Saturday 19th April 2025
HUGH HORNBY LANCS & FYLDE MERITAt CPA Loveclough, Rossendale
FIRST ROUND QUALIFIER
v STEVE BOLTON (Freckleton) L 9-21
Merit organiser Andy Fleming keeps my contact details and seems happy enough to invite me to such events just to make up the numbers... and I didn't disappoint!
Probably being a little bit harsh on myself there, but tamely exiting the competition after a promising start against vastly experienced Steve Bolton.
Another new green for me - Steve revealed afterwards he was a member here for a few years in the early twenty-teens - it was an immaculate surface. Ran nicely, but not crazily given the extremely short cut on it. In some places it didn't run hard where you expected and viceversa. Tricky, but an absolute pleasure to have a crack at bowling on.
Steve lost the toss and I took the advantage, starting well to take a 5-0 lead. I should've carried on with the mark working for me but was put off by another game's block. In hindsight there was room and I should've just carried on.
I was still very much in it though at 8-8 with Steve having to earn the right to draw level.
My opponent then found a strong pegging mark that turned the tide. He played it well, although on the odd time he didn't, I failed to take advantage and got utterly pissed off with myself. Generally he started to leave little margin for error. The one break I managed, I then didn't lead well and the game slowly slipped away from me.
Getting a bit hot under the collar, I failed to take a deep breath and heed my own advice from a week and a half ago - I wasn't aggressive once I realised I had got in to a hole against a very good player and kept on trying to play the perfect wood - silly bugger.
I wasn't a million miles off in the match, there were a few moments of bad luck too, but just not good enough and not breaking my approach up by thinking more tactically.
It's sufferance at the moment, I just need to play a good game in it's entirety to restore a bit of confidence.
There was an ulterior motive in choosing Loveclough of the four qualifying venues on offer. I should repeat by saying what a splendid green and beautiful setting it was.
Win or lose, I was running on the moors afterwards. The lovely named Loveclough is a Rossendale settlement I'm familiar with having frequented there before on three or four occasions in the past for the Golf Ball Fell Race. A five miler over the tops to Hameldon Hill and passing the golf ball-like transmission station before dropping back in to the village. Unlike today's bowls, the races went better. A few top five finishes in the halcyon days of my thirties.
Whilst failing to stick to the Golf Ball course - navigation hasn't always been my forte - nevertheless a good forty minutes up and down on some rough stuff was a sixth run in the space of seven days.
Bowling might have hit the buffers for now, but generally feeling better again.
It's sufferance at the moment, I just need to play a good game in it's entirety to restore a bit of confidence.
There was an ulterior motive in choosing Loveclough of the four qualifying venues on offer. I should repeat by saying what a splendid green and beautiful setting it was.
Win or lose, I was running on the moors afterwards. The lovely named Loveclough is a Rossendale settlement I'm familiar with having frequented there before on three or four occasions in the past for the Golf Ball Fell Race. A five miler over the tops to Hameldon Hill and passing the golf ball-like transmission station before dropping back in to the village. Unlike today's bowls, the races went better. A few top five finishes in the halcyon days of my thirties.
Whilst failing to stick to the Golf Ball course - navigation hasn't always been my forte - nevertheless a good forty minutes up and down on some rough stuff was a sixth run in the space of seven days.
Bowling might have hit the buffers for now, but generally feeling better again.
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