SCRAP HARD AND GET LUCKY

Monday 27th July 2026
Chorley & District League Div-2: Eagle & Child 'A' (124) 4-7 Bretherton 'A' (147)
v KATH WATKINSON W 21-20

Kath Watkinson turned up with her 'A' game and this encounter became a massive scrap to get back in to and required some luck along the way to somehow reach twenty one first.

Having played Kath maybe three times in my early seasons and coming out victor, I also know the former county vets player was nowhere near her best back then. Now I wouldn't say I took anything for granted going in to this one, but even my most modest expectations took a jolt and needed a rethink quite early on as Kath was relentlessly accurate and stormed in to a 2-8 lead. The two I squeezed out had to be belters too. 

Kath was dangerous all evening, her length rarely wavered, her lead bowls were generally excellent and her adjustments very good when necessary. 

On reflection, she will probably be shaking her head at how she didn't manage to win just as much as I am scratching mine at having avoided defeat. 

I had picked the green up well earlier on in practice as thick drizzle descended, but as the precipitation continued, green conditions were heavier by the time I went on to play and I didn't instantly settle to it, which I needed to with Kath piling on the pressure from the off. The Bretherton bowler maintained the gap to lead 8-14. 

Encouragingly though, for a third match in succession when things weren't going my way I kept my head up, was calm enough to observe that I wasn't actually playing that badly myself and was up for a scrap. Although thinking I might do well to get double figures here, part of me also retained a belief that if I don't go getting myself all excited when I do send a bonk bowl, I've got enough good ones in me to fight back. 

I did have a decent spell and sent some well delivered ends that racked up a few twos, but it wasn't easy. Kath was always a threat and nowt was safe until her second bowl stopped.

Now whilst rightly accrediting my opponent's performance, I should cut myself a little slack because it was no mean feat to turn my plight around in this game and get in to a position of leading 19-18, then going all-but. 

I shot myself in the foot though at this point and was one very lucky bugger indeed to survive it. What quite possessed me at this point I do not know, but I opted to play very long to the far corner. My jack placement was awful, drifting to the left and only just staying on the green by whatever gravity's version of surface tension is.  Embarrassingly, with all eyes on us now as last game on, both my two bowls were narrow and short... why didn't I just carry on as I was and concentrate on a good lead bowl? Fortunately I only conceded the one.

Next end, great lead from Kath, luckily for me a rare blip with her second one, but I send both mine tight on a mark I know very well. 20-20. 

Luckily for me again, Kath messed her lead bowl up when it really mattered. Pegging in to a corner I'm normally confident with, I wasn't getting it in the wet and my first bowl is worse than Kath's. Luckily again, whilst her second is better and bang on the road, pulls up short. I'm utterly disappointed with my second too, going tighter and yet still it won't peg as I expect it to but lengthwise it's turns out to be a winner and it feels like robbery. Dick Turpin 21, Kath Watkinson 20. 

We had four winners on the night with Harry Derbyshire just as fortuitous as myself to come back and win with a similar score against Joan Bullen, but losing the aggregate was disappointing. This is a good Bretherton side though and there is very little in it between ourselves and a few other teams in this division. Although it feels like that early season promise has dispersed and that maintaining a top half placing is now the most achievable goal, we still cling on to third spot. Interestingly, second placed Hesketh Bank are stuttering too and only six points ahead of us with four matches remaining. An end of season flurry could yet spring a surprise, but next up it's runaway leaders Hoghton away and expectations there ought not to be too ambitious. Another four points there would be a hell of a result. 

LOYNDY A REAL TOUGH NUT TO CRACK

Friday 24th July 2026

THE EAGLE & CHILD ARTHUR PARKER PRESIDENT'S DAY TROPHY

PRELIMINARY ROUND

v STEVE LOYND W 21-18 (off +2/ -1)

My instant thought when the draw was made was that this could be a tough one and I wasn't wrong. 

Steve was a teammate of mine in my first four years playing for Harry Glynn's Leyland League 'B' team and remember thinking he was the player I wanted to be as good as in that team when I first started.

Whilst I might have moved on a bit since then, I know damn well Steve can be a match for most on his day and on our green, certainly. Wily Mr Loynd knows the Eagle's contours very well indeed and I also knew he'd be up for this game too. 

