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LUCY SMITH REFLECTS ON HER EXPERIENCE ON THE PORTABLE BLUE CARPET AT POTTERS |
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In the women's singles she played
against Chelsea Spencer and in the mixed pairs teamed up with Robert
Paxton. "Like everyone it has always been one of my dreams to play in the WBT singles at Potters, having watched my dad, Katy and Scott play there over the years it was great to finally have my go. I love the venue, it's always something I look forward to, even when the OSC grand final was there, I just love everything about the place. To win it would have been amazing, but I don't think it's a realistic goal for your first time there. My focus was on enjoying it, trying to play the right shots and staying strong mentally and I think I achieved those things. "Achieving the goal of qualifying for the Worlds was a particularly special one for me as back in 2008 my dad qualified in the world pairs for the first time, me and Katy were 11 and 13 and went to watch, our grandparents came too. I remember standing with our Poppa and he said to me and Katy "you'll both play here one day" it was a bold call, since neither of us had picked up a bowl indoors yet, Katy was first to get there back in 2017 and I'm pleased to have finally achieved what he predicted I would." Lucy's grandfather died the following year which has made her even more determined to make sure she gets back to Potters to play again: "This year has definitely made me hungry for more; it was a great experience and I can't wait to try and qualify again next year. I feel like I learned a lot there to help me improve my game not just on the portable rink, but in all nationals and OSC events too. I would love to qualify in one of the open events, I've gone close in the past with three open pairs semi finals and two open singles quarter finals. "This year, I had a lot of nationals in the weeks before going, as well as an OSC event the weekend before, so quite a lot of game play. I also did some work on preparing mentally for the experience, visualising myself on the rink, playing well and feeling comfortable which definitely helped during my games. When I got there I had a couple of practice sessions before going into the mixed pairs and a couple more before the singles. I had one end with my own professionals before realising they weren't going to be any good so I ended up using a set of XPs from the WBT pool bowls, I had to go up a size but really liked the bowls and was pleased I got used to them so quickly having used the same set indoors and outdoors for the last 14 years! " Lucy's pre-match routine always includes meditation: "At Potters because both of my games were at 3.45pm it was quite a long wait for the start, I would spend my morning normally then after lunch go back to the room to chill and read before starting the usual routine of meditation. My pre-game routine is always about feeling as calm and confident as I can before playing. "On the portable rink, as in my bowls games generally, I always try to remain positive. I've heard from many people that it can be a daunting place if things start to go wrong and to be honest that was one of my biggest worries in the run up to the event. I was really pleased that I didn't struggle mentally during the game, even when I wasn't winning the ends. I tried to focus on the positives, continue positive self-talk and keep focused as there's always the chance of a comeback! "Playing competitive games most weekends definitely helps all other aspects of my game, it also means I play a lot more sets play and on live stream regularly which definitely helped me at potters. I have noticed since playing regularly in OSC events and finishing in the top 32 the last four years, I have qualified for the EIBA national finals in at least four each year too." What are Lucy's goals now? "They're the same as they've always been," she said, "To continue to win national titles, I'd love to win the singles, an OSC event and of course the world singles!" Sian Honnor. We' d love to know what bowls means to you, get in touch at info@eiba.co.uk Previous Article - Interview with Tom Holmes of the winning England U25 International team |
February 2025
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