The ABM Skittles Club was formed in 1964 and is one of the few skittles leagues outside of the hotbed of 9-pin skittles - the West Country. We play most weekday evenings (Monday to Thursday) throughout the year with both a Winter and a Summer league in full swing. We use traditional wooden balls and pins and our players range from 16 to 80 years of age. Although the league is competitive, most players are mainly attracted by the comradery - oh, and the low bar prices! If you are interested in joining us at the Wallingford Sports Park on Hithercroft Road, just pop down and watch a game - you will be made most welcome! Enjoy a drink from the bar. Alternatively, to find out more, email us at abmskittles@gmail.com

Well, it was a week of surprises down the alley, with the bottom three from last week all grabbing a win and the league leaders suffering their first defeat. Spare Ribs started the fun on Monday night, beating high-flyers Young & Bald. There was nothing between the teams in truth, with 2 drawn legs and 2 more won by a single pin, but Ribs won out in the decisive 5th (38-37). Chris Bennett's 31 was the best for the victors, though everyone put in a shift; Georgia Carey & Oliver Wilkins both hit 32 for YAB. Next up, bottom-placed Late Knights sprang the shock of the week, smashing Best Sellers 8-2. Their pin total was 21 better than their previous best effort, whilst Sellers chalked their worst score of the season. Four of the Knights topped 30, with Paul Ingrem's 34 the pick - Mark Hoskins’ 31 was the only score in the 30s for Sellers. Splitz 'n' Giggles carried things on in the same vein, hitting their best total of the season on the way to a 9-1 thrashing of Maclean Smilers. Drawn beer leg aside, this was never close with Splitz comfortably winning 3 out of the other 4 legs. Davey Seville's 33 was the highest of several personal bests for SNG and moves him up to 4th in the new player averages. Jack Elton's peerless 36 was the score of the week, and the only bright spot for Smilers. Gutter Nutters roared back from a heavy defeat last week to inflict an 8-2 punishment on Newcomers. Newcomers drew first blood, but Nutters soon hit their stride and finished with a massive 46 leg to complete the win, and move third in the table. Dan Gillan (34) was the pick of the Nutters, backed up by Dave Quinn with 32. Alsorts finally found their form this season, hitting the second best score so far (191) on the way to a 9-1 tonking of Remnants. Sorts hit 39 in 4 legs, with Remnants salvaging a point in the 4th which finished 35 each. There was plenty of decent scoring from both sides, if truth be told, with seven 30+ scores in the match - Ian Bell's 33 was top for Remnants, whilst Martin Orme & Jason Tidbury toppled 34 for Alsorts. Matt Wright's new collective gave his old teammates a skittling lesson as Living on a Spare whupped Lads' Night Out 8-2. LOAS won their 4 legs comfortably, hitting 41 & 44 in the 4th & 5th to finish with a tidy 176 pins. Simon Bennett (another LNO old boy) top-scored with 33 alongside three other 30+ scores from his team. Lads were off their game, with only skipper Alan getting over 30. The gap between the top two has now narrowed to just 3 points. Finally, it was a close-run thing between Last Six & Big 'Uns on Thursday. Six took the spoils, winning 6-4, but Big 'Uns won the pins by a single skittle, 159-158. Despite the seeming tightness of the result, none of the legs were particularly close - Big 'Uns started brightly, but faded as Last Six got going in the 4th & 5th. Jeremy Denton was best for Six with 32; Jamie Purnell & Bert Lovegrove managed 30s for Big 'Uns. Next up it's another 8 game week down the alley, with Best Sellers taking on the top two in a double-header on Tuesday amongst 6 other ties..