TIGHT MARGINS VERSUS MARGE

Tuesday 9th July 2024

PRESTON & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-4: Eagle & Child 'B' 161-189 Longton VM 'B'

v MARJORIE PROCTOR W 21-19

Another hot and cold performance was only just hot enough to get the better of impressive bowler Marge. 
With a couple of Mondays out of the picture for the very reasonable excuses of a stepdaughter's graduation ceremony and a week away, the offer to help out on a Tuesday in the Preston League was duly snapped up to keep up some match practice.
Coasting in to a 5-0 lead early was a very brief feeling of comfort before Marge made herself at home on the Eagle green putting up good leads on quite a few marks that her smaller woods took a distracting line that my larger ones didn't necessarily follow. Note to self to sometimes just concentrate on following the jack!
It turned in to a very tough match, nip and tuck going in to the late teens. Even putting some of my best bowls up wasn't enough as Marge had a habit of finding perfection if I had two good ones on.
At 18-17, I found perfection myself with two belters on a peggy mark near the north edge of the green. Even Marge couldn't mess those two up. But then I messed up myself next end needing just one to win.
Luckily, my opponent also missed her chance to lead out for the match and left me with a good yard to fill to both save and win it.
Marge will have been within her rights to feel disappointed at not winning the match, but as I said to her at the end, it was very close and could easily have gone either way.
I made the preconceived decision not to go chucking a veteran lady long. Especially after this Eagle team's vice-captain, club treasurer, caterer and general wonder woman Pat Lewis (5ft nowt and in her 82nd year) was taken to the corners - and the cleaners - by her younger male opponent, who at least had the grace to apologise for picking on his opponent not being able to reach.
Chalks are chalks, it's a team game and all that... but bloody hell. This is the fifth tier out of five in the Preston League. Nobody wins the proverbial town clock in this division.
Marjorie probably would have reached anyway, but I stuck to my purist principles and, well, almost regretted it! But the win feels better having tried to play bowls than just chucking.

The thing is, if I ever play the long game I want to be effective at it. Not just reach, but get close and consistent with it. I'm not there yet. I've probably rambled before about sending woods that reach and yet still two yards off the jack. It's not my idea of point scoring at any level.
Five winners each in this match, but Longton ran out on chalks. Chucking long against Pat actually did make a difference unfortunately.
I quite liked the vibe in this new Eagle 'B' team, of a few seasoned vets I've already teamed up with, quite a few keen crown green beginners and the potentially precocious talent of junior player Henry Hoyles. Henry has a much more controlled game than when I paired with him in last year's Spring club doubles. He's playing a lot of bowls matches now and that can only help him grow further in the game.