MOWERS and Ex-Servicemen continued their battle at the top of Wellington Ex-Services Skittles League’s Chris Bullock Championship with victories, leaving only a point between the sides.

Marc Bright reports: WRFC 353, Mowers 359 - Mowers came out on top of a close game with a six-pin success away to Rugby Club at the Conservative Club. The match was tied at the halfway mark but Mowers found that little bit extra with Vince Milton scoring 55 for the champions. Rugby Club skipper John Lane scored 55 for his side.

Moonrakers 297, Ex-Servicemen 328: The X-Men’s title chase shows no sign of slowing down as they picked up another vital win to boost their hopes. C. Skinner hit 49 for hosts Moonrakers at the Football Club, but the Rakers found it tricky going with a total score of under 300. A. Coles was the top player for X-Men with 54 as he helped his side to a comprehensive 31 pin win.

United Services 393, Scuppas 420: Scuppas went big as they came away from the White Horse with a 27 pin win. A. Gamlin hit 59 for the home side as he helped United Services to a big score that was just shy of 400. Scuppas saw D. Squire hit 58 as they chased down the score and hit a huge score to take the win.

King Pins 354, All Stars 384: All Stars picked up a 30 pin win against the beleaguered King Pins on the upstairs alley at the Victoria Arms. J. Lockyer had knocked a solid 55 for King Pins, who posted a decent score. C. Richardson hit 53 for All Stars who breezed past Pins score to take the game.

Here 4 the Beer 352, Foresters 318: H4tB won by 34 as they hosted Foresters at the Institute. E. Broom’s 54 was the highlight for the home side. A. Pitman scored 44 in the Foresters reply but it was not to be for the away side.

Odds and Ends 393, Home Guard IV 359: Odds and Ends hit a stunning score at the Victoria Arms to win by 34 pins against Home Guard IV. Robert Stanyard scored 63 for Odds and Ends to help his side over the 390 mark. Home Guard IV played well and hit a solid score themselves, C. White’s 54 being the pick of their scores.

Gerald Thorne Championship – Holywell Lake 397, Home Guard II 389: This was the pick of matches last Friday night as two title rivals met at the Victoria Arms with Holywell Lake picking up the important win by eight pins. S. Newberry scored 58 for the Lakers as they hit a very good score. E. Collett scored an impressive 62 for HGII.

Reservists 356, Queens Legs 339: Reservists won by 17 at the Institute against Queens Legs to keep the pressure on league leaders Holywell Lake. The victory represented a bit of a double over Queens Legs as Reservists had beaten them the previous week in the cup semi-final. K. Sedgbeer was the top scorer for Reservists with 51. D. Mason hit 53 in the Queens Legs’ reply, but it was not enough to keep pace with Reservists on the night.

Relyon 370, Hot Shots 361: Relyon took the bragging rights in the Conservative Club derby as they beat Hot Shots by nine pins in a close game. Relyon’s Mr Reliable Rob Higgs scored 61 for the Bedders which proved to be a vital contribution. R. Chivers scored 53 for Hot Shots.

Oaks 356, Shooters 328: Oaks won by 28 at the Blue Ball with M. Shire scoring a solid 50 for the home side. R. Cox scored 47 for Shooters, but the away side found themselves off the pace and hit a score that was below their usual standard.

Bell Green 358, Cottage Pies 319: Bell Green collected a big win against Cottage Pies at the Victoria Arms with 39 pins separating the sides. M. Johnson knocked 58 for the Greeners to help them to their win. It was a difficult night for the Pies, whose form has dipped over recent weeks, with T. Matravers’ 44 claiming the top score for the away side.

Rebels 328, OBA 363: OBA came away from the Cottage with a 35 pin. It was a tricky night for the home side but a highlight was C. Knight’s well deserved 61. R. Billet scored 61 himself in the OBA response as the travelling side took the game away from Rebels.

Report Centre A 345, Club Rockers 341: It was a close game at the White Horse with RCA coming out on top against Club Rockers by only four pins. J. Cottrell scored a vital 46 for the hosts with Rockers’ captain J. Perry hitting 47 in his side’s reply.