Out for a drive

Men's Pairs semi final this evening, played over eighteen ends. Our opponents two of the top club players. We've won easily in every round up to now, but this is something quite different.

Pressure on right from the start. Their lead is getting three of his four bowls right on the jack. As skip, whenever I come to bowl we're at least a couple of shots down and my opposite number is adding to that. So not much chance to draw. Drives are the order of the day. Fortunately I'm hitting the mark and by the fifth end we're just ahead.

Then we drop a disastrous five. The jack surrounded by their bowls and several of ours in front, I fail by inches to push one of our bowls into the head.

There's really not much between us. So close that on the fifteenth end no score is recorded. They're sitting with two just millimetres from the jack, one of my bowls close in as well. I play a drive bang on target. The result is a jack surrounded by three touching bowls, one mine. Was hoping for two. At least the shot saved two.

Arrive at the final end having been playing under the floodlights for half an hour, darkness all around. We've pulled back to three behind. But it's too big a gap. We lose the last end by two and end up losing 11-16.

In spite of the loss it was hugely entertaining. A real thinker's game. Their lead played the best draw shot game I've ever seen. I used more drive shots than the whole of my career to date. Almost all of them on target, and all those on target changing things to our advantage. A handy 'get out of trouble' skill to develop.

So just one appearance on Finals Day this year. Better one final win than two final losses, as last year. Here's this evening's scorecard.