WINTER DOUBLES RETURNS...

Fresh from closing the Summer season out by flexing some newly found muscle at Longridge Flooflit Singles, Winter league doubles started the following evening and I was well and truly brought crashing down to harsh reality. Harry Derbyshire and I were haplessly crushed to the long corners at Leyland's Fox Lane by a score of 2-21. 

I was looking forward to this first game of the Winter League, fixed up against the champions and all-stars of Westhoughton, but Kevan Shaw led out a masterclass of long range bowling backed up not so shoddily by former Isle of Man winner Dave Phillips.

On a big stiff and sodden green it was just a massive chuck to me, I don't have the technique to get up there with any consistency. Kev's about 5ft 10" and slim build, so it's not about brawn. It was just sheer class and experience.
After Nigel and Matt had a brilliant 21-8 win against Ben Phillips and a new fella on the Westhoughton team, Kevin and Dave were chasing hard to win the aggregate score and the tactical corner slinging was brilliantly effective to take the extra point.
Against a strong newly promoted Rivington the week after on the back green, another loss and this time with Steve Banks. Banksy by his own admission didn't have a good one and you need two to tango in the doubles game.
The team picked up another point when I was away the following week, before rekindling last season's successful partnership with Nigel Tomlinson against another newly promoted side Crown Paints from Darwen. Matt and Henry recovered well after a bad spell to take fourteen before Nige and I then won by the same score for a drawn match which takes one and a half points each.
Catching up with the present, last night a proverbial six pointer against bottom of the table and the third newly promoted team Diamond Dogs. An alright set of chaps, but strangely three of the four players fielded in this team were very much partial to a sort of bowler's text book of posturing. It made for interesting observations, as these guys were certainly no better than us individually or collectively. 

Collectively was what mattered most with

Harry and Matt getting us off the mark with a good win, then it was myself and Mr Tomlinson again winning 21-15 after a poor start going four down. It was a scrappy affair, neither side getting to grips with how the green was running in places, but an important match win and invaluable three points. Nige came up trumps from the back with some big points when it really mattered.
It's always tricky on that back green and just not running as nicely as the front one at the moment. That said, I looked across at one of the nearby ends between top teams Westhoughton and Expendabowls a couple of times and their bowls were much tighter than ours!
Engineered by practice sessions in which I rarely play simpler straight peg marks, I have become an habitual round pegger when in charge of the jack, which on that second green at Fox Lane is a little ambitious for my own calibre. Reverting to simpler straight pegging on there may be a good idea in future and hopefully bring more consistency from my lead bowl.
Now fifth in the table of eight, the outlook for our Misfits team this season can't be much more optimistic than the accomplishment of avoiding relegation again, but it's a means to an end to keep on rolling through the Winter with a team that's a good bunch of lads and we have a laugh.
We lost two experienced players from last season, but gained two potential hot shots in Matt Hoyles and his son Henry. Harry Derbyshire is also back to full health thankfully and back to full-on swearing mode to keep us all amused and on our toes.