A SCORE OF SEVEN WAS FLATTERY

Friday 25th August 2023
FARINGTON OPEN SINGLES
1st Qualifying Round
At Farington Cons
v GAVIN PARKER (Heysham) L 7-21

There's no pretence that even a sniff of a chance against Gavin Parker was anything but improbable, but could I have played better? Definitely.
Everything flowed the previous night at Penwortham in the league, whereas too many mistakes were dropped against a chap of this calibre and right from two short woods on the very first end.
Practice went well, I was finding a length and was ready to get on with it, so the wait until sixth match on probably didn't help. Momentum compromised, after a second full day at work followed by a tight bowling window by night, the yawns set in and basically I was getting ready to crash for an hour or two than pick myself up to play bowls.
Now that's not to say I would have got much nearer to my opponent by any means, but I might have started better. I might have made a better account of myself. 
Leading off from winning the toss, lousy short woods presented an easy two for Gavin and an indicator that he might be in for a straight forward route to round two.
Six down before I got a score in, Gavin was finding very good length and I remember looking across at the scoreboard reading 2-11 and wincing a bit because although obviously outclassed, generally I just wasn't putting up woods good enough to have any remote chance of stopping the rot.
Gavin was a very good player and had a like for playing long to the edges of the green with almost unbeatable leads and when he did leave daylight and a chance to break, I didn't make it pay.
Even when I got the odd good shot in to score, my lead bowls were poor and I was a bit disappointed with myself. Against players well above my grade, if not even playing to my own standard, confidence leaks like a burst main. I forget the basics, everything goes wrong and somehow feels unnatural. This IS of course, experience!
I'd just won two consecutive ends for the first time in the match at 7-19, then a loss of concentration and I send the jack off. What a plonker.
Gavin sends a tricky round peg just over the crown and although my opponent's efforts weren't his best of the evening, I firstly went too narrow and then shot through too far. Game over, with Gavin then also progressing through the next round to make finals night.
The only positive to take from the match was the fact I know I can play a lot better than that on my day. In fact I did so only twenty-four hours earlier. Funny old game.

NEGATIVE ROGER, OVER AND OUT
Entering a few competitions as I have and with the intent to continue to do so, it's obvious that this is not deemed as normal behaviour from a bowler with only a hundred and odd games and three seasons under their belt.
But that's been my intention from the off, to put my head on the chopping block and broaden my crown green experiences.
I'm convinced this can only help make me a better player in the longer term. If it doesn't, nowt lost in trying. I'm not arsed about getting stuffed along the way, that's par for the course. I mean there have been some moments when I've wanted the ground to suck me up after sending terribly shite woods in an environment where that doesn't really happen (this night included) but it's about dealing with that discomfort, sucking it up and trying to do that little bit better next time. On the whole, I still find having a pop at competitions quite exciting so why wouldn't I carry on?
This black sheep mentality isn't quite understood though.
For example, with Roger Iddon, a member of three local clubs no less. I was acquainted with Roger well before I started bowling and he would never wish to insult me face to face, but Roger's most unusual silence said everything when he realised I was playing here. I wasn't exactly sunk by that, but it's not particularly encouraging either. I think there are a fair few Roger's out there who think I'm off my rocker. It's a strange game in which committing yourself well outside your comfort zone is dismissed by some, rather than condoned or even respected to a certain degree.

Here I am, giving it a go at the Farington Cons green having played less than half a dozen games on there. Roger's played on that green in teams for a good few years now and should I not be equally speechless as to why he doesn't enter himself? 

Not just Roger, but many more regular league bowlers should be supporting local competitions in my opinion, if only to help keep them going. I don't get it. 
Most likely it's the fear of getting a spanking like I got, or 'wasting' (rather than seeing it as a small investment in the game) an entry fee for a contest you're not going to win. But the way I see it is nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I think I'm getting a bit too bothered about what sideline folk think actually, because ultimately it doesn't matter. Especially if it's of a negative outlook. 

My clubmate Harry Derbyshire wasn't afraid to have a go though and his recent fine form continued, giving seasoned competition bowler Mick Prescott a real scare, leading throughout most of the match and 16-12 until a couple of stray woods let his opponent back in with Harry gallantly going down 17-21 in a very tight tussle.