A DRAMATIC turnaround in their final three hands saw Reservists win Wellington Ex-Services Skittles League's Championship Trophy when all had seemed lost, writes Dave Bright. 

Mowers skipper Mike Jarman won the toss and invited Reservists to skittle first. This seemed to be a good decision as Reservists struggled to make any headway with spare chances few and far between, but to their credit they kept plugging away and returned hands of 58, 57 and 55 which on the Tory club alley are considered highly respectable. 

When Mowers took to the alley they did not appear to struggle to get spare strikes and their first spare, a 16, arrived courtesy of Vince Milton in their first hand, helping Mowers to a first hand score of 65. More of the same continued in the next two hands when they hit a 62 and 61 which included a 12 spare from Geoff Milton, this saw Mowers 18 pins to the good at the halfway stage - normally enough to see off most teams! 

On their return to the alley Reservists refused to be daunted and responded in magnificent style with an 82 hand which included four spares - from Glen Escott (14), Kevin Parsons (15), Richard Troake (14) and Phil Powell (12). Sensing they were back in the game Reservists followed this up with a 67 which included a spare apiece from Kevin Sedgebeer (11), and Peter Chamberlain (16). 

Their final hand saw Reservists picking up pins to end with a 59, leaving Mowers two 63s and a 64 to win - very achievable by their high standards. 

Mowers fourth hand though was a catastrophe as they only managed to hit a 46 when nothing went right for them. The fifth hand saw some improvement when they knocked a respectable 62 but spare chances were at a premium. Mowers went into the final hand requiring 83 to win despite their best efforts they could only manage a 64 which included a16 from their top player of the evening Vince Milton. This meant Reservists had pulled an amazing 36 pins on the last three hands to win by 18. Scores: Reservists 378, Mowers 360.

This was a great match to end another splendid season in the Wellington Ex-Services Skittles League.

Our thanks go to both teams for a shooting encounter, and to the Conservative Club for hosting the game and not forgetting Dave Perry for an excellent job of sticking up. Thanks also to Vice Chairman Dave Derrick for presenting the trophy - it's nice to see you back!

Reservists were represented by Glen Escott, Peter Chamberlain, Neil Sparks, Richard Troake, Darren Sparks, Phil Powell, Kevin Parsons, Kevin Sedgebeer