he reversed quickly, skittling a rubbish bin (skittling) - skittles is a backyard version of ten pin bowling. Smaller pins, smaller ball, used mostly by kids.

Wrong way round, Helen. Ten-pin bowling is a tarted-up version of skittles for lazy people who can't walk the length of the alley to re-set the pins. Skittles is not a game aimed at kids - in Gloucestershire and Somerset it's played in leagues by deadly serious adults. Most country pubs have, or used to have, a skittle alley.