It didn't take long to draw the handicap in and then get my nose on front, but Loyndy responded and started to get the upper hand. It was taking some very good bowls to snatch back what I could, but quite often what looked like winners all day long were beaten by some truly incredible woods from Steve.

One end in particular summed this match up when I put up a close lead, Steve tapped it out, then I tapped him back out to make two before Steve knocked me out a second time. It was a good game, good quality and tightly contested. 

There was a point at 8-12 when I was starting to feel like I just didn't have the answers, but I kept chipping away and found some to go ahead after levelling up at fifteen across.

It was still anybody's at this point, but I had that little bit of momentum and despite bowing to Loyndy's exceptional two on my favourite mark in front of the pavillion, I managed to keep focus and get them close enough to pull through. 

We both really enjoyed the game and so too did our scorer - Steve's good friend and my one time glorious doubles partner - Barry Wright. 

I have to say that disappointed as I would have been to have lost, I'd have been quite pleased for my opponent who played very well indeed without the reward of a place in the next round.

It's the last 32 next up after a bumper entry in this year's competition. As comp organiser for a second year, a real challenge to play and to concentrate enough to be on my game. But I learned some lessons from that last time and whilst winning the trophy might seem an unlikely eventuality at present, I feel I'm in a position now where there is nobody I can't beat at the club on my day so it's all about just bowling well, keeping my head and see how far that can take me.

DARREN JUST HAS THE EDGE

Thursday 23rd July 2026
Leyland & District League Div-1: Bretherton (182) 9-3- Eagle Blues (158)
v DARREN EDGERLEY L 20-21

Having finished this game a little disappointed not to have beaten Darren Edgerley was a result in itself. Darren is a quality player.

I got myself in to a good position early on and sent some really good stuff, later finding out I was actually making gains on one of Daren's favourite marks. But my opponent finally got in to the sort of groove I expected and found somewhere ekse to hurt me, playing full length of the green and close to the edges where he continuously put some superb bowls up that were more or less unbeatable. There were times I nearly got in or sent two pretty good ones myself for no reward, but Darren was on a good run to lead 12-18 until I finally stole in with what had to be perfection. Resting just on the inside of another if his corking lead bowls.

Simply happy to have broken the spell at first, I won a few ends back, recovered to sixteen which I thought was very respectable against this fella before dropping an end and then facing the music at 17-20. Yet there was more to come and more regular possession of the jack again helped me regain my touch and I drew level to stand on the mat with that all important smaller yellow bowl still in my hand. 

On a deciding end, a good lead bowl is absolutely paramount and I felt I'd sent one until it hit Brian Parker's incoming bowl from his match with our Nigel.

On the retake, I go short and whilst Darren's was a couple of feet off, I'd lost my feel for it and put too much in my second one.

Disappointment, a few regrets at shot choices looking back at the game, but bloody hell. It was a good game on this Bretherton green that still has it's issues and to run one of their club's top brass so close was no mean feat if I don't say so myself.

Getting over the line would have been an extra point for our team though and three winners on the night was scant consolation rather than any jubilation. Geoff Bibby's fine win against James Whittle was highlight of the evening. But aside from our final fixture, we've a few weeks off against this division's upper sanctum and we ought to be now looking the finish the season in the more positive manner that we started it.

CONFIDENCE BRIMS AGAIN

Monday 20th July 2026

Chorley & District League Div-2: Black Horse 'A' (137) 4-7 Eagle & Child 'A' (139)

