it had been bought referred to it as "Devil amongst the Tinkers". More research has established that In common with many local and regional pub games, it's likely that most pubgoers outside of the games core area have probably never heard of this version of skittles, least of all seen a game in progress. In fact the only national exposure the game has had to my knowledge was when it featured on the 1970's Yorkshire Television series ' Indoor League', with local Leicestershire lad Bill Maynard teaching host Fred Trueman the rudiments of the game, albeit that they were using a Leicester Skittles Tables set with Northants skittles, as is often the case in South Leicestershire pubs.

at the Red Lion, Corby. He kindly sent in the picture of their fine table to the left and said "Here consider Hood Skittles to be one of the most enjoyable English pub games around so it would be wellThe smoking ban was well established when I played and I don't think it put anyone off actually turning out for the team, but clearly it's reduced pub-going in general, and more specifically at the kind of pubs you're most likely to find skittles is played leading to more of those pubs closing. Teams have always moved around, you'll often see teams named after pubs that are now closed, but there's definitely less pubs with tables now, hence less participation. The food issue has certainly squeezed skittles out of pubs, much more so than in West Country or Long Alley where the game is generally played outdoors or in buildings separate to the pub. Table Skittles is noisy, it only fits in wet-led pubs and those with separate games rooms. Needless to say, the rise of Micro-pubs and Wetherspoon have not created opportunities for Table Skittles to thrive. Nevertheless new venues do open and install a table now and then, the Albion Brewery Bar in Northampton has a good table and fields a team in the local league. This game is suitable for pubs, clubs, fairs, events and competitions as well as for casual use at home.

To prepare each nine miniature pins are positioned on a small platform within the square game board. In the corner of the board, stands a pole with a ball suspended by a chain from its top. The ball is swung around the pole in such a way that upon its return, it ploughs through nine skittles on a platform. Aside from the equipment and the location on a table top, the rules are pretty much the same as skittles with the maximum theoretical score in one turn being 27 points. As with several pub games, scoring is often performed on a cribbage board. from Leicestershire. Top right is an example of Northants Skittles ready for play, courtesy of Paul The final piece of evidence discovered so far is from the famous book by Joseph Strutt - "Sports and approximately 1820. One of the games (shown on the right) was the most beautiful Table a Toupie gameSkittles or Nine Pins as played on an alley is still one of the most popular pub games and is the ancestor of a number of games including ten-pin bowling. However, it does take up a lot of space and so it's no surprise that miniaturised versions of the pastime eventually started to appear. referred to as Table Skittles while outside this area, it is not well known and Table Skittles tends table about 8 feet away. It is extremely popular Northamptonshire and well known in Leicestershire,