showing the Thames frozen over. The line of people crossing the ice is shown at the top while a game Daddlums is a Hood Skittles variant in which the cheese is normally thrown so that it lands near the a Kingpin which must be hit first or else no score is counted... Local variations aside, Long Alley One of the quirks of skittles as it's played in Britain, and one which enthusiasts of the 10-pin 'Bowling' game probablyfind frustrating, is that skittle balls have no holes for the fingers to grip. Skittle balls vary in size, but one thing they all have in common is that they weigh a fair bit, all the better to do the damage at the business end of the alley. Traditionally the dense, hard-as-nails wood Lignum Vitae has been used for the West Country game, though many now use resin or rubber coated equivalents. The size and weight of theseballs can make them quite difficult to handle, particularly if your hands are small. The colourfully named Dorset Flop gets round this by being a two-handed delivery, one in which the player launches themselves forward, 'flopping' down onto the alley once their hands are free of the ball. It's a very accurate method, andone that's become very popular throughout much of the West Country, particularly with younger players. it had been bought referred to it as "Devil amongst the Tinkers". More research has established that

Our accessories Include rubber bowling balls, wooden skittle pins, score boards and ball ramp helpers The surrounding leather bound and cushioned sides of the table offer the option to bounce the cheese A game of great skill for pubs and pub leagues or straight-forward, brilliant fun at home for all ages.

Northamptonshire Skittles Table for sale - St. Albans

skittles game. In the case of the peculiar Rolly Polly, above, a heavily biased ball was developed -

apart and it's often possible to roll the ball right through the pin diamond and miss all the pins. This version of Bar Skittles is constructed to Masters Traditional games design. Manufactured in the UK by a craft shop with a long tradition in quality wooden products, the game looks as good as it plays. Our League Bar Skittles is beautifully made and a pleasure to play.

Sams Atlas Bar Billiards Table - reconditioned / refurbished

Skittles game from Holland. It was probably the Dutch who took their version of skittles to America after the front pin is hit. We have 18 players in our league and play each other once over 17 Sunday The game is now very rare but can still be played at the famous Freemasons Arms in Hampstead. Often In practice, Dorsetskittles is much the same game as the one played inDevon and Somerset, that is to say the pins and balls used are of a similar design and size, including a slightly taller kingpin, or 'Landlord'which is not found in other areas such as Bristol and the Three Counties.There is however one aspect of the game whichseems to have originatedin the county.The clueis in the name!

In this Skittles game, popular in the East Midlands, the Alley measures 33 - 36 feet long and 6 feet wide. The Alley is in two parts, though - the first 25 feet or so from the bowlers mark can be cobbles or any other rough ground because the ball or cheese never strikes this surface. The remainder of the alley should be flat and smooth - materials might be hardwood or slate. Behind the skittles, walls and possibly a trough may exist to prevent the skittles straying too far.The nine wooden skittles are ten inches high and shaped like a stunted cigar, with the diameter in the middle being typically 4.5 inches and the diameter at the ends about 3 inches. Balls are traditionally made from heavy wood (nowadays rubber or resin) and any size greater than a tennis ball and less than a cannonball can be used (five inches diameter should be about right). A full size Skittles alley is usually around six feet wide and normally made of wood although other surfaces can be used. The distance from the throwing line to the front skittle is not usually less than 24 feet but in some areas can be significantly more than 30 feet. Sometimes one of the pins, known as a kingpin, is slightly larger than the others - it's position would normally be in the middle or at the front. When it comes to accommodation in Scotland, there's a fantastic choice of amazing stays from luxury hotels to glamping getaways. What little I know of the Dorset skittles tradition can beattributed to my fellow pub games enthusiast, and enthusiastic Dorset skittler John Penny. Johnplaysout ofthe historic skittle alley at the Roseand Crown in the village of Bradford Abbas,competing in summer and winter leagues in the Yeovil area. Earlier this year I was honoured to make up the numbers in the final game of the 2015/16 season at the Rose and Crown, agrand night in good company, anda great opportunity to see how the game is played locally. But is there in fact aDorset skittles tradition? Further information surfaced to indicate that another Four Corners league exists around the pubs and