BOTH Motley Crew Mixed teams have started their campaigns in the Butcombe British Championship and achieved success in their opening encounters.

MOTLEY CREW MIXED B 368 TWO TRIBES 348

THE Motley Mixed B squad faced the Two Tribes from Exeter at their home alley at Wyke Social Club.

The first hand saw the Crew hit 63 with Adam Jolliffe giving them their first stick up of the match (10). Two Tribes hit back but could only muster 50 giving the Crew a 13-pin lead.

The visitors came out fighting in the second with a 13-pin stickup, the team claiming 63 as the home side could only total 58, reducing the Crew’s lead to nine.

Steady skittling by the Crew in the third saw a hand of 59 but yet again the Two Tribes fought back with a superb leg of 63 as the deficit continued to close.

A total of 58 by the visitors in the fourth kept the pressure on the home side but the Crew produced a scintillating 70 with stickups from Alan Townsend (12) and Jolliffe (11) so see them restore a 17-pin advantage.

With the fifth hand drawn and a score of 59 from the Crew in the last, the visitors needed 76 to take the game.

This proved a step too far for the visitors as they could only produce a total of 56, giving the Motley Crew a 20-pin success.

REBELS 328 MIXED A 342

MOTLEY Mixed A faced local opposition the Rebels in a nip and tuck encounter at the Wyke Work-ing Men’s Club.

The Crew started well with 53 to take a three-pin lead in the first.

A good performance by the Rebels in the second scoring 61 then put them into a one-pin lead as the contest ebbed and flowed.

In the third, the home side took a further pin from the visitors with only two separating the teams. The game continued to be a close affair the Crew coming out on top in the fourth with 58, reclaiming the lead by two pins.

The fifth saw steady skittling and a 57 from the home side but the visitors pulled out all the stops, a stickup from Candice Myatt (16) and a hand of 68 saw the Crew surge into the lead by a total of 13 pins going into the last hand.

The Rebels skittled well with anchorman Andy Lowe hitting 13 in a team total of 54, but the Crew continued to plug away and claimed their first win of the campaign by 14 pins.