Skittles last Monday saw the Jockeys take on one of the other teams from the Perry Street Club in the Nomination League. We played the Club Originals and lost in very low scoring match.
We could only manage a total of 165 and our hand was littered with ducks. I managed a creditable 32 with a one in my hand but we eventually lost when our opposing captain hit a spare with his last three balls to win the game.
On Wednesday it was back to the Hustlers and the Club League with a match against the Farmers. After the first two hands it was really close with the points shared at 2 each and us 7 pins down. We turned it around on the third hand hand though to be 5 pins up and four - two ahead on points.
On our last hand however we went crazy and hit a tremendous 110 to win by 42 pins and 14 points to two.
Our rivals the Outlaws were also playing that night and managed to scrape a two pin win against the Skylarks but dropping points in the process so their lead over us in the league is now only 5 points.
Monday 26 November 2012
Urban Spacemen
Last night Miriam and I made the short journey over to South Petherton and the David Hall. This excellent venue housed in an old church was playing host to those great examples of British eccentricity The Bonzo Dog DoDah Band now touring as Three Bonzo's and a piano.
This was the penultimate date on their 50th anniversary tour and they pulled out all the stops with their crazy brand of comedy jazz/blues/folk, in fact any genre of music that they can playfully twist.
The three originals from the early sixties band that hit the heights with Urban Spaceman and their residency on the children's TV show 'Do not adjust your set' showed amazing energy for seventy-plus year old's with their renditions of such classics as Canyons of your Mind, My Pink Half of the Drainpipe and Shirt, which included an audience participation section of the real interviews that the late Vivian Stanshall did in Willesdon High Street on unsuspecting members of the public.
The show was enhanced by various props that at times seemed to take over the whole of the small staging area and made the evening delightfully chaotic to the hundred or so fans who braved the dreadful weather to attend.
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| Bonzo's and Prop's |
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Waxwing Winter
It was in January 2011 and I had made the short journey along the A30 to Exeter and the Marsh Barton Trading Estate. It never ceases to amaze me that these birds will take up residence on housing and trading estates where a proliferation of Rowen trees attracts them to feed until the branches are stripped bare.
I had driven around the busy estate on a fruitless search for around 30 minutes when I suddenly picked out a group of around a dozen birds in a tree as I drove passed.
I managed to park the car and then walked back to where I had seen them right on the junction of a busy crossroads. I sat on the low wall of a car dealership and was treated to crippling close up views as these confiding birds systematically stripped the bush in front of me of berries.
Hopefully in the next few weeks a few of these wonderful birds will again make their way to the western side of the country.
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| Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) |
Up for the Cup !
Another week of skittles kicked off last Monday with a trip for the Jockey's to the Bell Inn at Winsham. We were never in the game against the Bell Aftershocks and ended up losing by 12 pins and 1-11 on points. A visit to the Bell is always welcome though because Tony the landlord keeps four ales on.
This week there were Lynx Wildcat from Yeovil Ales,Healey Silverstone from the Cottage Brewery and BVB Drayman and Branoc. I wasn't driving so I had no excuse not to try them all !
Thursday saw me back at the Perry Street Club and the Hustlers match against the Marauders. Unfortunately they only had five players so it made for a rather hollow victory as we ran out winners by 14 points to two.
Whilst at the club I picked up the winter edition of the Somerset CAMRA magazine 'Pints of View', the first to be printed in colour and also containing my account of our visit to the Great British Beer Festival back in August.
On Friday it was back to the club for our Knockout Cup Final match against our great rivals the Outlaws. Our opponents won the toss and chose the bottom alley and to go first. They posted a score of 98 which was a challenging target but we responded well with a score of 95. The second hand finished with us taking a 5 pin lead before the Outlaws had a poor third hand of 78 and we extended our lead to 29 pins.
After their last hand we were left with a target of 59 to win the cup and we cruised past out target to win the cup for the third year in a row.
This week there were Lynx Wildcat from Yeovil Ales,Healey Silverstone from the Cottage Brewery and BVB Drayman and Branoc. I wasn't driving so I had no excuse not to try them all !
Thursday saw me back at the Perry Street Club and the Hustlers match against the Marauders. Unfortunately they only had five players so it made for a rather hollow victory as we ran out winners by 14 points to two.
Whilst at the club I picked up the winter edition of the Somerset CAMRA magazine 'Pints of View', the first to be printed in colour and also containing my account of our visit to the Great British Beer Festival back in August.
After their last hand we were left with a target of 59 to win the cup and we cruised past out target to win the cup for the third year in a row.
