CONCENTRATION IS THE KEY

Thursday 15th August 2024

LEYLAND & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-3: Hoole Village Hall 'A' 167-174 Eagle Reds

v JANICE CUMBERLIDGE W 21-10

I'd been getting myself prepared to play Chris Coxhead again. We've both been playing at number ten and a third encounter against him looked likely. In the last of our two meetings, on his home turf I suffered a bit with his accurate long game to the corners, but I was ready to give him a better game tonight... until - scratch those plans - Chris has been tweaked to number nine and Janice to ten.
No change in the pre-match mindset, for still a tough game on the cards. Just a different one.
Janice has been playing perhaps a year or so less than myself, but I'd already clocked her as a good player in our fixtures against Hoole the last few years. I also knew she was having a good season and anything less than playing well just wouldn't be good enough.
During practice, the green was deceptively running despite it's grassy complexion and soaking up light rain all day. Getting the right length was a tricky task.
By the time our game was on, the rain had ceased and, as my Grandma used to say on such days, "That sun's got a nerve...".  Indeed the sheer cheek of our solar mother to break through and shine for the first time all day at around 7:30pm.
An hour or so of dryness had took that bit of skiddy zip off the surface and I started the match better than my practice rolls.
An early lead was pulled back and we were about 7-7 with a long hard game looking likely. But I then got a good break together, taking some twos and generally getting my lead bowl up to put a bit of pressure on Janice. As has been the case in many an away game this season, I grew in confidence and pushed towards the finish line despite the game still feeling very tight.
There was a bit of luck too, and in particularly when the laws of physics were strongly challenged by Janice's round pegging wood that cleanly found an impossible looking gap when damage looked a certainty. It's either going for you or it's not sometimes and elements of luck seemed to favour myself on the night. Another two on that end was a bit of a sucker punch for my opponent at that time.
The Eagle's own local bowling legend Keith Anderton has told me on frequent occasions, "It's a game of concentration, John", but for me, that is the biggest challenge if I want to continue to improve. Signs have been promising lately and once again my concentration levels were much better again this evening and I didn't get too disconcerted at playing the odd clanger or bad end.

I stretched the score out to 18-10 when I then successfully turned over peg to deny Janice two and steal in for a single. A good lead won the next before sending two gems on the last end, possibly too good as a target was made, but Janice whistled her striking wood wide by a few inches.
Good form to take in to the club President's Day this Sunday. With three or four of the best players unable to make the date this year, there are no clear favourites by any means and I've got as much chance as anyone else if I can play well on the day.
A long overdue win for Eagle Reds too, with five winners and the superior aggregate score to finally stop the rot.