Victory can be bittersweet as a skittles contingent from Ross-on-Wye know only too well.

Once again Deano’s Number Ones have won another major skittles trophy, dedicating their victory as always to a much missed team mate. Dean Wright died from cancer seven years ago, aged just 36. The team promptly changed their name from The Royals in his honour.

Deano’s Number One A and B teams were competing at a major national tournament in Weston-super-Mare, where the B team beat 35 other teams who had travelled from Wales, Somerset, Wiltshire, Bristol, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and the Midlands.

The teams, who play out of the Golf Sports Bar in Ross, have been competing in the Serious About Events series of skittles tournaments for the past 22 years. As always they send two teams A and B, and between them, they have won three out of four tournaments in the past five years.

Team organiser, Sid Wright said that each victory feels as though Deano is watching them.

“We never send the same teams twice, picking names out of the hat to mix it up a bit each year,” he said.?“This year was a classic example of everything going right on the day.”

In the group stages, captain Jaime’s team were clocking up 390 pins on average in the group stages but in the finals it all came good with a score of 429, five points clear of their nearest rivals, Highway to Hell on 424. The team promptly donated their prize winnings to Cancer Research UK.

The teams have been competing every year except one in the past 22 years. They won the very first tournament they entered but only found their winning form again when the team changed its name in honour of Deano.

The competition is part of the Serious About Events annual series of tournaments of around 20, drawing teams from all over the UK. They also stage the annual British Skittles Championships.