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Man of the Moment Mikey Titcombe has Big Aspirations in Bowls |
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In 2016 he reached the final of the Wey Valley
tournament, losing out to Egham's Steve Tuohy in a close final. And just last month the 27-year-old claimed his latest title at the Daventry IBC event, moving to number two in the ranking list. Mikey said: "All in all I have made eight finals and have a 50 per cent record in those, winning four of them. "The past couple of months has been my best run of tournaments; after struggling to find any form for a few months, I managed to win the West Berks tournament, coming through an incredibly tough field. I followed this with a semi-final at Palmerston where I lost to my National Pairs partner and eventual winner Scott Edwards in a very close game. "I was really pleased to win the title at Daventry and it is great to climb the rankings. "When I first started playing in these tournaments, one of the biggest draws was the opportunity to play against the best players the sport has to offer, regardless of your level of ability. For example, in my first ever tournament when I was 15, I was drawn against Rob Paxton, who was on the brink of breaking into the world's top 16 at the time. "Over the years through continuing to enter, I have had the opportunity to meet and play against other incredible players: Jamie Walker, Martin Puckett and Les Gillett just to name some. "I think having music played continuously throughout these events is also a massive plus and something we should look to implement at all levels of bowls. I do not believe this is a distraction to any bowler if played at the correct volume and actually adds something to the atmosphere across the weekends. "You also get to know a lot of people when you travel to different clubs for tournaments, a vast majority of whom are great to chat to!"  Mikey says that bowls mean "a great deal" to him, having been introduced to the sport at the age of seven after his older brother started playing through a school programme. "Jay was immediately hooked and invited my Dad along to the club to play, and my Dad always tells me about the game of singles they had the day my Dad bowled his first bowl, where Jay beat him 21-0. My Dad vowed to never let this happen again and took the game up. A few years later, my Dad encouraged me to come and have a go, and the rest is history. "It has been a constant in my life, playing at least three times a week for as long as I can remember. Not only is it the sport I have chosen to play and my main hobby, it is my escape when life is tricky, or when I've had a stressful day at work. When I play bowls, I forget about everything else going on and just focus on the task at hand. "There are so many things I love about bowls, but for me the best part of it is the fiercely competitive, yet friendly nature of almost all people you play against. I have had the pleasure of playing against bowlers based all over the country, varying greatly in ability levels and in experience. "Ninety-nine per cent of people, whilst determined to win, are incredibly nice people and are always more than happy to sit down and have a drink with you afterwards, regardless of the result. This is something that you probably don't see in all sports and it" something we as bowlers should be very proud of." Despite loving the game instantly, Mikey believes that he struggled for the first few years and the 2016 OSC final gave him the confidence he needed to progress. "I truly began to believe that I could achieve a lot more," he said. "My biggest achievement so far has to be winning the Bowls England National Mixed Pairs with Lucy Smith. Lucy and I have pretty much known each other since we both started playing the game, and to win my first national title not only with a great bowler, but with a great friend is certainly a memory I'll cherish forever. "In that same season I represented England in the outdoor Junior International Series at Essex County. This was one of the greatest experiences of my life, the atmosphere was like nothing I had ever been involved in before. The unbelievable noise levels generated from two greens of passionate young bowlers representing their respective countries made this an absolutely unforgettable event for me. "Five months later I represented England in the indoor Junior International Series at Stanley. I was named as a travelling reserve, however after we unfortunately lost to Ireland, I came in for the last game against Wales. I performed well and we won our rink relatively comfortably. Another proud moment for me." During the 2017/2018 indoor season Mikey reached the National U25 Singles and National Singles Semi-Finals, losing out to Lee Calver and Jack Bird respectively in two tight battles. Like many players, Mikey finds the stereotype attached to bowls frustrating. "We cannot seem to shake that bowls is an old man's game," he said. "It is simply untrue, and I have always been of the view that it should be labelled a sport for all ages, which is a far more accurate description. However, I think we all, myself included, need to be more proactive in trying to change this stereotype, to ensure the future of our sport is secure for many more years to come. "I do think a lot of great work has been done recently on relaxing dress codes, moving away from all white or white tops and grey trousers, making the game more colourful and more appealing to the eye. We should continue to work on this as I believe this is something that has hampered the sport in the past. "I also think we would benefit from a televised shorter format of Bowls. There are a few examples of this in other sports: Snooker Shootout, 20:20 Cricket, Tiebreak Tens. I think it would bring new eyes to our sport and encourage more people to give it a try, which is the most difficult part. To have crowds similar to darts events would be absolutely incredible, but I think we are some way off that for the time being." Away from the green Mikey works as Shop Manager for his father's workwear and PPE company, but is currently undertaking a freelance journalism course. He is also a keen runner, having completed to Couch to 5K during lockdown and then set himself the challenge of running the London Marathon. Mikey said: "I have always been a ridiculously ambitious person, so thought a natural step up from running just over three miles would be to run 26.2, and got myself a charity place in the next London Marathon, running for Caudwell Children, a disabled children's charity. "I trained really hard for this, and after being pushed back by a year due to Covid, in October 2021 I completed the London Marathon in just over five hours and raised 2,600 Pounds in the process. I haven't been running as much of late, however I have really got back into my fitness over the past few months and in the future I will be running and raising more money for Caudwell Children. "Running or fitness work in general really helps to clear the mind, so it also has a positive impact on my overall performance when it comes to bowls, which is another reason why I continue with it." Mikey's bowls aspirations are also set high. "As well as continuing to qualify in national events and perform well at national finals, I want to start earning senior England trials, and eventually break into the international teams both indoor and outdoor," he said. "Representing England at the Commonwealth Games would be a dream come true, but I am under no illusions, there is a huge mountain to climb to get there and I will have to continue to work as hard as I possibly can to make this a realistic possibility in the future. "I am also inspired by inspiring others and really want to spread the message to never give up on yourself, no matter how difficult things may get, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel!" Sian Honnor Previous Article Sue Davies |
April 2023
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