Ten pin bowling with the brood

We are currently playing host to my son's best friend from Huddersfield, Matty.  They have known each other since the first day of primary school and are still best friends.  They share an interest in rugby and until April of this year they played for the same team, Huddersfield RUFC in the u12s.   They were never in the same class at school and then went to different secondary schools. Then when we moved to Worksop this year Tom left the area completely. They have remained friends and through the miracles of texting and Skype they have kept in touch. They rib each other about how bad their respective rugby league teams are doing.  The friendship is strong.

When it was arranged that Matty was coming to stay with us I was keen that they didn't spend all their time sitting on laptops playing Football Manager. This morning we went over to the ten pin bowling alley in Mansfield. The drive through the fog was an experience  but we arrived unscathed.

We purchased 2 games of bowling and drinks and set about playing. The first game was not the highest scoring game ever seen. Matty was OK, Tom was dreadful and Jenni was lucky. I started slowly and it was a close run thing until the last round. Matty was ahead after his final bowl and then Tom piped 'You've lost dad because you won't get a strike or a spare in this round!' On my performance at that stage this would appear to have been a fairly good judgment. However, it overlooked a number of factors. Of the four of us I was the most consistent. I had the best technique of the four of us and I wasn't using the bumpers like the others. I promptly hit the spare with the last bowl and then with the bonus throw overtook Matty. The atmosphere was not good.

Matty complained that as the guest I should have let him win. I advised him that winning that way is the worst kind of winning. If he was going to wn then he should do it on his merits. I went to collect the drinks and whilst I was away the lads insisted that Jenni should aim her own ramp as she had beaten Tom in the first game.  The game started with Jenni bringing up the rear after the first few rounds. Matty was again out in front but Tom was starting to find technique, or what passed for it in his case. At the start of round three Matty and Tom then announced you have no chance of winning this game as you are so far behind.

For two supposedly intelligent kids they really can be dumb on a grand scale. I have epilepsy and all my life people have been telling me that I can't or shouldn't do things. Now some of these things I take heed of. I don't drink, I don't take drugs and I avoid flashing lights wherever possible. These changes have been necessary for me to manage my condition effectively and this I have done for the last sixteen years. However, the thing with epilepsy is that like most conditions there are compensations. I have immense powers of concentration and focus. My short term memory is going a bit but my long term memory is phenomenal. I am available for pub quiz teams at reasonable rates. The other thing the condition gives me is the ability and determination to prove people wrong.

I have been told the following ( not all in relation to epilepsy):-

1. In all likelihood you will never drive - I am a reasonably good driver and have held a licence for thirteen years
2. I was never allowed to swim at school  - I learned to swim in my 30s and am OK within my depth
3. Some people suggested that I probably wouldn't marry and have kids because they wouldn't be able to cope - I am very happily married and have two wonderful kids
4. You won't ever get a job in the legal profession aged 18 with no qualifications - I got one within a couple of weeks and held it for four years and am partly qualified as a lawyer.
5. You will never be able to give up chocolate for a year - My son said this to me, I gave it up for a year. So you would have thought he would have learned not to make challenges to me by now.

So taking all of the above into consideration a couple of kids telling me I am not going to win 3 rounds into a game is hardly going to phase me. 

I quickly got into my stride with 5 strikes and and a spare in the next 6 rounds. My score at the end was double their combined scores. This was after not having bowled for 3 years. I am planning on taking them for a round of golf later this week at a golf course which I used to play several times a week and which I played a couple of years ago.  I am no great shakes as a golfer as my friends Emmett and Mark would testify but I would guess that I will comfortably beat these two.