IN the Bridgwater Skittles League’s Division A, Bird in Hand A hosted Blake Arms B.

Bird hit a solid 65 with spares from Mike Taylor and Martin Coombes, but Blake hit the highest hand of the night with spares from Michael Davidge and Ben Cleaveley, backed up by a flopper from Scott Clapp, doing the damage to Bird’s 65.

Blake added a further pin to their lead in the second hand to lead by 18.

Bird won the next two hands, but could only pull back ten pins.

The penultimate hand saw Bird struggle, allowing Blake to build a commanding lead of 21 entering the final hand.

Bird set a target of 61 to win after their best hand of 80 with spares by Nick Pimm and Coombes, and a flopper from Nick Fisher.

Blake came out needing all eights, and despite some early wobbles the final men on, Sam Dennison, and Ben Cleaveley hit nines to win by a single pin.

In Division B, British Flag A travelled to Cross Rifles A, who started with 60, pulling four.

Flag’s second hand 65 took them into the lead by two after a disappointing 59 from the hosts, and that was the pattern for the night as any team dropping below 60 was punished.

The lead changed again in the third as Rifles hit 74 with spares from Nigel Brown and Gary Court.

The lead was extended in the fourth after a second Gary Court spare allowed another 12 pins to be added to the lead, now 28.

Flag won the final three hands, but were seven pins shy of the lead come the final ball.

In Division C, Newmarket A hosted Commercial A, who took an early lead, hitting 66, including spares from Paul Bastin and Steve Webber.

Newmarket pulled seven back in the second before taking the lead in the third by a single pin, and consolidated their lead in the fourth to six pins.

The game was reset in the fifth as Commercial pulled six to tie the game, but they couldn’t continue their momentum and Newmarket took the lead by eight.

A target of 66 was set, which Commercial hadn’t hit all night, and this remained the case.

Newmarket won by 7.

In Division D, Lions Club A had their work cut out playing leaders Duke A, but in the first two hands they piled on the pressure as they racked up a lead of five.

Duke were not downtrodden and responded in the third, pulling nine to lead by five, and it was now their turn to build on the lead in the fourth, adding eight pins to lead by 13.

Lions fought hard and won the last three hands, the fifth and sixth, netting single pin reductions to the Duke lead.

Duke set a target of 66, and with Lions needing a spare it was final man on Barry Case who found form when it was needed, hitting a 13, but it was not enough as Duke won by a single pin