Another Win. No Bull!

So we finally made it to Arthingworth, a fair-weather destination close to absolutely nowhere in particular. John took us on another fabulous rollercoaster ride down narrow, potholed lanes, winding our way through snow-flecked fields to the cosy Bulls Head, a pub with a reputation for fine ales and the worlds smallest skittling area... possibly.

So isolated is the village of Arthingworth that it's frequently offered as an explanation for the large number of Byes in the Tuesday Harborough League. Rumours abound of hapless skittles teams setting off for the Bulls Head, blithely entering the mysterious area known locally as the Arthingworth Rectangle, never to be seen again...

It's a strange and spooky stretch of countryside for sure. A place of eerie flickering lights in the night and other strange spectral happenings. Some say it's the work of wicked Will 'O Wisps, bearing their guttering Faerie Candles in the dark, sent to lure unwary travellers to their doom. A more prosaic explanation... A hopelessly lost Northants Skittler, vainly attempting to light a roll-up at another baffling crossroads. Who knows. One thing's for sure, Sat-Nav won't help you here. The notorious Arthingworth Rectangle, a place even Google Street View fear to go...

Unexplained 'Cheese Shaped' object photographed over Arthingworth last Tuesday

Once in the safety of the Slaughtered Lamb.... er, Bulls Head, a warm welcome and a pint of Thwaites Lancaster Bomber or Original awaited (the Batemans had just gone, Bah!). Expectations were high, the Bulls Head being a regular Good Beer Guide entry, and whilst I wouldn't say that Thwaites beers set my heart racing, they were certainly in fine fettle on the night.

The skittles table is a fine old specimen, wedged in the corner of a small games room off the main bar. Set on the diagonal, possibly as an aid to banish evil spirits, though more likely to help achieve the minimum throwing distance. A difficult table to get the hang of, though some did (yes, that's you Kev). Needless to say I didn't, throwing 5's, 7's and everything in between. We won, and helped boost the Beer Leg fund too. Team captain Fiona 'You're All Dropped' Barby was so pleased with the performance she's given the whole team two weeks off for a spot of R&R. Yay!

We also managed to find our way home... Phew!