivehead as hosts Crown Shanks have started decently and have been very competitive in both matches so far and gave Duke of York a run for their money despite losing and then very impressive in their 11-1 win away against S Club 8 put them into 3rd and will hope to get their first home win of the season. This was another tough assignment as the visitors were Bakers Rogues who have been efficient so far and 2 wins from 2 puts them 2nd and they will relish the chance to score heavy here. Crown Shanks started decently despite Will with a 4 and a 3 dampened things slightly but Rob Cornelius with a 9 spare and Dunk with a 13 spare with the bottom 3 finishing off with 8s and 9s meant good early hands of 69,61. Rogues got to work early and Kev Rawle banged in a 14 spare to warm up the visitors but that was it for spares. Alot of 8s and 9s after that was decent but 59,68 meant that Crown Shanks were 3 pins up and 1-1 in hands. The middle hands pumped the Shanks into another gear as there was one 6 and then nothing below 7 and Dunk was impressive again with a 16 spare which led to hands of 62,71 which put Bakers Rogues under pressure. It needed a bit of Queen to liven Rogues up and skipper Paul Gould set the tone with a brilliant 18 spare. There was a wobble though in the middle and the end which led to hands of 65,59 and the lead for Shanks grew to 12 and the hosts had a great chance. Ollie had a zero hero moment with 2 then a 13 spare. Dunk top scored with 58 and the bottom 2 were fab with 8s and 9s across the board as PT with 52 and Matty Irving with 50 led Shanks to hands of 58,65 which meant a chase for Bakers Rogues of two 68s which was a definite test for them. Kev Rawle pinged a 13 spare for top score of 55 and Paul H had a 16 spare to finish with 53 alongside skipper Paul Gould. It was a great effort but they just fell short as hands of 65,64 meant Crown Shanks won 9-3 by 6 pins and actually drop to 4th because of results elsewhere. Bakers Rogues have started well and missed out in a quality match as they drop to 3rd.
Next venue to go to is Bell at Ash as hosts Nobbys Nuts have not quite got going with any momentum yet as they were fortunate to win in Week 1 against Pornstars and then a hiding against VIPS last week means they needed to get a decent performance at home here, but the visitors were Monkey Spankers who started their season in Round 2 after the bye in Week 1 with a bang as they battered Pornstars at Rusty Axe and with this being a generally high scoring alley this was another chance to showcase the power they possess. Nobbys had to start well and their scoring wasn’t bad in the opening hands but the lack of a spare made the hands look mild as 53,61 was average at best. Monkey Spankers had an ok start to proceedings with the top half starting decently but the bottom half was sensational with 4 spares of 15,15,13 and 12 meant hand scores of 68,73 and a big 27 pin lead. Nobbys had to react positively to get themselves back in the game, but again through the consistency of scoring the lack of a spare was killing the game for them and hands of 55,60 were nowhere near enough and Monkey Spankers looked really good here. The blitz continued as skipper Sean Doble got in on the act with a 13 spare and then Lewis Watts was sensational with his 2nd spare as he hit an 18 spare and with decent backup hand scores of 58,76 meant they were well out of sight with a 46 pin lead and game nearly over. 8s and 9s were a theme of the Nobbys last salvo but they rued no spares all night and 63,54 meant two 36s to win for Spankers. Despite Nobbys Nuts woes this was a serious performance from Monkey Spankers and a 15 spare followed by 8s and 9s all the way down meaning final hands of 62,68 and a fantastic team score of 405 which would’ve been the new highest away team score and Lewis with 65 would’ve been the highest individual score but later in this report il tell you why it wasn’t! Monkey Spankers won 11-1 by 59 pins to go 2 wins from 2 and are now 5th. Nobbys Nuts were blown away and drop to 12th.
