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
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
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).
Post Season Festivities
Posted on 17th May, 2016
Since the season closed there has been plenty of Racer activity (pics below), with an end of season roll-up including the Drawn Pairs competition (won this year by Coach and The Hobbitt), Presentation of The John Loxton Memorial Trophy for Seasons Best Average (Yours truly) and also two friendly games against Lympsham Sports Club (LSC), one played in the Weston & District Rules format (with our shiny new balls) and the other in Highbridge League 'pitch board' format. Racers won both games which was some consolation for losing our 'killer' money to LSC on Pairs night!
2015-16 SEASON PERFORMANCES
(Full team statistics are on Averages pic in Racers Gallery above)
John Loxton Memorial Trophy (Top Average) Top Away Average Top Home Average Most Spares Most Away Spares Most Home Spares Highest Away Score Lowest Away Score Highest Home Score Lowest Home Score Most 'Top Dog' Most 'Strongest Man' Most Improved Average Rank The Other Direction Largest Scoring Range Smallest Scoring Range Highest Away Team Score Highest Home Team Score Total Pins Total Home Pins Total Away Pins Total Spares Total Points | 44.40 C Butler 45.88 M Dyer 47.29 C Butler 8 J Nipper 7 M Dyer 4 C Butler/T Pettitt 62 J Nipper @ The Ship v Uphill Steamers 26 C Presburg/C Reeves @ The Ship v Uphill Steamers 61 C Butler v Uphill Steamers 32 T Warren v Churchill, G Davis/C Reeves v Klinkerbelles 4 J Nipper 4 G Davis +7 G Davis (despite 4 lowest) -3 D Waterhouse/T Pettitt 29 J Nipper (low 33 high 62) 12 G Day (low 37 high 49) 539 v Anchors (won) 524 v Churchill (won) 9743 for 9925 against 5028 for 5080 against 4715 for 4845 against 56 (Home 25 Away 31) 140 (Home 66 Away 74) |
last years performances
MRacers win by 2! Match report (BandAid) and score board from 16/5/16 Lympsham v Racers Pitch Board rules (pic courtesy Disco) "update but not a blog (too many beers last night prevent me from writing anything too inspired today!). So another win last night for a depleted Racers team, I think it was 9 against 9 in the end (their team including 3 ladies). So we won by 3 pins, a close call and a good game overall. Huge balls and large pins. Bear in mind that this was a pitch board game so a lot of sitting around whilst the opponents all played first, then us, then they play twice, then us twice etc etc and after seven very long hands, we bloody won! Yours truly ending with a 16 spare and a nice score of 63 but good scores all round for us. The game ended around 11.15 with a huge curry which many abstained from, I tried but failed, never being able to resist a good curry and it was good, very good, courtesy of Kasia." |
Score board from 9/5/16 Racers v Lympsham WDSL rules (pic courtesy Disco) TeePee Top Dog! |
Pairs winners The Hobbitt and Coach get photo-bombed! |
Drawn Pairs competition scoreboard - 65 for Coach....But not for my partner! |
John Loxton Memorial Trophy winner 2015/16 Season |
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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