Goldies Wurzels 420 Patriots 423

The cup holders Patriots reached the final again after a close match with Wurzels at the Three Compasses, Charminster. Patriots never had the best of starts hitting 58 on the first hand, while their opponents raced into an early lead after the top two hit 30 between them, Jason Wilkinson (16), and Dylan O’Donovan (14), and Wurzels hand of 71 put them 13-pins up. Wurzels lead was cut to 6-pins on the second hand, Patriots hit 62 but in response Wurzels could only muster 54. The third and forth hands saw both sides skittle similar, Patriots hit 62 and 59, while Wurzels hit 59 and 62, which left Wurzels still 6-pins in front. The only stick up on either hand was a stick up bolter from Chris O’ Donavon of Wurzels. Patriots hit 67 on the fifth hand with Lee Cooke chipping in with a 12 stick up. Dylan O’Donovan hit his second stick up of the night, a 14 to help his team stay in front, Wurzels hit 64 but their lead was cut to 3-pins. Jack Cooke hit a 13 stick up for Patriots on the sixth hand but four 5’s from his teammates meant that they only hit 57, and Wurzels pulled 2 more pins hitting 59 to lead by 5-pins. The cup holders Patriots looked to be heading out after finishing with 59 on the last hand to leave the Goldies side 55 to win. The Wurzels top half hit 30, but a 3 and a 4 in the bottom half  made their task harder and the Wurzels fell short by just 3-pins, which meant that Patriots were in front for the first time of the night.

Jake Cooke was top score for Patriots with 61, while Dylan O’Donovan was top for Wurzels with 60.

New Inn Chuckers 386 Half Pints 382

Chuckers of Section C knocked out Half Pints from Section A in the semi final of the Plate at Goldies. Richard Goodbody got the night off in fine fashion when he hit a stick up on the very first throw of the match and put 15 on the board for the New Inn team, Chuckers hit 61 and took a 11-pins lead when Half Pints hit 50. The Section A side chipped away at the Chuckers lead and after hands of 52, 54 and 56 were 5-pins behind. Chuckers hit 57 on the fifth hand, and in response Half Pints were struggling until Mark Slade kept them in the match with a 16 stick up to help them to 59, which meant they trailed by 3-pins. Half Pints edged in front on the sixth hand after their 61 hand had beaten Chuckers 57, and the Colliton side were now in front for the first time in the match, but by just 1-pin. Chuckers finished with 55 to leave the Half Pints 55 to win. The Section A side struggled on the last hand and finished the match how they started it with 50 to give the Chuckers a 4-pin victory. Top score for Chuckers was Richard Goodbody with 58, while for Half Pints Nick Heal and Mark Slade both hit 59.

Country Boys 446 (58) Trinity Allsorts 446 (79)

This semi final match of the Plate at Tom Browns had a dramatic end to the tie with an extra hand being played as Allsorts finished the night in style.

Allsorts took the lead on the first hand, Country Boys had hit 59 with a stick up 12 from R Miller, Jamie Hunter hit a 14 stick up for Allsorts to help them to 64 and a 5-pins lead. Jordan Smith hit a 14 stick up on the second hand as Country Boys hit 64, Allsorts came back with 62 and their lead was cut to 3-pins. Skipper Rod Smith’s 13 stick up boosted his sides score to 64 on the third hand and the team from the New Inn went 8-pins up after Allsorts hit 53.

R Miller hit his second stick up of the night for the Country Boys and his 15 helped them reach 69, and although Dan Hunter had hit an 11 stick up for Allsorts the match looked over as their 59 gave the Country Boys a 21-pins lead.

G Selby started the fifth hand with a 16 stick up as Country Boys looked to hammer home their lead, and they pulled 3 more pins, 62-59, to move 24-pins in front.

There were two stick ups in Country Boys sixth hand, J Wood (15) and a second of the night for the captain, Rod hit 12 as his team put 70 on the board. Matt Moore gave the Allsorts a great start on the sixth hand with a 14 stick up, and the Trinity side pinched a pin hitting 71, but there seemed little hope for them as they were still 23-pins behind.

