LADY LUCK PAYS BACK IN FULL WHEN I DIDN'T NEED IT

Thursday 27th June 2024

LEYLAND & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-3:

Eagle Reds 158-184 Bretherton 'A'
v JACK TAYLOR W 21-5

A bit of surface water from a few heavy showers bounced on to a dry green and made bowling a push during practice, but by the time young Jack and I came on last match, the moisture had soaked in and the green was running again. 
By his own admission, Jack wasn't adjusting well and whilst it took a few ends to settle myself, a lead quickly built up against the young Brethertonian. I was playing fairly solidly, but sometimes my second counter wasn't always good enough really and yet still made the cut.
On a few occasions Jack was unlucky not to hit something and make a difference. When I did land two poor short ones, unbelievably Jack managed to knock me up when trying to get past for two. I couldn't help but sympathise with him, I didn't deserve owt at all for those two very lazy woods. 

It was like all the close shaves of bad fortune I've had in the last two matches were paid back in full by Lady Luck when installments would have been a more beneficial return.
Jack needed a break of luck more than I did. I didn't give him the opportunity to get going really. By the time he started showing more of what he's capable of, I was approaching the finishing line and at all-but it must be said that the last end would have graced any match, anywhere.
In front of the visitors end, Jack led out on a swinging round peg in to the corner and sent a great lead bowl, but I nipped in to reply with a front toucher. Jack then plays an incredible bowl, tapping mine up slightly to release the jack and his bowl trickles on around the back to count. 
The jack was just about in view though now and so I turned over peg and landed another toucher. It was a cracking end. 
Bretherton have another young lad, Sam Minshull in this team and both Sam and Jack are nice lads, keen bowlers and I hope to see them develop in to very good players over the coming years. The game needs lads (and lasses) like these, and more of them.
It wasn't a good result for Eagle Reds on the night though. Some close games, but only three winners to Bretherton's seven sees our opponents pass us in the table and we slump back to second from bottom despite a promising first half of the season. 

DENNIS WAS A MENACE

Monday 24th June 2024

CHORLEY & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-2:

Eagle & Child 'A' 132-155 Black Horse
v DENNIS NORRIS L 16-21

It soon became clear my opponent Dennis was going to be tough nut to crack and the last thing you need when up against a better player is bad fortune.
Knocking the jack up to him twice in the first three ends was just the sort of generosity he didn't need.
That said, I had a good spell to come back and lead 7-5 but inconsistency let me down this evening. My lead bowls switched from devine to dreadful and I just couldn't keep the block for more than an end.
Dennis punished even the slightest mistakes and kept nudging further ahead as we went in to double figures. Another couple of unfortunate clips of the jack went against me too.
At 14-20 I played a brilliant end to take two and give myself a fighting chance, but then sent a terrible lead next end. Dennis sends a good lengthed bowl difficult to beat. I'm on the perfect road but frustratingly short and it's a third home defeat in four Chorley league matches at the Eagle. A fortress no longer. 
I played very well in parts against the Black Horse man, but it required more than that to get this chap on the back foot. He adapted very well to our still changeable green conditions. A bit of homework afterwards reveals Dennis, nice chap as well as a good bowler, doesn't lose many in any of the leagues he plays in.

It was a good show all round from the visitors, a good side who won five from eight to sit level on points with league leaders Bretherton. 

BURNT IN BURNLEY

Sunday 23rd June 2024

TERRY MAGUIRE DOUBLES

At St Andrews Bowling Club, Burnley
First Round
Paired with AARON HAYHURST
v DEAN BUTLER & LEE LONGSANDS L 6-21 (off 3-3)

Perhaps the less said the better about a late invitation to join Aaron in a doubles competition at Burnley. We can do nowt but try and take something from the experience.
Neither of us played well and we didn't get a chance against this strong East Lancs pairing who clearly knew the green well enough.
Lee Longsands, recent winner of the Hugh Hornby Merit, knocked us out from the back if we did get in and Dean Butler led well and consistently from the front.
Winning the toss, with tails on a one pound coin that rolled on it's side and threatened to stay upright (that's how lush the green was) I trickled the jack in to the ditch straight away and that start epitomised the rest of the match for us.
We did limit our opponents to singles on the first four ends, but our resistance popped when conceding a four on end five and the curtains started to draw on us.
I was out of my depth here, straight in to the firepit on this green with no practice whilst Aaron just didn't perform to his usual standards and we were probably the easiest first round pickings from a stacked field of Lancashire and Yorkshire bowlers.
What a cracking green and set up though. I can only hope I get a crack at playing here again one day. 

