Fred Durrant sends down the first ball at the opening of the first Skittle Alley in Dover, at the Red Lion

The year 2003 marks the golden jubilee of Skittles in the Dover area. This in itself seems unremarkable to those of us who now enjoy our games on a Sunday or, for the Ladies on Wednesdays – the players who have, over the years, had a go and got the bug. It is just there for our participation, an intrinsic part of social life in this area.
But a half-century of the game deserves, I think, some sort of write up dedicated to its origins and growth during that golden period. A time in which we have seen the most astonishing changes in our society that have ever been experienced in history, following the doldrums of the second World War. Also, it is astonishing that after 50 years, the game continues to flourish and develop, given the changes in our social activity and the now, almost endless alternatives of entertainment available to society.
When Len Latchem moved to Dover from Somerset, probably after the war, he set up two fish and chip shops in the town. He worked hard and in the early 1950’s took over as landlord at the Red Lion in Charlton Green. Prior to the War there had been three rinks for bowls behind the pub, but these had been destroyed during the hostilities. The regulars had been pleading for the rinks to be re-laid, but costs were prohibitive. Len remembered how the game of skittles was so popular in his native West country and decided that he would build a skittle alley for the use of the regulars three nights a week, and available for any other clubs wishing to develop the game to play on other nights of the week. That alley was opened on Whit Monday 1952, and the Dover Express and East Kent News carried a feature with a photograph of Dover Football Club player manager Fred Durrant sending up the first ‘wood’ (sic). The feature also reports that the first game was between four men from Somerset then living in Elvington, and four local men, surprisingly won by the locals by 71 to 54. None could imagine how Len’s inspirational decision would have such an effect on the Dover area.
In 1953 some more alleys had been constructed and we have evidence that some sort of competition took place that year – the first teams were Red Lion, Three Cups, The Plough at Guston, Rose & Crown, Elvington and 401 Squad. I have been contacted by a number of original players who were willing to share their early memories, and have established that Elvington probably meant the High & Dry. 401 Squad were a team from the Territorials who built (as some remember) a flat alley in the Drill Hall in Townwall Street.
Further evidence of the development of the game has been obtained by an interesting photograph in a book on Kent Pubs showing members of the Three Cups and Red Lion. Hopefully we can reproduce this photograph as part of the planned exhibition, which we are putting together for our Presentation Nights, and some names may be forthcoming.

 

