Home & Away

Home, as we all know, is where the heart is. Home is where we lay our heads after a hard day's work. Home is also where we play skittles every other week. Yes, once a fortnight we call the Red Lion Middleton 'Home', and like all good homely people, we like to invite the neighbours round for a drink, a bite to eat....... and a game of skittles! This week we played host to the ladies and gentlemen of the Desborough Services Club, a place they also like to call 'Home' on occasion.

Now a home match is one we would expect to win, given home advantage and all that. But expectation can bring with it additional pressure. The pressure to win, multiplied by the expectation that you should win, all too frequently equals an inability to hit the table, least of all any skittles! There! That's my excuse out of the way...

Of course the beauty of a team game like skittles, is that chronic underachievers like myself can sometimes get away with a poor night's skittling, by dint of the dazzling talent around them. Which is precisely what happened last night, with fine performances from resident Carling shareholder Linsey the Leg, and our team captain, recently released from kitchen bondage, Fiona 'You're all in my Little Black Book now' Barby, amongst others. Needless to say, I threw with the dexterity and skill of a blind jellyfish, rarely ascending above the skittling foothills of '7', but as a team we still managed a decent win, and an unexpected Beer-Leg whitewash. Yay!

Here's a short video of veteran team member James '100 different throws' McQueenie, the worse for a half pint of Rockingham Forest Cider, and overseeing a throw at the end of the evening. Look more closely and you'll notice something really quite remarkable... No, not the twin beams of light bouncing off the newly polished skittles table and Jim's finely polished forehead. Look to the left... Yes, it's the (in)famous Red Lion notice board, rescued from the ignominy of the pub cellar, and restored to it's rightful place in the bar. Enjoy.

Beer Report

It was a Great Oakley-Doakley theme night at the Red Lion, with a moreish Wot's Occuring, and the heavyweight champion of the stouts Abbey Stoat on offer. Kev's special mix, Stoat's Occuring was also available, a devilishly moreish stout/ale combo in the style of an old-fangled Pint 'O' Mixed. A good one for the undecided imbiber, a kind of beery Coalition if you like. Cheers!

Next Match (Away): Bulls Head, Arthingworth