Thursday 11th July 2024
LEYLAND & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-3:
Eagle Reds 179-187 Ashton BC 'B'v MICK CROSS W 21-20
For all the inconsistency and subsequent frustrations during this match, I shouldn't berate myself with the usual self depricating dribble and instead credit myself for somehow finding a way of winning it.
After the boost of coming out the right side of a close match two nights earlier, there seemed to be a bit of extra bite that's been missing this season when games have wound up to a close finish.
Mick played a very good game and didn't give me any freebies at all, I had to earn more or less every single point against him. Given that I wasn't playing as well as I wished, this made for an uncomfortable evening on the whole.
The old temperament chestnut did crack on the occasion when my second wood was foot-scooped off the green on to the concrete flags after the first one was sent nowhere near the land, sending me over the edge after a period of struggling to play to as well as I think I can.
I got the words, "Now, now, steady on lad" from teammate Arthur Parker, the most famous lollipop man in Leyland of twenty-two years just down the road from home, featured on BBC local News having now finally retired at a still spritely 87.
I got the words, "Now, now, steady on lad" from teammate Arthur Parker, the most famous lollipop man in Leyland of twenty-two years just down the road from home, featured on BBC local News having now finally retired at a still spritely 87.
I certainly didn't want to upset Arthur, but it was sheer frustration and for all my efforts to put a lid on being reactive, something still has to be released occasionally to settle down and get my game together.
It was at this point I trailed 10-16 and post-tantrum, could envisage little more than trying to get a decent score from the game and gloss over defeat as best I could.
Crown green never fails to prove itself a funny old game though because I then put together my first consistently decent run and suddenly put Mick under a bit of pressure.
It was a typically chilly Summer 2024 evening again but I had stripped down to my short-sleeved shirt having got a bit of a cob on with myself and my opponent was quite visibly sweating up too. With the green now to ourselves, it got a bit tense out there.
Just as I got myself a point ahead and had two more good ones up in waiting, Mick produced a fantastic weighted effort to knock the jack up for two of his own.
It went down to the wire. I chose a fairly uncomplicated straight pegger and my lead was two feet short. Mick shot through by three feet. I corrected my second bowl very nicely indeed, a little wide of my first but knowing it would peg inside if the pace was right and it was.
This left Mick with a big headache for last bowl of the match. He came over and had a look at them. I'm not sure what I'd have done myself? Probably followed my last bowl with a bit more weight and hope to get lucky. Mick came in with weight but missed all and thankfully I scratched out a win from the jaws of defeat for a second time this week.
Not exactly happy with how I've been playing overall, but most of my losses this season have been tight affairs that could have gone the other way so it's been good to finish a couple of games a bit stronger.
Our team did well against one of the stronger sides in the division, losing the match only by a few chalks in the end. A great win from that man Arthur Parker coming back against their top block Peter Dyson 21-20. John Waddecar back on form and also Phil Donnelly, Judith Farrell and Alan Robinson taking victories to shore up a decent night of point scoring.
In a match I was scoring earlier in the evening, Barry Wright came back brilliantly against the division's leading bowler Joan Beer from 1-8 down to 13-12 up, but just lost momentum to see out an upset.
It was at this point I trailed 10-16 and post-tantrum, could envisage little more than trying to get a decent score from the game and gloss over defeat as best I could.
Crown green never fails to prove itself a funny old game though because I then put together my first consistently decent run and suddenly put Mick under a bit of pressure.
It was a typically chilly Summer 2024 evening again but I had stripped down to my short-sleeved shirt having got a bit of a cob on with myself and my opponent was quite visibly sweating up too. With the green now to ourselves, it got a bit tense out there.
Just as I got myself a point ahead and had two more good ones up in waiting, Mick produced a fantastic weighted effort to knock the jack up for two of his own.
It went down to the wire. I chose a fairly uncomplicated straight pegger and my lead was two feet short. Mick shot through by three feet. I corrected my second bowl very nicely indeed, a little wide of my first but knowing it would peg inside if the pace was right and it was.
This left Mick with a big headache for last bowl of the match. He came over and had a look at them. I'm not sure what I'd have done myself? Probably followed my last bowl with a bit more weight and hope to get lucky. Mick came in with weight but missed all and thankfully I scratched out a win from the jaws of defeat for a second time this week.
Not exactly happy with how I've been playing overall, but most of my losses this season have been tight affairs that could have gone the other way so it's been good to finish a couple of games a bit stronger.
Our team did well against one of the stronger sides in the division, losing the match only by a few chalks in the end. A great win from that man Arthur Parker coming back against their top block Peter Dyson 21-20. John Waddecar back on form and also Phil Donnelly, Judith Farrell and Alan Robinson taking victories to shore up a decent night of point scoring.
In a match I was scoring earlier in the evening, Barry Wright came back brilliantly against the division's leading bowler Joan Beer from 1-8 down to 13-12 up, but just lost momentum to see out an upset.
....................
Since the Ashton game, holiday time and a couple more short breaks ahead are set to affect my Monday nights in the Chorley league mainly, but a very busy bowling August ahead with four additional competitions on the horizon.
After eight bowlless days, I managed to tap up Aaron to put me through my paces and jolt me straight back to a competitive level. He did just that, two good games but beaten to eleven and fourteen. I couldn't touch him on his current form and there is now a small gap on our fireplace where the Hargreaves Cup has departed to the house next door.
After eight bowlless days, I managed to tap up Aaron to put me through my paces and jolt me straight back to a competitive level. He did just that, two good games but beaten to eleven and fourteen. I couldn't touch him on his current form and there is now a small gap on our fireplace where the Hargreaves Cup has departed to the house next door.
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