Wednesday 6th August 2025
EAGLE & CHILD PRESIDENT'S DAY
PRELIMINARY ROUND
v TERRY GRAYSTON W 21-8 (off -1 / +3)
This year's club President's Day is a bit different for me in that I stepped in to give Steve Wilson a break from organising club competitions and volunteer my services. There was a point when I wasn't going to enter this year, but put my name forward late on to make up an even number of entries.
It does feel a bit uncomfortable playing in a competition that I'm actually running. I suppose the main issue is that I want to try and win it as well. I've been assured by some other members it's fine and not to worry about it.
Having started to find form again I felt confident of getting past Terry. I wouldn't say it was an easy match but I played very well and made it difficult for him. I felt for Tez at times when he was often on the right road but just short. He was a few short bowls from making it more of a contest, whilst I enjoyed a long spell in charge of the jack which put him on the back foot from the off.
There is no pleasure in beating any of your club mates hard and Tez is still one of my favourites too. But it's a competition and you have to get on with it.
v NIGEL TOMLINSON W 21-3 (off -1 / -6)
Next up Nigel. The reigning President's Day champion who brutally thrashed me 7-21 in last year's semi-finals. There's nowt much we don't know about each other's game. Fairly regular practice partners on Sundays too.
Nigel carried the burden of the champion's handicap which gave me a start of five. Obviously if I got a good start then it was going to put the squeeze on him and I did. I carried on where I left off from the game against Terry and then some, putting up a seemingly continuous run of great lead bowls.
I was playing with a feeling of freedom really. Half of me wasn't arsed if I won because of my ties to the organisation side of the competition, so I was in Sunday afternoon practice mode and this seemed to work for me. There was a point where I realised I was far enough ahead and simply playing too well to succumb to any sort of comeback from Nige. It was a sweet place to be in. 21-3 was an unfair reflection for the champion with his handicap burden, but the real score of 22-9 on the night was still a great effort on my part. Nige is never a pushover.
Of course, crown green bowls will kick me right in the knackers again soon, but I'm feeling good about it just now and particularly at the Eagle. Our sometimes fraught relationship seems to have settled down. I've never felt quite so comfortable on our green as I did this evening and that may be testimony to John Waddecar's greenkeeping skills for sure... but also, despite blipping a few weeks ago, I've come back nudging small strides of further improvement.
BEST CHANCE YET
We aren't playing for the proverbial town clock on President's Day next Sunday, but a contest is a contest and no contest is not worth trying to win in my view. Besides, this is the pinnacle of our club competitions and whilst outside the bubble of our thriving little club nobody gives a hoot what happens this Sunday, inside it's a grand get-together for all members at the Eagle and an eclectic mix of sixteen bowlers going head to head for the eternal glory of their name on the winners board in the pavillion.
This year is without doubt my best chance so far. I'm bowling well enough and there's nobody on Finals Day I'm particularly fearful to avoid. That said, if I don't play well enough I'm there for the taking. It's all on the day and it will be interesting to see how I get on, especially with my extra curricular responsibilities.
In my four previous years, finalist at the first attempt in 2021 - I got some luck of the draw to be fair - quarter-finals in 2022, a last sixteen exit to eventual winner Matt Brown in 2023 and beaten semi-finalist to 2024 winner Nigel Tomlinson. I've lost out at every stage except the qualifiers (which I've got through) so this year there's only one different eventuality left!
We shall see 🤞
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