ANOTHER DEFEAT THAT DEFINES PROGRESS

Monday 20th May 2024

CHORLEY & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-2: Brownedge Blue 158-113 Eagle & Child 'A'

v PEDRO YATES L 20-21

Another new green to tick off at Brownedge, but a familiar opponent.
Seeing he was on their team when practicing, I did think to myself, "Oh bollocks. I bet I get him tonight." 
Sure enough I hear, "You're straight on Johnny Boy. Harry's got your card... you're playing... Pedro." I knew it.
Having twice faced Mr Yates in local singles competitions and handing him a straight forward route to round two on both occasions, this was a chance to at least try and give the mon a decent game.
I started the game very well, trying to keep things fairly simple but putting up tight woods, some perfect leads and some well recovered second bowls jetted me off in to a lead of 10-2.
Without my game dipping much though, Pedro got his game together and had a very good spell himself with the block to come back strongly and nudge in to an 11-12 lead.
I managed to slow his progress at least and neither of us seemed to keep hold of the jack for long, but at 16-18 it was looking as if my opponent was the one sneaking towards the finish line first.
The game took a twist again though when I took advantage of enough room to take two and then won the next end with a good lead to regain an advantage at 19-18.
Here was my first opportunity to take the match, having led sweetly over a mark I enjoyed playing over the crown away from the clubhouse, I just had to send another behind it and whilst on the road again, annoyingly I fell short. I rushed it. Maybe I got cocky, I don't know.
Still one though and now all-but, straight pegging in to the far clubhouse corner was available and had also brought some earlier joy and seen Pedro go a little wayward. At the point of back-lifting the jack I get called to stop as long tapes are out on the match playing across us. Just as I was in the flow again.
At least the interruption was justified - the mark measuring less than the minimum nineteen metres - but where did my head go during that minute's wait?
I then don't send the jack as far as intended, overcook my first bowl and inexcusably miss the road on my second, drifting away to the left and leaving an easy two for a player of Pedro's calibre.
Down to the last end now and the home bowler throws hard to the opposite corner where we hadn't been during the whole match. His first bowl tidy enough to give me something to do to beat. Sadly, I didn't make it. Just not quite tight enough on my land and lacking a touch more weight. I needed a third go at it, but you only get two. I felt I'd chucked the game away but remained in good spirits. Pre-match ambition achieved of giving this chap a game.
Pedro is a man of very few words, but when shaking hands he tells me the green isn't running and pegging like it should be. I don't know if that was a slant on why perhaps he didn't play as well as he thought he should - thus why it was such a close game - I guess I felt the same about the Eagle green against Maurice Jackson last Thursday. But I won't let my own effort be devalued, it was my first visit there on one of his home greens and at times I played really well on it.
To come away knowing I could (and to think I should) have won that game is a sure sign I've raised the bar recently.
Not a good night overall for our team with only Harry Derbyshire taking a win. I had the pleasure of marking Harry's card. 

He's back and playing very well, making fairly easy work against a good young player in Nathan Hargreaves. Harry beat the biggest legend of them all in crown green, Brian Duncan, on here a few years ago in the veterans league and used a similar mark on the green tonight with equal precision to at least salvage us a point.