A LONG NIGHT IN THE VERNONS DEN

Thursday 20th June 2024

LEYLAND & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-3

Vernons BC 206-154 Eagle Reds

v BRIAN PROCTOR L 15-21

I'd already had a long day in more ways than one, but it was also the Summer solstice. The longest day is the very best evening to be last match on at Vernons whilst their floodlights await a repair job one day.
I had a good idea I would be facing the very experienced Brian again here and sure enough that was the case. I knew what to expect and began the match playing very well indeed, picking up some well placed twos and Brian having to produce great woods and one imparticularly incredible bowl to keep my score down.
Slowly though, after a couple of ends where I could have led better, Brian had a decent run although I limited him to singles, even when he was stretching me out long distances. It was developing in to a good game. Brian just about in charge of momentum, I had a few ends cross with myself at rolling short, but I'd evened the score back at 12-12.
The next end was one I won't forget for two unbelievable reasons. Firstly, I picked up the wrong wood as Brian approached after sending his second. I've no idea why I did that, it really had been a long day, it was just a silly mistake.
It was on a shortish mark and the first three bowls weren't great, you could see what was happening from the mat pretty clearly and a Vernons teammate had also indicated to Brian he was one down.
It didn't need to be a toucher to win it, an easy bowl for Brian and he was well on his way to walking across before I stupidly picked up that second counter.

"Oh flippin' 'eck Brian, I'm sorry I picked the wrong one up".
I was expecting something along the lines of a wry smile and, "Aye go on, I'll let you off... this time."
Instead, my opponent says, "Oh?? I'll take the two then I'm afraid", and raises both arms to the scorers!
I actually couldn't believe it. If it wasn't so clearcut, I'd have expected what was coming and obviously accepted the consequences. But it wasn't a tight end and it was perfectly clear what was going on. Also, this is Division Three, the basement division of the Leyland & District League, we weren't playing for money.

It was an honest, all be it daft mistake and I expected to receive a small dose of good sportsmanship under the circumstances. Instead, I thought my opponent was being ever so slightly an arsehole and inside I was riled.
I got back to 15-15 and had the chance for two, convinced I'd adjusted wide enough to pass his short one, but somehow knocked Brian up instead. That summed things up from then on.
Back to being launched long, corner to corner again, unfortunate not to get in at one side but nowhere near at the other where Brian was wrapping his lead around superbly. Brian then gets a sketchy two from all four bowls scattered yards away to go to nineteen and plays a belting lead next end. My head had gone by now. I just wanted to get out of there and go home. I sling both woods too strong and off the green. That's that. Total head fucker.
I should have laughed off the whole incident earlier. That way, I'd have stayed relaxed and maybe got myself back in to the mode I started the game in.
Rules are rules, yes. But there's also unwritten ones in sport. I suppose I'm judging the man based on what I would have done in that exact same circumstances.
How do you go home and rest easy though, after taking a point you know damn well wasn't yours - a defaulted one at best?
We are very different people.
Last week in the reverse fixture, Chris Jones kicked the bowls in before we had a look and I might have had two. I overlooked it, but said to myself I won't let him do it again. Maybe I'm too soft, too nice?
In the end, I decided not to shake Brian's hand. A rare and controversial move in this game. Then I hear folk chunnering at greenside implying I'm a bad sport... the absolute irony. 
I explained to Brian why I was resisting to shake and that I wouldn't have done the same to him. He said rules are rules, that I'm a good player but I need to learn these things.
There's a stark element of truth in what he said there, but days later I'm still convinced it was shithousery to take the extra when it was clear it wasn't on.
Regarding the handshake, I said I'd sleep on it. I'll probably offer my hand one day and have the conversation, but for now I'm a bit pissed off and the dust hasn't settled with me.
One thing I do need to learn is not to let things affect my game. Just as happened last year against the very same player, unexpected happenings got my heckles up which probably cost me a better chance to win.
Yes, Brian Proctor is right in that I certainly need to learn and I will definitely put it down to experience.
Last week in the reverse fixture, my opponent Chris complained his teammates were "keeping dry" and not supporting around the green. They were away from home on a damp evening in old Leyland suburbia. On their own patch though, under a beautiful summer evening, they are a contrastingly rowdy lot. The football equivalent of visiting Vernons Bowling Club would be the 1980's Millwall. A rough around the edges venue, tough place to get a win, where something seems to happen more than you bargained for and the home contingent like to give you a bit of lip!
Steve Loynd was our only winner, to seventeen against my pal Lee Dalton in a tight game, with Lee coming back strong.
On the whole though, we took a proper battering in the Vernons 'Den'.

