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Bleadon Racers Skittle Team (click for Blog or Statistics/Pics)

 

RACERS move again for 2022/23 season, decision taken to play at Hornets Rugby Club sadly means our rural community has again lost it's skittle team, what a great shame. The Queens Arms must be regretting the removal of their alley during the tenure of Butcombe(see below)!

 

 

STOP PRESS: Racers are back at Lympsham Sports Club Pavilion for the 2019/20 season.

 

They play at 8pm on most Monday nights in Division 3 of The Weston-Super-Mare and District Skittle League. The skittle season runs approximately from September to April and we are always happy to welcome new and experienced players. If you are interested in joining then please contact us

 

After many previous enjoyable seasons at Lympsham Sports Club, last year Racers decided to move for the 2018/19 season to Weston-super-Mare Football Club (Alley 2) but although very grateful to WSMFC for their hospitality, the call of the rural community environment was too strong and so they are now back 'home' at 'The Pav'. 

 

A Bit of Bleadon Skittle History

Weston Mercury report close of alley in March 2006

 

Originally there was a skittle alley provided for the village at the Coronation Hall as mentioned in their deed, but this alley was removed to build the Jubilee Room as an alley had been created for the team who had then played as and at, The Queens Arms, Bleadon (this also saved the sticker-up running up from the Hall to the pub to get 'refreshments'). Butcombe Brewery bought the pub in 2004/5 and then in 2006 decided to demolish (rather than re-furbish) the skittle alley in favour of replacing it with a seldom used outside patio/smoking area (a strange decision made even stranger as they sponsor the WSMD skittle league)!  

 

So, the team were then effectively homeless (as well as the Ladies and Hunt league teams) and thus faced folding. After six decades of playing they wanted to continue so sought refuge and welcome at nearby Lympsham Sports Club, where initially renamed as The Queens and then Bleadon Racers, they were very happy to find that with new balls, traditional skittles is still alive and well and the beer is very much cheaper!

 

In an ideal world The Racers hope that the Queens Arms (or more specifically, its owners) would see the error of their ways by building a new alley and bringing the Racers 'home'. It could gain the pub some welcome extra revenue in the winter nights (casual estimates suggest a potential lost income of well over £250,000 since the alley was demolished and teams left in 2006, some 16+yrs ago), but alas that would currently appear a distant dream! 

 

Bleadon Skittle Team Honours (from WSMDSL website)

1931 - Division 2 Winners - Bleadon Sports (original team at Coronation Hall, then also based at Queens Arms when CH alley was removed!!)

1949 - Division 3 Mayors/Hospital Cup Winners - Queens Arms

1950 - Division 3 Mayors/Hospital Cup Winners - Queens Arms

1985 - Division 3 Mayors/Hospital Cup Winners - Queens Arms

1990 - Division 3 and also Mayors/Hospital Cup Winners - Bleadon Sports

Also individual finalists C Butler London Bridge 2019,2020 and M Dyer Singles 2020

 

Link to Blog

Also in an exciting last game of the 2012/13 season, Racers won by just one pin and thus finished runners-up and were promoted after 10 years absence back up to Division 3 for 2013/14 season. However, the league was re-structured from 4 into 3 divisions for 2016/17 season and although Racers were then put in Division 2, they unfortunately earned 'relegation' back to the basement Division 3 for 2017/18!  (see blog and statistics below for details).

 

Are you Dab Hands in Disguise? Racers get 2nd Win.

Posted on 21st November, 2013

Racers finished their first half of the season in style by winning their second game of the Division 3 campaign as they started it. Having scored 530 pins to convincingly win the first game of the season against Dab Hands (who are now 32 points ahead of us) another league win has since eluded us until this tenth and final first half game at home against Churchill Club.

 

The Racers scored 523 to win by 35 pins and crucially gain 15 valuable points to seriously help their relegation battle. We only had 2 scores in the thirties, Charlie P getting 37 and to boot, the full emotional skittles experience with a good solid start then a 1 followed by the dreaded 9 spare! and then TP on the anchor set suffered a second week running to forget as bottom of our pack on 33! But everyone else scored over 40 with 5 season bests from our Top Dog The Coach on 54, Jimbo 51, The Blade with a fine 47, Ed 45 and a special mention for Disco's 43. Well done boys!

 

Also, thanks to Hobbo for sparing Skipper and returning to Lympsham after another manhunt found Lord Lucan at home on his sick bed again! The Coach is now making a charge on G'Day for the averages lead but closely followed by Franz then TP who has dropped down but I am sure he 'will be back' soon, perhaps after a well earned rest!

 

So, while we remain bottom of the league and have played one more game than everyone else, we have closed the gap and there are several teams bunched together so hopefully on our vacant date in 2 weeks time results will go our way and our potential relegation rivals will not win

 

We are now within 7 of Churchill, 8 of Coach House B and 10 of Langford Rovers. Unfortunately our previously nearest rivals Boro Arms B beat Coach House A this week who were second, yet Boro previously lost at home to Coach House B & Churchill.

 

If you look at results so far (see league histograph http://wsmdsl.co.uk/div3grid.htm) it clearly shows everyone else seems capable of beating each other and so we just have to try to do the same and also pick up some away points. With a bit of luck, we can still get out of the mire as we proved by narrowly losing to both Coach House teams at home and Boro won't like our alley as we hated theirs at the Social Club! 

 

Next week is Perkins Cup 2nd round at The Ebdon Arms against St. Happys so let's hope we can keep the momentum going.

 

Come on you Racers!

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Bleadon Racers Statistics

Current and past season league fixtures, results and player averages (A very big thanks to Charles Reeves for producing the originals).

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