Country Boys finished with 58 to leave Allsorts 82 to win. After an 8 and a 6 from the first two, Dan Hunter had a stick up and struck a 17, a 7 and a 9 followed and then Robbie Haime matched Dan’s score and put his own 17 on the board, suddenly Allsorts were back in the game as it left the last two 18 to win. A 9 from Luke Stacey left skipper Jamie West needing 9 to win the match for his side,, and he had a stick up chance that was missed, and his 8 sent the semi final into an extra hand.

A little shell shocked the team from West Knighton who had looked likely to reach the final only moments before hit another 58 on the extra hand. Allsorts by now were in control and had a dynamic start to the extra hand with the first three all hitting stick ups, Moore (11), Smith (11), while Dan Hunter got his third of the night (13). Robbie Haime chipped in with a 14 as the Trinity outfit reached the Plate final hitting 79 on the extra hand.

Dan Hunter was top score for Allsorts with 68 in the seven hands, while Jordan Smith was top score for the Country Boys with 62.

For the third consecutive season Breakaways have finished runners up in Section A. The Wool outfit kept in contention for the title until a defeat against champions Wareham Legionaires at the end of March.

The Breakaways have been in Section A since 1988, and are second behind Skimmers (1982) for the longest unbroken seasons in the top section. Breakaways finest season was in 2004 when they were champions.

Wareham Legionaires are champions  of Section A again after clinching it in style with a 59-pins victory over Essentials at the Wareham Legion. Last season they lost just three times and with two games to go have only lost three times this season. Friday’s match saw them hit 460 with James Taylor top scoring with 65 which included a 17 stick up on the fifth hand. On the sixth hand the home side hammered in a hand of 76, with 15 from Mike Jeans and 16 from Ryan Carpenter. On Tuesday the Legionaires will be looking to reach their first Knockout Cup Final when they meet Wide Boys at the New Inn, West Knighton in the semi final.

Legionaires joined the league in 2012 and since winning Section D in 2019 have had continued success. Section C was won in 2022 followed by Section B in 2023, and then Section A in 2024.

After topping the Section B table from the start of the season the Abbots clinched the title after beating Muckspreaders by 79-pins at the Swan on Thursday. Jack Churchill was top score for the home side with 63 which included an 18 stick-up, while Jon Arnold notched 61 with a 13 stick-up. The game had started well for the Swan outfit when skipper Podge Churchill hit a 10 stick up and his team went onto hit 70 which saw them take a 23-pins lead. Their promotion to Section A brings with it some history as they will be the first ever  Abbotsbury side competing in Section A since the alley was first used in our league in 1977.   

Swan Abbots were formed in 1987 and started life in Section F playing on Thursday nights at the Swan Inn. The Abbots finished runners up in Section F in the 90-91 season but did not go up because the leagues were restructured so stayed in Section F. In the 93-94 season the Swan outfit were relegated to Section G where they spent two seasons before the G section was disbanded. The Abbots found themselves in Section E for the 99-00 season after Section F was disbanded. After Section E was disbanded in the Abbots were in Section D from the 03-04 season and won it the following season. In the 08-09 season Swan Abbots won the Plate beating Wurzels in the final. After four seasons in the C section Swan Abbots were relegated but again won Section D in the 09-10 season. In the 12-13 season Abbots lost in the Plate final to Barmy Army. Abbots gained promotion from the Section C in 13-14 after finishing runners up and in their first season in Section B finished in fourth place. But the 15-16 season saw them bottom of Section B and then came another relegation when they finished bottom of Section C in the 16-17 season. The Abbots were runners-up in Section D in the 21-22 season, and then were promoted from Section C in the 23-24 season after finishing third.   

Tuesday’s two matches brought the curtain down on 50 years of Ladies League fixtures in the Dorchester and District Skittles League. As a league we had a proud tradition of keeping the Ladies League active when many skittle leagues had ceased having separate sections for ladies. We tried to go on as long as possible for the teams still playing, but with the dwindling numbers entering as an all ladies team each year the committee had to make the difficult decision on ending the Ladies League as from the end of this season.