v BARRY HALTON W 21-12

Confidence was back and what a strange thing confidence is. When confidence blankets all negative thoughts and yet doesn't quite overstep the mark in to the territory of cockiness, it is a wonderful and powerful thing - in crown green bowls it is, anyway.
I can send the odd bad bowl and not get worked up about it because I know I can send my next one better. In this frame of mind I'm not a bad bowler at all. This will no doubt be a temporary phase again, but a fourth win in a row in all competitions, four in a row in the Chorley league and in victory over Barry Halton, certainly not easy pickings and particularly on his home patch.
Barry might have played better games I'm sure, but I managed to keep the pressure on him and break any opportunities he had to keep hold of the jack. Tactically I got it right too. I can get carried away round pegging, just because that's all I tend to do in practice, but I mixed it up a bit in this game. Besides, Barry's best woods of the evening tended to be on the more extreme dropping marks and on this challenging Black Horse green that I have grown to really enjoy playing, there aren't many straight peg marks that are straight forward either.
It felt like a close game and end for end it was. It came as a surprise when I heard "all-but" which was a good thing because I must've been just playing my game rather than being hung up with the scores. It was equally surprising to find I'd won by such a decent margin, so a really good win here.
My match was the last one on and leading up to It, I was still scoring Vernon Robinson's game against former Eagle veteran Tony Dobson which was an epic battle. Only thirty chalks scored between them on the first twenty-five ends, it went to the wire with Vernon playing very well, but his late fightback was pipped on the final deciding end. So one hour and twenty minutes later - finally Barry and I could crack on.
It would turn out that the team gained a much needed match win by just two points on the aggregate, so just as well I wrapped my game up when I did. Captain Margy was most pleased with me and said I can play again next week!
Whilst still third in the table despite a bad home defeat to Mawdesley in my absence last week, points-wise we need to build a bit of momentum now for we are only as far off the perilous zone of the bottom two as the fading second promotion place above us. 

REFRESHED AND BACK ON MY GAME

Thursday 16th July 2026

Leyland & District League Div-1: Eagle Blues (156) 4-9 Chorley St Joseph's (189)

v CHRISTOPHER LEE W 21-17

It looked as if I wasn't going to get back off hols in time for this one. A five hour drive from Pembrokeshire and I didn't want us to be chasing it, so I let team skipper Aaron know where I was up too and was really chuffed that he obliged by putting me on a bit later. So a quick unpack of the van of all the essentials and off I spun down the road on my bike and only missed the first half hour in the end.
But no pre-match practice either and ten days since rolling a bowl... straight in to the firepit of a home game against second placed St Joe's. Mentally refreshed though and looking forward to playing, absence had done me no harm whatsoever.
This was a tough game against an unfamiliar face in their pack. Chris was not for being shook off. After a close start, was it not for a few ends still quite early in the game were I scored five in three, this match could easily have turned against me. But I managed to maintain the gap and more importantly started putting up some good ones that really mattered, especially adjusted second bowls and I was believing in what I was doing again.
Our Eagle green was running pretty quick going in to a second week of quite stupidly high temperatures and dry weather. It made for both of us going astray at times, but generally this was a pretty good game and a very pleasing one to win.
It would later turn out that Chris is a difficult bowler to track down, but certainly plays for Adlington in the top division of the Chorley league. Nine wins from eleven so far and in that one, in fact Aaron played him only three nights earlier at Fox Lane, recovering from 3-15 down to 21-17 and inflict only Chris's second defeat of the season.
For me, this was a decent win and a genuine rather than hopeful feeling I'm getting back to the form I showed in May to June.
It was a slightly juggled St Joe's lineup and Aaron had set our order of play out hoping to take four winners which would be no bad thing against any formation of these opponents. The gamble on myself paid off and it was the young fella's studious captaincy that did indeed secure us four points and a long overdue more positive result.
The previous week was a good time to be on holiday as the team got spanked 0-12 at leaders and reigning champions Lostock Hall Cons. A deepest low point of the season, but hopefully we are back on the up again. 

ARE YOU STILL RUNNING LAD?

This is a question I am frequently asked by folk I know and the odd runner I bump in to who hasn't seen me in the race results for years. In the midst of the bowling season, the subject of running has gone on the back burner of the blog too. But the answer is yes and I'm enjoying it too, more so than the bowls just now.

Running consistently now since the tail end of Winter, I can only remember a fortnight out this year so far to let a tight calf settle down. Other than that I've managed myself pretty well and known when to have a rest day. Weekly mileage is very modest and a six or seven mile day is a long run these days, but now it's about the art of keeping going and not jeopardising that with fanciful ideas of turning back the clock.

