THE OUTCOME of top versus bottom looked a foregone conclusion, but Swan Studley Skittles League leaders Engineers had a big shock before recovering to win the game with Swingers and be crowned champions with two games still to be played.
After leg one Swingers led by 17 pins before Engineers took the next two legs to level the pin totals. Swingers then had a fourth leg score to forget and Engineers took full advantage to lead by 17 pins at that stage and then extend the winning margin by also winning the last leg.
Engineers made their lowest team score for the season and were grateful for good bowling from Craig Ellis 41 (14-stack), Mark Ganderton 36 and Luke Saunders 34 (12-stack).
Swingers’ consolation, other than initially giving Engineers a scare, was Paul Clifton’s 42 (15-stack) – his team’s best individual score this season. Other good scorers were Margaret Hendy 33 and Brenda Leake 32.
The race for second place saw Alcester Nomads – in their final league fixture – move into that spot with a narrow win against Maudslay who drop to fourth.
Nomads, however, have only a 4.5-point advantage over Maudslay who have a game in hand, although this is against the champions.
Nomads yet again lost the first leg but recovered to lead by ten pins after leg three. Maudslay reduced that lead to a mere two pins following the next leg but could not maintain that impetus and finally succumbed by five pins.
Alan Spreckley made 40 (13-stack), Annette Upright 38 and there were 35 each from Mac Eaton and Bob Browning for Nomads. Good scores from Paul Matthews 44 (16-stack), Dick Walters 36 (ten-stack) and Mark Sanseverino 35 led the way for Maudslay.
Lodge Farmers hauled themselves into third place with a game in hand over Nomads and only two points behind. Just like Engineers, Lodge Farmers had a big scare as opponents Swan took each of the first three legs to lead by eight pins.
Sadly for Swan, their response to Lodge Farmers’ good fourth leg score was a poor score of their own to suddenly find themselves 11 pins adrift.
Swan were then unable to repeat their early good leg scores in leg five and finally left Lodge Farmers needing only 45 pins to win which was comfortably achieved.
For the winners, Graham Hingley and Glyn Morley (11-stack) scored 36 each and debutant Ron Lewis 35. Best from Swan were Helen Racki 37 (12-stack), Julie Tomlin 36 and Scot Reynolds 35.
Meanwhile, Team BG banished any fears of finishing bottom when they defeated Alley Cats who remain one place above bottom team Swingers.
The Cats have a game in hand over Swingers who meet each other twice in April in crucial basement battles.
Team BG made hard work of this game by losing the first two legs with a deficit of 15 pins and were still six pins down after leg four before capitalising on Alley Cats’ poor fourth-leg total to open a 19-pin advantage.
Team BG then took leg five to win comfortably with Lin Dyer making 36, Ray Cartwright 35 and Margaret Hendy 34. Alley Cats had Neil Harrison making 37, Sam Billyard 36 and Pete Sollis 34 (12-stack).
Results: Swingers 2 (287) Engineers 9 (311); Alcester Nomads 8 (326) Maudslay 3 (321); Lodge Farmers 7 (322) Swan 4 (304); Alley Cats 3 (289) Team BG 8 (314).
