Petie had no memory of Road Bowls or ‘Bullets’ from the Thirties though County Armagh has a strong tradition in this field of sport.
We played Skittles. The large, wooden home-made skittles would be placed in a circle on the road. They were numbered from Twenty on the inside, to Five on the outside. The object was to knock them over by throwing a heavy stick ‘as thick as yer arm’ and about two and a half feet long, at them. Some were of two lengths, linked with a length of bicycle chain and this made it possible to ‘clear’ the whole circle at one throw. You threw from the ‘Back Butt’ and there was a wooden obstacle between you and the circle, necessitating a spiral throw around it. A ‘no strike’ lost you your turn. The first player to 100 won. Small sums – 1d or 2d would be wagered. It was mainly a man’s game, though girls would occasionally play. You could play partners.