That said, I started doing some off-road sessions back in May, but tempo running rather than speedy interval stuff. Mile reps at an uncomfortable pace, but not ball-busting unless I feel like it. Cornered where the M6 and the London to Glasgow train lines cross over, I've found a quiet (aside from the sound of traffic) field and woodland course that has thankfully so far survived the onslaught of development. I might see the odd dog walker on there occasionally, but normally I get the place to myself. It's a mile trot from the front door to limber up and then cool down. A good routine of this once or twice a week has been in place.
In terms of shape and fitness my weight has been it's lowest for maybe fifteen years. I still have a close friendship with San Miguel, but my wife and I have extended our vegetarian slightly pescatarian diet to one free of all ultra processed foods (UPF). Now we ate well and on the face of it, very healthy in the first place. But many a seemingly well to do food might even be promoted as "healthy" or "reduced fat" and yet the ingredients are bunged with unpronounceable shite that frankly none of us outside a laboratory could possibly know exactly what we are consuming. I guess I've always been curious about this, but given some of the science out about UPF that's got quite topical recently, I've been happy to follow Sara's passionate abstention and can report feeling brighter more of the time and losing weight that posthumously Blackburn Harriers coach George Davies said I could and should shed about ten years ago! I thought you were being unrealistic George, but as ever you were right.
So I feel like a racing snake again even if I'm definitely not one. We're only talking about ten pounds less but what a difference. I don't think it's going to lead to some great racing comeback but if I can carry on like this in to the Autumn then maybe that blue and white club vest could make some cameo appearances.

SIGNING OFF TO CHILL WITH A WIN

Monday 6th July 2026

Chorley & District League Div-2: Hesketh Bank (154) 8-2 Eagle & Child 'A' (134)

v JOHN GREENWOOD W 21-16

Initially I was relieved not to get county player Roy Webster again as I didn't fancy my chances of revenge, but scoring his game with Steve Marginson before I went on, I probably could have given him a run for his money. Roy wasn't as dominant on his own green this evening, opportunities were there and Steve played well, coming as close as anybody this season to beating him in this league. Margy fought back from 11-16 behind to 20-16 up, only for Roy to steal back in and then win the final end.

I faced John Greenwood who was an unknown quantity to me although it hadn't gone unnoticed he wins a good few more than he loses. A good start settled me down but perhaps I was guilty of leading out with some crazy round peg marks on Hesketh Bank's big crown that deserves more respect or warrants a much better player than me to pull them off. It gave John an opportunity to get me on a mark for a few ends that brought him back in to contention at eleven across. I was due to finally nail it and get out of there with a good one though and eventually I did, then putting a good run together to lead 18-13. That's when I tried another bloody stupid tricky lead off the crown, and whilst nothing is simple on this green, simpler should have been my choice and this allowed John to keep pecking away at the scorecard. 
The most important thing was that I got over the line and left the game on a win before going on a much needed holiday. I played mainly good ends, the bad ones were bad and tend to be really bad on this green. It can catch you out easily. Only Matt Hoyles joined me in the team's winner's enclosure though which is a blow for our perhaps over-ambitious hopes of a promotion push. 
A week and a half away from bowling greens of any description now should do me no harm. I've been getting a bit uptight, with attempts to press the reset button not working, but you can't beat getting away from it all to press reset the head for everything, not just a game of flipping bowls. 

As we're all about to leave in the car park, Vernon asks me where we're off to and then says, "Well make sure you f*ckin' chill, I mean proper f*ckin' chill!". Vern wants me to come back calm and on good form as much as I do.
A teammate on a Monday, Vernon is a Thursday night regular too but in a non-playing capacity. His unofficial role as "psychological coach/mentor" recently came to an end after our team's poor run of form. Vern says he resigned, we say he was sacked. Asked if he would ever be interested in a return to the "hot seat", "Am I f*ck. It's like floggin' a f*ckin' dead horse wi' you lot". You shouldn't have favourites, but Vern is one of mine at the Eagle. 

BROWNED OFF AND READY FOR MY HOLS

Thursday 2nd July 2016

Leyland & District League Div-1: Eagle Blues (159) 3-10 Frenchwood SC (170)

v BOB BROWN L 10-21

I genuinely thought getting them closer and more consistently a few nights earlier would pave the way for, if not another win, then making a game of it at least against whoever I faced in the Frenchwood line-up. 

