REDDITCH representative side Renegades faltered in the Gasket Guy British Skittles Championships as they suffered a second successive defeat.
Renegades started well but, just as in their first game, failed to hold on to a good lead when they met opponents Fat Anchors at The Gun, Worcester.
Frustratingly for Renegades, who scored 358 pins, their opponents had managed only 325 pins when losing their first game, also at home, yet produced 371 pins to thwart Renegades.
Both teams made below average first leg scores as Renegades took a narrow three-pin lead before extending the lead to six pins after leg two.
In leg three, Craig Sears made a 14-stack, as Renegades scored 69 pins, their best leg of the game, to increase their lead to 17.
After both teams made sound scores in leg four, which Fat Anchors edged, Renegades’ lead was still a very healthy 15 pins.
However, in leg five, the game was turned on its head when Renegades scored only 51 pins. In response, Fat Anchors’ first bowler Sean Lucy made a 14-stack which galvanised his team-mates as they wiped out Renegades’ lead to leave the teams level going into the final leg.
Fat Anchors then went on to make the game’s highest leg score, an unexpected but brilliant 75 pins, with stacks of 13 and 12 from Keith Holland and Neil Bright respectively and all other players provided good support.
Renegades had no answer to Fat Anchors’ late flourish and, needing 76 pins to win, fell 14 pins short despite a 15-stack from Mark Ganderton.
Both Craig Sears and Alan Cummings made 49 pins for Renegades and Mac Eaton 48.
Next up for Renegades is a trip to Coventry to play Spitfires later this month when captain Andy Clewlow leads his side into a must-win fixture.
In the meantime, Renegades’ players rejoin their individual league teams for two weeks to play in the Swan Studley Skittles League Cup.
