SLOW START COMES GOOD ONCE AGAIN

Thursday 4th June 2026

Leyland & District League Div-1: Eagle Blues (165) 5-8 Penwortham Sports 'A' (174)

v DANIEL IDDON W 21-15

It's remarkable how many times you end up playing the same player again and tonight out of a Penwortham team of nine other bowlers I've yet to come up against, Mr Iddon awaits. It's three years since I played young Danny and simply wasn't good enough to push him too hard on his home green. I'm definitely a better player now than the 2023 version, but so too is my opponent.
The overwhelming gush of actually winning the first end went to my head. Soon enough, normal service resumed with Danny picking up three twos to lead 6-1. Accustomed to a bad start to matches as I now am, equally I knew the importance of the next few ends. If this fella goes too far ahead and gets in to the groove, it will be curtains.
Danny was unfortunate as his next lead bowl smacks in to one from another match. I'm surprised he doesn't ask for the jack back too - I made a similar mistake a couple of weeks ago - and sure enough my opponent misses the land and went tight. My first bowl also has a collision, I liked it though and my retake ended up a toucher. The second one rolls up close too and the relief settles me down, I'm back in contention.
It became a tight game for a while, both of us sending good leads or finding great bowls to steal in. I remember turning over peg on one end in particular which had to be perfect and was. It's moments like that which can determine tight games.
I was still trailing on the scorecard when suddenly I put a few ends together which Danny struggled to impose himself on. His frustration with himself grew and my confidence picked up. When he did win the jack back, unusually he played straight peg and down in to the far corner. When I put my second bowl up on his first one to make two, his reaction felt slightly disingenuous as if I'd got lucky. I think he was just getting seriously pissed though and I for one can relate to those emotions.
I was a bit erratic at times this evening, but I wouldn't say lucky. The good bowls far outweighed the bad. Having said that, next end I put two in the ditch. My own fault for sending the jack to an almost unplayable edge and being a little gung-ho to reach up. That freebie was won back next end though as I knock Danny's great lead bowl out to make two and I'm getting near the finish line.
At 20-12 I'm the wrong side of a tight measure on a mark played poorly by both of us. Danny has got his cool back and plays good leads to win two more, although I'm unlucky to find a gap when I played through. My opponent is holding two next end, but there's a bit of room to get in and my adjustment is much better. Relief to get over the line and on reflection, an excellent win against a good player and especially given I could still pick holes in my game.
These slow starts to matches are a bit of a nuisance and are even more previlant in home games at the Eagle. I shouldn't worry too much I suppose, for I'm still finding ways to win most of my games this season but I can't keep going at this rate playing off the back foot every match. I think there is a bit of nervous energy that takes a few ends to dampen down and whatever the reason for this, I need to shake it. So forgive me if I've already used this one, but Feargal Sharkey's most famous song springs to mind, "A good start these days is hard to find..."
In the team department, five winners each was probably what we would have taken beforehand, but preferably with the aggregate too. However, Penwortham took those bonus points to win the match and you couldn't deny them on the night. They are a really good side and for the first time this season we are narrowly squeezed out of the top half of the table.

Colin Proctor gets my man of the match award for a tremendous win against top bowler Gary Cochrane and an extraordinary final bowl to make two at nineteen across. Well chuffed for Colin who has had some rough results but now finding form.
This match briefly concludes a really tough run of games against five of the six teams above us before we play them all over again as the fixtures play out in reverse order. Next week marks the halfway mark of the season in this league. It's Brownedge back-to-back next up. Still difficult, but we need to be back to winning ways and give ourselves another points boost before running in to all the big boys and girls again.