OUTSIDERS got their Chris Bullock Championship campaign in the Wellington Ex-Services Skittles League off to a winning start with a hard-fought 10-pin victory over WRFC.

Rob Larcombe led the way with an excellent 51. The Rugby boys pushed them all the way, with Dave Huggett top-scoring with 50. Scores: Outsiders 354–344 WRFC.

United Services 393–381 Nynehead Club: United Services overcame Nynehead Club by 12 pins at the high scoring White Horse. Phil John produced the standout performance with a superb 60. Nynehead were never far behind, however, with Charlie Cable contributing an excellent 53.

Ex-Servicemen 381–392 King Pins:The defending champions' first outing ended in disappointment as Ex-Servicemen were beaten by King Pins. Marc Bright hit 61 for the X-Men but King Pins produced the stronger finish with Jordan Bryant leading the charge with an excellent 66.

Mowers 371–307 Foresters: Mowers comfortably saw off Foresters by a whopping 64 pins at the Football Club. Vince Milton hit a splendid 66 for Mowers while Simon Wall scored a respectable 48 for the losers.

Odds and Ends 389–382 Home Guard IV: Odds and Ends claimed a seven-pin victory in one of the week's closest encounters on the downstairs alley of the Victoria Arms. Rob Stanyard was the standout performer for Odds and Ends with 61, while Home Guard IV had a strong contribution from both Jeremy Vallance and skipper, Simon Davey, who each recorded 51.

All Stars 376–351 Scuppas: All Stars put together a solid score, with Tony Winchester knocking a solid 52, while Scuppas put on a spirited effort led by John Barker's steady 51.

Gerald Thorne Championship - Report Centre A 348–417 Bell Green: Defending champions Bell Green made an emphatic start to their campaign with a commanding 69-pin victory over Report Centre A at the White Horse. A Frounks top-scored with a solid 58 for Report Centre A but the champions smashed the 400-pin mark, with Chris Rudd tops with 57.

Reservists 365–330 Queens Legs: Reservists overcame Queens Legs by 35 pins at the R G Institute. Reservists posted a solid 365, with Darren Sparks hitting an excellent 57. Queens Legs struggled to match their opponents' consistency, with Colin Francis and Marcus Watkin both hitting the top away score with 44s.

OBA 376–360 Oaks: OBA gained a well-earned 16-pin victory over Oaks on the upstairs alley of the Victoria Arms. Rob Billett was tops with 58 for OBA while Steven Burge knocked 53 for Oaks.

Hot Shots 344–347 Rebels: Rebels edged out Hot Shots by just three pins. Hot Shots posted 344, with Alex Govier top-scoring with 49, but Rebels managed to find just enough to finish on 347. Chris Plant was the key performer for Rebels with an excellent 56.

Shooters 358–377 Club Rockers: Alan Sydenham knocked 54 for Shooters while Mark Bowen put in a player of the match performance with an excellent 62 to help steer the Rockwell Green side to an impressive away win.

Cottage Pies 387–373 Fireguard A: The Pies saw Jordan Perry produce one of the night's standout performances with a superb 62 while Will Leak (55) was tops for Fireguard A.

Home Guard II 389–368 Relyon: The hosts posted an excellent score, with Adrian Salisbury putting together a magnificent 70. Relyon responded with Rob Higgs recording a good 56.