As Autumn descended in to Winter I suprisingly found myself experiencing a growing sense of disillusionment with bowling during those dark, damp and cold months.
This is a total moan fest coming up, although the fact could be that I'm simply not good enough to adapt to cold season bowls.
I remember thinking when I first started out in this game that Winter bowling sounded like a bad idea. I tried it and actually enjoyed it for a couple of years, but now my worm has turned again. Generally and so far as the greens at Fox Lane are concerned, I can't play as well as I feel I ought to be doing and have got a bit fed up with it.
In terms of logistics, team changes resulted in a squeeze on consistent game time. Meanwhile, not enough light in the day or unsuitable weather prevented enough practice time and particularly since the turn of the New Year.
Those two ingredients have been a recipe for inconsistency, lack of confidence and a feeling I've regressed from a high point reached at the tail end of last Summer. As such, the all-important enjoyment factor has waned.
To an extent, Winter bowls has felt like a waste of time that could be spent with more valuable intent. The very fact my game hasn't progressed, combined with all the standing around in muscle seizing low temperatures doing nothing for my running fitness has put lots of stuff in perspective.
It's not helped that our Wednesday night team have had a poor season and been relegated. Our captain Steve had increased the team to seven fully commited players to contest just four places each week and so increased rotation means less of a run playing, add to that the disruption of postponements due to the weather and it's just been a total hotchpotch. Not knowing if you're playing and often right up to the start time if our skipper hasn't made his mind up which four to select has also become a niggle with me. Regardless, if the opportunity to play does arise, I'm rusty and if I land a toucher one minute, two clangers are likely to follow.
Playing in additional doubles leagues would probably keep me keener. I would be on a green more regularly and quite possibly playing better, but this seemingly obvious solution comes unstuck by the fact Winter League opportunities are few and far between and the reality is that I'm hardly a sought-after name to be on any captain's wishlist.
One thing I've noted about my game is that practice is essential to play well. There was a glimmer of hope very recently when I got a couple of sessions in during the week at St Paul's and it cannot be coincidence that I then played well in our last game of the season. Although only four days later but without a roll in between, I felt I'd lost the plot again in a knockout competition.
In a nutshell, Winter bowls 2025-26 doesn't appeal.
Two attempts at double competitions didn't go too great either. At Frenchwood in December, I partnered Aaron and we should have grasped a first round victory having led well, gone behind and then led again only to go down 20-21. A pity really, I felt if we could scrap through that match we might pick up a notch for round two.
More recently Nigel and I entered the familiar fray of Fox Lane for the annual doubles competition and whilst getting away with a less than potential fulfilling performance to ease through round one, a similar display of inconsistency saw county player Jonathan Lacey and Paul Howarth make reasonable mincemeat of us in round two.
I've not played at all since then. The best part of a month without a roll. St Paul's has closed until the new season and to be honest I've just needed a break from it all to refresh my enthusiasm.
I have to get practicing again very soon though. My home green at the Eagle will be a good few weeks until reopened, so back to the old needs-must of Astley Park. A roll is a roll.
It is hoped my Winter whinge here proves to have cathartic qualities. A fresh start begins at Longridge Floodlit Singles shortly and where last season finished well, an encouraging start to the new one is required to get my bowling back on track.
One thing I've noted about my game is that practice is essential to play well. There was a glimmer of hope very recently when I got a couple of sessions in during the week at St Paul's and it cannot be coincidence that I then played well in our last game of the season. Although only four days later but without a roll in between, I felt I'd lost the plot again in a knockout competition.
In a nutshell, Winter bowls 2025-26 doesn't appeal.
Two attempts at double competitions didn't go too great either. At Frenchwood in December, I partnered Aaron and we should have grasped a first round victory having led well, gone behind and then led again only to go down 20-21. A pity really, I felt if we could scrap through that match we might pick up a notch for round two.
More recently Nigel and I entered the familiar fray of Fox Lane for the annual doubles competition and whilst getting away with a less than potential fulfilling performance to ease through round one, a similar display of inconsistency saw county player Jonathan Lacey and Paul Howarth make reasonable mincemeat of us in round two.
I've not played at all since then. The best part of a month without a roll. St Paul's has closed until the new season and to be honest I've just needed a break from it all to refresh my enthusiasm.
I have to get practicing again very soon though. My home green at the Eagle will be a good few weeks until reopened, so back to the old needs-must of Astley Park. A roll is a roll.
It is hoped my Winter whinge here proves to have cathartic qualities. A fresh start begins at Longridge Floodlit Singles shortly and where last season finished well, an encouraging start to the new one is required to get my bowling back on track.
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