Also like us on...

Bleadon Racers Skittle Team (click for Blog or Statistics/Pics)

RACERS move again for 2022/23 season, decision taken to play at Hornets Rugby Club sadly means our rural community has again lost it's skittle team, what a great shame. The Queens Arms must be regretting the removal of their alley during the tenure of Butcombe(see below)!

STOP PRESS: Racers are back at Lympsham Sports Club Pavilion for the 2019/20 season.

They play at 8pm on most Monday nights in Division 3 of The Weston-Super-Mare and District Skittle League. The skittle season runs approximately from September to April and we are always happy to welcome new and experienced players. If you are interested in joining then please contact us

After many previous enjoyable seasons at Lympsham Sports Club, last year Racers decided to move for the 2018/19 season to Weston-super-Mare Football Club (Alley 2) but although very grateful to WSMFC for their hospitality, the call of the rural community environment was too strong and so they are now back 'home' at 'The Pav'.

A Bit of Bleadon Skittle History

Originally there was a skittle alley provided for the village at the Coronation Hall as mentioned in their deed, but this alley was removed to build the Jubilee Room as an alley had been created for the team who had then played as and at, The Queens Arms, Bleadon (this also saved the sticker-up running up from the Hall to the pub to get 'refreshments'). Butcombe Brewery bought the pub in 2004/5 and then in 2006 decided to demolish (rather than re-furbish) the skittle alley in favour of replacing it with a seldom used outside patio/smoking area (a strange decision made even stranger as they sponsor the WSMD skittle league)!

So, the team were then effectively homeless (as well as the Ladies and Hunt league teams) and thus faced folding. After six decades of playing they wanted to continue so sought refuge and welcome at nearby Lympsham Sports Club, where initially renamed as The Queens and then Bleadon Racers, they were very happy to find that with new balls, traditional skittles is still alive and well and the beer is very much cheaper!

In an ideal world The Racers hope that the Queens Arms (or more specifically, its owners) would see the error of their ways by building a new alley and bringing the Racers 'home'. It could gain the pub some welcome extra revenue in the winter nights (casual estimates suggest a potential lost income of well over £250,000 since the alley was demolished and teams left in 2006, some 16+yrs ago), but alas that would currently appear a distant dream!

Bleadon Skittle Team Honours (from WSMDSL website)

1931 - Division 2 Winners - Bleadon Sports (original team at Coronation Hall, then also based at Queens Arms when CH alley was removed!!)

1949 - Division 3 Mayors/Hospital Cup Winners - Queens Arms

1950 - Division 3 Mayors/Hospital Cup Winners - Queens Arms

1985 - Division 3 Mayors/Hospital Cup Winners - Queens Arms

1990 - Division 3 and also Mayors/Hospital Cup Winners - Bleadon Sports

Also individual finalists C Butler London Bridge 2019,2020 and M Dyer Singles 2020

Also in an exciting last game of the 2012/13 season, Racers won by just one pin and thus finished runners-up and were promoted after 10 years absence back up to Division 3 for 2013/14 season. However, the league was re-structured from 4 into 3 divisions for 2016/17 season and although Racers were then put in Division 2, they unfortunately earned 'relegation' back to the basement Division 3 for 2017/18! (see blog and statistics below for details).

The Joy Of Six……….

Posted on 19th September, 2019

Racers got their season up and running at the slightly camp surroundings of the Lamb Inn home of the not so camp Shepherds.

On an alley festooned with pictures proclaiming that we should find our sparkling inner selves and other deep and meaningful phrases all of which had a sparkly connection, it proved as difficult as always to mount up a decent tally.

Indeed, anything around a six sparked whoops and moans of ectasy from the expectant Racers.

In the opening set, Gday was one of the few who managed to break the forty barrier as he owned the alley with a masculine performance, eventually climaxing with a 47.

Chippy Waterhouse and Wonder Edwards came in with a slightly limp wristed 37 and 38 respectively but fortunatley the Shepherds found too many of their wayward balls failing to touch wood and the first set opened up a 15 pin lead.

In the second set it was the Hobbit (45 ) who managed to keep his end up ( Ooo’er..) whilst local Launderette Magnate Ed ‘Sports Casual’ Baytun (28) failed to rise to the occasion at all but reckons he’ll get some blue pills for next week to sort the problem out !

Meanwhile, the Blade (33) turned in an impotent performance although did manage the Joy of Six three times in a row but then became spent out and couldn’t manage it again the same evening.

Either way the set was a tight affair going in the Shepherds favour by 3 pins.

Burnley and Bandaid then had a twosome both struggling to a poor performing 34 apiece, whilst Clive’s 39 was inspired by us playing against Shepherds and therefore the possibility of there being some sheep about, which sadly for Clive proved not to be the case. (So he brought his wellies for nothing ).

The result being that the Shepherds nibbled away at our lead winning the set by another 3 pins to leave Racers 9 ahead on the night.

There was no need for the worried furrows on the Racers brows however, not with such queens of the alley Franz Butler (43) Ski Sunday Reeves and his fashionable headgear (36) and the biggest queen of the lot Seve Dyer (46) making up the final set.

They flounced onto the alley as if it were a catwalk, rising to the occasion whilst putting in a good stiff performance and managing to veritably cream the opposition in a thunderous climax, culminating in a 12-4 win for the exhausted Racers…..

Phew…….I am now off for a cold shower to calm down.

Burnley.

Shepherds v Racers at The Lamb Inn