RUMBLED BY RELENTLESS RICHARD
Thursday 3rd August 2023Leyland & District League Div-3: Eagle Reds 180-158 Vernons BC
v RICHARD FLYNN L 10-21
I already knew Richard as a friend of a very good friend. He started bowling not long before I did and I've seen a little bit of him in action here and there with good reason to think this would likely be a close contest. Even so, clearly I still underestimated the extent of this Penworthamian's capabilities upon his first match at the Eagle.
I didn't get off to the best of starts, taking a good few ends to find my length, but that wasn't to say Richard took the first five or six points on the cheap.
After that early wobble, although not as fluid as Sunday's game, I didn't play too badly really but my opponent was on it from the off and absolutely relentless.
Perhaps a touch of luck here and there over some close points would have pulled our scores a little closer, but basically I needed Richard to lose his way for a few ends to have any chance of getting near. As the game progressed though, a collapse or even just a lapse of any sort looked more and more unlikely. A blip was as good as he offered and on the odd occasion Richard blipped, I blipped too. As each end went by, so my belief began to drain a slow drip.
Excellent lead after excellent lead, failing that, very good corrections with his second wood. Any slack leads from me (sadly guilty of this cardinal sin again) were mopped up effectively. If Richard's consistency wasn't impressive enough, so was his guile and creativity. He was happy to explore the green with varied lengths and pegs rather than settle for repetitive marks to murder me on.
Even when I did send two round pegged beauties towards our smart new 'Town End' bench in the memory of Alan Marginson - who I like to think would have nodded his approval - Richard struck with venom and I had to be grateful he left me a single.
Bowlers often marvel at the small gaps a bowl can find, but the gap Richard's strike bowl zipped through after kicking up off the green at some velocity was most fortunate for our scorer Malcolm Jones. Somehow flying between the slightest of gaps between his legs and not cracking his shins, Malc had willingly mooched in to the line of fire for some reason and yet didn't seem phased at all by the near miss, turning around to retrieve Richard's wood from the undergrowth. It was only in retrospect that I considered the small mercies of fate in that split-second moment.
Back to the game and after hearing 4-10 called, it was 6-15 I think when I finally had two or three ends of minor joy.
Another insufficient lead was sucked up yet again by Richard though, and after another opportunity to claw back further was spurned at 10-18, Richard ran out with three more singles won over very slight margins but, that epitomised how difficult it was to beat his bowls.
Not ideal preparation for President's Day on Sunday I thought at first, but actually, yes. Perfect preparation! I'm really not going to get too much tougher a game than this to be honest. A bold statement when I look at some of the Eagles listed in the draw for the last sixteen. Nevertheless a fair testimony to Richard's game on here tonight. As good as anybody I've faced on home turf.
Even when I did send two round pegged beauties towards our smart new 'Town End' bench in the memory of Alan Marginson - who I like to think would have nodded his approval - Richard struck with venom and I had to be grateful he left me a single.
Bowlers often marvel at the small gaps a bowl can find, but the gap Richard's strike bowl zipped through after kicking up off the green at some velocity was most fortunate for our scorer Malcolm Jones. Somehow flying between the slightest of gaps between his legs and not cracking his shins, Malc had willingly mooched in to the line of fire for some reason and yet didn't seem phased at all by the near miss, turning around to retrieve Richard's wood from the undergrowth. It was only in retrospect that I considered the small mercies of fate in that split-second moment.
Back to the game and after hearing 4-10 called, it was 6-15 I think when I finally had two or three ends of minor joy.
Another insufficient lead was sucked up yet again by Richard though, and after another opportunity to claw back further was spurned at 10-18, Richard ran out with three more singles won over very slight margins but, that epitomised how difficult it was to beat his bowls.
Not ideal preparation for President's Day on Sunday I thought at first, but actually, yes. Perfect preparation! I'm really not going to get too much tougher a game than this to be honest. A bold statement when I look at some of the Eagles listed in the draw for the last sixteen. Nevertheless a fair testimony to Richard's game on here tonight. As good as anybody I've faced on home turf.
Better fortunes overall on the team front, with only our second win of the season for Eagle Reds. Not quite enough to scrape us off the bottom of the table, but enough to give us a fighting chance of doing so before the season's end.
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