Player profiles 2007/2008
Mark Neilson (captain and team secretary)
Captain fantastic, Mark 'Mooey' Neilson is our anchorman, left with the unenviable task of trying to turn around 70-pin deficits wiith his last hand (and despite miracle-working being one of his specialities, even his mighty skills can't achieve the ridiculous).
Mark is so great, we named the team after him....just don't ask me where the 'Mooey' bit came from.....because I just don't want to know.....
Adele Summers (press officer)
Adele 'Del Piero' Summers has retired from playing skittles again this week. For the 10th time this season in fact. Except she keeps turning up, week in week out, on match days. Bless her - old age hasn't been kind...This season has seen DP slip down the averages faster than Leeds FC's descent to the realms of football mediocrity....In a desperate attempt to regain form, she's off to join a rival skittling outfit for some warm weather training prior to the World Champs....miracles may happen....then again.....
Katy joined the team just after the start of the season, and is now a first-team regular. Her average doesn't really do her justice - it's fairly common for Katy to get spares....it's just the few 3's (I'm not going to mention the 1...) that brought it down.
Katy likes fairies and all things magical or so I'm told. In my quest to uncover all things mooey and the choo choos related, I've found the perfect link for our Kate....click on her name to find out more....
Anna Neilson
Anna 'Mrs Mooey' Neilson is a primary school teacher, with responsibility for developing the minds of the future of this country. Anna is taking the kids on a school trip to London this week, to visit Harrods. The kids are all really excited, even the boys who hate shopping. It's the promise Anna's made to them that they'll meet the Harrods owner, Mohammed Ali (yes, that's not a typo by me, not Mohammed Al-Fayed but Mohammed Ali) that they're all looking forward to. The future is in safe hands....
Mrs Mooey-isms provide countless hours of entertainment week in week out. We'd be on volume 3 if we were writing books about them, but this week's favourite quote is as follows:
'Did they ever catch the guys who flew the planes into the World Trade Centre?'
(think about it....!)
Ross Grimes
A rare site at Choo Choo games, Ross has developed a reputation for bailing the team out of trouble. In a scene reminiscent of a cheesy 80s movie (think: some kind of dramatic slow motion scene as the film's main character saves the day...), Ross's finest moment occured at the Tom Mogg, where he managed to hit a spare as the anchorman on the final hand of the night to claw victory from the jaws of defeat. A heroic story this, you may say....sadly it's not strictly true as in reality, he stood at the end of the alley bricking it for the best part of 15 mins, pacing up and down, and practically sending us all to the car park so we wouldn't be watching him. The big girl.....
Steve 'The General' Hendry is a legend. Famous for his own pep-talks as he walks onto the alley ('C'mon Steve'), he's equally as famous for being the only player that our sticker-up gives hell to week in week out. I'd write what we normally hear being shouted at him but it's too much for delicate eyes to read...;-)
One thing that the General hates is being called 'Crouchy'. Don't ever call him it. Ever. Or worse still, don't ever stick pictures of his doppleganger anywhere near his name on a website....that'd be really mean....
Jessica Major
Jessica 'Hopper' Major saved the team from becoming extinct. It's true, she did. In our hour of need, Hoppy signed on for the team, despite being in plaster from knee to toe, using a variety of leaning devices from bar stools to fellow team mates in order to throw the balls down the alley. Jess is the proud owner of two Choo Choos' records - lowest overall score (31) and lowest individual hand (0), but what we can say is that she does make a damn fine neapolitan sponge cake!
Jess has now returned to Cardiff for some pre-world championships training with her local side, and is averaging over 60 every week. Sadly, that's units of alcohol though rather than pins....
Steve Neilson
Steve Neilson is a tall man. A very tall man. And that's all I can think of writing right now.....
Keith 'Goater' Porter, formerly known as 'Curtsy', soon to be known as 'Gigolo', has a skittling style akin to no other. His now infamous delicate curtsy as he goes to throw the ball was a source of weekly ridicule within the team. To counteract the heckling, Goats decided to try out his more manly chucking of the ball down at The Boatyard....and promptly wiped out both the stickers up....twice.....
Goats is one of the most dedicated players to the Choo Choos' cause....cycling miles to get to our home alley for a pre-match drink, when the alley the Choo Choos were due to play at that night was about 100 yards from his front doorstep. Say no more.....
Gary Prowse
Gary 'The Colonel' Prowse
Just as Steve 'The General' Hendry is famous for talking about himself in the third person, Gary likes slapping his balls at the end of the alley at the beginning of each of his hands. Weirdo.
Mousey's enviable female fanclub have set up their own appreciation site: you can join them here....www.prowseyisourhero.com
Darren Smith
Darren has played just one game so far for the Choo Choos when at the world famous 'Boatyard', he hit an earth shattering.........mind boggling...............overwhelming.............record breaking....er.....48. Having played just one game, he didn't qualify for the end of season top average prize. Fortunate really - because on paper, he'd have finished lower in the table than most of the girls....oh, except Jess of course.....
Roger Vaughan
Roger 'Grandad' Vaughan is the father figure of the team. Despite being 30 years older than the next oldest player, 'Grandad' has been our most consistent player this season, and has found himself promoted to be deputy anchorman. When not playing skittles, Grandad likes to spend much of his time on the golf course in his flat cap and plus fours, whether it be in this country or sunning himself in Spain.
You might wonder why I haven't picked on Grandad as much as anyone else in the team - I'm just scared that he won't share his Werthers Originals with me if I'm mean....
Kathy May
After a season long absence, Kathy rejoined the Choo Choos from rival outfit Desi's Diamonds in time for the World Champs this summer. No sooner had Kathy rejoined the team, she was up to her old tricks....mainly letting the ball "slip out of her p**sing hand". Alright, she might not score so highly at skittles, but with the boys, Kathy and her two special friends are a big....very big in fact.....hit.
The Amazing Adventures of Kathy May will be brought to you all season by this website; in each episode, fearless Kathy will tackle a new, crazy challenge. Episode 1, entitled Kathy May tackles the rampant goat will be brought to you very soon.....
Lynn Baker
Like Kathy, Lynn too realised that there was much more fun to be had back with the Choo Choos than with the Diamonds, and rejoined us back in July. Lynn is the sensible one of the dynamic duo....or rather that's what she likes to claim. Despite this website not being able to obtain evidence to the contrary yet, we don't think it'll be too long before Ms Baker is back to her old shirt-swapping, shower-demolishing ways....we can't wait for this year's end of season party...;-)
Alex Taylor
New recruit Taylor signed for the Choo Choos in August 2007. More to follow here....
Laura Carbin
New recruit