Wallingford’s historic ABM Skittles Club is marking its diamond jubilee in style with a two-day Festival of Skittles on Friday, 21 and Saturday, 22 June 2024 and is inviting everyone to share in the celebrations.
The club was formed in 1964 as part of the ABM Sports and Social Club, located on the grounds of the Associated British Maltsters (later Paul’s) maltings.
The maltings were demolished in 2001 to make way for the Sovereign Place development. However, a deal with the developers saw a new “state-of-the-art” Skittle Alley and function hall built at Wallingford Sports Park on Hithercroft Road, where the club’s 130 members play throughout the year.
The event kicks off on Friday at 7.00pm with an exhibition game featuring some of the best ABM players from the past and present. This will be followed by a charity singles tournament in aid of Wallingford Family Centre, with up to 60 local and national skittlers battling it out to be crowned anniversary champion.
Saturday sees the alley in action all day from 10 am as 20 teams compete for the inaugural Great Britain Team Skittles championship. After the winners are crowned, everyone can then dance the night away to fantastic live music from the local band Soul Seniors.
The club will display photos from their archives across the decades and encourage any residents with friends and family who used to play to come along and help them put a name to some of the faces who have played across the last sixty years.
Throughout the event, spectators can try their luck at the game’s table-top version, bar Skittles, with several vintage boards from past decades to try. There will be prizes for the top scores on a 1960s league-sized table.
There will also be a real ale festival featuring a range of local beers and ciders, with hot food from the Sports Park kitchen and a barbecue, while other resident sports clubs hold demonstrations and “have-a-go” sessions, including petanque and walking hockey.
Club Chairman Jeremy Denton commented, “The ABM Skittles Club has been one of Wallingford’s “best-kept secrets” and it’s not unusual to speak to locals who never knew the town had a skittle alley. The club, based at the Wallingford Sports Park on Hithercroft Road, is a friendly and welcoming club that organises league and individual events all year round.
Although Skittles is extremely popular in the West Country, it’s not widely played elsewhere nowadays,” he added. “We’re proud to fly the flag for the game here in Oxfordshire. It’s accessible to people of all ages, and our members’ ages range from 14 years to 80.
We’d like to invite everyone to come and celebrate our anniversary with us and raise a glass or two to this wonderful traditional game.”
