CHUCKING GOOD SHOW

25/7/22

Chorley & District League Div-3: Bay Horse 127-137 Eagle & Child 'A'

v KEITH ANDREWS W 21-18

Overdue recent rainfall had stiffened the greens up and with some prolonged showers on the day, topped off with heavy drizzle during the match, the visit to Bay Horse on the Adlington - Heath Charnock border was a chucking fest.

Inside a week, bowls that required a delivery of delicate finesse were now being unceremoniously slung.  

I've heard many players say of wet conditions, "It's not bowls this, it's chuckin' ", or even, "It's not bowls this, it's f*ckin' chuckin'!" 

Compared to dry conditions, that's correct. But there is still a skill to chucking it. The objective of the game is still the same and if your opponent can chuck well, you've got to chuck well too or... you're ch*cked! 

Keith could chuck well as it turned out and I was in for a chuckin' good game. 

Away wins are still scarce, but that's four for the season now overall and by a long way, the best yet. It was a really difficult game and my opponent's lead bowl was more often a challenge to better and if you didn't get close to it, he'd mop up a two. There were quite a few good woods for nowt sent, as they say, but I did manage to break in on Keith's authority of the block occasionally in the early and mid-stages of the match and just enough to avoid letting him get out of my sights at 5-9 and then later 9-13. 

But momentum just started to sway in my favour when I got the right side of a few more close ends and then a couple of uncharacteristic clangers from Keith saw me level up. I kept the pressure on with some very decent woods to go on and lead at 17-14 and felt I might now have a very good chance here. Whilst Keith got his game back together and rallied back to lead 17-18, I felt my game was excelling and that, no matter how the match was to pan out, I'd done alright to come back in to it. 

But with jack in hand I was feeling confident and won the next four ends with solid lead bowls to take the match. Keith came very close to causing disruption of course, but I'd saved the best until last and was really chuffed with myself to win a tough game on a green I'd never even seen before.

It turns out Keith Andrews is a well known BCGBA referee and Deputy President of the sport's governing body, the BCGBA no less. 

He stopped me in the car park afterwards for a quick chat to point out I'd been breaking a rule by stepping forwards a few feet after I'd sent a wood, therefore blocking some of his line of sight. He said he was fine with it, but just thought he'd let me know. Eek. I was in the headmaster's office.  

To be honest I wasn't aware I was doing owt different to any other game and in my defence I blamed the extra force required on a soaked green and cheekily pointed out top players do it all the time, to which he replied stern words to the effect of, "That doesn't make it right and I tell them so". 

He must've known I'm relatively new to the bowling scene, so I couldn't help thinking that in his position near the top of the BCGBA he could also have been a bit more encouraging and also put some positive feedback my way as well.

Not so righteous himself at times, Keith called himself in when it was far from crystal clear on a good few occasions. It was 3-1 in my favour on measures that he claimed weren't warranted... hmmm. 🤔

I was fortunate enough to get my place back in the Eagle team this week due to illness and absence after a holiday break. Following a second consecutive team loss last week, it was back to winning form and holding on to second spot of Division Three, in what still looks like a tasty promotion battle with Farington Tories and Westhoughton.