©Blockheads
Skittle Team
Formulative Years
During the summer of 1985 the clubhouse of the University of Bath Staff Association (UBSA) , was enlarged with another storey added. Consequent upon its reopening and in order to encourage staff members to use the new facility, a lunchtime skittles league was proposed. The School (now Dept.) of Mechanical Engineering set up three teams and, as at that time we were working on diesel cylinder head research in the "Blockhouse" (as that part of 4E 1-19 is popularly known), the name "Blockheads" seemed quite an apt name for our team entry into the Lunchtime League.
The number of teams originally entered meant
that three matches had to be played per lunch hour and with only one alley
the scheduling was necessarily tight and closely timed. In later years
as teams dwindled with people moving on or finding other lunchtime pursuits,
only two matches were played; League A at 12-30pm and League B at 1-00p
m. In 2004, this dropped again to being only one league at 1-00pm.
The Blockheads Team
Photo:- The 1997 Blockheads team
(minus Irene), L-R Steve, Eric, Gilly, Gareth
Photo:- The 2002 Blockheads Skittles
team. L to R - Steve, Eric, Robert and Gilly. Looking pleased because we
had just won a match!
The rules originally stated that each team must have at least one person of the opposite gender to make the competition more even. After some initial problems finding a suitable permanent lady, we found it best to have two ladies so that they could sort out betwen themselves who would play, as and when work or social duties prevented them playing. This strategy worked out well over the years, even though the 'mixed gender' rule was eventually dropped. The regular team consisted of Eric Brain ( Former Capt.), Steve Coombes, (Capt. 2006 on ), Gilly Eaton, Dave Wood, & Rob Pepler with Pam Carruthers and Chris Arnold as reserve players.
Blockheads' Successes
( Apart from unofficially supplying many other
skittles team websites with our header photo - "Front Pin". Some polite
webmasters actually ASK.......)
This should be a very short paragraph despite
the number of years of the team's existence! However we considered ourselves
as 'average' since we always seemed to come near the middle of the league
tables; this was probably due to the fact that we played to the motto "It's
not the actual winning, it's the taking part....!" We seemed to be
better at sticking the pins up for opposing teams than actually knocking
them down, but even so, always managed to stay away from the very bottom
of the league table.
Our main successes had been in the training
of new players - and even encouraging entire new teams. Notable among these
were the 'Dormant Demons' captained for some years by
Les
Duddridge and, in later years, Steve
Dolan 's 'Novices'.
Paul Wheatley, Steve Dolan, Pauline Khan,
Andy Green and many others all 'cut their skittling teeth' in our team.
Some of these even aspired to the Captaincy of other teams such as the
former 'Novices'
at sometime or another.
Players we trained, many who had never ever held a skittle ball before, are too numerous to mention but include Gerald Atherton, Chris Arnold, Gareth Bond, George Bonwick, Pam Carruthers, Alan Coggins, Jo Drew, Vivienne Giles, Adam Gould, Daphne Hancock, Angela Harrington, Alice Hutton, Dave Lowman, Angie McDonald, Marcelle McManus, Dave Rushton and Tony Sutton (both founder-players), Dave Tallin, Sue Taylor, Jan Thomas, (The late) Ken Waller, and Gail Seymour.
Adrian Dando gave us one of our biggest moments of glory - certainly not for his skittling ability! (or for being the official Town Crier for Midsomer Norton and Radstock) - but for being voted "UBSA Skittles Personality of the Year" shortly before leaving to take up the licence of the White Post public house at Stratton on Fosse and more recently the Jolliffe Arms at Kilmersdon.
Separate and special mention must be made here of Irene Banks who consistently played for us right from the start until early 2001 but was replaced through illness by Gilly Eaton Rob Pepler joined us a few years ago after answering a desperate advert for a player on the University Internet noticeboard after Gareth left; an example of the "power of advertising"!! Dave Wood was pressurised into being a reserve player and has proven his worth on an increasing number of occasions. Chris Arnold now also plays as a reserve.
Steve's major achievement was a "Flopper" (all pins down with the first ball) in the 2005 Summer Nomination League, much to the delight of all of us, not least one member who shall remain nameless but, surpringly enough it seems, had never seen a Flopper before!!. This qualified Steve into a strong position by popular vote (to his dismay!) to replace Eric as Team Captain on Eric's retirement in early February 2006
....In 1999, we WON the Alison Head trophy in the FINAL LEG of the final match.......... our first top trophy after all these years..........and then surprise, surprise...
......In 2002 we became runners up in the 2002 Nomination Cup Competition
But the biggest and most prestigious surprise of all was when......We actually won the 2002/2003 Winter League ......
However, due to
retirement in early February 2006, followed by three years under the Captaincy
of Steve, ( in the red jacket in the first group photo on the page) a decision
was made from "on high" to close the UBSA Club, so now sadly both the skittle
alley and the Blockheads are no more....it was fun while it lasted and
a very good way to pass a lunch hour, meet new people, and make new friends.
Last revised June 6th 2011
".......the enjoyment
is not in the winning ............but in the taking part!"
(
not strictly true but it sounds good)
Mechanical Engineering Department
The History of the game of Skittles
Hampstead Billiards and Skittles Club
