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End of Season Reviews 
All reviews originally published in The Mendip Times:  www.mendiptimes.co.uk 


2014 - Rain fell over Redhill Club as the Mendip Table Skittles League came to an end this month, reminding us that this was England’s wettest winter since 1766. Table skittles being a nice, snug indoor sport, the weather made almost no difference to the season we have just enjoyed, but if we’re talking about records, then it was quite a year in our sport as well!
For only the second time in seventeen years, and the first time since 2003, The Crown failed to win the league title, the Lion-Harts from Redhill pipping them to glory by just one point. Although the Crown got some revenge by taking the Division One Cup in a very close final against the Lion-Harts, it was the Lion-Harts who had the last laugh, completing the league and cup double by defeating the Stoke Inn in the League Cup Final. 
Kenny Croker took the Division One individual crown to get a rare bit of silverware for the Crown, but Alan Dibble and Mickey Parsons of the Lion-Harts pinched the pairs’ title back. Meanwhile, Joyce Payne condemned Jean Sweeney to more disappointment by winning the ladies title for Congresbury Club.
In Division Two, The Plough, also in Congresbury, achieved the quite remarkable feat of going the whole season undefeated to win the title, and are already looking forward to a sterner test on unfamiliar tables in Division One next year! The Blue Flame weren’t far behind them and took second place in a hotly-contested season. Division Two’s individual champion, for the second time, was the ever-dapper Julian Scott, while Dave Durbin and Chris Hayes, also of Tetley Brewers, came away with the pairs title. The Division Two Cup competition was won by Shipham Sheep Worriers, preventing the Plough from doing their own division two double. 
But the most remarkable record-making moment of the year has to be the story of Murat Gumus, who became the first non-EU player in the world to win a table skittles trophy, being a key (if quiet and shy) part of the Lion-Harts squad all season. 
A long, hot summer awaits and then it all begins again in September. If any pubs, landlords or individuals are interested in joining the league, please don’t hesitate to contact Andy Evans via the Mendip Table Skittles website, where full details of all this year’s fixtures and results are available: www.mendiptableskittles.co.uk


 
2013


In the same week that the football season came to an end across the country, so did the skittles in Mendip, and with similar results. There were familiar faces at the top of the table and familiar names on some of the cups, but some real shocks too. The Football League may have Wembley, but Mendip Table Skittles League has the glory of Redhill Club, where packed crowds enjoyed two last nights of exciting finals matches, raffles and trophy presentations.
The Crown Regil dominated, as usual, winning the League overall, the Division One Cup and the League Cup, but it was a different story in the Pairs and Individuals, where only Jean Sweeney, beaten in the final by a confident Denise Adams, got amongst the prizes. In the Division One Individual Cup, veteran Alan Dibble proved that age is no barrier to success, defeating Tony Harse to claim his second title. In the Second Division Individual competition, Dave Smart held on to last year’s title and will now be looking for a hat-trick. 
The real drama was in Division Two where any one of three teams could have come top going into the last couple of weeks, but it was the Crown Jewels who proved triumphant, pipping Redhill Club at the post. Redhill still had a fine season, however, as they took the Division Two Cup as a team, while Colin Young and Jim Livingstone won the Division Pairs Trophy. In the Division One Pairs, Steve Lewis came off the subs’ bench to partner Andy Gardner to victory.
Now we have a summer break and watch the transfer news as teams rebuild their squads for next season and players rest before doing it all over again next year. 



2012


For the close-knit community of  the Mendip Table Skittle league, the challenge presented by nine pins and a ball on a pole is something special. As a sport, it’s simple, yet thrilling; easy to learn, yet impossible to master.  So it’s a real shame that in 2012, of all years, the top players from our region won’t be competing in table skittles at the Olympics, because Britain would surely stand a certain chance of gold.

It’s a shame for the would-be viewers too, because the packed crowd at Redhill Club on 9th May witnessed a Finals Night of one thrill after another. Firstly, Jean Sweeney lost in the final to a great performance from April Gilbert from the Crown Harptree. Jean has won this title at least 14 times and amazingly never before lost in a final (though she did have a big birthday this year).

The growing importance of the Crown was shown by the Division One Individual title being fought out by two more players from the same pub, with Chris Harris coming out on top after an epic match with Darren Scammell that went to five play-offs.

Between these two games, Dave Smart took the Division Two Individual title, making a unique night where all the big winners were new names on the trophies. 