FAVOURITE GREEN BAR NONE

Monday 17th June 2024

CHORLEY & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-2 :
Bretherton 156-121 Eagle & Child 'A'
v JOHN BAINES W 21-12

Two visits to Bretherton's green in the space of a few weeks. I'm a lucky boy. I could happily play there every week.
John started off really well and looked confident, winning the first three ends and knocking out a good two I'd made. He was aggressive when I got in, knocking me out a few more times, but if you keep on getting two decent woods up there your opponent has a lot to do. I managed to keep up a standard I was really happy with most of the game and put some scoring distance between us
Unfortunately, I did get a bout of allbutitus - an affliction when you get to twenty and start getting tetchy, sloppy or both.
It started having sent the jack for the match, but then waiting for one of my teammates to pass on a mark I nailed to win here a couple of weeks ago with a very good two. The wait didn't do me favours, this time I'm a yard short then more than two yards over. John wraps it up with his second bowl, then wins the next two ends and I'm nowhere. Thankfully, a really scatty end between us playing off a ridge down to the clubhouse ends up being mine by the slightest of margins from George Lloyd's double-check measuring.
Not a graceful finish by any stretch, but I played well for most of the match and it was a good away win.
Only two winners in total on the night for our struggling "A' team, Geoff Bibby our other winner with a good victory over Peter Stringfellow. Bretherton showing their strength in depth on the night despite key players Neil and Sharon Rigden away in the Isle of Man for the Tourists competitions. 

SLEEPING EASIER AFTER A HOME WIN

Thursday 13th June 2024 

LEYLAND & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-3: 

Eagle Reds 156-176 Vernons BC

v CHRIS JONES W 21-9

It was good to put Monday's match behind me and take a comfortable win. David Green's comeback was put to rest and I could peacefully nod off fairly quickly and avoid another day in the workplace hanging on to yawns in such a desperately goosed state as Tuesday.
It wasn't altogether pretty against Chris, but thankfully enough to keep me on track as I try hard to rekindle the purple patch of form a few weeks ago.
Chris played some ends extremely well and showed what he can do, but struggled in some areas of our green and got himself rattled by his teammates not circulating around the green for support. (More on that later)
My opponent took the first three ends, which I'm thoroughly used to now at the Eagle, but I came back with two decent twos and then had a good stretch of success over the middle of the crown to take further advantage.
When Chris did break my progress, they were very good woods but he just couldn't keep me out for more than an end after his handy start.
I sent some good ones up, but not enough to be truly satisfied with myself. Good twos were hard to come by and whilst I did score quite a few doubles, often it wasn't the prettiest second that nevertheless counted.
It's the return fixture at Vernons next week as tonight marks the halfway mark of the Leyland League season.
Our team have enjoyed much better results than last season when we were propping up the table for much of it and currently lie ninth from twelve and outside the bottom three. Four winners against fifth placed Vernons tonight was a decent effort. Vernons have an outside chance of promotion with five or six solid players who win regularly. A
Nine wins from eleven so far and my form away from home has been the real game changer this season. Four wins out of five on the road in this league and five from seven including Chorley League - both defeats at 20-21 and should've bloody won them.
Some tough games to come, even tougher I suspect. I need to tap in to the form I showed not long ago with a bit more consistency and if I can repeat the second half of the season with another seven, preferably eight or nine wins then that would cap off a much improved season very nicely indeed.