Saturday 10 November 2012
Drink Real Ale
Last night I went on our monthly 'Ale Trail' trip. It was a trip with a difference though as Andy G had booked a coach and invited around twenty others to join us. We were supposed to be visiting the Glastonbury Ales Brewery but around a week ago they unfortunately had to cancel our tour due to their bottling plant not being installed in time.
So we were left with a coach booked but nowhere to go. I suggested that Andy G contact Andy J and see if he could organise a trip the the Stocklinch Ales brewery instead. A few phone calls later and we had rearranged the first part of our evening.
We all met up in Wetherspoons in Chard at around 4.30pm, time for a quick one, before the coach arrived at 5pm. The festival was still on so we had chance to try some different ales. I went for the Coach House Brewing Co's Gunpowder Mild at 3.8% which was quite pleasant but without the bitter aftertaste of last weeks Howling Wolf.
At five we were all on the coach and on our way to our first stop and the Stocklinch Ales venue. Kevin Jones was there to meet us when arrived around thirty minutes later and I was delighted to see that he had all four of his ales on for us. I jumped straight in for the Green Hopper at 4.2% as It had not been on last time we visited. It's brewed using green hops and it certainly had a very hoppy and bitter taste, very palatable !
I next went for Black Smock at 5.0% a dark beer that I'd really enjoyed last time.
All too soon it was 6.30pm and we had to get on our bus for the journey to the second half of our evening's entertainment and the Halfway House at Pitney.
We arrived at 7pm and were soon ensconced in the back room which we had booked previously. Checking the ales board I was a little disappointed at the selection but there were a couple that I'd not tried before.
I went first for Vale Pale Ale at 4.5% which was very much to my liking as a sharp tasting IPA.
Next up was Topsail from the Bays Brewery, a beer I've tried many times and do quite enjoy. It was around now that the food arrived, I had chosen the three bean chili and as usual it was just right. My sixth beer of the evening was a new one for me with the Cotleigh Brewery's Dark Wing, a very dark/deep red ale at 4.5% with a smooth and silky palate. Number seven was Butcombe Ale at 4.0% , a good session beer which was in tip-top condition. The last of the night before the coach arrived at 11pm was Teignworthy's Reel Ale again a good session beer at 4.0%.
So we were left with a coach booked but nowhere to go. I suggested that Andy G contact Andy J and see if he could organise a trip the the Stocklinch Ales brewery instead. A few phone calls later and we had rearranged the first part of our evening.
We all met up in Wetherspoons in Chard at around 4.30pm, time for a quick one, before the coach arrived at 5pm. The festival was still on so we had chance to try some different ales. I went for the Coach House Brewing Co's Gunpowder Mild at 3.8% which was quite pleasant but without the bitter aftertaste of last weeks Howling Wolf.
At five we were all on the coach and on our way to our first stop and the Stocklinch Ales venue. Kevin Jones was there to meet us when arrived around thirty minutes later and I was delighted to see that he had all four of his ales on for us. I jumped straight in for the Green Hopper at 4.2% as It had not been on last time we visited. It's brewed using green hops and it certainly had a very hoppy and bitter taste, very palatable !
I next went for Black Smock at 5.0% a dark beer that I'd really enjoyed last time.
We arrived at 7pm and were soon ensconced in the back room which we had booked previously. Checking the ales board I was a little disappointed at the selection but there were a couple that I'd not tried before.
I went first for Vale Pale Ale at 4.5% which was very much to my liking as a sharp tasting IPA.
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| This is what you call a cellar ! |
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| A good time being had by all |
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| This Say's it all ! |
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| Sometimes it's all just too much ! |
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| The Usual Suspects |
Shell-Shocked !
Three skittles matches again this week. On Monday the Jockey's were at home in the Three Counties League against The Magpies from the Kings Head in Chard. It was not a great night as we had a 'scratch' side out and consequently lost by 2 points to 10.
On Wednesday it was back to the Hustlers in the Perry Street League and the second round of the Knockout Cup. We were paired against the Bedrockers who are not having the best of seasons having only won one previous match and that was their first round cup game.
It was a close game however with us just managing to keep in front and finishing by winning by 14 pins.
The cup matches are all played over a two week period and so we were back at the Club on the Thursday night for the Semi-Final. This time our opponents were the Perry Winklers who have been playing well this season. We started the game first and it was just the same as the previous night with us hitting 74. The Perry Winklers responded with a score of 80. We couldn't get going tonight and again scored 74 with our opponents scoring 78 to leave us 10 down.
We again hit 74 on the third hand but for the first time we pulled a pin back when they could only manage 73.
