SEASON REVIEW

A disjointed start to season four of my crown green education was epitomised by the candid assessment of my Thursday night captain Harry Glynn back in April. Most deflating was it to hear Harry identify that I was playing better than this in my very first year. 

I seemed to have gone backwards when forwards had looked the more perfectly natural direction for my game.
There was a strange couple of weeks when I knew what I was meant to do but just couldn't find a way. I couldn't find a rythym, started over-thinking every micro-movement of my delivery and lost confidence. I did manage to get back on track though and then started to play better than ever at times.
One step back and two steps forward seemed to be the general pattern as form dipped again a little bit at times, but overall I played much better bowls and feel significant improvements have been made.
One measure of progress was away form in the leagues, winning as many on the road this year as I've managed in the whole of my previous three seasons. Ten from fifteen matches this year and those five losses could, or should have gone the other way. Something clicked away from home in particular and it built up a higher level of belief, confidence and also more resilience. 
In contrast, our home green felt less of a familiar friend. After initially getting my kecks in a twist and falling out with it, this season became more of a "getting to know you again" relationship on the Eagle & Child.
Work done to the surface during last Autumn and Winter had changed its character in places and whilst slowly starting to find my way on it again, I was vulnerable if an opponent turned up with a very good game. Too frequently goetting myself off to an horrendous start that couldn't be fixed and this season's most difficult and bruising defeats were experienced on home turf.
Generally though and despite no shortage of tough games, my stats stood up much better in the leagues
Another measure of progress was the way I played in the two late season singles competitions. There was that brief sign of potential in Spring at the Hugh Hornby Merit, but then reverting to a series of poor showings and first round thrashings began to question my stubborn perseverance of entering such things again.

But it all came good at Sabden and Longridge recently, making third round status for the first time and almost making a finals night.
Strangely, having struggled to find form on the day in most singles competitions this year and feeling like I'm just not going to make the basic grade to provide a competitive opposition, I've finished the season having found myself not only putting up some of my best woods in that environment, but also discovering a much better temperament to go with it.
Naturally, I still call myself a knobhead when I send a bad one, but I get over it quickly and make sure my next one is better. No kicking woods off or chucking them in the bush at this level. In singles, if it goes wrong I'm only letting myself down, which I've probably done most of my life so I'm well rehearsed in that!
I think in a team or doubles partnership I can get lost in the fear of letting the team or partner down and for that, simply put too much pressure on myself.
In singles, it's much more simple. Defeat is almost expected, victory a beautiful bonus and lately I've discovered just aiming to go out there to play well and enjoy it can reap results.
No longer any lingering doubts about entering competitions then and whilst still an underdog of course, ever so slightly less the black sheep.
Many elements of my game remain to be worked hard on, but I can see and even feel what I have to do now to get there.
Being entirely honest, deep down there is a ridiculousness that aspires to become a very good crown green bowler indeed. I think this has been the case since I started! A most unlikely success story that's highly unlikely to come to fruition, but without that dubious aspiration in the first place, even less chance that it could actually happen.
One or two bowlers who have maybe played longer than I have and resigned themselves to a certain standard or comfort zone may smirk at my flighty desire to achieve things, but whilst still on the up and my game is developing, I don't see the point in looking down or sideways.
This year there have been ever increasing moments and periods during matches when I have even surprised myself by playing some really good stuff.
So the main season ended just as promise began to shine brightest. Now it's important I don't allow the drawn out darkness of Winter to snuff out that promise and start where I left off next Spring. 

SAVING THE BEST UNTIL LAST

Tuesday 1st October 2024

LONGRIDGE AUTUMN FLOODLIT SINGLES

At Longridge Cons

Trying not to get too excited and carried away, but this evening was the best session of bowling that I have produced so far.
A qualifying night full of very good bowlers and competition regulars who play in Lancashire's top divisions, I managed another third round appearance and even came very close to making finals night.

FIRST ROUND QUALIFIER

v TERRY WOOD (St Anne's) W 21-18 (off 3-3)

My geekish purusery of Bowlsnet.uk had pre-identified my first round opponent's name as a member of the very strong Parkfield club's first team, later discovering my stat revision proved correct. 

This game didn't start particularly greatly for me despite feeling I was playing well enough. Terry was a good player who wanted to get on with it and whilst I didn't see much of the block early on, I did manage to limit him to single pointers on the whole and this would be an important factor as the match progressed.

When I did begin to impose myself on the points board, a good spell along the far wall gained some belief and got myself right back in to the match. I think we were all square at 14-14 and then nudged ahead with a good winner across the middle, but this was turning in to a really tight game, Terry going one ahead again before I sneak back to 18-18. I'm back on the patch where I had some joy earlier though, and despite one good hit from Terry when he nulled the end, I continued to put up good leads and got myself over the threshold, surviving a couple more weighty efforts to spoil from Terry.


