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.