Skittles (sport) of them, depending upon game variant. Exact rules vary widely on a regional basis. Also known as Old English Skittles, the Greater London version uses nine pins (made of hornbeam) and a cheese. The cheese is thrown at the pins using a swinging motion whilst stepping forwards. After an initial throw, the remaining pins (the 'broken frame') may end up in a variety of formations - each of which has a distinctive (and usually London-based) name, such as a London Bridge or a Portsmouth Road. Knocking down all the pins at once is known as a 'floorer' and is highly
Skittles (sport) respected. The last time a player is known to have thrown three floorers in succession was in 1960. While it was once a popular game played in pubs all over London (generally sited by the Thames river), it is now only played at the Freemasons Arms in Hampstead. The origins of this skittles game are vague, but it is thought by some to have been started by Dutch sailors, possibly playing on the decks of moored barges. A game of Greater London skittles can be seen played in the film The Water Gipsies (film) In the Sarnia Skittles League of