CHRIS CROSS WITH TEAMMATES
My opponent Chris got himself distracted by a lack of support around the green from his Vernons teammates.
He was quite vocal about it so I'm sure he wouldn't mind me mentioning it. I thought his frustrations were understandable, but was surprised he let it affect his game so much. If teammates know he likes someone around the green for him, then there should have been. Earlier on Chris was busy giving information, coming on to help measure and the rest of it, so to have nobody seemingly interested in his game (even his scorer stayed putt under the visitors end roof) it became a bone of contention.
Sometimes when Chris wanted information, there wasn't a Vernons player even near enough to shout over to, so just played his wood anyway and then got more annoyed when he lost the end.
I guess we are all teams of individuals and probably some more than others.

What team players are expected to do or don't do around the green when they're not playing appears to be quite subjective and that's why there can be disharmony about it I suppose.

I sit with a very centre ground opinion on this because personally I prefer to play a game without constant information or advice which I can find distracting. I'll ask nicely if I want to know. Encouragement is great, obviously, and I'll take that. Clichés and statements of the obvious can drive me mad, but I politely absorb them because it's part of the game and I know it's just folk just trying to help.
Off the green, if scoring on a match say, on a Thursday night when I'm left to my own devices, I generally follow that match around so I am there for any questions, but trying to avoid being noticed or in the line of play. Sometimes I might get chatting and stay in the same place for a few ends... whatever goes really.
On Mondays though, our captain Steve gives us zonal areas to cover. I try my best to comply but it isn't entirely practical all of the time and especially when we have a small squad. Steve gets frustrated when someone's not at their post, such as when I was sorting drinks out with my opponent in the clubhouse last Monday and then ended up embroiled in a number of short conversations. You can't be in two places at the same time.

Competitive bowling it certainly is, but certainly at the level I play at it's undeniably also a social thing and I still want to have time to talk or have the crack with people, otherwise the whole evening is just too intense and takes away some of the enjoyment. 

SICK AS A GREEN PARROT

Monday 10th June 2024

CHORLEY & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-2: Eagle & Child 'A' 147-150 Fox Lane 'A'

v DAVID GREEN L 17-21

In the ladies 20K walking race at the European Athletics Championships in Rome a few days ago, Laura Garcìa-Caro was in third place down the home staight of the arena and grabbed the national flag to wave and drape around her shoulders.
The Spanish lass was all smiles, punching the air with joy at the prospect of a bronze medal.
It's always worth a shoulder check though. Unbeknown to Laura, a Ukrainian athlete Lyudmila Olyanovska was making up significant ground and incredibly claimed the third podium place just a few strides from the line.
Missing out on an athletics championship medal far outweighs losing a bowls match in the second tier of the Chorley & District League (Just!) and at 14-2 up, I definitely wasn't flag waving and know only too well that in this game, you've won nowt at all until you reach 21.
But there may have been a momentary similarity in how Garcia-Caro must have felt as success slipped through her grasp to what was going through my mind after taking a commanding lead before throwing it away. Failing to break David's comeback on seemingly simple, piddly straight peg marks that barely broke the minimum distance was painful submission.
In the aftermath it just felt totally ridiculous that I didn't manage to get in for nine ends and that the match ran away from me.
Lessons learned though in that I should have been aggressive whilst still with a healthy lead and sent some disruptive bowls with more weight. Something would have happened eventually, but instead I kept trying to play the perfect wood, convinced eventually it would come.
An inch out here, an inch out there, a couple of wafer thin measures and yet it just didn't happen.
I just needed to get out of that hole I was in and was confident of taking him anywhere else on the green and finishing the job off, but it wasn't to be. David's run of woods to win were cleverly close but not clustered and so never creating a big, tempting target.
Early on I was playing fine. David however, was nowhere near the player I've seen on many occasions and wasn't getting a length. Those two factors combined meant I flew off in to a big lead quite rapidly.
Having got out of his first attempt at draining me with the short and straight game, I won a couple of ends to move up to seventeen and was holding two more. It was looking like I was back in the driving seat until a fantastic bowl from David proved to be the turning point and his winning run commenced.
Interestingly, the friendly New Zealander can be more parrot than kiwi with a lot to say when he's losing. He doesn't say so much when he's in the ascendancy though. I pointed this out to him later as we scored the same match, to which he chuckled and said he wasn't aware he does that. I can't help thinking there's more to it than he let's on, the wily bugger! To be fair, his behaviour was more an observation than distraction.
It was a sickener to lose the game the way I did, but credit to Mr Green who has been around the block and is well known as a good bowler in these parts. He clawed back very well from twelve down and not even playing well in the beginning.
I felt as though I was the better player on the night, but experience and tactical nouse made the difference in this match.
An absolutely bloody awful night's sleep followed, going over end after end in my head. In fact I didn't sleep much at all, and when I did I kept waking up from bloody awful bowling dreams!
My capitulation contributed towards a narrow defeat for the team. Four winners each, Fox Lane took the local bragging rights by just three chalks. 

