Another one down

Drawn pairs semi-final this evening, played over eighteen ends. Our opponents probably the best two draw bowlers in the Club at present, one of whom has just returned from competing in the national finals at Skegness. So I know we're up against it. Think they'll kill us on standard and long length jacks. Reckon the only way we stand a chance is to play very short. So I suggest to my lead partner he steps two yards back from the 25 yard mark to place the mat. I'll stand two yards out from the ditch. If he aims to roll the jack to my feet, that gives him a two yard error margin behind and in front of me.

Great, it's our jack first. We put the plan into action. Unfortunately my partner rolls the jack short. And sure enough, we're immediately in trouble. After five ends we're 0-7 down.

End six is my best. With my penultimate bowl I knock out their second bowl to leave us lying two. My last bowl knocks out their third, four to us! Back to the strategy. But again my partner rolls the jack too short and we lose two on the next. Now down 4-9.

Foregone conclusion from then on. On the sixteenth end we're lying down three with a packed head. I fire more in hope than expectation and push the jack through. Unfortunately we're now lying four down, and their skip adds another with his last bowl. We now need to win eleven in two ends. A single on the seventeenth end and the match is theirs.

No lessons to learn from this evening. Just up against a better pair. Can't see them losing the final. Here's the scorecard.