Let battle commence

I'm not sure quite whose idea it was but the Blue Coach threw down the challenge of a clergy vs. laity skittles match. The original venue was Manger Square in Bethlehem, but somehow the match never transpired.

Our sidetrip to Ramallah offered neither time nor obvious location. But by the time we reached Ashkelon, there were no more excuses.

To be fair, the huge, shiny floored lobby of the Holiday Inn offered too good a surface to ignore. The ever-resourceful Debbie came up with the necessary equipment (water bottles and apples left over from lunch) and the teams were recruited. A number of clergy who'd previously been in hiding emerged into the daylight and stood up to be counted.

There are still some who maintain that the clergy didn't play fair. Certainly their naturally competitive streak came into play. Rumour had it that the Bishop was the one who fought dirtiest. But they certainly won hands down. Rematch, anyone?