Exeter Loungers runners-up in British Championships

Exeter based skittles team The Loungers gave their best ever performance by reaching the finals of the men’s British Skittles Championship.  The team, who play out of The Kings pub in Exeter, had fought their way through group rounds and knock out matches to book their place in the finals.  They were eventually beaten by just 16 points in a dramatic contest in front of a packed audience.  Winners were the Wiltshire Wonders, who were previously champions in 2014. 

Loungers captain Rob Parkhouse was delighted at the team’s performance which he said had been consistent all the way through the competition.  The team won all of the first three matches in their league to book their place in the quarter finals.  There they comfortably dispatched Weston St John from Somerset by 270 points to 258. 

In the semis, they came up against Weymouth’s Pin Ups, a very experienced team who were runners up three times back in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Again the Loungers kept their nerve with 255 points, 17 ahead of their Dorset rivals. 

And then came the moment.  After 12 hours of skittles action at Torquay’s Riviera Conference Centre, it was time for the Loungers to take on the Wiltshire Wonders in the finals, before a packed audience.  Sadly they couldn’t overcome the Wonders power and determination but the team were clearly delighted to have come so far after only their third year of qualifying.

Last year the Loungers hit the headlines when captain Rob had to interrupt his holiday to play the finals.  He’d been so convinced they wouldn’t qualify that he’d booked a holiday to Spain with his wife.   He came in for quite a bit of ribbing from the team when they realised they had indeed qualified.  So Rob promptly booked a return flight to Bristol so he could be in Torquay for 24 hours to play. 

'i’ve been a bit more sensible this year,’ he said.  'We had our holiday earlier in the year to make sure I could be here.  I’m really glad I did.  We are so delighted to have done so well.'

The competition organised by Serious About Events, began in April with around 150 teams competing from all over the UK and Wales.  After a series of group rounds and play offs, the 64 finalists converged on Torquay for the grand finals where around 1,000 skittlers and supporters gathered to cheer on the teams. 
Ends

Pictured above: the Loungers formal line up
back row left to right, Phil Lewis, Darren Jarman, Graham Hutchings and Peter Savage
Front row left to right, Chris Vickery, Mark Jeffery, Rob Parkhouse (captain), Simon Cutting and Nick Taylor