LAST season’s Quantock Vale Skittles League champions, Stockland Club, opened this year’s campaign at the King’s Head against Wanderers (formerly known as Greydogs).

They quickly went ahead and, after pulling 23 pins on the fourth hand, there was little doubt what the result would be – the home team lost by 50 pins.

Although Alley Boys led for the first seven hands at the Greyhound, Triards gradually reduced the deficit to go ahead themselves by three with two hands remaining.

Alley Boys needed 49 to win but failed to reach their target and lost by three.

At the Stockland Club, R and U’s held the advantage for most of the first half but a 57-pin seventh hand by Outcasts helped to give the visitors a 19-pin lead and a 71-pin last hand, that included four players clearing the diamond, gave them victory by 39; Jock Calder was top of the alley with 109.

Likewise, 109 was top of the alley at the Globe scored by Simon Miller of the Dambusters who hit 533 to beat Applecrunchers by 32 and at the Greyhound, Globetrotters beat Dot’s Gang by 15.

Results – Wanderers 378 (S. Larcombe 75), Stockland Club 428 (N. Escott 87); Dot’s Gang 411 (S. Fouracre 76), Globetrotters 426 (M. Barrow 79); Alley Boys 423 (M. Reid 76), Triards 426 (J. Gray, A.

Ingram 75); Dambusters 533 (S. Miller 109), Applecrunchers 501 (M. Mackenzie 94); R and U’s 468 (D. Nurton 89), Outcasts 507 (A. Calder 109).