PLEASED AND PISSED OFF IN EQUAL MEASURE!
Wednesday 9th August 2023
AUTUMN WATERLOO TROPHY
1st Qualifying Round
v DAN PETCHER (Derby) L 14-21 (Off 5-5)
Another trip to Fleetwood and once again, niggling doubts about what I'm doing here and why I'm doing it.
Absolutely doubtless I was the only one of those thirty-two players present that day who felt so uncomfortable about their own presence.
What's gone wrong? I've come here before, even got through a round last year and then played quite well in this season's Spring Waterloo against the competition holder for crying out loud.
What's gone wrong? I've come here before, even got through a round last year and then played quite well in this season's Spring Waterloo against the competition holder for crying out loud.
It would seem the strong mentality and drive is not as strong as it was. These thoughts on the way to my latest visit to the new Waterloo qualifiers suggested that a confidence crisis is ongoing at the moment.
This season has been indifferent, I've had some tough and tight matches but lost more than I've won and maybe lost that ability to believe hard enough and push myself over the line like I did last year. I seem to get my knickers in a twist too easily.
Of course there's no pressure on me at all in situations like this, when it's a singles competition and I'm a totally inept rank outsider. It's all about absorbing the experience. But I wasn't feeling comfortable in my own shell somehow.
Of course there's no pressure on me at all in situations like this, when it's a singles competition and I'm a totally inept rank outsider. It's all about absorbing the experience. But I wasn't feeling comfortable in my own shell somehow.
I arrived expecting very little and my when seeing the draw, realised I was to face a top quality player here yet again. Having heard of my opponent and seen Dan's name at the business end of many a scoresheet posted on bowling social media, finalist in the Sandal Classic most recently I remembered... I knew I could be in for a brief and very rough ride.
So relaxed was I though, starting the game extremely well. After winning the toss, I took two's from the first two ends and they weren't shoddy. I then went five ahead before a slack lead let me down. But I broke Dan straight away again with a cracking long round pegger that I was very chuffed with I have to say and the proverbial nosebleed was streaming with a lead of 11-6. But Dan got back in and started to show his class. Shortish round pegs off the crown and wrapping two around the jack which started to get me a bit hot under the collar. One or two game efforts to break him were unlucky and I did produce two or three more very good woods to stifle his domination and on this note I had to be fairly pleased with myself. Later I discover Dan Petcher is currently ranked number eleven this year in all competitions. Unfortunately though, when it went wrong it went wrong. I sent at least half a dozen absolutely chronic shots that I would have deemed unacceptable when just practicing on my own, so to make a dick of myself in this arena was mortifying.
So relaxed was I though, starting the game extremely well. After winning the toss, I took two's from the first two ends and they weren't shoddy. I then went five ahead before a slack lead let me down. But I broke Dan straight away again with a cracking long round pegger that I was very chuffed with I have to say and the proverbial nosebleed was streaming with a lead of 11-6. But Dan got back in and started to show his class. Shortish round pegs off the crown and wrapping two around the jack which started to get me a bit hot under the collar. One or two game efforts to break him were unlucky and I did produce two or three more very good woods to stifle his domination and on this note I had to be fairly pleased with myself. Later I discover Dan Petcher is currently ranked number eleven this year in all competitions. Unfortunately though, when it went wrong it went wrong. I sent at least half a dozen absolutely chronic shots that I would have deemed unacceptable when just practicing on my own, so to make a dick of myself in this arena was mortifying.
A real opportunity was spurned when getting the block back, with a simple enough straight peg in to the clubhouse corner. My lead was good weight but utterly wide, when unbelievably Dan rolls his first one off the green. Still reeling from that crap lead, I then went absolutely ridiculously short and wanted the ground to swallow me up. Sadly it was along those lines I conceded the final end. Dan once again putting two quality ones up, with my first narrow and second one even narrower... and frigging short too! I'd tensed up, lost my bottle and the way I started the game to how I finished it felt like a different day, never mind the same match.
Much credit to my opponent though who was clearly an excellent player. Dan got through the next two rounds to qualify for finals day. That said, in some ways I hadn't disgraced myself at all. But some of the clangers I sent really were a disgrace and seemingly still haunt me a few days later when compiling this report. I can't help but be pissed off about that.
Physically, technically, I'm bloody sure I can play this damn game. Mentally though, flawed it would seem. Concentration breaks too easily and belief has now been compromised. For all my efforts to keep a level head, maintaining the right mentality during a game still remains the biggest barrier to break no matter who or where I play.
All that said, there was only one thing for it and a good job I took some running gear to clear my head. A four and a half miler on Fleetwood front. The flattest and paciest run I've done for a while, in a stuffy 72° Fahrenheit. Knackered, but felt a lot better for it.
Much credit to my opponent though who was clearly an excellent player. Dan got through the next two rounds to qualify for finals day. That said, in some ways I hadn't disgraced myself at all. But some of the clangers I sent really were a disgrace and seemingly still haunt me a few days later when compiling this report. I can't help but be pissed off about that.
Physically, technically, I'm bloody sure I can play this damn game. Mentally though, flawed it would seem. Concentration breaks too easily and belief has now been compromised. For all my efforts to keep a level head, maintaining the right mentality during a game still remains the biggest barrier to break no matter who or where I play.
All that said, there was only one thing for it and a good job I took some running gear to clear my head. A four and a half miler on Fleetwood front. The flattest and paciest run I've done for a while, in a stuffy 72° Fahrenheit. Knackered, but felt a lot better for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment