SWAN Studley Skittles League representative side Renegades enjoyed a rewarding trip to Torquay, where they reached the final of the 2018 British Skittle Championships.
The south west is the hotbed for many of the country’s best skittles teams, so to come away as runners-up was a tremendous achievement.
Renegades skipper Andy Clewlow said he was proud of the team’s performances and praised each player for their part in the team’s success.
More than 150 teams had started in the competition in May and Torquay hosted the 32 teams remaining. The format was eight round-robin groups of four teams, with the team coming top in each group progressing to the straight knockout stages.
Renegades’ first group game was a win by a single pin against One Step Beyond from Ilminster, Somerset. Only five pins to the good before the last leg, Renegades managed a below-par score to leave their opponents needing 68 pins to win.
Ultimately the anchorman for One Step Beyond needed to take all nine pins but fell just short. For Renegades, Mark Ganderton top-scored with 41 (two 13-stacks).
The next game was more comfortable for Renegades who opened a 19-pin lead with one leg each to bowl against Mrs Brown’s Boys from Dorchester, who then found the target of 86 pins to win well beyond their reach. Ganderton again top-scored with another 41 (17-stack).
Both the teams beaten by Renegades had also been beaten by Renegades’ last group opponents – Brockworth Badgers from Brockworth, Gloucestershire – which made this last group game a winner-takes-all fixture.
Renegades built on a 19-pin lead after leg one and ran out surprisingly easy winners, with Ganderton once more in good form in scoring 44 including two 15-stacks.
Wiltshire Wonders from Melksham – champions in 2011 and 2017 – were the quarter-final opponents and firm favourites to retain the trophy. Although Wiltshire Wonders led throughout in what was a tough game, Renegades kept in close touch and, with the last player from each side left to bowl, Wiltshire Wonders were ahead by only two pins.
Ganderton then produced a match-winning 15 stack to put Renegades into the semi-final. Rob Quartly for Renegades top-scored with 45 (16 and two 11-stacks).
A Cornish team – Whealie Bins from Wheal – provided the semi-final opposition but were no match for a rampant Renegades team who took each leg to win comfortably by 28 pins. That man Ganderton produced another top score, this time of 49 (18 and 14-stacks).
In the final against Numpty Dumptys from Worcester, Renegades started well in winning the first two legs and, although Numptys Dumptys took the third leg, Renegades were still narrowly ahead by four pins and still looked in charge when scoring 70 in leg four.
However, Numpty Dumptys had other ideas and made a mammoth 96-pin total, including five substantial stacks, to swing the game in their favour by 22 pins.
Renegades’ response was an impressive 81-pin final leg to leave their opponents needing a potentially tricky 60 to make but, despite a few wobbles, Numpty Dumptys eased to victory to become worthy champions.
Consolation for Renegades, as well as succeeding well beyond their expectations to be runners-up, was Geoff Loat’s massive score of 65 which was easily the best individual score in the competition.
In the singles and pairs competitions, Renegades’ Loat and Ganderton won through to the singles second round, while in the men’s pairs similar progress was made by duos Loat/Alan Cummings and Glyn Morley/Len Quartly.
However, with the exception of the Loat/Cummings pairing, all were eliminated in the second round. For Loat/Cummings however, their pairs competition ended in the quarter-final.