This next match is always a big one whenever it is as we go to Stoke Club and to the top alley for last seasons champions and hosts Stoke WMC who have not started well at all and should be 2 losses from 2 after VIPS folded unexpectedly to gift them a win and with Lamb & Larks smashing them up last week it was important to get a big performance in to get into the season properly. The problem for them that their opponents were last seasons Runners Up Duke of York who wanted a reaction after being outplayed by the league leaders Bakers Big Arms last week and they wanted a positive reaction and there was nothing more positive then to beat their rivals. The start for Stoke WMC was a bit cold as they couldn’t get going apart from Chris with two 9s and Harps with 8,9. The hands were 57,59 which were ok but felt a bit light. Duke needed a positive start and skipper Roger Lee provided it with a 13 spare and there was decent backup Steve Shire with two 9s and then Adam Redwood with a closing 13 spare meant hands of 60,67 and a very good start as they were 11 pins up and 2-0 up in hands. Stoke WMC in these games generally pile it on in the middle hands but that never materialised here as it was getting worse for the champs and nothing of note meant hands of 54,53 and this was a huge chance for Duke to nigh on kill the game here. Duke’s aim was to pile the pressure on and to take advantage of the champs woes and the scoring was very good considering there was no spare this time and with 8s and 9s a feature the hand scores of 62,59 meant they had won all 4 hands and 25 up! Stoke WMC needed to wake up fast to have any chance as the game was not in their grasp anymore but what followed was incredible as Ricky hit a 17 spare and Chris was brutal with back-to-back spares of 12 and 13 and hands of 60,76 was unbelievable after what they hit previous, and it left a tricky chase of two 56s to win for Duke but still massive favourites to achieve this. What happened in the chase I can’t explain as from nowhere low scores were happening and the chase became pressurised and when it came to Adam at the end, he needed 8 and a 9 to win and only got two 7s and somehow luck smiled on Stoke WMC again as they won 8-4 by 2 pins and both teams were clearly stunned by what had happened. Stoke WMC need a lottery ticket at the moment as they are 6th and easily could be 3 losses from 3. Duke were shocked by their last two hands but they must get this out of their system quickly as they are 7th.
The match across the other end of Stoke Club was a match between two winless teams so far as hosts Seahawks were playing their 2nd game of the season after a bye last week and a poor game in opening week against Bakers Rogues so they wanted to open their win account here. They faced Pornstars who are having another transition season with players coming and going but hope for a more stable season even though they have lost their opening two games against Nobbys Nuts and Monkey Spankers. The opening start from Seahawks was a bit of a non starter as it was very mixed all the way down and hand scores of 54,46 was a bit light and they hoped they wouldn’t be down. Pornstars start was not good at all as skipper Anthony Phillips started with a duck and although there was a recovery of sorts the hands were very weak and hands of 40,49 gave Seahawks a unexpected 11 pin lead. Seahawk probably felt let off and they needed to improve themselves and Barry Cullimore started well with a 9 and a 7, but there were mixed scores still but Ian pulled two brilliant hands of 9 and 14 spare and the middle hands had a better look to them as 54,52 was enough to put a lot of pressure on Pornstars. Pornstars did look good in patches and Brook with an 8 and a 9 and then John Lang with a 14 spare gave the team a bit of impetus but a mild end to the hands meant 49,59 and the lead was cut slightly to 9 for Seahawks. The hosts needed to finish this game before it could get tight and Barry produced the clinical moment as 14 and a 9 to finish with 52 was superb and the mix of scores was a lot better as hands of 59,54 meant Pornstars needed 61,62 to win. The steam ran out of the Stars and 56,40 gave Seahawks the win 10-2 by 26 pins and they move up to 8th. Pornstars winless from 3 games are now 11th. Nelsons Nomads had the bye this week and are now 9th.
Division 2
Division 2 roundup starts at Rose & Crown Bower Hinton as the hosts Rosies Rebels were looking for their first win of the season to get themselves going, but it would be a tough one for them as they faced the leaders Mucky Ducks who have started well and are unbeaten even with the draw they had last time out against Ham Boys so the away team were favourites but anything is possible here. The start wasn’t too bad for Rebels despite the scoring being mixed and 51,47 was not a bad start. The leaders reply was awful as two ducks with a mix of low scores meant that hand scores of 47,35 meant a 16 pin lead for the hosts. The middle hands had a mix of 1s and 2s to 8s and 9s so a real spread! Hands of 49,44 were ok but not the push they wanted. Mucky Ducks couldn’t be much worse than the opening hands and they did improve despite a couple of 3s at the end and they tied both hands as they also had 49,44, so the lead was still 16 for the hosts. It was the hosts that had awful hands this time as a duck and a 2 and a host of 5s meaning that the final hands were 49,34 leaving Ducks needing two 50s to win. It was tight and tense all the way down in the chase and with the anchorman needing two 6s it was anyone’s match. A6 and a 5 meant that both teams tied on pins so therefore a draw but Rosies Rebels had the better of the points 8-4 and they are 11th. Mucky Ducks 2nd draw in succession means they are still unbeaten and they are now joint top but stay top with most away points.
