As soon as the bowl left my hand I knew I had thrown it all wrong. That was the trouble with me; I was inconsistent. One minute I could place the bowl near the jack, while the next I would send it right off the edge of the mat, just as I had a few moments ago.
        It was Tuesday afternoon; the day we met in the social club for a friendly game of carpet bowls. Well, that was how it was, before Rose declared herself captain.
        At one time, it never mattered if the bowl spun hopelessly out of control and ran off the side of the carpet. Or even if it ran straight down the middle, only to clash into the dreaded white circular block in the centre; it had all been part of the fun. But not any more; Rose took these Tuesday afternoon sessions very seriously.
        I sighed; she was looking at me now. Very shortly she would come over and tell me how useless I was; certainly not good enough to be a member of the village team in the forthcoming indoor bowls competition.
        Oh she would flower it up a little, but her meaning would be clear. Yet it was her presence that made me nervous in the first place. I played better when she wasn’t watching me, trying to find fault.
        I wasn’t usually so timid; normally I was able to speak up for myself. But with Rose it was different. Somehow I had never been able to stand up to her. She had such a strong character her very presence made me tremble.
        My mind drifted back to when we were at school together. Even back then she delighted in making me feel foolish. I recalled my best friend telling me that Rose was jealous because I was both cleverer and more popular than she was. Perhaps my friend was right. Rose was never well-liked at school.
        Rose. How on earth had her parents come up with that name? A rose was such a delightful flower; she was not at all delightful. She was... my thoughts were interrupted when I saw her marching across the hall.
        "Ah! Jane," she said, wagging her finger at me. "Our last bowl wasn’t awfully good, was it? We’re going to have to do a little better if we’re to come up to standard."
        What was all this ‘our’ and ‘we’ business when she meant me? I felt like a child being reprimanded for playing truant from school. It wouldn’t be so bad if she was a good bowler herself. But she continually knocked the jack off the mat causing her side to lose the game.
        Of course that was quickly glossed over. No matter what happened, she always managed to come up smelling of roses. I hid a smile at my unintended joke.
        "Could I try again...? I know I can do better." I wanted to add ‘especially if you don’t watch me’, but stopped myself.
        "But you can’t try again out there in the field," she said smugly. "In a tournament, every bowl counts; there’ll be no, ‘trying again’." She made quotation marks with her fingers. "No, Jane dear, I think it’ll be better if you stick to making the teas. You’re much more suited to sandwich making than bowling. Leave the bowls to those who know how to play."
        I was furious with myself. I should have told her I didn’t want to be relegated to the sandwich brigade and insisted on bowling again.
        I stood back and watched as the other players took their turn. Some, like Mary and Isabel, were brilliant. Their bowls ran smoothly up the side of the green mat, neatly passing the block and curving at exactly the right spot before coming to a full stop close to the jack.
        But then there were others who bowled and hoped for the best. I noticed how their bowls often ran off the mat, yet they were included in the team. Why was that?
        "I think you’re being unfair. Let Jane bowl again. We’re not in a tournament today." Mary’s voice drifted across the hall. "She just needs to bowl a few times to loosen up."
        Isabel nodded in agreement. "Yes, I agree. You could have given her another chance."
        Mary waved me over and handed me a bowl. "Go on," she said, quietly. "Try again."
        "Take your time, Jane, there’s no rush," added Isabel.
        I smiled my thanks as I took the bowl. One of them should have been captain. Unlike Rose, they were both respected members of the club. Unfortunately, neither had wanted to take it on.
        "That’s exactly my point," Rose sniffed.
        I closed my ears and gently threw the bowl down the mat. I stood back with a look of satisfaction as it ended up in a good position.
        "There you are," said Mary. "She simply needs to calm down a little. You don’t help matters by bullying her all the time. Anyway, this tournament isn’t a life or death situation. Let me remind you, we all come here for the fun of it."
        "Very well," Rose sighed as though bored with the whole business. "I’ve already decided on the team, but I’ll put Jane down as a reserve. Will that satisfy you?"
        Isabel opened her mouth to argue, but not wanting a row, I quickly intervened. "It’s all right, Isabel, I’ll be a reserve, but thank you both for your support."
            I knew, as a reserve, there was very little chance I would actually be called upon to play in the competition. Nevertheless I took every opportunity to practise; slipping into the clubhouse when no one else was there. Before long, I had built up enough confidence to join some of the others and they were delighted at how well I had progressed.
            If only I had been this good when Rose was selecting the team; I might even have been included. On the other hand, I realised she would have come up with some other excuse to keep me out.
            As the day of the competition approached everyone grew very excited and with only a couple of days to go, Rose called a meeting.
            "I’m sure there’s no need for me to tell you that the village is relying on us to bring home the shield on Saturday. We’ve practised hard over the last few weeks so there’s no reason why we won’t do just that."
