It was a double celebration for the Melksham Sports skittles team who clocked up a stunning victory at an intercounty skittles competition in Weymouth.
The team, who have been competing in the Serious About Events Series of skittles weekends for more than 20 years, stormed to victory after a wobbly start, saving their very best for last.
Put together especially for these tournaments, the Melksham Sports team won their first ever trophy last year at a competition in Torquay and were hoping to make it a double. But after the first day’s play, they only scraped through to book their place in the finals on pin count, a repeat of last year’s scenario. There they faced the Rowdites from Gloucester who won the first two legs. Suddenly the Melksham team found their form and clinched first place on the podium with a very respectable seven point lead. Any luck involved was put down to Monkey, the team’s mascot.
“It was a bit tense,” said captain and secretary Sue Pearce, “but we were thrilled to win. I guess we’ll have to try and make it a hat trick next year. No pressure, of course. We’ll have to get Monkey back again as he helped us win last year.”
The victory was made even sweeter by the fact that Sue and her husband and team mate Paul actually met through the Serious About Skittles weekends and got married in Weymouth. They’re celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary this year.
Meanwhile, proving you’re never too young to play skittles, amongst the team was Margaret Haines, aged 86 who has been skittling for more than 60 years in the Melksham Ladies Skittles League.
The tournaments are organised by Serious About Events of Torquay who also stage the annual British Skittles Championships. For more information please visit www.seriousaboutevents.co.uk
