Midsummer Highlights and Lowlights

The coaching programme is proving an undoubted success.  We have put about ten or so people in one end and so far, five have come out of the other.   I have now begun work on the more complex subject of tactics and understanding the game.

Hilary, Marika and Frank have done a great job with the coaching, assisted by myself, Chrissie, David and Lesley.   We have definitely got four players ready for match play.  There are two others who will join those within a week or two.

 Now it's time to start putting more of the existing players through some coaching.  We could all do with improvement. Some could do with thinking about what they do more than others!

This week has been a disappointment.  Two games played, two games lost closely. The away game was always going to be a tough call against a strong Abbots Langley side on their green but we dropped the game on my rink after leading by a good margin, losing and regaining the lead twice only to lose on the last end. The second rink went down  more heavily.  Yesterday, we lost on our green by 5 overall. One rink went down by 10. We won on mine by 5. We ought to have won that one overall given we know our green (or should do) and the opposition play on artificial grass at home.  If a home team in such different circumstances can't set off to build a decent lead , there is something wrong. We were down on three rinks when I looked about. Only mine was leading and by a good 10 at that point. I expect good players to come back but we were already 10 or 12 down next door....

So there's a new lesson we need. How to concentrate and not lose when ahead and how to build a lead when we have an advantage.  We should know how to cut down heavy losses when the opposition has four or five against us but we don't always show good tactical awareness, such as ensuring we have woods behind the jack, blocking the route to a drive, coming the right way so we don't sweep the jack to their wood(s) behind the jack... and giving much better information about the head to those who are bowling into it.

Highlights and Lowlights for certain.  I hope as the Summer goes on, we are going to have more highlights to celebrate.  I'm beginning to grow tired of excuses why we lost....