Pub games in your area

[Malc]

I presume Camerons is a brand of beer and not the man who lives in No10.

Quite correct. Camerons Brewery owned most of the pubs in the town. Some were just the front room of an end of terrace house. Strongarm was its most popular brew. It was a bit heavier and stronger than most other beers and definitely an acquired taste, ask Bealman. Nimmos at Castle Eden and Exhibition from S & N were better, in my humble opinion.

[Trainfish]

I think it's a great shame that it's getting harder to find a pub with at least a dart board, let alone a pool table nowadays. There seem to be so many pubs closing or being put up to rent yet I wonder if they had leagues for pub games whether it would attract more trade and avoid such closures. I'm not getting into the debate about smoking bans or greedy breweries but I, for one, will go out of my way to avoid anywhere that has TV sport showing.

My local has both a pool table and a dartboard, a jukebox and NO TV. Bring a proper freehouse it also has 4 real ales which constantly change, at least 1 rough cider (made with real apples rather than real chemicals) and a good sized beer garden. In fact the beer garden sounds quite tempting right now, see you later! 

[port perran]

Lived in Wiltshire for most of my life till 11 years ago. Skittles was and is huge along with cribbage.
Down here in Cornwall most pubs have Euchre teams.

Having frequently visited Wiltshire and Somerset, I assume you're referring to 'alley skittles' there, Martin?
As for Euchre - I'd like to hear more please?

See this link foe euchre rules :
http://www.pagat.com/euchre/euchre.html

And yes, played alley skittles at County Standard !  Skittles is VERY popular and competitive throughout Wiltshire/Somerset/Gloucester/Dorset and parts of Devon.

On a different note, when I lived in Westbury (for 2 years) which is , incidentally, a great railway town, we had a wonderful pub (if only tiny) called the Bell which was run by a blind alchoholic ex University Professor but was such a great community pub.
No till, just a bucket for payment and as a regular you were just trusted. Everyone paid , no one took advantage and it was a great atmosphere (and always busy).
Those days are sadly long gone !

[Bealman]

I presume Camerons is a brand of beer and not the man who lives in No10.

Quite correct. Camerans Brewery owned most of the pubs in the town. Some were just the front room of an end of terrace house. Strongarm was its most popular brew. It was a bit heavier and stronger than most other beers and definitely an acquired taste, ask Bealman. Nimmos at Castle Eden and Exhibition from S & N were better, in my humble opinion.

In total agreement there, Malc. Another good drop was Federation sold by the clubs.

Getting back onto NPN's original topic, and this time being actually serious - darts is still quite popular here in most pubs and clubs. Most pubs also have pool tables, and many clubs have full size snooker tables. Inter-pub and club competitions are quite popular in both darts and snooker (well in my area, at least). 

[MinZaPint]

Wednesday is "Woodpecker" day for three of us, free house 20 minutes away, Bar billiards, Shove ha'penney & assorted card games, 4 real ales (3 changing, the others the landlords favourite "Summer Lightning) bus stop right outside (that's what I call planning!) 

[Trainfish]

.................... the landlords favourite "Summer Lightning................ 

One of my favourites too. We probably have that about once every 6 weeks in my local and it sells very well, especially to me. We also have a Hop Back pub here which never has it on as they say it doesn't sell, work that one out. Crop Circle is also a Hop Back favourite for me and Taiphoon isn't bad either 

[port perran]

One pastime rather than game which we used to play. Usually to see who bought the round was "Spoof".

[MinZaPint]

Spoof! about 30 years ago was in a pub with 3 workmates, someone said let's play "Spoof", muggins said what's that, we'll show you they piped! needless to say it cost me a lot of money 

[Newportnobby]

Being an ignoramus about 'Spoof', how is it played and are there any rules?
Sounds like it's made up on the spur of the moment

[Malc]

There are rules to spoof, basically you hold a number of coins in your hand and someone has to guess the total.  Another game we used to play was Liar Dice.

[port perran]

You can try to work out the grand total of coins in spoof by analysing the calls made by other players. However....people may try to mislead hence the name of the game.
Knap was always a popular game (especially on Sunday evenings for some strange reason).

[joe cassidy]

Imagine that darts didn't exist and had just been invented.

Then imagine trying to sell it to the "hospitality industry" today.

A bunch of drunks throwing sharply pointed weapons across a crowded bar at a target fixed to the wall at eye level.

Drunk spectators staggering in front of the target on the way to the toilet.

No protective gear, apart from the "tin hat".

Would it be allowed - I don't think so.

Yours nostalgically,


Joe
Only ever sustained one darts "hit", in the thigh so I lived to tell the tale

[Bealman]

I used to be a keen dominoes player in my youth, and it was good to see the game still being played in the north. I actually played a few games on my recent visit - in Newbottle Working Man's club (the village where I was born), but the best was playing doubles in the bar of the Sun Inn where I was staying in Dent (Yorkshire Dales). Anyway, I must still have me eye in, 'cos the opposition kept buying us drinks!! I hadn't realised when we started that we were playing for pints!

[Caz]

You should come visit here then George, most of the older Spanish guys play dominoes, it is very popular here.

[Bealman]

In singles they'd kill me! But with doubles, any language difficulties become superfluous. The spots and maths do the talking! 

George