TOO MARROW-MINDED

Thursday 14th May 2026

Leyland & District League Div-1: Chorley St Joseph's 'A' (181) 7-5 Eagle & Child Blue (158)

v JACK MARROW L 6-21

All good things come to an end, but much more than the result here I was disappointed with the way I played. A bit patchy with poor leads when I did get the odd opportunity and yet in fairness, even a continuation of great form wasn't going to cut the mustard against this fella on his own turf. 

This was a repeat draw of last season's visit to St Joseph's against this double merit winning county player and if I'm entirely honest, I think the name of Jack Marrow put the shits up me before we went on. I didn't fancy it, I would have preferred anyone else on their team sheet. Anyone but Jack.

Three nights earlier I couldn't put a lead bowl wrong, tonight I couldn't get one near. The very first end went skew-whiff and psychologically, this burrowed any remnants of belief. Without a good start against the likes of Jack, you are never going to test their mettle and only fuel their confidence to play like it's an exhibition match. I remember last year Jack slacked a little on the odd end, but not tonight. He's a brilliant player and obviously getting better.
Aside from a lucky one on a tight end when Jack was being greedy for two and tapped me in, my other five points were - and had to be - absolute belting bowls to better Jack's.
St Joe's isn't a happy hunting ground for me and I struggled tonight with the changing pace of the green. A bit of surface water from a heavy shower quickly drained away and it quickened as our game went on. A few times it was frustrating to get the land bob-on but end up playing through.
So my tenure as the big pretender at the top of the merit table comes to a crashing end, but against last year's winner who absolutely showed me how good you need to be to stay there.
Enough of my shortcomings though... let's get on to team exploits and Eagle Blues once again surpassed expectation to take five winners from ten against league leaders St Joe's. It was very nearly six. Another fantastic result from this team and based on tonight's results, remain third in the table absolutely on merit. Phil, Matt, Nigel, Aaron and Geoff all winning to notch five points when only two or three wouldn't have been a disaster.
Unfortunately towards the end of the last match on, loud heckling towards our number ten Chris Thompson started up and I was surprised to look across and find the source being one of crown green's illustrious elite, Wayne Ditchfield.

Whether this was just a bit of banter, given the two are teammates at New Longton in the Preston League, I don't know - but goading our player for the slightest error did seem rather unsportsmanlike to the unbeknown visiting player such as myself when stakes were high over the winner of this match with Mick Prescott. 
Probably water off a duck's back to Mr Thompson, but whether Wayne's noise affected this nip and tuck game - in which Chris got his nose in front in the closing stages only to lose on the deciding final end - we will never truly know. Had he won, we would have drawn the match which would have been incredible.