After round one of the Bowls Bet Premier League season we are one win up. Last Friday nights game against the Mt. Lewis Lion’s was a real test and it was good to see that the Magic could keep its unbeaten run against the Lions over the last 6-7 years intact. The Lion’s recruited very well and it was a bit intimidating seeing them turn up with the like of Wilkie, Rice, Trezise, Jeffreys, Willis, Wilks and Co. I really believe that over the last few years it has been the overall strength of our team that has gotten us through. Very rarely did they hold shot before their top end played and our top end matched it against the Lion’s superstar skips and thirds.
Last week I drew one of the worst cards in the history of a pairs tournament. It was always going to be tough at Port Macquarie but with two cards left on the table I said to Shane Garvey ‘you go’, he said, ‘no you’, so I went forward and picked a card versus two World Champions Wayne Turley and Ali Forsyth and two Commonwealth/Asia Pacific champs Mark Casey and Shane Globits. Andrew Waddell was not surprised when Jesus Christ and Muhammad turned up to play the third game. Needless to say it was close and despite being up 8-0 the two staged a miracle comeback to win by a couple.
That was how our day went. First end against Turls and Ali, I trailed a jack into the ditch for 4, but from then on we were outplayed on a couple of key ends. Against Casey/Globits it was very close and probably our best game of the day. Plenty of spectators came to watch a pretty exciting finish. We were always 1-2 ahead or behind and on the last end we held shots but were down one in the game. We covered the re-spots and back wood one side of the rink. Casey trailed it into the ditch on the other side, top corner pocket, for game with his last bowl to win. There was no way I could make two. That game we played shots to knock in touchers 3ft out from the ditch onto the jack in the ditch and precise trails that swung the shot difference. Casey played an unbelievable shot on the 2nd last end going away from the clubhouse with his last bowl. I moved it for 2 in a well protected spot and he just came up with a bomb to clip the jack 3 feet sideways for 2 up, he misses we win simple as that.
Meanwhile always on the rink next to us, Garvey is playing two 80 year old champs and losing his first game and then two 18 year old champs from Dubbo and ended up qualifying for the second tier play-off. Congratulations to Ryan Bester and Andrew Todd from Cabramatta BC via Canada, Australia, New Zealand winning the Platinum for 12k, Alan Wares in the Gold tier, Nathan Rice and Brett Wilkie in the Silver. The structure and prize pool is unmatched in Australia and I hear it will be bigger and better in its second year.
From there on Saturday morning I played the Zone champion of champion final against Mick Harry. I really was on a high after winning literally hours before against the Lions and seemed a little slow to start. There was actually a crowd on the Friday night and Steve Glasson dressed up as ‘Larry the Lion’ entertaining it! So to turn up at Northmead the next day I was a little down compared to the night before. There was still huge motivation for me in many ways but I couldn’t pick myself up and play at the level Mick played.
Usually I pride myself on being able to increase my concentration levels or arousal or calm myself down etc. This game was very frustrating and was the first time in months I felt like I didn’t have control of the game. Mick played his last bowl well and when I won an end he nailed it with his first, very simple. This was even though the conditions were way different to the week before, still windy on top of the hill but half the pace, strange for Northmead. He consistently outdrew me early but towards the middle I definitely out-rated him on the draw but this was the time when he drew the absolute with his last. I tried extreme long and minimum but he stood up to the test. He is a deserved champion in not only the singles in our zone but also the pairs which he won with his brother. He also won all club championships at Toongabbie and is doing a great job as Secretary there. He is leading his team into the Premier League for the first time this year and I wish Mick and the Titans all the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment