FINE HOME FORM PUTS JOSH UNDER THE COSH

Thursday 21st August 2025

LEYLAND & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIV-1: Eagle Blues (159) 4-9 Lostock Hall Cons (184)

v JOSH IDDON W 21-15

Home game performance levels had to scratch up a bit from Monday and match up to my last Leyland league game against Lonsdale. Lostock Hall Cons were the visitors and on the verge of retaining their league title. A tough match absolutely guaranteed for all of us.

I was drawn against Josh Iddon who I know plenty about having played doubles in the same Winter league. He's in the County team set up and a very good player so enough said on that front. There would have been a little more intrepidation facing him at his place, but I did have the nerve to fancy my chances on home turf and then held that nerve to make another small stride forward in this division.

Nowt in it early on, two good ones were splatted by Josh's ferocious striking and was a reminder not to play marks were this was easy pickings for him. I settled down once I realised I was on my game and matching Josh end for end. Managing to edge forward on the scorecard, my lead bowling was solid and I was only losing out to great bowls and so didn't panic when I lost the jack. 

There was an end where my opponent was five millimetres from a double toucher. Mine were in the pack though and over such a top class end, it was actually a strange pleasure to concede two! But Josh showed the odd sign of being breakable tonight and tried a couple of tricky marks that didn't work out for him which landed me a few more points, based on better second bowl adjustment.

I was in the Balcarres Road corner with the jack and heard our scorers checking in at 17-11. The match couldn't have been going much better for me so what an idiotically great time to send the jack off and put a dint in my own momentum. This is potentially suicidal against players in this league. I knew Josh would be waiting for an opportunity to fight back and I helped him along.

Josh sends straight peg down the side of the green on the dried brown stuff where bowls don't want to stop. It's all about pace and Josh pipped me for a one, went back up the other end for a two and then back again I just managed to save one. Now 17-15, the Jon Metters match haunts me in this position but was a lesson in staying relaxed, focused and just believing you can break back at anytime.

Back along the same greenside again and my opponent runs over a few feet. It's a tricky area to play, where a few miniature mounds can cause unwarranted deviation. I managed to put one a couple of foot short to count and can't believe it as Josh goes a little too wide with his second. A chance for two I'm thinking, let's be greedy. Same bowl would do but I put a touch more on it as tapping my first up would be no bad thing. But my land was perfect, brushing past my first and then on to the jack... fortunate not to knock Josh back in, yet at the same time a cracking bowl and equally unfortunate to cancel out my first one.

Relieved to get out of that hole, I was definitely fortuitous on the next end when my counting lead bowl was easily beatable for this chap, but to my surprise Josh went a touch wide and his big blue 2.12's weren't for pegging on this occasion. There was nothing lucky about the next end though, sending two grand woods in to that Balcarres corner and I'd cracked it.

Josh was disappointed and in his shoes of course you would be, but gracious to comment that I played really well. Do these games of late make me anywhere near as good a player as the Nick Dawson's and Josh Iddon's? Absolutely not. But on my day I can compete with them and that's ten wins to nine defeats in this division now which is probably better than I was expecting.

The opportunity to be playing Division One again next season was officially sealed here as we gave Lostock some close games and took four winners on the night with Lee Kershaw, Aaron Hayhurst and Geoff Bibby adding to the points haul.

Both sides, whether winners or losers individually, had something to smile about in the end. Our opponents had done enough for a successive first division title. Rivals Chorley St Joseph's needed something special at Hoghton to push Lostock Cons to the final week, but experienced a rare, if slender defeat.