WITH games in hand, Maudslay put themselves in touch with the Swan Studley Skittles League leaders with victory over Team BG in week five.
Maudslay won by 45 pins and had Mark Sanseverino making his team’s best individual score to date of 42 (13-stack), as Team BG produced their lowest score of the season.
Team BG did manage to salvage one point by winning leg three narrowly, but Maudslay were in no mood to relax further and took the last two legs easily.
Other good scorers for the winners were Tom Roberts with 39 and Stuart Griffiths with 35. Team BG’s best came from Alex Beard with 32, Gail Stringer (31) and Lin Dyer and Ray Cartwright (30).
In games between sides each fielding full teams of ten players, by far the biggest winning margin of the week – 65 pins – came from Lodge Farmers who returned to winning ways with the week’s highest team total as they trounced inconsistent Swingers.
Unsurprisingly, Lodge Farmers took maximum points to resume their challenge at the top of the table. Swingers had no answer to a leg two total of 80 by Lodge Farmers who led by 37 pins at that stage and then continued to dominate.
Jason Kirk 40 (15-stack) top-scored for the winners, with Graham Hingley (39) and Richard Cunningham (35) also impressing. Swingers’ best were Larry Hanks (34), Paul Marsh (31) and Steve Broadbent (30).
Alcester Nomads were always in control against Jumbo Jet Set, who only threatened in leg three to make it a closer game.
Jumbos scored 71 pins in that leg but had a leg point snatched away from them by the last man for Nomads – Alan Cummings – making a 16-stack.
The only highlight for Jumbos was taking the last leg by a single pin but they still returned their lowest score of the season.
Alan Cummings finally finished with 38 pins, Mac Eaton 35 and James Marshall and Graham Hanley 34 each for Nomads. Len Quartly with 38 (13-stack), Mick Stanton (34) and Dave Young and Ray Jones (33) were the best for the losers.
Table-toppers Engineers, with a full team of ten players, met bottom team Alley Cats with only eight players and this was no contest.
Even allowing for discounted scores to achieve equality of players, Engineers’ winning margin was still a massive 68 pins. They could even afford to make their lowest full team score of the season as Andy Clewlow scored 37 and Ian Greenway and Maurice Wroe 35 each.
Alley Cats, who remain winless after three games, had Tony O’Connor making 36, Sam Billyard 35 and Neil Harrison 31.
Also taking advantage of having a full team were Well Developed as they easily beat eight-man Swan to retain third place.
Well Developed only narrowly missed out on taking maximum points when Swan won the last leg by a single pin, but this was scant consolation for Swan, yet to win any of their first four games.
Despite having good scores from Andy Reynolds (36), Bob Haycock (35) and 34 each from Sally Racki and debutant Olly Dix, Swan were well beaten as Well Developed continued to flourish and had good scores from Liz Hindson and Shirley Searle (35) and Margueritte Bayley, Janina Brennan and Ron Skidmore (33).
Results: Maudslay 9 (328) Team BG 2 (283); Lodge Farmers 10 (333) Swingers 1 (268); Alcester Nomads 9 (327) Jumbo Jet Set 2 (299); Engineers 10 (322 – ten players and 278 – eight players) Alley Cats 1 (210 – eight players); Swan 2 (249 – eight players) Well Developed 9 (310 – ten players and 268 – eight players).
