GETTING A GRIP

13/6/22
Chorley & District League Div-3: Eagle & Child 'A' 165-127 Westhoughton
v GRAHAM HURST W 21-11

Our green at the Eagle & Child had become a different animal over the space of a few days. The beginnings of a dry spell of weather, a session with machinery known as a verticutter, followed by some harder mowing than of late and there's a recipe for fast and tricky
I was brought back down to earth in a Sunday afternoon practice game with my original sparring partner Jimmy Sloan. Jimmy can handle it running fast and played very well. I was inconsistent and never got in it, eventually on the wrong end of a 13-21 scoreline.
Old worries about fast greens came back to haunt me, but all I could do was get on there again as soon as possible and face these lingering demons.
I managed to squeeze in a practice session the following afternoon. I had to try something different to restore some faith and confidence that I could cope with a running green ahead of another home league fixture that evening.
I've been here before last year with all this, but didn't quite crack it. Now, with a little more wisdom, I came away from my own rehab session feeling I'd learned something. Just a small adjustment to my grip was making a very big difference.
Yes!! I think I finally get it now when the green is running quick!?... Well, proof would be in the pudding later on when Westhoughton came to town.
Still unbeaten this season, our team lead the table and hosted the second placed outfit with a chance to make more daylight up there.
During pre-match practice it was clear that the findings of my earlier session were no flash in the pan, so I went in to the game feeling quite positive.
I found my length straight away and it was my opponent having trouble with the speed of the green as I went 9-0 up after five ends. Graham can play though and finally got a feel for it with a tidy run of bowling to come back at 9-6.
Not long ago this would have got me hot under the collar, but not these days. I knew I could land one even better than his soon enough and from there I gradually managed to re-establish that initial advantage. Graham played some good stuff at times, but I was pretty solid given the fast conditions and played better than perhaps I needed to and helped the team to a convincing win on the night, stretching our lead at the top to thirteen points.