EVERYONE'S HAPPY

Thursday 6th June 2024

LEYLAND & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-3: Bretherton 'A' 176-181 Eagle Reds

v JOAN FIELDING W 21-14

This turned out to be a game with a completely different feel to what I've been used to, but in a good way.
They're a great bunch down at Bretherton and Joan is a lovely lady. I've nattered with her on a good few occasions and I played against her partner Paul Ascroft here in my first season. Very sadly, Paul passed away last year.
Joan must have heard overinflated rumours of my recent improvement, as earlier in the evening she pleaded with me not to beat her to nil. I've seen Joan play, I've seen her results recently and so I knew that was never going to happen.
That humble and resignated approach changed the whole mood and context of normal service for a league match though. Of course, I still wanted to win, but not too heavily and thankfully that wasn't a choice to make because Joan played well.
My opponent put good woods up, wasn't short when I was on and knocked me out a good few times, unluckily finding tight gaps on occasion too.
My game was mainly good, a little wayward at times, but this beautiful green is a tricky one and even catches home bowlers out at times. It took a number of closely nestled twos to collectively keep Joan at arm's reach on the scorecard.
She had a decent run with the block and was just starting to make me feel uncomfortable when I finally broke with a good two and got the shout I was on nineteen.
A good lead followed, but I knocked myself out being greedy on my second bowl. Joan sent a perfectly delivered second for two and my full time scorer, Terry Grayston, tells me that nudges her up to fourteen.
Fortunately for me, Joan slightly overcooks both bowls on the last end and two good lengthed efforts thankfully put the dampeners on a comeback.
In the end I was happy to win, obviously, but also pleased for Joan to get fourteen. She seemed surprised and rather happy with that, but I think she should be a bit more confident about her game. 

Later she asks me why I didn't send her on long marks - which I suspect she is used to from fellas in this league. I think firstly, it's tricky enough at Bretherton playing shorter stuff. I'm nowhere near good enough to come here and whizz it corner to corner. I'm trying to improve my game and winning long ends on the cheap because my opponent might not reach is not a tactic I want to use unless I get in a pickle and absolutely have to.
As it was, Joan and I had a really good game in the end. I think we both enjoyed it.
Our captain Harry Glynn was a happy chappy too as the team picked up a vital win here by just five chalks, maintaining our flighty position outside the bottom three. 

HARD TO BEAT

Monday 3rd June 2024

CHORLEY & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-2: Coppull 'A' 146-116 Eagle & Child 'A'
v JOHN WHITE W 21-17

