"Team five," called a loud voice from the doorway to the greens. "I need Penny Cunningham and…, damn." There was a momentary pause, "and Joycie Livermore."
"Bugger," Clarissa said. "Your first game of lawn bowls and Mabel Munzie is your skip."
Penny looked in the direction her friend was pointing and saw a woman leaning on a walking stick. "You'll have to speak loudly or she won't hear you," Clarissa warned, as they made their way towards the woman waiting impatiently by the door.
"What's your first name again?" Mabel asked, after being introduced by Clarissa.
"Penny," she replied.
"Right, Polly, you'll be our lead and spaghetti brains over there can be our third."
Penny was confused, she had little idea of the rules or what was required of the lead. "I've never played before," she said nervously.
Mabel glared at her. "We don't have a number four - haven't you played this game before?"
Penny sighed. "I just said…"
"Okay, okay," Mabel interrupted. "If you want to play third, behind that basket case then go ahead," she said, pointing to an elderly woman sitting by the green. "But don't say I didn't warn you, Polly."
"My name's Penny," she said loudly, but Mabel didn't appear to hear.
Clarissa whispered some parting words of encouragement to Penny as she and Mabel made their way towards Joycie Livermore, who was vigorously polishing her bowl.
"This is Polly, Joycie," Mabel said. "She's on our team today."
"The name's Penny, actually."
"Team five," called a loud voice from the doorway to the greens. "I need Penny Cunningham and…, damn." There was a momentary pause, "and Joycie Livermore."
"Bugger," Clarissa said. "Your first game of lawn bowls and Mabel Munzie is your skip."
Penny looked in the direction her friend was pointing and saw a woman leaning on a walking stick. "You'll have to speak loudly or she won't hear you," Clarissa warned, as they made their way towards the woman waiting impatiently by the door.
"What's your first name again?" Mabel asked, after being introduced by Clarissa.
"Penny," she replied.
"Right, Polly, you'll be our lead and spaghetti brains over there can be our third."
Penny was confused, she had little idea of the rules or what was required of the lead. "I've never played before," she said nervously.
Mabel glared at her. "We don't have a number four - haven't you played this game before?"
Penny sighed. "I just said…"
"Okay, okay," Mabel interrupted. "If you want to play third, behind that basket case then go ahead," she said, pointing to an elderly woman sitting by the green. "But don't say I didn't warn you, Polly."
"My name's Penny," she said loudly, but Mabel didn't appear to hear.
Clarissa whispered some parting words of encouragement to Penny as she and Mabel made their way towards Joycie Livermore, who was vigorously polishing her bowl.
"This is Polly, Joycie," Mabel said. "She's on our team today."
"The name's Penny, actually."
"In your dreams," Joycie said, loud enough for those around her to hear. She bent down and sent her bowl firmly along the green, striking the jack a perfect blow, and hurling it into the gutter at the end of the green. There was an angry expletive from Mabel and Joycie turned to Penny and winked.
Penny's concentration was focussed on the small white ball at the other end of the green as she was about to play her next shot.
"Your bias is wrong, love," Joycie mumbled.
"What?" Penny said, turning to Joycie who was polishing her remaining bowl.
"Thunderthighs wants you to put your bowl on the right, so you'll need to reverse the bias."
"Get on with it ladies," Mabel shouted from the other end. "This isn't a garden tea party."
Penny looked at her bowl. That's not what she was told at her practice sessions. She looked back at Joycie who was still polishing furiously, and the old woman smiled at her.
"You remind me of my daughter," Joycie said, cocking her head to one side. "You're not my daughter are you, love?" she asked.
Penny was about to reply, then shrugged. Reverse the bias she whispered to herself as she bent down and played her shot. She watched her bowl as it gathered speed. It had perfect trajectory she thought, as it began its wide sweeping arc, just as Joycie indicated it would.
A loud groan from Mabel Munzie startled Penny at about the same time as her bowl made a sudden, erratic turn to the right. Everyone watched in dismay as Penny's bowl crossed their rink, slammed into the adjoining team's cluster of bowls and scattered them in all directions - most of them into the gutter.
There was stunned silence around the greens, except for a muffled giggle from Joycie Livermore.
"That's it," Mabel shouted to the opposing skip. "We're forfeiting the game," she said, as she collected her bowls and stormed off the green.
"So tell me, Jenny," Joycie said, as she and Penny gathered up their gear. "How did you enjoy your first game of lawn bowls?"
"Is it always like this?" Penny asked, watching the fuming Mabel Munzie hobble into the clubrooms.
"No, fortunately," Joycie replied, and chuckled wickedly. "Some days it can be quite interesting,"
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