Tuesday 24th September 2024
TIM ROBINSON AUTUMN FLOODLIT DOUBLES
SEMI-FINALS Paired with PETER BYLINSKI
v MALCOLM JONES & STEVE MARGINSON
L 28-31 (off 5-6)
Another slog that touched the two hour mark, but this time Peter and I couldn't quite get over the winning line.
We were drawn against probably the toughest pairing in the last four based on all round experience in Malc and Steve.
Mr Jones not the top class force he once was, but still crafty and still capable. Steve plays in all three of our club's 'A' teams, so not really any weak links to pick at.
After a promising start, our opponents came back and it became clear Malc was having a steady game up front and got stronger as the game went on. He worked out what Peter and I weren't best at coping with, which were staight, short marks over the top of the crown and often landed a good lead to put the pressure on.
After sending some poor ends earlier on, I got myself all grumpy and tensed up which is not condusive to either thinking or playing the game rationally. I should know by now.
But Peter was also driving me slightly up the wall at times, poor hearing or not, there seemed to be no interest in hearing my advice or instructions and rather a haste to just send his bowl up regardless of the situation. Mr Bylinski's maverick side was difficult to tame this evening!
Perhaps I should have swapped around with him, but we were just about holding in there as the scores pushed beyond twenty so I figured we should stay as we are and try and somehow scrap our way to thirty-one first.
Staying as we were was then solidified by a moment of Peter's maverick magnificence. After going four chalks down and recovering to 23-25, I sent two exceedingly frustrating shorties. Malc and Steve made two before Peter steamrollered in to knock mine up and with a kiss here and a knick there he found us a three.
We then continued this good spell to go 28-25 after I sent two nice ones in front of the clubhouse. Perhaps I should have gone back across - I'll never know - but instead went long towards the opposite corner and in fairness I put two good ones up so can't have any regrets. Steve's first bowl from the back was splendid though, taking a little bit of assistance off my first one and rolling up against the jack. A game changer with Malc on the block again and a few ends later we were all square.
Peter somehow saving the match glancing one of my wide bowls in to play to reduce a four down to a two, but the two cooler heads of our opponents were back in charge.
On the last end to save the match, I tapped the jack up with my second bowl but with just a bit too much on it, opening up a couple of feet behind it in which Steve perfectly sat his first bowl in to. Peter didn't get so lucky this time with his last bowl and we were done.
There was that little window of opportunity where this match could have gone our way, but I think Malc and Steve deserved to win it overall. Peter and I had run out of luck by the last few ends.
Peter apologises profusely for letting me down, when really, aside from his unwillingness to bloody well listen to me, it was ultimately my fault we lost. I didn't play well enough and allowed frustration to lose my concentration at various points of the match. We did well to make it to the last four.
In the final, Malcolm and Steve made another tight match of it against Geoff Bibby and Ronnie Roberts, but it was the latter who prevailed by a 31-28 margin.
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