In the league, the Crown Regil impressively went the whole season unbeaten, winning the First Division for the eighth year in a row, as well as securing both the Division One and League Cup trophies. Division Two had the rare result of joint worthy winners in The Darlies and the Ring o’ Bells, Nailsea.

Outside of the team events, Ken Ivison and Andy Evans reached their second Pairs final in three years, but lost to the even greater experience of Alan Dibble and Mick Parsons, giving the Lion Harts, so often the runners-up, something to cheer for a change. 

Though there are always low points, like the passing of Mick Davidson, the landlord of the Blue Flame, the season has to go down as a great success. Table Skittles may not have made the Olympic roster this summer, but now is the time to start training, fingers crossed, for 2016 in Brazil!


2011


Tradition is a word that helps make the Mendips what it is, and nowhere is tradition more respected than in the table skittles league, where the benefits of doing things the way they've always been done are appreciated by all involved.

Thus, in another great season, the Crown Regil won the same three trophies they won last year, and the Lion-Harts came runners-up in all three again. The four semi-finalists in the first division Individuals trophy were all past winners, and Jean Sweeney won the Ladies competition for about the 50th time, while Steve Miles, nothing but consistent, managed the feat of being on the losing side in no fewer than four finals!

But it was great to see new names on the Pairs trophy and the Division Two competitions, and all were worthy winners.

One big change next year will be a new league treasurer, and a big word of thanks must go to Ken Hucker for his sterling work over many years. Enjoy the summer!


2010


In the month that politics changed forever, we could rely on Mendip Table Skittles to stay the same. The long, snow-damaged season ended with a results sheet that saw the Crown, of course, retain the Division One title, and both the cups, with the Lionharts coming runners-up in all three yet again, hotly pursued by the Bell, who also gave us new, worthy Pairs champions. Jean Sweeney was the ladies champion, as some things really never change, while the Tetley Brewers won promotion. 
 
But the big story was that the 'Best Player Never To Win The Individuals' - as he has been so long known, despite many final appearances - Joe Brown, finally got his name on the Individual trophy. In an incredibly tense and exciting final, that went to four (or was it five?) play-offs, Joe finally saw off Dave Smart's brilliant efforts to lift the title after so many attempts. 

The big question now is... who now is the Best Player Never To Have Won The Individuals? It's a question to debate again in September when the new season starts!


2009


Where might you see a ‘doubler’, calculate the ‘out-shot’ or hear people shout that it ‘never passed the pole’ ? Well, the summer sunshine never happened and the nights are starting to draw in: this can only mean one thing – the new table skittles season is upon us.

The season proved as enjoyable as ever, with the Crown Regil continuing to be the team everyone else has to follow. They picked up the Division One title again, as well as the League Cup and the Division One cup, while Ken Croker and Bob Wedlake took the pairs crown, and Jill Sweeney retained the Ladies Cup.  Only Neil Devereux of the Golden Lion, winning the Individuals for a third time in a row, prevented their clean sweep.

Meanwhile, The Ring O’Bells at Compton Martin proved to be the best team of Division Two, and Redhill Club lifted the Division Two cup.

The season also marked the retirement of league secretary Fred Campbell after three years’ sterling service. Skittles loss is bell-ringing’s gain.

For anyone who has never seen table skittles, head to your local team’s pub on Wednesday nights and see what you’re missing.  New players are always welcome. You could find out the meaning of some words and phrases used above! 


2008

The new Mendip Table Skittles season kicks off on September 3rd, and it promises to be as hotly contested as last year, when the Crown Regil pipped the Golden Lion Wrington to Division One title, despite the Lion only losing one game all season.

It must have been some consolation to the Golden Lion, however, to have their player, Neil "Jesus" Devereux retain his Individual Champion title on the last day of the season. The Crown, however, scooped the Pairs Title, with Brian Durbin and Dave Wedlake, while another Crown stalwart, Jean Sweeney, carried off the Ladies Title that she has made her own.

In Division Two, the Yew Tree Inn at Chew Stoke, who only recently joined the league, eventually won the title with ease, though the Crown Inn Glory from Axbridge chased them hard for much of the season.

Although records of winners and title holders only go back to 1990, the league has a long history and there are plenty of players who have played for over forty years (without getting any better). The league also has a fair number of new recruits to the game, although the move away from traditional inns with pub games like table-skittles, darts and shove ha'penny, to eating-houses with only digital entertainment has certainly dented the chances of young people's exposure to the game, with some short-sighted landlords only putting the table out on matchdays.