BENCHMARK WIN

8/6/22
Eagle Members League Div-1
v AARON HAYHURST W 21-18 (Off 3-3)

It would be self-effacing not to acredit myself the acknowledgement of playing absolutely out of my bloody skin in this latest Members League encounter.
The smidgen of match sharpness lacking two nights previous returned fivefold as I scored a most unlikely and yet fantastic win against Aaron Hayhurst, the brilliant young player who just happens to live next door.
I'd never played as well for a full match, but this was realisation of the flighty belief I could get there.
Pre-match billing was entitled 'Battle of the Neighbours' by Members League chief Steve Wilson, although for me, the 'battle' was simply to try and squeeze out a reasonable score in to the teens perhaps and not to let the young maestro murder me by taking an unassailable early lead.
I've had the privilege of playing a good few practice matches with Aaron and quite often found myself trailing ten or more points behind without really bowling anything particularly badly.
Did I believe I could beat him? In the far back of my mind I refused to accept the idea as impossible, but realistically my thoughts were concentrated on just playing as well as I can and seeing how close I could get. In one of our last practice games back in Spring, I got as close as I ever had when holding two match winners, only for Aaron to knock himself in with sublime intervention. I played very well in that game, so I thought if I can somehow hit that level again then it should avert a tonking at least.
Sticking to pre-members league match form, I went for a pre-match run to enhance competitive drive and stabilise the chemicals of the brain. (Only runners would understand)
Aaron won a sketchy first end, but from then on, the bowling was tight and on hearing the score sounded at seven-across, I had achieved my initial aim of staying in touch and avoiding an early Aaron avalanche.
I was playing very well and to be quite honest was wondering just how long it could last. But I was about to continue on a streak of consistently good bowling like I'd never rolled before.
I built up a scoring run when pegging in front of the visitor's end, putting close leads in as my opponent surprisingly had a wobbly patch and just wasn't getting accurate length at times. I think I pushed up my score to about thirteen before what I considered my first and maybe only tactical error, which was to break this winning cycle by sending the jack much higher up in to the crown. Aaron mopped up a perfect double and I was fearing the oncoming onslaught... until winning the next end... and it was at that point when I really started to believe I might be playing well enough for a chance to win.
I heard I was 14-8 up around this point and Aaron began stretching out to the extreme corners of the green when he got the chance, but I did well to mainly limit him to singles and even pinched in to win a couple of these long chucks. Notably near the entrance corner when I was two down and landed a toucher. That shot was ridiculous and I couldn't quite believe it really. I was glowing inside which made for a wonderfully weird state of calm and confidence that seemed to act as an aneasthetic to the tension that was mounting up.
Aaron snipped away at my lead as expected, but I was still managing to butt in and break up his momentum, whilst at the same time edging closer to the finish line myself.
There might have seemed some audacity at one point when I took him on one of his own favourite marks, but that was just the confidence that I was feeling. I like that mark too, so why not? After three more points off two successful ends there, he pipped me on the third. It proved worth the risk though.
There was understandably a fuzzy recollection of things from here on, until I remember leading 19-18 with Aaron holding possibly two on a mark over the middle of the crown that I'm not always comfortable with. But I stole in with a perfect second bowl that bloody well had to be perfect. Thinking back, I can't believe I played that shot in those circumstances!
As it had been for a good few ends, only Aaron and I remained on the green with quite a few other members staying on to see this match out. As such, from the back middle of the green I had full range of the Eagle & Child turf with jack in hand for the match.
It seemed most sensible to head over to the end of the green where I had earlier built an improbable lead, with a round thumb peg towards the end of the visitors stand. My lead bowl was two yards short but I didn't beat myself up. Aaron then takes a much wider road and his bowl was on it's way until unexpectedly running out of steam. I give my next one a bit more and this time I get there, just inches behind the jack. I walk over and in my periphery I can see Aaron turns over with a bit of pace but was maybe eight inches adrift of disruption and I have to pinch myself. The result and how I played has still not entirely sunk in even a few days later.
This match stands out as a real benchmark for the future. Belief that I can reach another level, but with a further ambition of trying to achieve that level consistently.
I don't think Aaron was 100% on his game at times, but the important thing against good players like this who give little away is to make it count when they do because their blips don't last long. I ticked that box for sure, but overall I didn't do too much wrong really.
Aaron was understandably unhappy, which wasn't pleasant to see as he made a speedy exit. He later explained he'd got a bit caught up in the moment with his extremely competitive nature. In that respect, we can be two peas in a pod.

The win maintains fourth spot for now, with fifth placed Harry Derbyshire on next week's card.