RUTHLESS RUTH AND STEVE JUST TOO GOOD

Monday 24th September 2025

TIM ROBINSON AUTUMN DOUBLES 

SEMI-FINAL

With ANN DERBYSHIRE 

v RUTH WATSON & STEVE WILSON L 20-31 (off 3-3)

As the only unbeaten pairing going in the the semi-finals, perhaps the writing was on the wall for form to break. I personally believed however, that Ann and I still had a lot more to give and had every chance of going all the way. 

Unfortunately though on the night, neither of us played to a standard we were satisfied with and in the face of a beautifully balanced partnership of Ruth and Steve, only a very good performance was going to give us a realistic chance. 

We started the game well as usual, then had the mid-match lull as usual and at 15-15 we were still in with a shout if we could find some spark. But Ruth's lead bowls, which had already been pretty good, cranked up another notch and Steve was playing well at the back to add icing to her cake. In contrast, I couldn't find a bit of magic from the front when required and Ann's game-changing last bowl just wasn't there. 

Inside the next seven ends, Ruth and Steve were destructive, scoring fifteen to go all-but. 

We swapped around a few times, but effectively Ann and I were left scratching our heads. On the brink, we finally won an end back and the opportunity to go across the pavilion, which had been our salvation in previous games. Sure enough we started to claw a few back. But mistakingly leading out with one of Steve's bowls instead of my own was a real clanger, then having to go up and replace it and losing my head space cost us a real chance of proceeding to make our opponents sweat. Instead there was just enough of a gap for Ruth to find another pearler and yet Ann's well drawn last bowl would have saved us but for giving up with six inches to go.

Having said all that, we were well beaten by the better team who then went on to win the final two days later and much deserved too.

This is a cracking end of season club competition which nobody is ever sure what it may throw up. I really enjoyed partnering up with Ann, I don't think we were far off where we needed to be but just didn't click in this last four duel. 

Fortunate enough to win it at the first attempt with Barry Wright two years ago, two semi-final defeats have now followed but I'm determined to eventually join those few with their name on the trophy twice. That's just a heads-up for my partner-to-be next year, whoever that is. No pressure!