EX-SERVICEMEN beat Home Guard IV by 59 pins at the Institute, the loss keeping Home Guard IV at the bottom of the division of Wellington Ex-Services Skittles League’s Chris Bullock Championship with just 2 games to go. L. Baker hit 52 for the X-Men, as they look to end their long wait for silverware in the upcoming Ken Bright Cup. W. Smith was the top scorer for HGIV with 42, but the away side couldn’t keep up with the X-Men on the night. Ex-Servicemen 362, Home Guard IV 303.

Marc Bright reports - King Pins 352, Here 4 the Beer 342: King Pins’ good form continued on another week as they beat Here 4 the Beer by 10 pins at the Victoria Arms. Matt Horne and Shane Powell were the top scorers for the Pins with 49 each, with W. Brewer’s 53 for Here for the Beer being the top score of the match. Both sides have entered this season’s Ken Bright Cup with high hopes for silverware.

Moonrakers 321, Foresters 307: Moonrakers picked up another win as they saw off the challenge of Foresters by 14 pins at the Football Club. B. Hookway scored a well deserved 51 for the Rakers to help them set a competitive total. G. Browne scored 43 in the Foresters reply but it wasn’t to be for the away side.

Odds and Ends 355, WRFC 373: Rugby Club won by 7 away to Odds and Ends at the Victoria Arms. G. Downton had hit 54 for Odds and Ends who set a decent score. Rugby Club skipper, J. Lane, led his side with a score of 55 to help Rugby Club over the line to pick up the win and the points on offer.

Outsiders 312, All Stars 319: Ken Bright Cup holders, Outsiders, went down by 7 pins against All Stars at the Conservative Club. R. Smith hit 45 for Outsiders who couldn’t quite get into their usual rhythm. All Stars saw P. Desborough score 47 to help the away side get past their target and take the win.

(United Services vs. Mowers has been postponed until 28th March as the White Horse has temporarily closed)

Gerald Thorne Championship

BACKMATCH 7th March – Queens Legs 384, Cottage Pies 395: Cottage Pies collected the win in their postponed match against Queens Legs at the Conservative Club, with T. Mattravers hitting a great 63 pins along the way. J. Mason hit 55 for Queens Legs, who set a very good score, but the Pies set about hitting a great score to chase down Queens Legs and take the points.

Shooters 348, Holywell Lake 404: Holywell Lake came out on top of the Victoria Arms derby with a comprehensive 56 pin win over Shooters that keeps the Lakers top of the division. R. Cox and A. Sydenham both hit 51 for Shooters but it was R. Skeels of Holywell Lake who hit the highest score of the match with 58 to help his team to another vital win.

Fireguard A 281, Reservists 325: Reservists won again to keep pace with Holywell Lake, this time seeing off Fireguard A by 44 pins at the Football Club. Jake A hit 41 for the home side who suffered a difficult evening against the title chasers. P. Powell hit 46 pins in the successful Reservists chase to ensure the points went the way of the away side. Still just the 1 point separating the top two sides after the latest round of fixtures.

Club Rockers 357, Home Guard II 326: Home Guard II suffered a blow to their title hopes with a 31 pin loss to Club Rockers at the Institute. C. Perry scored 54 for the Rockers who found a decent score for the tricky alley. K. Thorne scored 51 for HGII in response, but the game got away from them as the points went the way of the home side. HGII find themselves 5 points adrift from the top spot. 5 games now remain for Home Guard II with a maximum of 12 points to contest for, including huge matches against Cottage Pies and Holywell Lake.

Hot Shots 346, Cottage Pies 345: Cottage Pies suffered a narrow 1-pin loss away to Hot Shots at the Conservative Club which dented their title hopes. R. Marke hit a vital 50 for Hot Shots. T. Mattravers scored 48 for the Pies but it wasn’t enough on the night as the Pies fell agonisingly short of their target. 5 games are left for Cottage Pies and they include matches against rivals Home Guard II, Holywell Lake and Reservists! Still plenty of twists and turns to go.

OBA 345, Queens Legs 329: OBA won by 16 as they saw off the challenge of Queens Legs at the Victoria Arms. P. Beer and R. Billet both scored 51 for OBA with A. Nichols scoring 56 for Queens Legs in reply. The win saw OBA close in on Queens Legs and move to 2 points behind them in 10th place.

Oaks 373, Bell Green 382: Bell Green picked up a good away win against Oaks at the Blue Ball, winning by 9 pins. S. Burge hit 54 for Oaks who posted a very decent score. J. Powell was the main man for Bell Green with 58 pins falling for him as he helped his side over the line to take the points. Bell Green seem to be getting back to their usual good form as they hope to finish as high as possible this season.

(Report Centre A vs. Relyon has been postponed until Thursday 4th April as the White Horse has temporarily closed)