HIGHWAYMEN enjoyed glory at the Blackthorn British Championships, winning the plate competition.

They had battled through the qualifying rounds to be the only representative of Worcester at the grand finals in Weston-super-Mare.

As newcomers, they had no idea what to expect and were drawn against three-time qualifiers Bath City.

Highwaymen struggled initially to come to grips with the new alleys.

But being 16 pins down after the first leg did not dampen their spirits and they claimed back six pins in the second leg.

A further eight pins followed in the third and although Bath responded with 81, Highwaymen clung in with 79.

Into the final leg, the Worcester side trailed by just four pins but a 14 spare by City's anchorman set them a target of 76.

Highwaymen started well with a 15 and 16 spare from the first three players but the final two players only managed six apiece.

They won the leg by just two pins but were three short of the total needed.

So Highwaymen proceeded to the plate where they defeated Crown Inn, of Axebridge, by 12 pins to start with.

A shock result saw them knock out top seeds Championship Mowers, of Wellington, by nine pins.

Highwaymen then stormed over Weymouth's Motley Crew in the final by 20 pins, earning them the title of men's plate winners.