Thursday 23rd May 2024
LEYLAND & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-3: Ashton BC 207-158 Eagle Redsv PETER DYSON L 20-21
Heavy rain all day yesterday, some showers today and drizzle during play made for a fair old chuck on Ashton Bowling Club's splendid big grassy green.
Heavy greens certainly suit the long game home players at this level and Peter was exceptional all evening with it to be fair. Lose the block against this chap tonight and it required a fair old sling of a bloody good bowl to get it back.
My comparatively shorter and simpler game was also executed quite well though and so this made for a quite a game.
I started well, put some good ones up and had to clench my bum a few times when Peter came in to steal, but probably went five or six up before sending two that weren't tight enough and gave my opponent a chance to do what he wanted to do.
Off we went, whizzing up and down the longer length of the green on tightish round pegs and I was sending stuff that wasn't bad, saving a few times, but Peter was getting really close from some distance.
I've learned you just have to ride the storm in these situations, keep sticking them up there until something goes your way and eventually he left me a yard to fill in and I did so with a much needed two. Until then, it felt like that early lead had been significantly munched at and possibly now reversed to his advantage.
I was playing fine though, it's one of those things. It's another different green and different conditions, bowls were rearing up quicker and I felt somehow that wasn't to my advantage against this chap on his home turf.
Eventually a better spell came my way again and I began to win more ends than I was losing. It was still a surprise to hear I'd gone 16-15 up though when I finally got a shot at playing widthways over the top of the crown. I'd been wanting to get there all match, it's becoming a favourite mark of mine on away greens. My lead bowls were really starting to sharpen up. If I put two good ones up, Peter would knock one out, but I continued in charge of the block with four more singles to go all-but.
At this point, Peter, who seemed to be a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character throughout the contest, was having a big moan to someone at the side of the green behind us. I don't think it put me off as such, but maybe it was a slight distraction as I sent the jack further than intended and near the green's edge (Under the gaze of Harry Glynn, who, as recently mentioned takes a dim view of playing to the borders when all-but!)
I wanted the ground to eat me up. I made amends with a very reasonable lead bowl just a foot and a half off the target though, but my second one - wide and overshot in to the gutter - was unforgivable. Even something short would've done to block or be of some nuisance value. It was a very poor bowl at a critical moment.
Sure enough Peter stole in with his second delivery, a great shot to save the game. Off we popped again on long marks. Firstly in to a corner where his second bowl won by a tight measure. Then we are up and down the long roadside end on round pegs and after more combinations of Peter's accuracy and a few unfortunate moments for me, see my lead shrunk back to 20-19. At this point, my first bowl beats his. Surely I've got him now?
Unbelievably, Peter throws a better second and knocks the jack up closer to his first for two. I didn't quite get there, again perhaps the wrong shot choice, turning over and hitting something might have saved the game but I lost it on that critical end a little earlier really.
I think generally I was a shade unlucky at times in this match, but I ground myself back in to a very good winning position again, only for a bit of tactical numptyism to allow my opponent back in.
The second time in four nights I've lost 20-21 from a decent match winning position away from home. But, having played some good stuff to get myself there in the first place.
Playing well against good players - but not quite getting over the finish line - it's frustrating just now, but it's a kind of frustration I can deal with. I'm playing better than I ever have and even though results aren't quite going my way, I believe they can start to.
I can still get better. There's still plenty of my game to tidy up.
Captain Harry, after putting my tactical errors to rights (and letting me know he beat my Monday opponent Pedro to four once, on the sadly now built upon Railway green at Lostock Hall) once again said, "Don't worry about it."
So I won't. I'll keep on keeping on, learn from the detail and hopefully start converting these tough games in to some wins.
*There had to be a Dyson technology pun in there somewhere, even if that heading is rather coarsely concocted.
Before the match, Terry Grayston, our team's only winner on the night, said he's got my scorecard (who else?) and that on paper, my opponent looks like a sucker for a game of bowls. I said I'll mop up as many chalks as I can for the team.
Hoover hell do we think we are? 😝
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