TEAM BG extended their winning start to the Swan Studley Skittles League season to three games as they surprisingly overcame fancied title contenders Maudslay.
The victors scored their highest total this season while, in contrast, Maudslay produced their lowest season’s total.
Team BG’s Rob Baker is in good form and topped his own and his team’s highest individual score when making 43 (ten-stack). Providing good support were Carl Baker with 38 (12-stack) and captain Gail Stringer 36.
For Maudslay, best was 39 from Geoff Mayneord and 36 and 35 respectively from Carl and Mark Sanseverino.
Both Swan and Jumbo Jet Set went into their encounter without a win between them and it was Jumbos who triumphed with their best total of the season.
The first leg saw Jumbos take a narrow three-pin lead before they built up a 29-pin lead after leg three.
Swan countered by winning each of the last two legs but found the earlier deficit too big despite good scores of 38 each from Dave Maule and Al Lumb (13-stack) and Andy Reynolds 36.
Jumbos had Len Quartly making 38 (12-stack), Richard Johnston 37 and Dan Hill and Rob Quartly 35 apiece.
There was a low-scoring but good close game between Swingers – with only nine players – and Well Developed.
Never more than two pins separated them over the first four legs, but Well Developed made their player advantage pay in leg five and recorded their first win of the season.
Swingers’ Larry Hanks scored 37 – his team’s best score of the season – Christine Stokes 33 and Paul Clifton and Brenda Morris 32 each.
There was also a season’s highest of the season for Well Developed’s Ron Skidmore with 36, while team-mates Shirley Searle made 32 and Martin Brennan 31.
Ten pins ahead after leg one, Lodge Farmers looked on the way to successive wins but opponents Alley Cats retaliated in leg two to lead by just two pins.
Then, after leg three, the game was all square before Alley Cats – making their season’s highest total – pulled away to win comfortably.
Lodge Farmers were left 73 to get in their last leg but rarely looked likely to make the target.
Sam Billyard made 42 (16-stack), which was Alley Cats’ best individual score to date, and Moira Gazeley and Pete Sollis made 33 each.
Chris Prichard made 38 for Lodge Farmers and Glyn Morley and Alex Cull 37 and 33 respectively.
Results: Maudslay 3 points (307 pins) Team BG 8 (329); Swan 3 (316) Jumbo Jet Set 8 (336); Swingers 2.5 (266 – nine players) Well Developed 8.5 (275 – nine players and 286 – ten players); Lodge Farmers 3 (299) Alley Cats 8 (315).
