Skittles - What's That?
There is a comprehensive description of the game of skittles at the following site, unfortunately it is a little Anglo-centric.
The game may be traditional in england but its pretty darn popular in Wales. The Welsh version of the game is more difficult as the pins are very much smaller whilst the balls used are of a uniform size.
The game here is also 12 a side, with each team having alternate rolls, with the home team rolling first. Each team has 5 rolls and, dependant on the alley being played on, a par score is usually considered to be 25 pins per player.
This par score leaves a team total of 300 as the usual benchmark. This is only a guide as alley conditions can see winning totals of up to 30 pins above or below the benchmark of 300. The use of wooden pins is now rare, having been replaced by plastic pins. The temperature in the alley has a direct effect on the scores recorded. Short enclosed alleys giving higher scores than longer open ones.
The game provides the elements of luck and skill which are essential to all good sports. The social aspect is however the mainstay of the game as a good drink with good mates is the reason people keep coming back.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOZE CREW!!!!