There are still some competitions for the ladies to finish off the season with, the captains and sticker ups have their competitions on Thursday 17th April at the Trinity Club, but these are Open competitions. The last ladies only competition will be the Ladies Singles that takes place on Monday 28th April at the Colliton Club.

The Ladies league started in 1975 and was first won by Goldies Bunnies. The late 70’s and into the 80’s the league was dominated by the Ladykillers and the Liverbirds. Ladykillers won the league eight times between 1977 and 1988, while Liverbirds won it seven times between 1978 and 1996.  In 1979 a second section was added and was first won by Castaways. A third section was added in 1991 and was first won by Grove Virgins. Section B lasted from 1979 until 2013, while Section C ran from 1992 until 1996.

The Dorchester & District League was at its strongest in the 1994-95 season with ten sections, three of which were ladies. The ladies three sections consisted of thirty eight teams.     

During the 90’s Pen Pushers became the team to beat as they won three titles and finished runners up on three occasions. From 2001 the team changed their name to Crackerjacs and won two more titles in 2018 and 2023.

In the 2000’s it was Oakettes and Devils who were the most successful teams, Oakettes won eleven titles and Devils nine (including one in 1994).

In recent seasons Vixens have been the top team, firstly as runners up in 2019 and 2023 before becoming champions in 2024, and this season finished on top again after a close battle with Crackerjacs.

The league would like to thank each and every one of the ladies who have played over the years and made the Ladies League so successful and competitive,  also we would like to take the time in remembering lost members who have passed away.

For those ladies still wanting to play skittles there are teams in the Open League that are looking for players. Please contact Brian Newton or Terry Gosney if you would either like to find a team, or if you are interested in starting up a new team. Teams in Section A, B and C can be made up of any gender.

Here’s a list of ladies teams that have played in the league (some team names may be repeated). Please take note that this is not a detailed list of how long they were active, and there are teams which carried on and just changed names, or added their venues name. It’s purely to see some of the past names that have played in the Ladies League. This should bring back some memories to you all.

