LIONS Club B hosted Cross Rifles A in Division A of the Bridgwater Town Skittles League and started well, pulling six pins in the opening hand.

Rifles responded in the second with two large spares from Nigel Brown and Pete Prole; after Nick Searle’s 15 in the third hand, Rifles had a cushion of 15.

Lions scored consistently and, in the fourth, it payed off pulling back five to reduce the deficit to 10.

However, Cross Rifles had the lie of the alley and continued to build their lead winning by 22.

In Division B, British Flag B hosted the Parrett A, with the opening hand going to the visitors, thanks in part to Damo McDonald’s 16 spare, a flopper from Nick Painton and another spare from Damo in the second hand pulling a further seven.

Flag won the third hand by a single but it was not until the fifth they hit a spare, both Roy Short and Steve Cresswell hitting 14s to bring the game back under control. No more spares were forthcoming for either team, picking up pins becoming the order of the day.

Flag, being nine behind, set a target of 53 to win, but Parrett had a mare of a hand, hitting only 45, handing the win to the Flag by six.

Market A travelled to the other Market, the Newmarket, to play their A team in Division C.

New Market opened with a 65 after a spare from Ronnie Robilliard, pulling nine. Steve Carr’s nine tail did nothing for the score but did galvanise the team resulting in a twopin reduction in Newmarket’s lead.

Kevin Groves, of the Market, matched Rob Gowan’s 13 spare, and the rest of the team picked up pins where they could, giving a hand lead of eight and handing advantage to the Market by a single pin.

Newmarket reclaimed the lead in the penultimate hand by one pin and set a target of 67, which Market had only once before hit.

Ian Ingram, as penultimate man on, hit a 13 spare leaving last man on Richard Gregory needing a spare – he hit a 15, winning the game by five.

None of the games played in Division D were particularly close but the game that stood out was played between the Bird in hand and the Duke A at The Bird.

The home side surged into the lead, initially, by 11, thanks in part to Scott Brooms spare.

Duke demonstrated why they are top of the division in the third hand with a mighty 83 to snatch the lead which, despite Bird winning another hand, they were not to lose