We next go to Elis at Langport where hosts Ham Boys who despite not getting many points yet have certainly put the wind up teams with cracking performances and they needed another one here on this high scoring alley as Rosies Rogues were the opponents and they are warming nicely into their new surroundings of the league and with a superb 11-1 win under their belt last week they would relish the chance to hit some big pins here. Keep up with me on this as this game was ridiculous for scoring! Captain Dan Vining for the hosts got underway with a 9 and a 17 spare, Colin Rock then followed with back to back spares of 10 and 16. Then Darren hit a 17 spare as well and Ham Boys opening hands were crazy. 63 and a second hand of 88!! Set the scene of what was to come. The reply stunned Rogues but Reggie with a 15 spare and Alex with a 14 spare gave them a way into the match with hands of 75,62 meaning that Ham Boys were 14 up. Colin Rock was having a great night as he hit a 9 and then his third spare of the night with a 17 spare as he was on 52 already, but Ham Boys did wobble after this until Bex flexed her muscles with an 8 and a 17 spare to give hands of 56,70. There was a chance for Rogues to get back in the match and this is where the visitors were superb as Ollie opened with back to back spares of 13 and 15 and Alex was also having a night as he hit his 2nd spare with 14 and captain Dave Rogers hit a 14 spare for himself and impressive hands of 73,71 meant the lead had switched to Rogues and they were 4 pins up and it was game on! Not sure if Ham Boys burnt out but the spares dried up as scores wilted but Colin S did get a 15 spare which gave the hands a better look of 68,55 but Rogyes had a stranglehold on the match as they needed a manageable two 60s to win. The chase was a struggle and with Alex and Dave to go the match could’ve gone any way. But Alex was fantastic as he set the benchmark for Highest Away Individual score. His 3rd spare of the night hitting a 15 spare meant he hit a total of 70 which deserves massive respect. Dave Rogers had a 15 spare for a total of 62 himself and hands of 69,62 meant the Highest Team Away score was smashed with 412. Rosies Rogues won 11-1 by 12 pins and a noteworthy thing was that Ham Boys hit 400!! Rosies Rogues jump to 2nd and Ham Boys are playing well despite results not going their way and they are bottom in 13th.
Our next match is at South Petherton Social Club as we look at hosts Split Pins who have had a bye and a 11-1 win so far so 100% so far and will look to continue that as the visitors were a splashing Dolphins at the moment who started well then drowned last week at home to Rusty Axe, but both these teams have good pedigree of playing in the top division so we hoped for a quality game here. The hosts started well and Harvs and Josh both had a bolted 9 spare which is a 9 regardless but captain George McCarthy was superb with 9 and a 16 spare which led to opening hands of 59,66 and a good start to proceedings. The opening from Dolphins was fairly decent albeit a few 4s thrown in which checked things slightly, but the lack of a spare hurt them as hands of 56,58 meant a lead of 11 for the hosts. The middle hands weren’t as good for Split Pins but Josh continued his good form and did slightly better with another spare this time as he had a 10 spare! But it was a little mixed from them which led to hands of 50,54 and a chance for Dolphins to get back in the match. Unfortunately for Dolphins that mixed form from the hosts spread to the visitors as they couldn’t get anything going as 4s and 5s weakened their progress in the match and hands of 45,51 meant that Split Pins led by 19 pins and all 4 hands won. Split Pins knew that was a decent lead but not comfortable so they needed a good finish and the scoring was generally decent albeit a couple of low scores, but a 12 spare from Flunky made the hands decent as 55,58 gave Dolphins a hard task to win as they needed 67,66 to win. Dolphins woke up and gave this a real go with Jacob delivering a 14 spare and Joe getting a 14 spare also but they just fell short as hands of 64,57 meant that Split Pins won 11-1 by 11 pins to go 2 wins from 2 and are 3rd. Dolphins 2 losses in a row drops them to 9th.