To Coppull then for the first of two away games this week and my first time at this green. A well kept surface with interesting marks, a big crown that plateaus at one side and dips away quickly off the other.
It seems unfortunate that they had to forego what was once a notoriously difficult corner to make way for the Con Club's extended patio-cum-beer garden. It's the same sort of sporting venue sacrilege that reminded me of the Normid Superstore in the corner of Bolton's Burnden Park.
I started the game brightly enough, but it soon became clear that anything less than a good bowl would get licked by home bowler John. I could feel him edging away and getting too much possession of the jack. But I wasn't bowling badly by any means, just caught out on a few home marks that took a few ends to work out.
When I heard 9-13 I expected worse, it felt like worse, but I'd been putting some savers up. Sometimes only by a measure, but they all counted to keep me in with a shout.
If the key to success was scoring twos in my last game, it was saving twos in this one. John had me under the cosh a couple of times with looping round pegs off this big crown that he played very well and was difficult to follow. I'm past panicking in these situations though, it's a case of concentrating, sticking at it and believing that eventually a break will come.
It would have been 8-13 when I was a bit narrow, but my length was good. On closer inspection, I was in and broke Mr White's spell.
I then went on a run myself, coming back to take the lead before a couple of overshot woods let John back in for two.
There was nothing in it over the next few exchanges as we edged up to 16-16 and a tight finale.
My leads were frustratingly not quite as tight as I would have liked from that point, but John wasn't quite managing to sieze opportunities like he had been doing. Maybe a bit of tension from John's end, but I'd put even better woods up that got beat earlier in the game. A big end to win was getting the jack straight back off him at 17-18 and I managed to battle over the line, with a bit of fortune on the last end when, having to reach to save, he knocked me up for two.
This wasn't the best I've played of late, but with a first visit to this green I showed a bit of grit, didn't get flustered and whatever the results of late, I'm becoming hard to beat.

Three winners out of eight on the night for our team wasn't a bad return here, but we'll be hoping to fair better at home in the local derby match against Fox Lane next week. 

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TWOS

Thursday 30th May 2024

LEYLAND & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-3:

Eagle Reds 151-190 Longton VM 'B'
v RICHARD THURSTON W 21-7

I've discovered the way to deal with our home green is like a visiting bowler would do. Just take it as it comes on the night and not rely too heavily on what one might consider to be previous knowledge.
Two home wins this week was the target to get my home form back on track and I completed the second one with even more authority than the previous evening.
The green had been cut, so a slightly different beast to the night before but I soon picked up on it and for once at home, took the first end and avoid going behind.
The game swung either way early on and my opponent looked a handy player, but I've started putting good twos up with more regularity and more often than not had him coming after me with a bit of pace. Richard could rightly report a story of bad luck at times, but I stuck to the task and made it difficult for him. Even when Richard did get in with good ones, I'd be back on it the next end. There were a few ends I could have played better, but generally speaking it was possibly the most brutal I've been in terms of not giving my opponent much of a chance.
My scorer Arthur shouts "all-but" and I was surprised. I hadn't realised how far I'd got ahead. With last night's game in mind, I play straight peg and whilst not perfect, requiring a good bowl from Richard that didn't materialise.
Coming off a bit quicker at number ten, I grab a beer and endeavour to watch the remainder of Jimmy Sloan's game at number nine. No sooner had I pulled the ring off the can, disapointingly, Jimmy's game finished too. Lights out. That was that.
On the night. I might have been lucky not to be drawn against Arthur Parker's opponent, Rowland Lee, who was licking everything up and part of a good Longton side that won easily on the night, with seven winners to our three.

MAYBE IT'S AN AGE THING
Whilst the bowling is going in the right direction, the running hasn't been going in any direction whatsoever.
No injuries as such, just six or seven weeks of not feeling up for it. Nothing done on the bike either apart from the meagre six mile round trips to work and back.
I don't think it's been a lack of motivation, just that beneath what has appeared at face value to be wellness, I've been tired, stiff, lethargic at times, coughing up a bit of crap first thing in the morning and I don't know what's been up exactly. All I knew is that running wouldn't help. This sort of thing has been happening with more regularity over the last ten years and so maybe it's just an age thing. I don't feel as though I've put any weight on since abstaining from training either, which is a weird one.
All that said, feeling a bit fresher, I had a few tame outings last week before a good 54 minutes on the Rossendale fells up Fo Edge and Cowpe Low from Edenfield whilst on a camping weekend.
Loved it.
Base fitness remains in a good place to be able to just go out and do that run on the back of nowt much for a while.
I don't know where the running is going so rather than start getting delusion ambitions about it again, I'm just going to peck away at it and see where I get to as the year goes on.