But in bowls, what I "thought" has many a time been some distance from stark reality. I played Bob a few years ago at Longridge and succumbed to a similarly meek defeat. He was on equally good form that night as he was here, but I should have run him closer this time and the sheer disappointment and frustration to not do so left me  in that place where I just can't be arsed with the game anymore and considering better things to do on these Summer nights. 

Now Bob's a damn good player and very experienced so maybe I'm delusional asking myself for too much to be able to punch against this calibre of player all the time. I can do it occasionally, but not consistently and that's where I'm at, but I simply find that unacceptable to myself. 

I can chew through the facts and say I'm putting too much pressure on myself, but much as I  have tried to keep a level head this season, turmoil has infested it's way in to my game and things have gone to shit.

Obliging myself a little fairness, I did start out well in this game but didn't get a shred of luck. Bob's twos on the first two ends were decent woods but I was unlucky not to get something and the odd nick or measure thereafter proved to go my opponent's way. But ultimately I was poor when I had the jack in my hand and couldn't find a way of putting Bob under any pressure. My first opportunity could have settled me in to the game but my poor second bowl took some getting over. Bob was landing everything, I couldn't get in and tetchiness began to creep in as I trailed 3-15. What a mess.

I ground out a few more points from here, but I struggled with the pace of our green which looked like it was running more than it did and got caught short too many times. As the frustration grew, I'd distracted myself from the simplicity of just making sure I reached. Inexplicably when a couple of opportunities did transpire later in the game, I sent the jack off with half the green to myself and then when I did put two good ones up, Bob found perfection with his second bowl. He played well and dominated and after scuppering another chance to lead, Bob lands a toucher which I swing wildly at because frankly I was glad to come off. Not enjoying it enough at the moment and in a dark place. This was a regretfully defeatist attitude.

A few days later when the dust settles, that initial knee-jerk reaction to quit the game subsides. Who hasn't played a sport competitively and got utterly fraught with it at some point? 

Back to the drawing board and one more game before a week's holiday and a much needed break... from this bloody stupid game as much as anything else!

I suppose the crux of my frustrations are wanting to continue improving, yet achieve this by without being able to commit more time and effort to practice and joining other teams. I may not make as a good a player as I would wish to be and improvement becomes a more difficult and narrower road the further you travel down it. Just now I feel I was further up that road not long ago but have been jammed in reverse gear for a month.

This was another poor night for the team too as we collected just three winners at home and have now lost our last eight matches after those early season highs. 

Our young captain Aaron is back on form though with a great win against Lyndon Carr, then two more very notable scalps of Peter Hawkes and Robbie Ellis the following evening to make the last sixteen of the Brownedge Classic again.

RETURN TO GOOD FORM DOESN'T FEEL THAT FAR AWAY

Monday 29th June 2026

Chorley & District League Div-2: Eagle & Child 'A' (137) 6-4 Croston Wheatsheaf 'B' (126)

v MARK THOMPSON W 21-10

Mark set off in this match with perfect wood after perfect wood and I was starting to think this could be one of those nights again. I knuckled down to just trying to let him know I was there and finally a couple of breaks went my way and got myself back on level terms. 

I did have the lion's share of fortune to then edge a way in to the lead, but I was playing quite well and managed to uproot Mark's early dominance. My opponent was still dangerous though and aside from one gift of two from the Croston bowler, it was a game of slight margins and points were hard earned. Very decent bowls had to be put up to count.  

A good run of lead bowling pushed the scores well in to my favour and Mark was rightly a little shell shocked given the closeness of the game end to end. But how I've been on the recieving end of that a few times lately. The score doesn't always reflect the picture of how the game went. I was just grateful I was on it this evening and had to be. Still room for improvement, but starting to feel a lot more in control of my bowling again. It's a funny old game for sure.

Mark's dad is my Thursday night teammate Chris Thompson who has sadly been very unwell lately. Glad to hear he is now slowly on the mend, we've missed Chris in that team and no coincidence our team form has slumped since his absence of aonth or so.

Back to this team though and although victory Swas a much needed one, only by the slender advantage of the aggregate. We were hopeful for more than just the four winners, however we still replaced Hesketh Bank for second spot who lost to leaders Hoghton and visit the West Lancashire plains next week trying to defend our position.