{"id":89629,"date":"2024-12-14T18:01:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T18:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=89629"},"modified":"2024-12-14T18:01:14","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T18:01:14","slug":"skittles-the-fun-and-welcoming-pub-sport-struggling-for-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2024\/12\/14\/skittles-the-fun-and-welcoming-pub-sport-struggling-for-players\/","title":{"rendered":"Skittles: the fun and welcoming pub sport struggling for players"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over 100 years since leagues started in South Wales, the pastime is looking for younger members<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

POOL, darts, and Sunday league football. These are the games that typically come to mind when the words “pub” and “sport” are uttered together.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in South Wales, there is another contender: skittles. For over a century, this historical cousin of ten-pin bowling has been a cherished pastime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not uncommon to walk into a Cardiff pub on an average weekday evening and bump into 24 men or women getting ready to do battle on a weathered wooden track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you don\u2019t watch, you are sure to be able to hear the rumble of the wooden ball or the inevitable shouts, moans, groans and laughter \u2013 it\u2019s deafening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skittles in South Wales is now facing the most difficult chapter in its long history. With the number of teams slowly dwindling, the sport is not catching the attention of younger players.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But after peeling back the curtain on what is often seen as a secretive game, it is the camaraderie and community spirit of the players that shines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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