BEER & S KITTLE S P. A. BAXTER

REACTION TO our 'bit of madness' from last month was met with a mix of mirth and (slight) disbelief after a sudden flurry of new members to the 'Pub Games' site when they viewed 'The Tee', and giving publicity to the 'Shunters' skittle team in Blandford Forum. Last month's Visitor can be read online so don't miss out - and do please join my Pub Games site.

Moving in circles where there are games experts, I never fail to be surprised by little snippets that are brought to my attention by said good people. Mark Shirley, who has the site 'Shove it, chuck it, toss it' on the web, is sure that the variation in the size of the pins for bar skittles becomes obvious in the West Country, as they are more in the style of what we would see on our alleys, although a lot smaller! I have only been able to acquire one set of these quite recently, and even so they were not part of a whole game. Pictured in my hand for size comparison, one can see that there is more of a 'belly' than perhaps we may expect from sets in other parts of the country. Having seen at least two versions in this area with 'bottle-type' pins then it would appear that this theory holds no weight, but who can say - 'the jury is still out'. As with so many aspects of pub games, when a statement of fact has been made, something will come along to put the cat amongst the pigeons. Incidentally, please do take a look at Mark's blog, at present in abeyance (and hopefully to be revived in future) during time he spends on another project. An afternoon spent on Mark's site is never an afternoon wasted.

I first met up with the late Arthur Taylor some ten years ago and had not long become owner of Played at the Pub his last in a series of three books on the subject. He'd made a profound statement regarding bar skittles (also referred to as table skittles and 'Devil among the Tailors') that there were no longer leagues played but to his surprise had just discovered 'The Mendip Table Skittles League'. This was suspended during the Covid business but now appears to be up and running again. I have tried on several occasions to contact the organiser but unfortunately have had no response to my calls and emails. I'm still hopeful, as I would love to report on their organisation, which also uses some interesting game terminology. There had been a table skittles league at Bridport, but their Facebook site is way out of date so sadly it would appear that it is no more.

Whilst I do find his presentation rather irksome at times, I can't help but be drawn to watch Drew

Pritchard as he scours the country for antiques. Being of that age where cynicism has reared its ugly head, I wonder how much is contrived, but I was interested, nevertheless, when he came across two bar skittles games. He declared them to be Victorian. One that we would likely to be familiar with in the local pub to be worth £200, and the one with a 'pull-up' knob to reset the pins to be worth £300. Perhaps the games I have moved on to pastures new were sold far too cheaply! I recently completed a refurbishment of a game that I had bought from a well-known auction site, described as 'antique'. Consequently I spent an inordinate amount of time and money to get it presentable. It did appear to be of quality, with brass ferrules at the join for the (very tall) pole and even a screw fitting into the board itself. However, 'antique' it clearly was not, as it transpired that the sides of the table were constructed of MDF, something which was not available in this country until 1979. Definitely a case of caveat emptor, then.

Tales from around the pubs we visit from time to time seem to vary with regularity. I can't help but notice how our local – Rose and Crown in Bradford Abbashas now regained that wonderful pub atmosphere that it used to have. That exact atmosphere has been prevalent at The Kings Arms in Thornford (a Good Beer Guide regular and advertiser in this fine tome, although as I write they're closed for a well-deserved holiday). Another 'Rose and Crown' (Long Burton, on the Sherborne to Dorchester road) is also a CAMRA beer guide regular and another where we've enjoyed many a great evening. Even if we are not regulars at some pubs I do like to glean information from their Facebook posts, and a recent one at the last-mentioned it was clear that with a skittles game going on, and a full restaurant that there are plenty of good pubs out there that can attract those who want to enjoy a good night out. John and Becky have never stood still here, with a lovely outside covered area, a regular Post Office and other facilities that the village would otherwise not have had. There's even room for Bat and Trap in the garden (How about that for the summer?)

We all know the game of spoof, don't we? Of course we do! So with just a little reminder to everyone, why don't we discuss the ins and outs of this most exciting and easy to play of pub games? It is, of course, a game of bluff, counterbluff and double counter-bluff, with deception and guile an essential part of proceedings where one has to guesstimate the total number of coins in the player's hands. Four players equal a possible total of 12, and a minimum of zero. Turns are taken and the correct player drops out, and the loser at the end buys the agreed rewards. Is it luck? No! During a discussion at skittles the other evening we brought up how one player of old could systematically lose to the point where he joked that he was going to purchase boxes of crisps wholesale to save himself money! I'll be featuring some of the 'spoof coins' from my collection in the following months, but firstly, the largest sized in my collection –Guinness, out ready and waiting for March 17th, and the smallest and most uninteresting of coins in the collection but one that included a list of shouts (calls) that had been given names.

In all the years I have played the game there was but one that I had heard of previously and that was 'SPOOF', or in other words –none! If you use these monikers in your school, or others not listed here, please get in touch. To add these to your game - and mystify the uninitiated would add more spice to this fun and exciting game, particularly when everything from a bag of crisps each to pints of beer and steak and chips could rest on the outcome! Happy St Patrick's Day!

Cheers!

© P.A. Baxter 2023. skittlealley@hotmail.com

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Solution to February Sudoku