Thursday 12th September 2024
TIM ROBINSON AUTUMN FLOODLIT DOUBLES
FIRST ROUNDPartnered with PETER BYLINSKI
v PHIL DONNELLY & JACK DICKINSON W 31-29 (off 6-5)
Drawn with a doubles partner I thought I'd never met, it suddenly and randomly dawned on me during a run the night before our game who Peter Bylinski might actually be. I think I met him at the green when practicing a couple of times last year.
With a surname like Bylinski, I couldn't resist re-introducing myself to Peter with a premeditated dialogue in New York cop drawl, which went a bit like this...
"Heey! ByLINski! Dey tell me yaw my noo pawatner?"
His reaction was difficult to assess, I think confusion with a graceful sympathy might sum it up. Having processed what I was actually saying though, Peter seemed pleased enough we were paired up together.
This match turned out to be a slow scoring, churned out affair with neither pair getting more than a few ahead at any one time.
Our scorer Colin Proctor had given up free time to mark a card and got the short straw with us lot. Colin rightfully dishing out some grief, pointing out only ten chalks scored between us off the first forty woods sent, then regularly updating us with similarly dire statistics.
With nights drawing in and getting a bit chilly, I mentioned to Col it was a good job he brought his jacket and the reply was prompt, "Jacket? I should've brought my f*ckin' sleepin' bag!"
As a Blackburn Rovers supporter though, Colin will have endured many a grim ninety minutes, but this match ended up breaking the two hour mark before it's conclusion - even with both pairs starting off five and six.
For a long period, the beautiful evening sky of luminous blue and burning ambers reflecting off multiple cloud levels with contrasting tones and hues was easily more of a spectacle than what was before us at ground level and absorbed much more of my attention for a while. But when the sun set and the floodlights came on, this game had continued to nip and tuck it's way to 23-21 in our favour. It was time to find a way to win.
Prior to this deciding phase, Peter and I couldn't put two good ones together and when Peter did, I really should've made it a three but was short, as I was too many times which had me apologising to the spectating Hoyles family once again for some blue language.
Phil and Jack scored a proper three around this time, by far the best played end of the match.
It was difficult to get in to a rythym, but to my own credit I did send maybe half a dozen crackers when we really needed them which in accumulation kept us in the match.
Not particularly a point winner, but a saver sticks out in my mind when they had a close cluster of four and had blocked the way in on a long straight mark, but I found a length bowl on the outside to save three.
Peter's bowling can be a touch unpredictable, but he can send some good ones up when he gets his delivery right. He's a lively and chatty character and had a spell loudly counting our woods in like the countdown of a wrestling match. He didn't mean harm but it's not exactly green etiquette and was actually putting me off my shots, never mind anyone else on the green!
That, and his continuous commentary seemed to get under Phil's skin a bit. Phil Donnelly is very much a gentleman, but losing patience with my partner, he let rip, "Just f*ck off Peter and send your f*ckin' bowl!"
Jack and I were cackling away behind and it still makes me laugh out loud now when I recall it.
Despite our opponents nudging ahead towards the finish, Peter and I kept in touch. I went up front for a bit but didn't make much difference and then Peter put some good lead bowls out just when we needed them.
At 29-29, Jack's bowls are lying game but again I found one when I absolutely needed it, full length down the nearside of the green. I then asked Peter if I could swap again and take responsibility to put a decent lead up and give us a chance to see the game out. Fortunately I delivered with two decent efforts to the far corner. Peter put another up close for good measure. Not unbeatable though as I had to hold my breathe as Jack just missed interference by a whisker with both his woods and we survived to sneak the win.
Phil led out very well and showed his knowledge of the green with some great turning over of peg, whilst Jack, who has been struggling for form of late, didn't have a bad game by any stretch and was dangerous at the back. That said, Peter and I stuck with them and somehow got over the winning threshold first. It felt to me like our opponents had both played much better overall, but if bowls is a funny old game, doubles is even funnier.
Having been lucky enough to win this club competition with Barry Wright last year, it's going to be a challenging task to get in to a potentially similar position this time around. Barry was the experienced steady head in our partnership last year, whilst Peter and I are less seasoned in the game and both far less emotionally introvert, shall we say.
I feel we can both play better than we did tonight though and if we do, there's always a chance of progressing further.
Peter's bowling can be a touch unpredictable, but he can send some good ones up when he gets his delivery right. He's a lively and chatty character and had a spell loudly counting our woods in like the countdown of a wrestling match. He didn't mean harm but it's not exactly green etiquette and was actually putting me off my shots, never mind anyone else on the green!
That, and his continuous commentary seemed to get under Phil's skin a bit. Phil Donnelly is very much a gentleman, but losing patience with my partner, he let rip, "Just f*ck off Peter and send your f*ckin' bowl!"
Jack and I were cackling away behind and it still makes me laugh out loud now when I recall it.
Despite our opponents nudging ahead towards the finish, Peter and I kept in touch. I went up front for a bit but didn't make much difference and then Peter put some good lead bowls out just when we needed them.
At 29-29, Jack's bowls are lying game but again I found one when I absolutely needed it, full length down the nearside of the green. I then asked Peter if I could swap again and take responsibility to put a decent lead up and give us a chance to see the game out. Fortunately I delivered with two decent efforts to the far corner. Peter put another up close for good measure. Not unbeatable though as I had to hold my breathe as Jack just missed interference by a whisker with both his woods and we survived to sneak the win.
Phil led out very well and showed his knowledge of the green with some great turning over of peg, whilst Jack, who has been struggling for form of late, didn't have a bad game by any stretch and was dangerous at the back. That said, Peter and I stuck with them and somehow got over the winning threshold first. It felt to me like our opponents had both played much better overall, but if bowls is a funny old game, doubles is even funnier.
Having been lucky enough to win this club competition with Barry Wright last year, it's going to be a challenging task to get in to a potentially similar position this time around. Barry was the experienced steady head in our partnership last year, whilst Peter and I are less seasoned in the game and both far less emotionally introvert, shall we say.
I feel we can both play better than we did tonight though and if we do, there's always a chance of progressing further.
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