Match Rules for the Worcester Friendly Skittle League

Summary of Match Rules for the Worcester Friendly Skittle League

Basic game rules of nine pins skittles plus game format & common terms used .

Each team comprises of 12 players. Each player has 5 handfulls of 3 balls .The Worcester League's use balls as the projectile but other leagues use cheese's (flat round discs).

The aim is to knock down as many pins with the 3 balls as possible. The maximum score for one handfull is 27 pins . Each bowler must ensure he does not throw the ball over the line which is painted on the alley . If he does the linesmen can call the delivery OVER . Any pins knocked over by this delivery will then have to be reset .

Each team takes it in turn to bowl with the home team bowling the first leg of the night . The away team then bowls 2 legs , the first leg will be chasing the home teams target . The second leg will be setting a target for the home team .The home team then bowls 2 legs & so on . This is repeated untill the home team has completed 5 legs . This will leave the away team one more leg to bowl . Most skittlers aim to get a score of at least 35 pins (7 each handfull) , this equates to a reasonable score .

If the bowler knocks down all nine pins with the first 2 balls this is called a SPARE .If he knocks down all nine pins with one ball , this is called a FLOPPER . At the other end of the scale if with 3 balls delivered you have not knocked any pins down this is commonly known as a SPIDER . A LEG is a when all twelve players in a team have bowled one handfull in the order written on the score board .A CUSH ball is when a ball hits the side of the alley .The PLATE is the disc on which each pin is stood on .The pattern in which the nine pins are set up as is commonly known as the DIAMOND . The size of the diamond in conjunction with the size of the skittle pins often determines how easily the pins will fall over .

Anchor Man is the term used for the last bowler in the team to bowl . Often the fate of a game can be in the hands of the last bowler .Therefore most teams tend to position their best bowler as the Anchor Man .

Below I have listed extracts from the Worcester Friendly Skittle League Rule Book .

All league matches shall comprise teams of twelve players each playing 5 legs & bowling 3 balls each leg in turn . ALL matches shall start by 8.00pm. Actual time of starting shall be shown on the sheet , which is to be signed by both captains. Any team commencing a match with less than twelve players shall fill in the vacant position/s before the start of the third leg or continue with a depleted side. All players must be on the alley to bowl in order & without delay for legs 3,4 & 5 . No player can bowl off without permission from the opposing captain . A pin is deemed to be down if it has been moved by a ball or another pin so that it is clear of its original plate .

The alley is to be clean & well lit , particularly over the pins frame . Bowling line to be painted 3 inches wide across the alley , approximately 33 feet from the front pin of the diamond . Nine pins of uniform size to be painted white 1.5 inches wide around the top . The front (King) pin to be painted white 1.5 inches wide form top to bottom . This must face the bowler when set on plate . All pins must be set on the centre of the plate . Balls of wood or composition should not exceed 5.25 inches in diameter . One set of three balls only to be in trough at the start of the game .

That all league & cup competion matches must have linesmen , to be appointed by the captains before the start of the match . During the time one team is bowling , the opposing team's linesman shall rule the line & shall be responsible for calling OVER & CUSH balls BEFORE ball makes contact with the pins. Pins floored by over & cush balls are to be reset . Where a team changes a linesman every leg , no linesman shall leave his seat untill he is properley replaced , thus allowing the match to continue without delay , (meaning - linesmen must not leave his seat at the end of a leg to fetch his replacement).

That 10 points shall be awarded for a win 5 points for a tie , 2 bonus points shall be awarded to the team with the highest score on each leg. 1 Bonus point shall be awarded to each team for tied legs. Each leg is treated seperatley - maximum bonus points are 10.

The king pin (front) is to be floored by a direct delivery by a ball first before scoring . The king pin floored by any other means ONLY to be reset . Any pins floored before the King Pin shall be lost to the player. Once the King Pin has been struck by a ball & all the pins floored , (a spare) , the remaining ball /s need not strike the King Pin.

The Friendly League comprises of 3 divisions of 14 teams on the Monday & 3 divisions of 16 teams on the Wednesday .

All these leagues take part in a competition called the County Cup Challenge . What happens is each of the above Leagues choose representitives from the teams which play in there respective Leagues . In theory the leagues will choose there best players to represent thier League Teams .All the above teams have to play each other once .

Some off the above leagues also take part in theWest Midland Front Pin League . This Means competing against teams from Gloucester , Tewkesbury , Stroud & Cheltenham .

The Worcester Friendly League & District league Also compete for the Coronation Cup . Normally the best Skittlers in Worcester are on view when the 2 Leagues compete for this cup . There is always a considerable amount of rivalry between the two leagues , as each league likes to think it is stronger than the other .