Maintaining the gap

First Club competition match this evening, Men's Handicap. Highest handicap handed out is 10. I've got 8. Up against an A Team player with 2. I've got to get 27, him 21.

Just know this is going to be a real struggle. So important to get a good start. An early lead for me will effectively put us on first to 21 even footing. His advantage will be even greater if I have a bad start. Got to gain and maintain at least a seven bowl gap to win.

Knowing my opponent prefers long jacks, I've come into the game planning to play short. Additionally, it's been raining all afternoon, so green a bit heavier than normal. But line and length on longer ends is good, so I'm happy to stick with long. By the sixth end, won all but one and it's 9-1 to me.

Manage to keep the gap in the eight to ten range until the seventeenth end. My opponent puts three bowls right on the jack and the margin is reduced to seven. Next end it's down to six. By the twenty-sixth end it's down to five. My accuracy has gone off a bit, my opponent's increased. If he gets a two or three I'm in trouble!

Decide to change hand to the narrower line. Seems to work when I pick up a loose four on the twenty-seventh end. Back up to a gap of nine. 

Two ends later, play the shot of the match. On a maximum length end I've got a bowl right in front of the jack. With his last delivery my opponent plays his bowl into the ditch, pushing the jack towards the edge. His ditched bowl is lying shot, the jack inches from the green edge. With five bowls in front it's hard to decide the right line in. But I spot a path on the wide swinging hand. Play it to perfection, right up to the jack. Take the next two ends to win 27-16 over thirty-one ends. Here's the scorecard.