Needed that practise session

We're playing away at Papworth Bowls Club this evening in the third round of the County Men's Senior Pairs. Played to twenty-one ends, two bowls each. The green has been played on by the County Under 25s throughout the day and is lightning-fast. Our opponents were runners-up in last year's final.

Pretty clear from the start this is not going to be a classic tussle of skill. Like bowling on a sheet of glass. We hold our own for the first third of the match, but a string of lost ends leaves us 7-12 down by the fourteenth. We then win four consecutive ends to go ahead 13-12. With only three to go, we just need a good result to grab a win.

Really hard to understand how we could let them score the maximum four on the next end. None of their bowls particularly close. Ours all over the place. We don't deserve to win after that! Another three to them on the penultimate end and we're history.

Played like a plonker. Only one good skip's shot, on the seventeenth end when I knocked out their shot bowl to score three for us. Got one other bowl close to the jack. Otherwise all over the place. Too long. Too short. Too wide. Anything but right line and length together.

Realised my only game in a week was the Thursday evening Men's Fours. That's poor for keeping skills hones, since there's a long gap between each delivery of two bowls. Was intending to have a solo practise yesterday evening. Not having that practise probably cost us this evening's match. Drat!

So that's all the County competitions over for me. Poor result overall. At least can now concentrate on the seven Club competitions. Here's the scorecard.