Words by Gutther Bawl.

3 teams. 18 men. Collectively, and individually, in pursuit. The role of a writer has often been to look beyond the facade to try and uncover the target of the chase. There’s the obvious - a championship, sporting greatness, bragging rights.

And there’s the less obvious.. that which lives under the skin, and betwixt the ears.

Writing, unlike our fair game, is an individual pursuit. You could almost call it lonely. No one else sees the words take shape in the mind, to find a home on the keyboard, or at the tip of a pen. Everyone writes a little differently, the literary reflection of our voices.

If there’s any similarity, it can be summarised in one word: futility. Everything becomes a little muted once the moment passes. You’re only as good as the last sentence you write, the last turn of phrase, that ball you just bowled, or the game that just finished.

And yet, you can’t use that past to help you. Looking either there or to the future is a pointless exercise, despite it feeling easy. A force of habit; to relive previous wins, or to visualise future ones. It is the constant challenge to remain present, to focus on just the very next few seconds, that symbolises a sense of mastery; of control.

The unassailable unity between body and mind.

Our latest installment unveiled further clues as to what is driving our heroes in this chase, and we learnt lessons about our teams that add to the continued drama of our fourth season.

It felt like a night where the old guard stepped up, where experience triumphed over exuberance. The notable performances were shared evenly across our founding teams - The Big Time and King Charles for Pinter, The Don and The Wickerman for the Riders. Between them they won all their head-to-heads, and The Wickerman “Top Pinsman“ for his 156. Pin City Rollers weren’t just there for the numbers however, and in truth were unfortunate to not get more out of the evening. They bowled very consistently, and very well in some parts, but this consistency simply didn’t equate to points on the night.

PCR, the hopeful favourites at the start of the season, find themselves in prime position to pounce - only 2.5 points off the lead. They were out in front early, but now find themselves in pursuit, driven on by sheer will to not let this opportunity slip. Multiple leaders, literally as well as figuratively, more than a few capable bowlers, it surely is a case of when, not it, their pursuit ends in victory. They’ve been this close before, and that experience will count for something. There’s plenty of time for them to sharpen their skills, and find the right form for the final furlong.

The Milanese demonstrated again that bowling is a team sport. Despite winning neither game in the evening, they came out ahead for the night owing to some expert head-to-head matchplay, and superior captaincy from the Tickler. They find themselves, unexpectedly given their start to the year, chasing down yet more silverware. Make no mistake this will not be as straightforward as some of their previous triumphs. They’ve gone from the hunter, to the hunted. The King of the Jungle has many enemies, and few allies. But he remains the King.

The Riders remain in pursuit of Pinter, motivated by if nothing else, a deep-seated aversion towards their long time rivals. Finding themselves now bottom of the pile, to the outside observer, there’s a directionlessness to the franchise. Pinter are fully proficient in the dark arts of mind games and mental warfare. And it’s a war they seem to be winning. There’s no doubt that the Riders can chase well, but they’ve stumbled in recent weeks. A gap has started to form, if not large in points, then large in perception. 2 Shoes and his crew will not doubt be using this time to mend the leaks in their hull, to proceed full sail in the wake of the Black and Blue.

This remains our closest season to date, with no team yet to create any daylight between the rest. Only 3.5 points separate our teams, from top to bottom. The pursuit of the trophy is on ice for now as we head to the Christmas break.

Once the festivities subside, hostilities will resume. The chase begins again.

Almost all pursuits end in failure. If you doubt me, flick on an episode of Attenborough and see for yourself. Does the lion quit? The cheetah, or the shark? On the contrary: their failure necessitates their starting another chase.

For two of our teams this season's chase will end in failure, that is guaranteed. No trophy, but pain and hunger.

Whichever way this one goes, all our heroes whether they’re holding everything or nothing, will begin the chase anew.

Truth be told, I don’t believe our pursuits ever truly end. Life replaces what we had with something else to seek, what we accomplished with some even greater, unattainable goal. Old Father Time ensures that even if we’re no longer capable of chasing, there are those we leave to do so in our stead.

I know I’m in pursuit, but I’m still not close enough to know exactly what of. Another day, another failure; I’ll try again.

I sit writing this on Bonfire Night and I feel it in my bones: we are in for more fireworks come January.

As always, play hard, play fair, and keep ‘em rolling.

Gutther