We're in the final!!!!!!

Can hardly believe it... Geoff and me won our club pairs semi final this afternoon and we're in the final! And after a shaky start on my part we won by some margin.

Where on earth did those butterflies come from about an hour before the start time? And my nervousness continued into the first ends. It's down to the magnificent lead bowling by Geoff that our opponents were only four up after the first three ends.

Gradually I got into the swing and started to contribute, although the rink we were playing on seemed very unforgiving. For me the most exciting end was the thirteenth. Having rolled my first wood right up against the jack, my opponent somehow managed to squeeze her first in between mine and the jack. My second wood returned the favour and nudged her just enough to go one up again. Blow me if she didn't manage to nudge me out again with her next bowl! 

Things were more than a little congested around the jack and with little opportunity to make any more of the head my third bowl was played more firmly... to push the jack through the head and leave us lying three up! The match was the highest score after eighteen ends, and I think our worthy opponents knew the game was up when we went 15-7 up after that end.

I understand we're up against it in the final. Their number 1 is the best lead bowler in the club, and the number 2 thrashed me in the Mixed Singles. But that was a long time ago in my bowls development. I know he doesn't like a long end. And thinking positively, we've won all our matches by a good margin.  We managed a quarter final result of 17-7 against a really good pair of club players, and the round before that 24-11.

But just to be playing on Sunday 15 September, when all the club finals are played, is such an honour. It's the height of the club's season and the place will be heaving with members watching. If I was nervous for the semi final, what on earth am I going to be like on finals' day? Way back in May, when I put my name down for every competition going, I didn't even think to put finals' day in the diary. Me? Make a final? Don't be silly!

Better check on the state of those off-white trousers I've got. Players on finals' day have to wear white. Probably the whitest thing around on the day will be my petrified fizzog!