Publican Nigel Miller is hoping to create a boules league in Malmesbury to match the interest in the game at neighbouring village Sherston.

Mr Miller has an underused eight lane boules piste with floodlighting at his pub, the Red Bull Inn on Bristol Road, and wants to start a league.

With the Sherston Boules Festival a regular crowd puller down the road and regular league matches taking place at the Rattlebone Inn, Mr Miller hopes to create a similar following.

He said: “We’ve had the piste for seven years but it’s hidden round the back and no one knows it’s there.

“Sherston has got some well established teams and a league but Malmesbury, which is bigger, doesn’t have anything like that.

“We’ve got some floodlights now thanks to help from the Chamber of Commerce so we can play well into the evening.

“We’re hoping to get a league set up by May, which is the start of the season. Eventually I’d like us to be able to play teams from Sherston and further afield.”

The piste is used once or twice a week by players from the Cotswold League but the rest of the time it is generally left empty.

Boules veteran Dave Ashford, who lives in Malmesbury, is co-ordinating the new league and prospective players can either sign up individually or enter as a team of two.

Mr Miller said the game has strong roots in the area and its popularity was growing.

He said: “It’s an up and coming game, I know of two or three other pubs who have shown a real interest in getting pistes.

“It will take some time to build up a following like they have in Sherston but I believe there is enough interest in Malmesbury to get something up and running.”

For more information visit www.theredbull.org and to sign up to play in the new league call the pub on (01666) 822108.