Certainly by 1954 there was an organised skittle league, as we can tell by the Men’s league trophy, when the first winners were the Red Lion, followed by the Plough in 1955 and 1956, and Primrose in 1957 and 1958. The game must have taken off like lightning, as we have evidence of a Men’s second division by 1955. First winners were Royal George B, followed by Royal George C in 1956. Copley Rangers won this title in 1957, and although they were eventually based at the Rose & Crown, one of my original contacts seemed to think that in their early days they had the right to play on any alley that was not being used that week. Interesting. Some early players also recollect that a club could not have more than one team in the same league.
Information from the current trophies seem to indicate that third and fourth Men’s divisions commenced in 1964 – the first winners of division 3 were Red Lion, and division 4 – British Rail A. We extended to five divisions in 1989, following the further building of new alleys, by which time the association was having to turn teams down each year, as the existing four leagues were full.
Records indicate that the Ladies League was set up in 1961, with the Imperial Crown taking the title for the first two years. In 1963 a second division was formed, which was won in the first year by Imperial Crown A. The third division did not materialise until 1973, with Bull as the initial champions, and the fourth division was added in 1982 – Primrose being the inaugural winners here.
Cup competitions have also developed over the years, commencing with the Men’s Knockout. The earliest evidence we have from current trophies is that the Men’s Division 3 & 4 knockout was first presented in 1958, when the winners were Primrose. There would have been a division 1 & 2 equivalent although the earliest winners must now have been deleted from the trophies as the earliest record we have is that British Rail were the runners up in 1966. Len Latchem himself donated a trophy which has always been the men’s champion of champions, competed by the winners of the Men’s leagues. Earliest recorded winners of this were British Rail in 1964. We have been presented with some wonderful trophies over the years, notably the magnificent solid silver Aylesham Trophy, presented by Aylesham Working Men’s Club, our Men’s four a side competition, and the Ladies equivalent the Fountain Trophy, donated by Bill Cooper when he had the Fountain Inn (now the Sportsman).
The league would certainly have required some sort of organisation, although I am unable to find any evidence of records of a committee. Presumably one would have been established, with results to compile and fixtures to be drawn up. I do remember that great stalwart Bill Carlton relating an anecdote at an AGM, as to how the association came to open a Bank account. Presumably registrations had been made and annual entrance fees paid, and the then treasurer had taken home some substantial amount of money – I recollect in the region of £30. He put this in a shoebox under his bed, but his wife was most perturbed at this money being in the house, and insisted he opened a bank account.
Bill and his wife Vera were almost certainly involved in the early committee work of the association and I recollect the name Bill Ridgeway as a leading light, along with George Dixon. Lil Marsh was also a very active committee member for many, many years. Other names I recollect are Len Dykes, Pauline Philpott and Carol Reid. Former Dover Express sports editor Davie Laing was the Association’s President for many years, and I have clear memories of his eloquent Scottish brogue when he would present his report to the AGM – we were “simply the best organised and most sporting of all sports associations” he had experienced. When I was elected to the committee in the 1980’s, my early memories were of struggling with the minutes and taking copies of league fixtures and Cup games up to Winmore Enterprises for duplication on a printing machine.
How times change, and how technology has improved communications. When I became Chairman in 1991 and Julie took on the role of Games Secretary, we were passed a pile of books with years and years of Vera’s handwritten records of results and league tables. I remember passing on one season’s handwritten records to a techno wizard friend of mine, challenging him to design a computer based spreadsheet for keeping the records, which he duly did, and we are now able to compile the league tables at the press of a computer key.
It is worthy to note in this anthology, some of the games best players, and to avoid the wrath of anybody I miss out I would immediately recognise all players who have their names engraved on the Men’s and Ladies Individual and 9 Ball trophies. To win these competitions over a six-week period is proof enough that such players deserve the recognition, and indeed are proud to have their names on the trophies. These competitions are the highlight of our season, as they rely on individual skill and nerve, unlike the game itself being wholly team orientated.
So I will single out firstly the enigma that was Charlie Copp of Copley Rangers, whom I never knew, or was not aware of seeing play, but was identified by Bill Carlton as the best player he saw. John Mansfield in his heyday and Sonny Cadman also spring to mind as consistently good performers. Let us also recognise the Ladies – I note that Margaret Cakebread’s name is on the Individual Trophy no less than five times and Claire McHugh won the 9 Ball on three occasions. We must also recognise, in more modern times – Christine Gilham, Julie Waller and Sheila Swinerd, who continue to help move the game forward into our second half-century. Once again apologies to all the players who have received honours over the years who do not get a mention here.
What of great teams – I’m sure without the originals and their part in the development of the game, this report would never be compiled, so we pay tribute to them. Looking at our earlier records it would appear that honours, in respect of league winners, tended to be well spread out, with no particular team winning year after year. However, during the sixties the Men’s division one seemed to be dominated by the Primrose and the Diamond – two great teams. The nucleus of the Primrose team certainly developed into the team that later created a, perhaps, never to be repeated run of 17 consecutive first division titles, under the various guises of Cricketers B, Cinque Ports and Three Cups B. That was an enviable record.

 

In the Ladies section, British Rail were dominant throughout the mid sixties to early seventies, winning eight first division titles in ten years. Latterly we have to applaud the Primrose A (now Buckland Bull A) who won twelve times in the thirteen
seasons up to 2002.
 

Finally, my own recollections of our great game. Firstly playing at Deal Hoy in a thunderstorm with an umbrella being held over the head of the thrower and everybody else in the pub awaiting their throw. Many will remember any windy and rainy night at the King Lear before the throwing area was covered in. Presentation Nights at the Leas Cliff Hall – all travelled by buses laid on by the Association, men wore dress suits and Ladies evening dresses, you struggled to get served and there was inevitably a fight. Then the Town Hall – if you didn’t get there by 7.30 you had to stand all night. The ructions that ‘no-balls’ have caused over the years. The thrill of winning that first trophy (now in the loft). Sponsorship to the tune of £2000 by Whitbreads in the eighties, which has kept us financially sound even now. Plus the enjoyment of just going to play the game each Sunday and Wednesday. A recognition of the hundreds of Landlords, Club stewards and secretaries whose efforts should not be forgotten. The thousands of Ball boys and girls who must have collectively stood up somewhere in the region of 12 million skittles since 1953 (in the Leagues alone), and the many thousands of players who have participated in Skittles for the past fifty years. Here’s to the next 50.
 

The Skittles Association presented commemorative medals to ten members of the original league,
to mark the 50th Anniversary of Skittles in Dover – Nov 2003

Alleycat (aka Brian Constable)

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