Like buses two come along at the same time and following my recent blog I wanted to get down in writing some of my thoughts after a great couple of weekends.
To think where we have come from having started as a passing conversation from Richie asking if I would be interested in doing a podcast, is amazing. Did we know where it would go? Would it be successful? Would anybody be interested in listening to two Mackems talking about bowls?
I think the key points that gave us the incentive was our passion for the sport and our personalities as from the very start we approached it with an attitude of “if you like it great, if not just switch off” and it certainly isn’t for not caring but more about an opportunity for those who love bowls to listen to stories from some influential guests inside and outside of the sport.
As our 36th show is due to be broadcast the Wrong Bias Podcast has now hopefully established itself within the bowls structure gaining around 450 listeners on a regular basis and as many will have seen we have now added live streaming to our repertoire. Once again the engine of the duo had been discussing the service our friends in Australia were providing and wanted to replicate it in our local county to showcase live bowls for those who might be interested. “Sounds great Richie” was my reply thinking we might do a few local games now and again whilst continuing with the podcast.
Oh no no no not for this workhorse. He is without doubt one of the hardest working volunteers for the sport I have ever met and proceeded to start hosting multiple matches throughout the season and if I wasn’t playing we would both be commentating in our relaxed style that many have said is like sitting in a bar with a pint having a chat.
Now for someone who doesn’t necessarily like watching bowls I have to say this was totally different. Commentating on a game whilst having a laugh and generally providing the wrong guesses as to shot choices just adds to the experience of observing and I have enjoyed every second of it to date. Covering the Manchester Open and Northern Counties was certainly a step up to what we had done previously but then we landed our biggest stream to date…The PBA World Qualifiers at Stanley IBC.
Before I talk about the weekend of the qualifiers it would be remiss of me not to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone involved with the WBT and PBA for the changes to the format in qualifying. Special mention to my little Lancashire matey Jason Parkinson who has worked tirelessly to ensure eight events have run throughout the season and opening up the opportunities to so many more bowlers to qualify for the World Singles and Pairs at Potters Resort. Watching himself and Martin Gale up at Stanley working to ensure the event was a success was great to see and I know they are both just part of a bigger team driving the sport into a new era. I would also like to congratulate Stanley IBC and their team of volunteers for the unbelievable job they did marking games etc to alleviate the pressure from the organisers and players alike.
I mentioned in my last blog that this one may have a fitness angle to it and the last couple of qualifiers have really brought this to my attention again. I attended the Lincoln Qualifier a couple of weeks prior to the Stanley event and managed to get a place due to a late drop-out. I was at an early stage of my aim to lose 5 stone that I have gained over the last few years but the key was, I had started. Unfortunately it was an 8:30 start so I had to leave at 4:45am to ensure I was at the venue in plenty of time for the event. Getting up was fine, travel was no problem, arrived with enough time to get 20 minutes practice before my game and then proceeded to win my first couple of games. As the day wore on I could feel myself emptying out and by the time I was playing the quarter final I was comfortably despatched by the eventual qualifier, Pat Briscoe and I wish him all the best at Potters.
This for me was another wake up call as regardless of what is thought about our sport it is still physically and psychologically demanding and my personal level of fitness was nowhere near what it needed to be for a long qualifying event. I had two weeks to get myself into better shape for what was going to be a war of attrition at Stanley. Not only would I be assisting with the streaming and commentating but I also had to play bowls against top opposition. Not an easy task if just playing never mind the extras on top so I had hope in the fact that the day before we started I had lost 21lbs in weight. I had also been following the “BowlsFit” programme that is now available for others to follow but had originated as a mechanism for myself to get fit before the 2018 Commonwealth Games and created by Katie Bulmer Cooke.
I was feeling good, my practice had gone well and a discussion prior to the event I had said “if I can transfer my current game from practice to the Stanley Green then someone was going to have to beat me by playing well”.
A 7:30am start setting up the cameras followed by 7 and a half hours commentating was possibly not ideal preparation for my first game and I would be lying if I was to say I wasn’t a little stiff around the joints but a few stretches later I was feeling good to go.
Without going into the details the rest as they say is history and after 3 games on the Saturday and a semi and final on the Sunday I got the qualification I desired and did not feel physically distressed in any way although I was a little tired.
Could I have done that in the physical shape I was a month earlier? Not a chance! Will I be lighter and fitter by the time I get to Potters for the championship? You better believe it! Will it help me to perform to the required level? Only time will tell but one thing for certain is I want to give myself the best possible chance to do that and I can categorically say that I have performed at a higher level when I am leaner and fitter.
To round up the weekend which was a resounding success we had over 43,000 views of the live stream and everything ran very smoothly. It was also great to see so many funny comments on the page from viewers and when we say we are the “alternative” option for commentary I think it rings true. There won’t be many sports that have conversation about potato smiley faces, turkey dinosaurs or my highlight of the weekend “you can have a nibble of my gherkin” 😂.
Thank you from both myself and Richie for your incredible support and we will continue to improve what we do to hopefully make the experience a great one.
Over and out………..for now.
Bolty