OFF THE FIRST ROUND MARK AGAIN

Monday 17th March 2024

Longridge Spring Floodlit Singles

1st Round
v MARK IRELAND W 21-9 (off 3-3)

The season got off to an encouraging start and whilst short of practice, the same could be said of my opponent. One thing for sure was the fantastic condition of the green. A credit to Dave Peel and the volunteers who tender it. Competition organiser John Hanson keeps things pretty low key here, but it's a venue fit for bowling Kings and Queens.
Strangely drawn against the same opponent as last Autumn's first round, a combination of playing better and Mark not really playing as well as in our previous meeting made for a fairly straight forward victory and a third successive first round win at Longridge.
A good lead was built up fairly quickly and I was playing with confidence. Moments of particular satisfaction were a couple of ends when perfectly planting bowls to steal when Mark had every right to think he'd scored a very good two.


BROWNED OFF IN THE RAIN
2nd Round
v BOB BROWN L 10-21 (off 3-1)

Light rain started to patter on this impeccable green as my next match got underway. I'm not sure I adapted well as it took a few ends to get my length again, by which time this home bowler opponent had reversed my slight handicap advantage and started to make a comfortable lead for himself.
Bob Brown's perogative (those of a certain age will pardon the pun) was short, round pegged marks trickling off some of this green's most pronounced contours. He played them really well throughout the game, leading with precision, sticking a very good second up there too and simply leaving me and my limited skill set with too much to do.
Unfortunately, despite my new mantra of taking every bowl as it comes, I got lost in the struggle against Bob and I did let a bit of frustration get to me. On the occasions that I got that block in my hand, my lead bowl wasn't tight enough and when it was, I ought to have made a two. One's are no good when you're under the cosh.
It wasn't a total disaster, I wasn't a million miles off in this match and was probably unlucky a few times, should have asked for the long tape at least once when an end appeared very short, but the basic fact was that Bob was too good a bowler and played the green very well indeed.


CLUMSY BUGGER
On the morning prior to the evening's bowling competition, a hour's run over Darwen Moor and Tockholes had it's moments and notably when descending the main track off Darwen Tower towards Sunnyhurst Woods.
After passing a couple of lasses walking, I veered left to regain my line and clipped some loose rock to take a tumble.
One of the girls kindly shouted if I was alright. It got a chuckle when I blurted back to them, "Yeah thanks, just a clumsy bugger. Getting too owd for this lot."
A grazed hip and a few other scratches, fortunately I was fine to carry on running and even more fortunately and remarkably, my favourite Tracksmith Van Cortlandt tee had somehow survived any abrasion. At the time I think I was more concerned about damage to my top than to myself.
A bit sore later on, but fine to play bowls at Longridge.

The following morning though, a quarter of a mile down the road from home and I can't believe it as I come flying off my bike for the first time in a long time. More scratches, more bruises and on bending my thumb backwards on the handlebars, significant swelling to hamper simple tasks for the next few days.
Two crashes in successive days might sound like back luck, but it was good fortune that knees, head and face escaped unscathed and that my bowling thumb wasn't broken. Perhaps it's the universe subtly reminding me that I'm not a Spring chicken anymore.