            She cleared her throat. "However, we mustn’t become too complacent; therefore I think it would be a good idea if we spend these last two days competing against each other." She hesitated and looked at me. "Of course this doesn’t apply to you, Jane. I’m sure you’re very anxious to get back to organizing the sandwiches and cakes, etc. for the teas. No doubt, you’ll have plenty to do liaising with your counterparts in the other villages."
            I was quite taken aback. "But I’m a reserve; surely I should be practising with the rest of the team, besides I have already organised... "
            "I really don’t think we’re going to need you, my dear." Rose interrupted. She swept her hand around the group. "All the team members are here. We’re all quite fit and
            "That’s a little unfair," said Mary. "Jane has practised hard over the last few weeks and she has come on very well indeed."
            "But I’m afraid she’s still not up to standard," said Rose. "Oh, she may be good enough here in the clubhouse, but under pressure she’ll go to pieces, she always does."
            I had heard enough. "I wonder why that is," I said hotly. "If you left me alone, instead of picking on me all the time, I wouldn’t be so nervous. I could have been on the team, instead of making tea. Well forget it Rose; get someone else to do your wretched sandwiches. I quit!" I was flushed with anger.
            "But you can’t do that," said Rose
            A silence fell over the hall as everyone turned to look at Rose; she had gone very pale. No one had questioned her authority before.
            It was Isabel who spoke first. "Jane is right; she should be practising with the rest of us. I also believe she should have been included in the team in the first place."
            "Well, if you feel like that..." Rose tried to regain some dignity.
            "Yes, I do," interrupted Isabel, firmly. "I think we all do." She looked around the group for support. Everyone nodded their agreement. "And another thing," she continued. "Suppose Jane is needed to stand in for someone, how could she do it if she’s in the kitchen serving teas?"
        "Very well," Rose spoke quietly. It was obvious her feathers had been ruffled. "It seems I’m out-voted. But who’s going to help with the teas now that Jane has... resigned? It’s rather short notice to appoint someone else."
           Fortunately, two ladies volunteered. "We’d be happy to stand in for Jane," said one. Shortly afterwards, the meeting broke up.
        At last the day of the tournament arrived; everyone was very excited. The coach, hired to carry the team and several supporters to the town where the competition was taking place, arrived at 8am.
        Though we weren’t playing our first match until shortly after lunch, Rose had insisted we set off early. "It’ll be better if we have time to settle down before our first match. There’s nothing worse than being late and getting flustered."
        "Time for a nice cup of tea," said Rose as we alighted from the coach. "But the sandwich bar won’t be open for a while yet."
        Most of us weren’t hungry, but one of the team had brought herself a sandwich. "I knew I wouldn’t have time for breakfast this morning, so I prepared something last night."
        We took our tea to the gallery; from there we could watch the matches already in progress. The players were very good and it became increasingly obvious it was going to be a fierce competition.
        At last our team was called forward. "Good luck," I whispered as they lined up at the edge of the green mat. The two captains stepped forward to decide which team would bowl first, but just before the coin was tossed, one of our members cried out in pain.
        "What’s the matter," asked Rose crossly, "This is not the time to start fooling around."
        "She’s not fooling around," said Mary. Can’t you see she’s in agony?" She looked towards the back of the hall. "Is there a doctor here?"
        Fortunately a Medic was on hand. "It looks like something you’ve eaten. What have you had today?"
        "Only a cold meat sandwich; but I brought it from home."
        "That must be it then. I can give you something, but it’ll take a while to work. I’m afraid you won’t be able to play."
        "But she must. What about the competition?" Rose was almost hysterical.
        "Jane can stand in," said Mary.
        "Well I suppose there’s nothing else for it, but she’ll be a disaster."
        The coin was finally tossed and our first match began.
        The afternoon wore on and despite Rose losing three games for us we were delighted to find ourselves in the final
        It was neck and neck. This was the eliminating game. It would decide whether we went home with the trophy, or be a close second. The first players had bowled; Mary and Isabel had played well, putting us in a good position.
        Then it came to Rose. However, she bowled too fast and we watched in horror as her bowl sped down the carpet and not only knocked Mary’s away, but pushed her opponent’s bowl close to the jack.
        "You idiot," hissed Mary. "It would have been better if you had bowled it off the carpet."
        My opponent took her turn and knocked Isabel’s bowl further from the jack. But in doing so, she had created a tiny gap between the bowls leaving the jack exposed.
        Now it was my turn; I studied the positions carefully. Though it would be difficult, it was possible for a bowl to glide through the narrow space and up to the jack. But could I do it?
        Taking a deep breath, I bent down and allowed the bowl to gently leave my hand. I hardly dared to look as it rolled towards its goal.
        "You’ve done it, Jane," Mary punched the air with delight. "Thanks to you, we’ve won."
        It was true. My bowl was butted up against the jack. I was so happy, tears filled my eyes.
        I glanced at the captain. "Well Rose," I said, lightly. "What do you think about that? Perhaps now you’ll believe I’m up to standard."