SECOND ROUND QUALIFIER
v JOHN COUPE (Preston) W 21-20 (off 3-1)

Drawn against John, who I played earlier in the season at Frenchwood for a Hugh Hornby Merit qualifier, part of me consoled, "Oh well, I've got to the second round again, not a bad night", whilst another part was quietly fired up to be a pain in the backside and give him a good game again.
John, who has more clubs than Rory McIlroy, plays for competition hosts Longridge in the Preston Prem. Home bowlers play off one in this competition against the rest of us on three. Even prior to us being drawn each other, John mentioned how the two chalks handicap for home bowlers has repeatedly cost him progress here in tight games that would otherwise have just gone his way.
On the flip side, he should have put the likes of me to bed long before he rued the cost of it once again.
Despite a terrible start, with two chronic shorties followed by two in the gutter, I settled down and as in our previous encounter earlier in the season, didn't let John get too far ahead.
I put some crackers up to break him at times and when John did go astray, I made it pay.
I'd reeled the score back to 13-13 when John started to pull away again. But once more, not by more than three or four before I hit back and started to have the audacity to fancy my chances.
At possibly 16-18 I just remember feeling so relaxed and simply enjoying making a game of it. We shuffled along to 18-20 when I put up the first of two big match savers after John had put up close ones.
We go all-but across and with jack in hand, decide to choose a different mark and round peg to the main cabin and send my lead perhaps a foot and half short, yet blocking visibility of the target bowl. John shoots through a touch and my next bowl is spot on to really put him under the cosh and I can't quite believe it as he goes underneath with his second one.
A big deep breath followed by a puff of the cheeks as I very slowly exhale. I've just got past John Coupe and in to the final qualifier... bloody hell!
John was obviously disappointed and grumbles that the handicap system cost him yet again. Whilst the maths don't lie and a two point start did aid my victory in the end, in fairness I did gift him four on the first two ends with absolutely atrocious woods. From my perspective, that kind of levelled things out and didn't lessen the integrity of what for me, was an incredible result.


THIRD ROUND QUALIFIER
v DAVE HARGREAVES (Blackburn) L 19-21 (off 3-3)

So hang on a minute now, Gary Cochrane, Sam Patterson, Jonathan Lacey, Terry McMullan... John Coupe of course... these guys were out and I was still in?!
Next up Dave Hargreaves, a previous winner of the Longridge Floodlit I was later informed. Although I won the first end tamely, Dave then began to assert authority and play a long game that got him off in to a decent lead. When I pinched in with a perfect bowl at the wall corner, Dave tapped me out with his second and that affirmed my concerns that this chap was going to be very difficult to break.
Bowling towards the tricky corner opposite though, he wasn't so accurate and I felt he got away with a few sloppy scores when I just couldn't get the length right. The green slopes down and your bowl has got to fall off the crown at just the right speed. A short bowl ends up drifting off the land, too much juice ends up running away and most likely to the gutter.
Eventually I got out of the hole I was in though, finally sending a length bowl down there and got round pegging along the stone wall again with good effect. I was leading well but too often didn't make it pay with a close enough second.
Dave has another spell with the block and looks to have done enough at 14-20, but a cracking two saves the game and leaves me in position to get back to the far corner and I win the next few ends to make nineteen with jack in hand. Suddenly the momentum was with we to win the match.
Rather than feeling pressure of the situation - just one good end from qualifying for finals night - it was rather a more blasé approach that might have cost me. I just got on with it as if it was a practice game and maybe let the other match influence my choice of where to send the jack, flinging it further than I wanted to near the far edge and so just switched off at the wrong time.
My first bowl is short, Dave beats it with a good one, difficult to beat and this time I couldn't pull one out of the hat.
Only slightly annoyed with myself but not for long, I've punched above my weight over three games and was happy getting as close as I did to Friday evening's last eight.
Tonight was a breakthrough. A chap called Mick, who I recognise as a referee and familiar face helping score and measure at local comps observed that I've competed at a high level of bowling there, played well and yet still could have been more ruthless with my second wood on many occasions. I really appreciated his feedback as we chatted at the end. I don't think I need validation, but it's nice to be noticed and have someone be interested and talk about your game. 
All things considered, a fine evening to finish off a good season.

STILL ONLY SECOND BEST BOWLER ON THE AVENUE
Pretty satisfied and encouraged with how things panned out at Longridge, it was only a couple of evenings after that I really rued not going that one step further.
That was when I discovered young Aaron next door had made it to finals night and that potentially there could have been two Eagle & Child players in the last eight. Two from the same avenue as well. But it wasn't quite to be.
Aaron proved once again though that he is going to be some player, making it to the final after beating Andy Fleming and then my third round opponent Dave Hargreaves in the semi-final.
In the final tie he faced top player Josh Mordue for a second time in a month after running him close in the last sixteen of the Brownedge Classic recently. Once again Aaron wasn't far off Mordue's silky coat tails with the latter's fearsome striking bridging what seems an otherwise narrowing gap between the young Eagle and some of the top guys.