Off to Rusty Axe next where the hosts after a weak start have hit their stride and a good win last week means they will hope to continue momentum. They hosted Lord Nelson who were unbeaten 2 from 2 and looking good but this for me was a test for them as they played a team who was relegated from Division 1 so would be a decent match. Rusty Axe started ok and a mix of scores from 3 up to 8 was the story of the opening hands as hands of 55,46 wasn’t the best of starts that they hoped for. Lord Nelson were also ok in their start but a 2, a 3 and a couple of 4s were not good and hands of 45,51 gave Rusty a 5 pin early lead. The middle hands swung the match in the hosts favour as they flew out of the blocks with Mart getting an 11 spare, Paul blasting in a 16 spare and anchorman Steve hitting a 15 spare and decent scores in between gave hands of 61,71 and put Lord Nelson in real trouble. Lord Nelson fought fire with fire and Shaun reacted with a 13 spare but it went mild after that to the point of cold as hands of 61,52 extended the lead for Rusty Axe as they now led by 24 and a good win was on the cards. Pete got in on the spares party as he hit a 15 spare and Paul top scored with 50 as hands of 54,58 meant that Lord Nelson needed a very unlikely 69,68 to win. Nic weighed in with a 13 spare to top score with 50 and the hands were very decent but they were not enough as 60,57 gave Rusty Axe the win 10-2 by 19 pins and Rusty Axe move to 4th and look good at the moment. Lord Nelson’s first loss of the season means they drop to 6th.
Next up us at Duke of York and to Yorkies. The hosts have found it tough so far but are gelling as a team and if they were to get a win this week it would give them good morale into future weeks for the season. Their opponents were Mandys Bell Boys who had a superb win last week against Hotspots and scored really well but at Duke your never going to score decently well so it was all about who was best on the night. The hosts got off to a decent start and Jason Hellier got a welcome spare even though it was a bolted spare but a good one. Scoring was mixed after that, but hand scores of two 54s were a decent start. It was very mixed from Mandys Bell Boys in the early hands as apart from one 8 it was very mixed and low scoring as hands of 40 and 48 meant a lead for Yorkies of 20. It was a war of attrition and the middle hands were a struggle for the hosts with anything from a 2 right up to an 8 were scored and that reflected in the hand scores of 50,45 and a way back into the match for the visitors. Mandys had a chance but they got worse as nothing of note was scored but maybe Kev with a 7 and a 8 was the best as hands of 41,39 was dire and extended Yorkies lead to 37 and a first win of the season was on here. The struggle of scoring continued and with nothing to report hand scores of 44,53 left Mandys a impossible target of 68,67 to win. Indeed this wasn’t Mandys Bell Boys night and they were happy to finish here as 44,39 meant that Yorkies celebrated their first win of the season and in style 12-0 by 47 pins and they move up to 8th. Mandys Bell Boys 2nd loss of the season drops them to 7th.
Last of the matches is at Lamb & Lark as we go to hosts Hotspots who have been on the right end & the wrong end of 11-1 scorelines in the first 2 weeks but their 11-1 win was at home so they hoped to keep the home form going as they faced visitors Stoke Buoys who got their season going last week with a tight 9-3 win and would hope to 2 from 2 here. The opening hands were average from Hotspots as they looked to put good scores in but the hands were mainly 7s with a few other scores mixed in which led to hand scores of 57,52 which was an ok start. Likewise Stoke Buoys in their reply was the same as they scored decently but nothing really eye catching apart from skipper Graeme Whittle with a bolted 9 spare, but 55,52 meant a 2 pin lead for Hotspots. This looked a tough game for scoring and it continued that way into the middle hands as the mix of 4s up to a 9 blighted positive progress for the hosts as the hands of 48,56 gave Stoke Buoys a chance to get the lead here. Consistent high scoring was key and although that wasn’t the case for Stoke Buoys they did score decently throughout and hands of 54,53 and it was the visitors who were 1 up going into the vital final hands. It was the same again for Hotspots who couldn’t quite get anything going but there was a 9spare to cheer, but hands of 51,47 would’ve felt to them like the game was over as Stoke Buoys needed two 49s to win. Stoke Buoys just needed to keep their heads and the game was won but they lost their heads as there were 3s and 2 ducks and with hands of 37,47 they chucked this match away as Hotspots won 10-2 by 13 pins to stay unbeaten at home and they are now 5th.
Stoke Buoys gift wrapped loss means they are now 12th.
Thorns & Roses had the bye this week and they are 10th.
No league games next up as we start the Nomination Cup and with a twist this season every team will be involved in Round 1 so lets see who can hit the front pin better!
Cheers all
Steve
