Saturday 4th August 2024
LEYLAND & DISTRICT LEAGUE PRESIDENT'S DAY (Mr Ken Price)
At Hesketh Bank Bowling ClubFIRST ROUND
v BRIAN JOLLY (East Ward) L 11-21
The resurrection of this historic competition - not played since 2019 before the COVID outbreak - turned out to be a bonus bowling outing after being selected by Harry Glynn on behalf of the Eagle Reds team.
Whilst perusing notes in the competition programme, a chap next to me is getting his woods out and asks me who he's playing. He's got Terry McMullan, the winner five years ago and highly fancied to retain the trophy.
"I won this back in 1969 you know", says said chap with a smile. Wow! Sure enough, he points his name out on the list of previous winners. Reg Alty. Fifty-five years on and now playing the chap who won it fifty years after his own success.
The match lived up to it's fascinating billing, with Reg rolling back the years and leading for much of the match until Terry ground his way back to lead 20-19. Reg saved the match with an incredible bowl to the corner when Terry looked to have done enough. The 82 year old then goes long to the opposite corner and sends a front touching lead to win it. It was a pleasure to watch.
The fairytale ended in the last eight for Reg, but once again the match went to the wire and Brian Jolly squeezed past him on the last end.
Prior to that, I was Brian's first round opponent. The vastly experienced East Ward bowler has won fifteen from sixteen in Division Two so far this season and wasn't the least difficult draw on the card by any means.
I didn't start well with ample room to win the first end yet still conceded two. After then going six down, I showed a bit of grit and sent a few decent bowls to come back to 7-9. But it was perhaps an underlying lack of belief, concentration, or both that I played two terrible ones on the next end which really was key to how the remainder of the match would pan out.
Again, Brian did leave opportunities at times but I just didn't snaffle them. Whilst I provided glimpses of good bowling, glimpses were never going to be enough against this, or in fact any potential opponent that day.
A first round knockout was hardly unexpected, but it was tough coming off that green at the end having not played as well as I would have liked.
I think I was playing the occasion rather than just the match and got a bit tensed up in front of a loyal little following from our club and a few other folk around the green who I've become familiar with in the game.
However, I got there and can put it down to experience.
Sadly, the competition's resurrection could be just a temporary one. Bizarrely, out of thirty-six teams and twenty-five clubs that play in the Leyland & District League, organiser David Hughes was pulling his hair just to get the sixteen players required for a finals day knockout. Not quite sure why this is, but it's a sad reflection.
The competition invites one representative from each team, normally one of the players with the most wins from a team and I don't understand why more bowlers didn't come forward to pick their wits against some of the league's best.
Aaron Hayhurst was the Eagle 'A' team (Eagle Blues) representative and showed his quality and competition experience to make the semi-finals, leading out for the match but going down 19-21 to eventual winner Shaun Fisher. My opponent Mr Jolly also went out in the last four to Penwortham's finalist, Callum Foster.
Prior to that, I was Brian's first round opponent. The vastly experienced East Ward bowler has won fifteen from sixteen in Division Two so far this season and wasn't the least difficult draw on the card by any means.
I didn't start well with ample room to win the first end yet still conceded two. After then going six down, I showed a bit of grit and sent a few decent bowls to come back to 7-9. But it was perhaps an underlying lack of belief, concentration, or both that I played two terrible ones on the next end which really was key to how the remainder of the match would pan out.
Again, Brian did leave opportunities at times but I just didn't snaffle them. Whilst I provided glimpses of good bowling, glimpses were never going to be enough against this, or in fact any potential opponent that day.
A first round knockout was hardly unexpected, but it was tough coming off that green at the end having not played as well as I would have liked.
I think I was playing the occasion rather than just the match and got a bit tensed up in front of a loyal little following from our club and a few other folk around the green who I've become familiar with in the game.
However, I got there and can put it down to experience.
Sadly, the competition's resurrection could be just a temporary one. Bizarrely, out of thirty-six teams and twenty-five clubs that play in the Leyland & District League, organiser David Hughes was pulling his hair just to get the sixteen players required for a finals day knockout. Not quite sure why this is, but it's a sad reflection.
The competition invites one representative from each team, normally one of the players with the most wins from a team and I don't understand why more bowlers didn't come forward to pick their wits against some of the league's best.
Aaron Hayhurst was the Eagle 'A' team (Eagle Blues) representative and showed his quality and competition experience to make the semi-finals, leading out for the match but going down 19-21 to eventual winner Shaun Fisher. My opponent Mr Jolly also went out in the last four to Penwortham's finalist, Callum Foster.
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