The projectiles used in the game are known as "cheeses" and are unusually shaped. Each is an oval-ended hardwood log weighing 3 - 4 pounds shaped like a capsule. The strange shape of the cheeses is seen by the beginner as a difficulty to be overcome but seasoned players actually use the eccentric shape to their advantage:- a properly thrown cheese can be made to deliberately break left or right as it bounces and thus achieve angles that would not be possible with a ball. Gill convinced the English manufacturer Jelks to make a version of the game which he called Bar Billiards. Pubs seemed keen to buy tables and other manufacturers soon got in on the act. The first pub league was created in Oxford in 1936 and shortly afterwards leagues sprang up in Reading, Canterbury and High Wycombe. Eventually, a governing body was formed called the All-England Bar Billiards Association which supervises the game across 18 counties, mainly in the South of England. E.O., a relative of Roulette seems to have become rapidly very popular in the 1770s until it was banned by statute around 1782, and it could well be that E.O. is the direct English ancestor of modern Roulette.

A scoreboard is sometimes integrated into the front of the board and can appear in several styles. Quite often, a cribbage board is used. The pins are larger and thinner than the West Country variety, being 13 - 14 inches high, although the shape is similar - thinner at either end than the middle. They are made from oak or other hardwood and often have iron bands at either end for increased strength. One skittle is taller than the others - this is usually achieved by the addition of a round bobble on the top of an ordinary pin. The resulting shape is similar to the 10 Pin Bowling skittle and gives it a 2 inch height advantage. The pins are set about 20 inches apart with the larger "kingpin" usually being positioned at the front of the set of nine. In the even rarer situation where both players have 1 life left and the next turn is worth 2 lives, both lives must be played out before adjusting the score. If it's a life apiece, then play continues to decide the winner.This is a full-size League Standard Bar Skittles game consisting of a beech frame surrounding, a baize-covered base and nine ash skittle pins that have been hand-turned in England. The ball is solid beech and is suspended from an ash pole. There are no standard rules for singles. Masters Games suggests that singles are scored in the same way but the first player to win eleven legs wins the game. Alternatively, two players could play first to one hundred and one. prevents wayward cheeses and pins flying off into other parts of the pub. Most people who've played, A typical game to play would be a series of 5 legs, each of which consists of one turn by each player. The highest score each leg wins the leg and the player who wins the most legs wins the match. To prepare each nine miniature pins are positioned on a small platform within the square game board. In the corner of the board, stands a pole with a ball suspended by a chain from its top. The ball is swung around the pole in such a way that upon its return, it ploughs through nine skittles on a platform. Aside from the equipment and the location on a table top, the rules are pretty much the same as skittles with the maximum theoretical score in one turn being 27 points. As with several pub games, scoring is often performed on a cribbage board.

In this Skittles game, popular in the East Midlands, the Alley measures 33 - 36 feet long and 6 feet wide. The Alley is in two parts, though - the first 25 feet or so from the bowlers mark can be cobbles or any other rough ground because the ball or cheese never strikes this surface. The remainder of the alley should be flat and smooth - materials might be hardwood or slate. Behind the skittles, walls and possibly a trough may exist to prevent the skittles straying too far. The final piece of evidence discovered so far is from the famous book by Joseph Strutt - "Sports and A game of great skill for pubs and pub leagues or straight-forward, brilliant fun at home for all ages. table about 8 feet away. It is extremely popular Northamptonshire and well known in Leicestershire, There do not appear to be any standards to Bar Billiards rules and at least one other variation is in wide circulation that utilises 4 skittles instead of 3.

The first player throws 'bad-handed' (right-handed players play left-handed and vice-versa) to set a score to be aimed at. The second player must beat that score or lose a life. Each subsequent player must beat the previous player's score or lose a life. In the rare example where a two-life turn produces two draws, house rules apply but it is suggested that the next turn simply carries on in the standard two-life fashion.