Matt Lucas was the “most heartbroken bloke” around the greens in metropolitan lawn bowls on Saturday.
His side, Lalor, was primed to take on Yarra Glen in the division one semi-final.
Lucas’s rink went down by the maximum eight shots in the very first end. Lalor battled on strongly, but could not overcome its opponents, and lost 75-84.
“You are talking with probably the most heartbroken bloke at the club,” Lucas told the
Weekly with a slight chuckle that betrayed his true devastation.
“That’s one of the rarest things to happen in lawn bowls, especially in the first end and especially in a semi-final. It was pretty embarrassing. We fought it out but we were never really in the game.”
Lucas’s opposing skipper, Matt Creighton – who Lucas bowled with at state level as a junior – trailed the jack into a position where his team’s eight bowls had shot.
“He played a great shot. He probably didn’t think he could get the maximum out of it, he just wanted to make the most of the end and get four or five shots. But he got it in exactly the right spot.
“I had the last bowl for the end and was hoping to find a gap to cut it down or take shot.
“I thought if I could get through I should be able to rest on something or even trail jack to our bowl.
“I got it through the tiny gap but just as it was arching it fell through without hitting anything and they got eight shots. It was a dagger straight off the bat.”
Lucas’s rink recovered to take 20 points to 19 in the remaining 20 ends, but the deficit proved too great. Craig McCarron’s rink won 19-16, Wayne Hutson lost 15-22 and Carla Odgers won 21-19.
Yarra Glen will now play Burden Park for the division one title and promotion to the premier division.
In other results, Whittlesea thrashed Mentone 92-55 in a division two quarter-final, while Lalor’s second side defeated Ferntree Gully 88-73.
Bundoora RSL’s third side won 86-74 in a division three quarter-final. In division four, Craigieburn lost 62-75 to Clayton’s fourths.
