Consistency!

Men's Four Bowls quarter final this evening. My opponent is current County Champion of Champions. First to twenty-one. My jack. He looks slightly heavy on the trial ends, so play a medium length jack. He's pretty quick to adjust, while my first four bowls are somewhat slack. Four down first end!

By the eight end I'm 3-10 down. Not quite getting the line. His bowls are razor sharp. Unless something changes I'm in for a thrashing. Manage to tighten things up. Five of the next six ends to me, now 11-12.

He responds with three excellent ends. It's now 11-19 and looks all over. Manage to wrestle the jack back. With earlier light rain and dusk drawing in the green has changed slightly. Start playing maximum length ends. Two ends to me, 14-19.

He wins the twentieth end with a single, 14-20. We're now the only match still playing, a line of members watching. I'm getting great line and length with most of my bowls. He's responding in like manner. For most ends there's millimetres difference for shot. In fact one end is drawn, the marker unable to decide between our two bowls right up to the jack. The next two are mine, 18-20.

On the twenty-third end I'm sitting with two in line right in front of the jack. He drives with his third, just misses. My last is a foot behind the jack, still two up. His final drive hits my front bowl and scatters the head. I still have one, just missing for two. 19-20.

End twenty-four and I'm sitting with one. Just need another in the count for a chance to win, but my last bowl is a foot short. I'm at the head as my opponent bowls his last. A great draw shot for one. Final score 19-21 to him. How decisive was dropping four on the first end!

Come away thinking if only I could consistently bowl the same method every time. Certainly better than past seasons, but again there are improvements to be made. This evening's lessons were to fix primary aiming points during the trial ends (would give me a better start), and keep my head down as I release the bowl (better length). Playing a semi-final tomorrow evening. Determined to put everything together for once! Here's this evening's scorecard.