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Skittles is an old , a variety of Bowling , from which Ten-pin Bowling , Duckpin Bowling , and Candlepin Bowling in the United States , and Five-pin Bowling in Canada are descended. In the United Kingdom the game remains a very popular Pub Sport in England and Wales , though it tends to be found in particular regions, not nation-wide. It is perhaps most common in the south west Counties of Bristol , Cornwall , Devon , Dorset , Somerset , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire . It is also popular in Worcestershire and South Wales . It is very popular in Germany , Austria and Switzerland . In Australia , other varieties of bowling are more popular, but the similar game of Kegel , based on German nine-pin games, is popular in some areas. TERMINOLOGY
STANDARD GAME Skittles usually takes place in a skittle alley, and usually uses a single set of nine pins. The pitch, like the pins and the rules, varies according to region, but is between 21 feet (6.4 m) and 36 feet (11 m) long to the front pin. The balls are traditionally made of Hardwood , often Lignum Vitae , though rubber balls may sometimes be found. They are between 4 inches (100 mm) and 6 inches (150 mm) in diameter, and have no finger holes. The player usually has a choice of sizes. A sloping wooden ramp along the side of the alley is often used to return them to the players. Pins are vertical lengths of wood - traditionally from the wood of a Cider Apple tree in the west country, or sometimes synthetic materials. They are between 6 inches (150 mm) and 16 inches (400 mm) high, Weigh up to 3 kg, with height, shape and weight all varying by region. The central pin (or sometimes the front pin) may be larger or differently shaped in some games. The pins are always arranged in a diamond pattern:
Usually three balls are thrown, and any pins that have been knocked down but that remain on the pitch are removed between throws. If all the pins are knocked down, they are put back by the ''sticker'' - so the maximum score is typically 27 (3 x 9), though this varies in different versions of the game. Generally the ball is thrown to roll along the floor, but in some regions it is bowled rather like in Cricket , either with or without a bounce - though with an under-arm swing action. Each player may have up to 12 'hands' (turns) during a match. VARIANTS Front Pin First In this variant of the game, pins are only counted if the front pin is knocked over first. If the front pin is missed, any pins that are knocked over are not reset. In Devon Summer League, this rule is played frequently. In Bristol, this is the form of the game played and "all in" skittles tends to be looked down upon as involving less skill. In Worcs this type of game is also known as "King Pin" Nomination In this variant of the game, the player has to nominate the pin that will be hit first before the throw. Unless this pin is knocked over the player will not score. The names given to the pins may vary from region to region, in Wiltshire they are usually referred to as Front Pin, Front Right Quarter, Front Left Quarter, Outside Right (or Right Winger), Centre Pin, Outside Left (or Left Winger), Back Right Quarter, Back Left Quarter and Back Pin. Four Pin In this variant of the game, only four pins (the two coppers, the front and back pins) are put up and must be hit with the front pin first. It is often used in conjunction with nomination as well. Currently used in North Somerset Cup games. Northamptonshire or Hood Skittles In the Midlands, specifically Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire (other places?), 9 skittles are placed on a hooded table, hence the name "Hood Skittles". The hood skittles table is leather bound, and has leather padded walls to the sides and the back, with a curved hood of leather or netting stretched up from the rear like a pram, approximately a metre over the playing surface. Behind the area where the skittles are laid out in a diamond is a lower surface or trough. The table playing surface stands about 1 metre high and the thrower about 3 metres from the front of the table when in a pub around Leicester or Rugby, or about 3.3 metres when playing in Northhamptonshire or Buckinghamshire. The player throws flattened round "cheeses" rather than balls. The skittles are about 15 cm high, cylindrical at the bottom but widening higher up then tapering to a shallow point, which leaves them slightly top heavy. Traditionally the skittles and the cheeses are made of English hardwood. The cheeses measure about 10cm across, and 4cm high, one and a half inches high. Play For each turn a player throws three cheeses at the skittles which start standing in the classic diamond pattern. If all the skittles are toppled after the first or second throws, they are reset and the player throws his remaining cheeses at the newly set skittles, adding his scores together. Theoretical a player might knock down all nine skittles with the first throw and do the same on their second throw, offering the possibility of the skittles being set up a third time for the final cheese and a maximum theoretical score of 27 points. It is permitted for the players to bounce the cheese off the cushioned side walls and in some places bouncing the cheese off the rear wall is also permitted. In most versions, the toppled skittles are left where they lie while the player continues to throw the rest of their skittles, though in some areas in Leicestershire and Rutland players remove dead skittles before each new throw. Once the player has thrown all three cheeses his total is noted and the skittles are all set up afresh for the next player. Gloucestershire Skittles In the Cheltenham area, skittles is played with either a team of 12 (winter skittles) or 6 (summer skittles). Each player plays 6 hands of 3 balls. However, in Gloucester, the players play 10 hands of 3 balls, and a team is made up of 10 skittlers. For information on Cheltenhams Skittles League please see the following website http://www.cheltenhamskittlesleague.freeserve.co.uk/ Hereford & District Skittles In the Hereford area, skittles is played with either a team of 12 (winter skittles) or 6 (summer skittles). In the Winter league each player plays 4 hands of 3 balls, & in the Summer League they play six hands of three balls. North Somerset skittles In North Somerset teams are of 12 (winter leagues) and 9 (summer leagues). Players may be organised in sets of 3 or 4 (teams of 12 only, obviously). Portishead, Pill & District league Worcestershire Skittles In the Worcester Friendly and District men's league as well as the ladies league Winter leagues are made up of 12 players, 9 players in the Malvern league, playing 5 legs of 3 balls. Winter leagues and tournaments range from 6 to 12 players. Worcester Friendly Skittle League Killer A game for any number of people. Each starts with 3 lives. Each bowls only one ball at a time. The first bowls at a full frame and the skittles are not stuck up until all nine are hit down. Each time a player fails to hit a single pin (but they can hit as many as they like), he or she loses a life. The winner is the last one left with a life intact. Usually played for money, e.g. £1 or 50p a game each player - the winner takes the pot. London skittles (Nine-pins) Also known as ninepins, this version uses nine pins (made of hornbeam) and a cheese. The cheese is thrown at the pins using a swinging motion whilst stepping forwards. After an initial throw, the remaining pins (the 'broken frame') may end up in a variety of formations - each of which has a distinctive (and usually London-based) name, such as a London Bridge or a Portsmouth Road. Knocking down all the pins at once is known as a 'floorer' and is highly respected. A player who manages to throw three floorers in succession is lauded. Whilst it was once a popular game played in pubs all over London (generally sited by the river), it is now only played at two venues: one in Hampstead and one in Norbury. The origins of this skittles game are vague, but it is thought by some to have been started by Dutch sailors, possibly playing on the decks of moored barges. London Bridge A variant of nomination but with only the landlord and two coppers set up, i.e. one has to hit a pin with each ballsack and nominate which one each time. Table skittles Table-top versions of the game also exist. These include:
Scattles/Smite A version of Skittles in which all the pins are numbered. Players take turn in throwing the baton at the pins with a view to totalling exactly 50 points. If more than one pin is knocked over, the score received is that quantity of pins. But if only one pin is knocked over, the value on it is scored. If a player exceeds 50, their total reduces to 25. Pins are then placed upright where they stand, thus scattering. Scattles is made by Jaques Of London and reminiscent of the older Cornish game, Smite, itself based on Finnish game Mölkky . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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