Northamptonshire Skittles
Also
known as Hood skittles or table skittles, Northamptonshire skittles is
a marvellous classic pub game from the English midlands. The game's
ancestor is old English skittles, the most venerable of all the alley
skittles games, which is still played in London. This version takes
up a lot less space while retaining all the excitement and skill and has
been popular for decades across the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire
and Derbyshire.
The hood skittles table surface stands at thigh height with the top of the hood reaching fully 6 feet high. The table top is made in solid quality yellow pine while high quality leather covers the surface and walls in the traditional way. The rear of the table sports the trademark hood in robust netting. Tables are made by a craftsman from Leicestershire who has been making and repairing them for decades.
The default table is for the Northamptonshire version of the table. Depth
140cm, Width 102cm. Leicestershire style tables can also be made, please
email for more information.
Hand-made in Britain
Change to $  Change to  |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northamptonshire Skittles table |
£1477.39 | £1699.00 | 40 + transit time | To order, or for a quote, ring or Email with address & zip/postcode.
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For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
Second Hand Tables
Occasionally, we have second hand tables for sale. Please see our second hand page for more information.
Boxwood Pins & Cheeses
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After many years, Masters Traditional Games has obtained some genuine Boxwood pins and cheese. These are hand-turned by the turner who has been the principle Northamptonshire Skittles maker for the last few decades. There have never been better pins and cheeses than these. They are varnished with lacquer that is an old family recipe and have trademark rings on the cheeses. They are expensive but boxwood is the hardest and heaviest and longest-lasting English timber and is now rare so you get what you pay for. For those wishing to save on cost, we also have some un-varnished Boxwood pins and cheeses. Customers are advised to apply varnish or linseed oil to these before use. Click on the picture to enlarge.
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| Change to $ Change to |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Set of 9 Peppers Boxwood pins - Northamptonshire style (varnished) |
£154.70 | £177.90 | 2 + transit time | ||
Set of 3 Peppers Boxwood cheeses - Northamptonshire style (varnished) |
£55.57 | £63.90 | 2 + transit time | ||
Set of 9 Boxwood pins - Northamptonshire style (unvarnished) |
£138.17 | £158.90 | 2 + transit time | ||
Set of 3 Boxwood cheeses - Northamptonshire style (unvarnished) |
£46.00 | £52.90 | 2 + transit time | ||
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
Hardwood Pins & Cheeses
Masters
Games provides pins in a good skittle hardwood (Beech, Maple or Purpleheart,
depending upon availability). Cheeses are made in the same material +
we also have some in Lignum Vitae, the hardest wood known to man. The
hardwood pins tend to dent more readily than boxwood but are still likely
to survive least a season of normal useage.
Northamptonshire style is the more common pin shape, but Leicestershire style pins and cheeses are also available. The pins are approximately 6 inches (160mm) high. The cheeses fit snugly in the hand at around 3 1/2 inches (90mm) diameter. Pins are provided oiled or varnished for additional protection.
Above
- Northamptonshire style LV cheeses & varnished pins
Right - Leicestershire style unvarnished pins
Click pictures to enlarge.
Hand-made in Britain
| Change to $ Change to |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 hardwood pins - Northamptonshire style (varnished) |
£48.61 | £55.90 | Apologies - product is discontinued | ||
3 Lignum Vitae cheeses - Northamptonshire style |
£57.30 | £65.90 | 2 + transit time | ||
3 hardwood cheeses - Northamptonshire style |
£34.70 | £39.90 | 2 + transit time | ||
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
| Change to $ Change to |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 hardwood pins and kingpin - Leicestershire table skittles style (oiled) |
£46.87 | £53.90 | 20 + transit time | ||
3 Lignum Vitae cheeses - Leicestershire table skittles style |
£59.04 | £67.90 | 20 + transit time | ||
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
Compound Northamptonshire Skittles
We can also sometimes supply the pins and cheeses in a plastic compound material which is very tough and long-lasting. Please ring to check availability before ordering.
| Change to $ Change to |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Set 9 compound Northamptonshire skittles and 3 compound cheeses |
£208.61 | £239.90 | 60 + transit time | ||
Set 9 compound Northamptonshire skittles |
£156.43 | £179.90 | 60 + transit time | ||
Set 3 compound Northamptonshire cheeses |
£58.17 | £66.90 | 60 + transit time | ||
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
UK Orders
For the table, shipping within Leicestershire is free and quotes for the rest of the UK can be quickly obtained. For ordering, shipping and payment information, please refer to the UK Large Orders page.
Overseas Orders
Overseas customers should be aware that shipping and packing will add a significant cost. For ordering, shipping and payment information, please refer to the Overseas Large Orders page.
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The Origin of Skittles
Skittles, or Nine Pins, as played in an alley has always been a popular pub game and is the ancestor of related games including ten-pin bowling and various indoor skittles variations. The origins of the game are uncertain but in Germany, in the 3rd or 4th century, monks played a game with a kegel which was a club carried for self defence. In the game, the kegel represented a sin or temptation and the monks would throw stones at it until they knocked it over. The modern German term for skittles is Kegelen. There are also two 14th century manuscripts that show a game called Kayles and depict throwers about to launch a long club-like object at eight pins and a kingpin.
The typical form of Skittles is wherein balls are thrown or rolled from one end of an alley in an effort to knock down nine pins at the other end. Over the years, Skittles developed regional variations in the size of equipment, the rules and so forth. In the East Midlands, people play Long Alley in which the projectiles are rough balls or small capsule shaped logs called "cheeses" and a score is only made if the cheeses bounce a single time just in front of the pins. Old English Skittles or London Skittles, as played at the famous Freemasons Arms in Hampstead, is a majestic game in which enormous discus-shaped cheeses are flung so that they hit the skittles directly without touching the floor first.
From these old games, various miniaturised versions appeared which were more convenient for many pubs with limited space. These include Northamptonshire Skittles and the extremely popular Table Skittles or Devil Amongst The Tailors.
The most popular version of skittles, however, is West Country Skittles wherein 9 skittles are arranged in a square at the end of an alley that might be 24 feet, sometimes much longer. Each turn starts with all the skittles standing and consists of three balls being rolled down the alley. If all the pins are knocked down, then they are reset. So the maximum score in one turn is 27.
You can learn more about the History of Skittles from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.