Our last hand was the best for us of the night with 79 to leave the 'Winklers 71 to win. We were resigned to losing as it was a very get-able target but were delighted when they returned to say that we had won by 3 pins as they'd only hit 67. So next week it will be three matches again when we take on our great rivals The Outlaws in the Final on Friday.
On Wednesday it was back to the Hustlers in the Perry Street League and the second round of the Knockout Cup. We were paired against the Bedrockers who are not having the best of seasons having only won one previous match and that was their first round cup game.
It was a close game however with us just managing to keep in front and finishing by winning by 14 pins.
The cup matches are all played over a two week period and so we were back at the Club on the Thursday night for the Semi-Final. This time our opponents were the Perry Winklers who have been playing well this season. We started the game first and it was just the same as the previous night with us hitting 74. The Perry Winklers responded with a score of 80. We couldn't get going tonight and again scored 74 with our opponents scoring 78 to leave us 10 down.
We again hit 74 on the third hand but for the first time we pulled a pin back when they could only manage 73.
Our last hand was the best for us of the night with 79 to leave the 'Winklers 71 to win. We were resigned to losing as it was a very get-able target but were delighted when they returned to say that we had won by 3 pins as they'd only hit 67. So next week it will be three matches again when we take on our great rivals The Outlaws in the Final on Friday.
Saturday 3 November 2012
World's Biggest Ale Fest ?
No game this week for the Jockey's as we had been knocked out of the Jubilee Cup a few weeks ago. On Thursday though I played for the Hustlers in the Perry Street Club League Knockout Cup first round. We had been drawn against the Bandits on Alley 2 and won the toss, electing to play second.
The Bandits came back with a reasonable score of 70, but a steady hand from the team saw us move ahead by 8 pins. Our opponents had a slight improvement on the second hand with 72 which we fell short of by one pin due to Andy P managing to score an unfortunate 'duck'
The Bandits 'upped the anti' on the third hand with a score of 82 which we cruised passed thanks to a 14 spare from Nick to give us a lead of 14 pins.
The last hand saw us needing 62 to win and we eventually won by 10 pins to set up a second round tie with the Bedrockers.
On Friday night I made my way with some of the usual suspects into The Cerdic in Chard for the Weatherspoons Beer Festival.
I started with a pint of Caledonian's Devil's Advocate which was a dark cask conditioned lager at 4.2% which turned out to be a pleasant surprise as I usually avoid anything associated with the 'L' word.
Second beer of the night was from the USA and was the Cambridge Brewery's Heather Ale at 4.0%. It was a deep golden ale with a very refreshing taste.
The third beer was a real delight but at 6.0% you wouldn't want too many. It was Ij Ijbok from the Brouwerij't Brewery in Holland. For number four I went back to the Devil's Advocate but number five was a newly tapped barrel of Steenbrugge Dubbel Bruin from Belgium and was another 6.0%'er, not quite as smooth as the 'Bok but very nice all the same.
The last beer of the night was another newly tapped beer and was a Mild, something we don't see enough of in the west. It was Bank's Howling Wolf at 3.8% and my beer of the night with a real first taste wow factor and a lovely smoky aftertaste. I just had to try another so I was just a little worse for wear when we finally headed home.
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The Bandits came back with a reasonable score of 70, but a steady hand from the team saw us move ahead by 8 pins. Our opponents had a slight improvement on the second hand with 72 which we fell short of by one pin due to Andy P managing to score an unfortunate 'duck'
The Bandits 'upped the anti' on the third hand with a score of 82 which we cruised passed thanks to a 14 spare from Nick to give us a lead of 14 pins.
The last hand saw us needing 62 to win and we eventually won by 10 pins to set up a second round tie with the Bedrockers.
On Friday night I made my way with some of the usual suspects into The Cerdic in Chard for the Weatherspoons Beer Festival.
I started with a pint of Caledonian's Devil's Advocate which was a dark cask conditioned lager at 4.2% which turned out to be a pleasant surprise as I usually avoid anything associated with the 'L' word.
Second beer of the night was from the USA and was the Cambridge Brewery's Heather Ale at 4.0%. It was a deep golden ale with a very refreshing taste.
The third beer was a real delight but at 6.0% you wouldn't want too many. It was Ij Ijbok from the Brouwerij't Brewery in Holland. For number four I went back to the Devil's Advocate but number five was a newly tapped barrel of Steenbrugge Dubbel Bruin from Belgium and was another 6.0%'er, not quite as smooth as the 'Bok but very nice all the same.
The last beer of the night was another newly tapped beer and was a Mild, something we don't see enough of in the west. It was Bank's Howling Wolf at 3.8% and my beer of the night with a real first taste wow factor and a lovely smoky aftertaste. I just had to try another so I was just a little worse for wear when we finally headed home.
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