WEEK NINE of the Slimbridge Summer Skittle League saw the Cambridge Crew move off the foot of the table with a 30-pin victory over Slimbridge RBL.

The eventual winners took the lead after two legs and never looked back; Rose Millyard hit 56 in the first half as they opened up a 19-pin advantage; this despite Samantha Tarr scoring 55 and Gill Collard hitting a 9-spare for Slimbridge RBL.

The second half saw Slimbridge RBL start well; leading however a disastrous third leg, coupled with an 11-spare from Rob Wytchard saw the Cambridge Crew wrestle back the lead; taking a 13-pin advantage.

Slimbridge RBL attempted to get back into the game; Sue Coole and Beth Lord both scoring 55; the latter finishing with a 15-spare. However it was not enough as with Dave Yeomans scoring 59 the Cambridge Crew held on; winning the half by 11-pins to draw level on points with their opponents.

Shake Hands returned to winning was as they recorded a 6-pin victory over The Dons to maintain fourth spot in the table. Andy Langdown hit a 12-spare in his total of 59; whilst Joel Stonehoam scored 60 as they opened up a 21-pin first half advantage; this despite Anthony Ball scoring 55 for The Dons.

Strong third and fifth legs in the second half saw The Dons claw their way back into the game; leading the half by 11-pins and trailing by just 10-pins on the game. With Mark Stamp scoring 59 for The Dons there were hopes of a fifth victory for the season; however a last leg of 30, along with a score of 59 from Robert Sims saw Shake Hands hold on; losing the half by 15-pins but taking the game the narrowest of margins The Bowmen slipped to the foot of the table as they fell to a 46-pin defeat against the Geriatrics who closed the gap on the league leaders by claiming maximum points. Mark Harris hit a 14-spare in his total if 6 as the Geriatrics lead from start to finish in the first half, Kevin Thomas hit 56 for the Bowmen; however he was the only player in the first half to hit a score in the fifties for his team as they trailed by 33-pins.

The second half saw Nigel Winfield commence with a 14-spare for the Geriatrics which allowed them to open up a 5-pin lead. The Bowmen did their best to claw back the deficit, Stuart Murdoch hitting a 13-spare in his total of 57, whilst Marlon Zoglowek and Alan Dimery both scored 56. They pulled within 2-pins of the eventual winners before the Geriatrics eventually pulled away, Nigel Winfield finishing, as he started with a spare; hitting a last leg score of 11 in his total of 68 to take the half by 13-pins.

Snorts FC remain top of the table but dropped points to allow their nearest challengers to close the gap after they defeated the Unknowns by 17-pins. A close first half saw the eventual winners hold a single pin advantage after three legs despite a 12-spare rom Ally Vines for the Unknowns. The Unknowns however took the lead after the sixth leg, and despite Charlie Mould hitting 64 or the winners; his total including 14 and 10-spares; they managed to hold on to win the half by 3-pins.

The second half saw Snorts FC quickly pull back the deficit; drawing level on the game after the first leg, an 11-spare from Jim Merrett in the next leg saw them open up a 14-pin advantage. Richard Fry then came into his own with a 13-spare in the fourth leg, followed by a 14-spare in the seventh and 12-spare in the eighth leg to finish with a score of 73. Despite Pete Brown hitting an 11-spare in his total of 62 for the Unknowns they were unable to claw back their deficit, eventually slipping to a 20-pin second half loss.