The Village CC (132 for 9) beat Further Friars (57)
The words "Wiltshire Tour" are associated with many things: Cider, Skittles but not oft of late Sunshine. This year the weather gods decided it was high time to cut us a break and bestow upon the West Country what will probably be the best weekend of the summer.
As has become traditional, our tale begins on Friday afternoon, The Village's members making their variously (un)believable excuses to knock off work early, beat the traffic out of the big smoke and onwards to the welcoming bosom of 250, The Common, Holt. For once your author doesn't have to fill too many pixels recounting stories of mud slides onto the M4, breakdowns and near bladder-rupturings, and can merely recount that the touring party arrived on time and in good order, assembling at the Tuckers Grave for an evening of Skittles and Cider-induced madness, after a short interlude to pick up this year's special bus.
And so the first great sporting endeavour of the weekend got under way, 16 Villagers and WAGAHOs splitting themselves into Giants and Dwarfs and making ready to compete for Sausage Cup 2008.
Last year’s defending champion, Page, started poorly, opening the door for one-time-winner Rahilly, all-round-sporting-hero-and-generally-great-guy Marrow and WAG-representative Rainford to enter into the contest.
And what a contest it was. Six ends of skittles later Rainford had a slender lead, Rahilly and Marrow were sniffing at her heels and Plimmer had passed out on the lawn, the cider having taken its toll on Saturday’s designated driver.
Rainford failed to close the deal – a disappointing five from her final throw giving hope to the chasing pack. And so to Rahilly, needing just seven skittles to regain his crown of 2006, he struck big and early – five down with his first ball. The scent of victory was in the air and Rahilly was looking hungry. His second though was poor, a dot ball, leaving him just one delivery and two pins for a near certain victory. A second dot ball on the bounce was not what the doctor ordered, Rahilly collapsing onto the track in anguish, spread-eagled and pounding his fists in dismay. Marrow’s fire by this stage seemed to have been doused by a healthy measure of cider and his final throw didn’t threaten a now triumphant Rainford: Sausage Cup Champion 2008.