A PROPER GAME, LAD

16/5/22
Chorley & District League Div-3: Hesketh Bank 136-146 Eagle & Child 'A'
v ANDREW LUND L 15-21

This game of crown green bowls can play with your emotions. Descending back down to earth from a winning streak, I was feeling very ordinary about my bowling again and was sucking up the hard lessons taught in the last two games. I had also come to accept that perhaps I'd hit a plateau for the time being.
Then I go and play some of my best bowls yet.
I am well informed that Andrew Lund is a very good player, so to give him a very good game on his own patch is undoubtedly a feather in my cap, despite losing the match.
It can be horses for courses a bit in this game, and whilst struggling on the currently rougher surfaces at New Longton and Lea lately, I seemed to take to the beautiful green at Hesketh Bank immediately.
The first end epitomised the rest of the game really as my two well planted deliveries would normally win an end, but Andrew knocked himself in brilliantly.
Tight exchanges continued until contentious goings-on briefly brought the match to a halt. Our scorers had a difference of opinion: I'm 9-7 in the Eagle corner and it's 8-8 on their card.
Our scorer Michelle Anderton was adamant I was 9-7 up and I absolutely believed her. "I didn't take my eyes off that game, John", Shell assured me later, and added that the other chap was seen chatting away at times.
But we had to get on with it and given that I didn't actually feel as though I was ahead, I said let's just carry on from eight-across and wipe the slate clean. Maybe I diddled myself out of points? Maybe Shell thought I was wet behind the ears and too lenient? But I was happier in myself to be the martyr somewhat and sportingly take the hit.
I found out later that the rulebook states starting again from where both scorecards last corresponded, if no agreement is reached. Maybe I was a little bit too agreeable then, but it's another learning curve.
After our restart, Andrew got five or six ahead after I rolled a combination of a slack end or two and a bit of hard luck. The score saga hadn't affected me though it must be said. I hit a blip and you just don't get away with poor bowls against this chap. I didn't know it at the time, but that's effectively where I lost this match as my opponent just about maintained that margin to the end. But it was a slow burn of many closely contested ends with some great bowling from both of us at times.
Another plus to take from this match was dealing with Andrew's left-handedness and whilst I've still to get one over on a lefty, I seem to have found a way of understanding them at last!
Over at Hesketh Bank (or 'Ecky Bonk' as it's colloquially known) I've noticed Ecky Bonkers have a habit of calling you "lad" at least once every sentence. It's incessant. But to hear Andrew say afterwards, "That was a proper game, lad" was a real compliment actually and one doesn't get many in this game so I'll take it and absorb it, thanks!
I think I showed tonight that the potential could be there to score better against very good and experienced players. But I'm way short yet of doing so on a consistent basis.

I suppose this is all part of the journey. Still in a relatively early process of continuing to improve and learn, it's impossible to be consistent at the same time, as much as I would like to be. 
The Eagle team clocked up enough wins and points on the night to take a good away win and we now sit pretty at the top of the table three games in.