World number 1

Off to Hunstanton for a few days holiday, returning to three important matches in four days. So down the bowls club this evening for a solo practise. Need to sort the stance / aiming point issue.

Two rinks occupied with County competition pairs matches. Recognise one of the players on the rink next to me. It's Nick Brett, World Number 1! He's playing with his daughter Chloe against our Club's top mixed pairs, one the County Indoor Ladies Singles Champion, the other our current Club 2 Bowls Champion. Looks like our pair is struggling.

I'm using my crouching stance and an aiming point at the far end of the rink. Working well, but if there's a prominent enough interim aiming point I'm using that as well. Very happy with the line. Reasonably accurate and consistent.

What I am struggling with is the length. Far too many short bowls, all more than a yard in front of the jack and an absolute waste. Realise at end 12 that my objective is not just to get more than half my bowls within a yard of the jack, but also not to roll any short bowls. Things markedly improve.

Finish with one of my best solo practises ever. Almost 60% of bowls within a yard. But 20% of bowls delivered short. That's the area I've got to work on.

Back to our star guest. Almost fainted when Nick said hello to me on the way to the toilet. What other sport can you rub shoulders with the World Number 1 and it's no big deal? Might even get to play against him sometime in the future. He plays outdoor bowls for Warboys White Hart Bowls Club. As I leave the club I notice it's almost curtains for our pair. They're losing 21-2. Awesome bowls from Nick and his daughter.

Here's the current status of solo sessions, and this evening's scorecard. I've added another target line to the solo practise graph, a red one to aim for zero short bowls.