Bessy Boobs, Cyderettes, Cornwall Ladies, Cornwall Wenches, Eight Belles, Goldies Bunnies, Ladykillers, Milborne Madams, Milborne Misfits, Pats Girls, Rebelettes, The Dolly Mixtures, The Leighers, The Bulletts, The Swingers, Cascades, Compasses Coronets, Goldies Mixtures, Goldilocks, Knicker Thrashers, Liverbirds, Nearly Nameless, The Gazelles, Trinity Club Ladies, Woodentops, Panca’s, The Smurfs, New Inn Ladies, Trinity Triers, Three ‘n’ One, Bed Pan Scrubbers, Castaways, Dribs & Drabs, Poppies, Swan Sweets, Teeny Boppers, Tigerettes, Westernettes, Knighton Follies, Milborne Supersonics, Coach Fillies, Delectabulls, Flyers, Merrymaids, Mikes Girls, Pins and Needles, Trinity Busbys, Betty’s Bloomers, Bulldozers, Damers Damsels, Colliton Comets, Grunhalle Girls, Portesham Pips, Swan Swingers, Goldies Girls, Trinity Dreamers, Victoria Plums, Crazy Gang, Dolly Birds, Brewers Droops, Faust Fillies, Golden Wonders, Magpie Misfits, Pen Pushers, White Hart Fawns, Magpie Maidens, Trinity Oxos, Moreton Maids, Skittlers Widows, White Hearts, Wobblies, Vic Alley Cats, Bulls Crumpets, Nik Naks, Jesters, Frampton Failures, Carousals, Colliton Pin-ups, New Pins, Trinity Yo-Yos, Watchamacallits, Colliflowers, Dolphinettes, Hobnobs, Knighton Belles, Newquay Steamers, Ugly Ducklings, Blackbirds, Marabits, Misfits, Bully Girls, Compasses Crumpets, Gremlins, White Horse Wenches, Pink Ladies, Skittle Bashers, Vixens, Westenders, Argonaughts, Cockeroos, The Hit Squad, The Rascals, Swanie Rivers, Colliwobbles, Junction Witches, Frampton Frisbies, Frampton Frogs, Grove Virgins, Whitcombe Warriors, Fillibusters, Simply Skittlers, Witches, Sparklers, Krazy Gang, Delectables, Forget-Me-Nots, Kings Arms Ladies, Leftovers, Quantock Scraggends, White hart Follies, Blue Belles, Colliton Simply Skittles, Red Devils, New Inn Vibes, Colli-Cats, Rainbow Drops, Trinity Dropouts, Wasted Maniacs,  Bloomers, New Inn Nightmares, Ladybirds, Trinity Virgins, Woodpeckers, Corn Dollies, Goldies Giants, Merrymaids, Old Codgers, Sisters of Mercy, Smooth Operators, Snow Queens, Us Lot, Woodentops, Colliton Specials, Blackjacs, Krazy Kollies, Little Gems, Charlies Angels, D’Urbervilles, Crazy Ladies, Colliton Fillies, Cornwalleys, Alley Catz, Bull Brights, Colliton Nik Naks,  Cornwall Babes, The Flying Ducks, Ball Breakers, Dolly Mixtures, Framtastic, Nightingales, Colliton Ladybirds, Bovy Banshees, Cut ‘n’ Push, Oakettes, Hardyes Harlots, The Deliverers, Top Shot Breezers, Breezers, Colliton Bloomers, Colliton Devils, Blow Jobs, Woodenspooners, Crackerjacs, Aftershots, Goldies Golden Girls, Goldies Uncut, Robins Rebels, The Vic Seals, Terri-vics, Brewers Bumpkins, Cheeky Pinky Girls, The Rivals, Vic Divas, Borough Bomb Shells, The Better Misfits, The Rivers Charms, Oakydockes, Nutty Tarts, Colliton Criminals, Perky Pikes, Oakeydoked Off, Colli-Flowers, The Bombshells, Oakey Dockeys, Colliton Apprentices, Devils, Odd Bulls, Colliton Cowslips, Meloncollis, Colli- Frolics, Galley Maids, Colliton Potshots, Cornwall Girls, Crossfire Ladies, 50 Shades of Colli, Top Kats, Trinity Troopers, Colli Rogers, Top Cats, The Good The Bad The Ugly, Colli Wobbles, Mix Ups, Team Unicorn, Trinity Sourz, Vixens, Al-Colli-Frolics, Colliton Ladybirds,  Wonder Women, Super Colli-Ders, The Easy Beats, Trinity Mix Ups, Hot Cheese Stampers

Next week sees the Ladies League fixtures come to an end in what will be the final set of fixtures after 50 years of ladies skittles in the Dorchester and District Skittles League, so last night it was fitting that two of the most successful sides in recent history went head to head to see who would come out as the last Ladies League champions. 

 CrackerJacs had beaten Vixens twice, while the Vixens had one win over the Jacs in their previous three meetings this season, but Vixens held a 6-pins advantage over those three games, so victory for Vixens would mean they’d take the title even though Crackerjacs would still have a game to play.

The match on alley one at the Trinity Club was soon in Vixens control after two 59 hands saw them 14-pins in front. Home side Crackerjacs fell further behind on the third hand after a hand of 46, and Vixens went 23-pins up with a hand of 55. Hayley Guille struck a stick up on the fourth hand and her 14 helped the Vixens to 62 as they moved 33-pins up. Vixens were in inspired form and stormed towards the title with hands of 57, 62 and 46 to win by 66-pins. Laura Pennington of Vixens had a mixed finish to the match having a stick up 9 on the sixth hand, which she followed with an oxo on the last hand. Hayley Guille and Vicki Cooper were both top score for Vixens hitting 54, while Vixens total of 400 was the highest in the Ladies League this season. A great way to clinch their second title to see them go out at the top as the Ladies League comes to an end.

For Crackerjacs it’s another season of finishing second to Vixens, although this season they pushed the champions all the way, and if they win their final match next week will finish level on points with Vixens which is a lot closer than last season 11 points difference.

Although there will be no Ladies League next season there are still plenty of ladies playing skittles in the D&DSL in our three Open Sections, A, B and C. Trinity Mix Ups have already requested to join the Open League next season taking one of the three spots that are currently available.