Games Pub

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Sunday, 11 August 2013

Bat & Wickets, Northampton

Posted on 01:50 by Unknown

The current licensees of the Bat & Wickets have recently celebrated their first year at the helm of this traditional back-street local. I'd have to say that the last time I passed this way, the pub looked pretty uninviting from the outside, but a lot has changed since then. A fresh paint job, new bespoke frosted glass windows, and attractive new signage, all of which are thoroughly in keeping with the age and traditional character of the pub. The landlord has even sourced a couple of vintage Burtonwood Brewery pub lanterns for the frontage of the pub, conveniently liveried 'BW' to match the pub name.

Work is also progressing at a steady pace inside the pub, sensitively refurbishing and modernising the neglected interior without destroying any of the essential character of the place. The patio beer garden at the rear has also been given a freshen-up, and is now a delightful space for a Summer afternoon drink. Pub games still play an important role at the Bat & Wickets, and I'd highly recommend a visit to the pub if only to give the Skittles Table a work-out. This traditional Northamptonshire game has become very scarce in pubs this close to the town centre.


The games area is very well appointed, with Darts, Pool and a fine W T Blacks Skittles Table tucked into the corner. The locals are active in a number of leagues, including Ladies and Mens skittles, and a Thursday Pool league. The pub also supports local football, and hosts a very active Golfing crowd.




The pub's slightly unusual name apparently derives from its close proximity to the Racecourse Public Park, where Cricket and other team sports have been played since the post-war years. The main sporting interest at the Bat & Wickets now is the game of Golf. Several competitions and trophies are competed for at the pub, which includes the largest collection of Wooden Spoons I've ever seen in one place! One corner of the bar, shown below, is devoted to numerous golfing trophies and a series of wall plaques which record individual honours dating from the late 80's.

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to Facebook
Posted in Darts, Northamptonshire Table Skittles, Pool | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Leicester Table Skittles
    The Skittles Table at The Tudor pub in Leicester The Leicester version of Table (or Hood) Skittles is unique and almost entirely local to th...
  • Pub Games at CAMRA Beer Festivals
    The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) have many strings to their campaigning bow, but perhaps the most visible sign of the work the many volunte...
  • The Shove Ha'penny Control Association
    Not much is known about the grandly titled Shove Ha'penny Control Association , which is perhaps surprising given how widespread the gam...
  • Daddlums (and other Rare Skittle Games)
    For all the wide variety of games still played at the pub, it's probably true to say that just as many have all but disappeared in recen...
  • Pushpenny
    Pushpenny is a game similar to Shove Ha'penny, though not nearly as widely played. The object of the game is to propel coins or discs up...
  • The Tudor, Leicester
    Everards are a family brewer who seem to appreciate the value of their pub estate, and more often than not approach refurbishment and renova...
  • Old Kings Head, Belper, Derbyshire
    'What's On' at the Old Kings Head, Belper? Well, as you can see from the image below, quite a lot actually. This includes the tr...
  • Soar Bridge Inn, Barrow-on-Soar, Leicestershire
    Long Alley Skittles may not be quite as popular as it once was in Leicestershire, but thankfully there are one or two venues where the game ...
  • Restoring A Tired Old Shove Ha'penny
    Even though the game of Shove Ha'penny is not nearly as popular as it once was, boards can still be bought new from various sources. At ...
  • Oadby, Leicestershire
    The east Leicestershire village of Oadby would have been quite a hotbed of Long Alley Skittles play at one time, with at least three pubs i...

Categories

  • Aunt Sally
  • Bagatelle
  • Bar Billiards
  • Bedfordshire Skittles
  • Billiards
  • Bowls
  • Cribbage
  • Cribbage Boards
  • Crown & Anchor
  • Daddlums
  • Darts
  • Devil Amongst The Tailors
  • Dominoes
  • Indoor Quoits
  • Leicestershire Table Skittles
  • Long Alley Skittles
  • Nine Men's Morris
  • Norfolk Skittles
  • Northamptonshire Table Skittles
  • Nurdles
  • Pétanque
  • Pitch Penny
  • Poker Dice
  • Pool
  • Pushpenny
  • Put and Take
  • Quoits
  • Ringing the Bull
  • Rings
  • Rugby Table Skittles
  • Scoring Boards
  • Shove Ha'penny
  • Shut The Box
  • Sjoelbak
  • Snooker
  • Table Football
  • Toad in the Hole
  • Twister
  • Western Skittles

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2013 (70)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  November (5)
    • ►  October (5)
    • ►  September (6)
    • ▼  August (6)
      • The Headland, Northampton
      • Heathcote Arms, Croft, Leicestershire
      • Three Pubs for Shove Ha'penny
      • Evesham Crib League
      • Bat & Wickets, Northampton
      • Three Horseshoes, Warham, Norfolk
    • ►  July (6)
    • ►  June (6)
    • ►  May (6)
    • ►  April (7)
    • ►  March (7)
    • ►  February (6)
    • ►  January (7)
  • ►  2012 (102)
    • ►  December (8)
    • ►  November (8)
    • ►  October (9)
    • ►  September (9)
    • ►  August (9)
    • ►  July (10)
    • ►  June (12)
    • ►  May (14)
    • ►  April (23)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile