NEEDING to win their last two games – both away – to qualify from their group for the British Skittles Championships in Torquay, Swan Studley Skittles League representative side Renegades did the business in fine style.
Renegades beat Highway from Coventry and Rattler Boyz from Worcester in exciting, high-scoring games.
Against Highway, Renegades were quickly out of the blocks with a good leg score to open up a ten-pin lead after leg one, but needed an 11-stack from Craig Sears to only lose the second leg by a single pin.
The third leg saw Renegades take advantage of Highway’s slightly below-par performance to increase the lead to 14 pins at the halfway stage.
Leg four virtually decided the game when Highway’s 60-pin score was blitzed by Renegades’ 75-pin total as Tim Jones claimed a 15-stack and Mark Ganderton a 14-stack.
The remaining two legs were won by Highway, now only playing for pride, with Owen Dawson and Frank Morris making stacks of 16 and 13 respectively in the last leg.
However, any suggestion Highway might recover was dismissed by Renegades captain Andy Clewlow who produced a 14-stack as his side cruised home to complete the double over their opponents.
Renegades’ Jones top-scored with 55, Ganderton made 54 and Sears 48.
Renegades knew a big performance was needed, if they were to reach the finals again after a four-year absence, when playing Rattler Boyz on their Worcester alley.
Renegades started yet another game well and took the first leg by five pins before bowling even better in leg two with Rob Quartly making an 11-stack.
However, Rattlers responded to win that leg by a single pin as Darren Brace collected a 14-stack. Leg three saw the game swing towards Renegades as first Craig Sears made a 15-stack and next man to bowl, Rob Quartly with his second stack of the game, made 16.
At the halfway stage Renegades’ lead was 12 pins, which they extended to 15 after leg four as Alan Cummings notched a 16-pin stack.
Although Rattler Boyz, with Rich Tomkins making a 15-stack in leg five, then bowled well to take each of the last two legs, they could not upset Renegades who bowled equally well and only lost those legs by narrow margins.
There was a brief scare for Renegades when, in the last leg, Rattler Boyz, needing 75 pins to win, had their first three bowlers make 31 pins including a Lee Tomkins stack of 16.
However, their remaining five bowlers could not maintain the good start and Renegades ran out winners by 11 pins. Renegades had totalled 380 pins in the game against Highway but topped that when amassing 385 pins against Rattler Boyz.
For Renegades, top-scorer was Quartly with 57 and close behind was Cummings with 56. There were 48 pins each from Ganderton, Clewlow and Sears.
Results: Highway 362 Renegades 380; Rattler Boyz 374 Renegades 385.
