Lawn bowls is a sport of fine margins. Sometimes an inch or even a centimetre can be the difference between victory and defeat; between jubilation and heartache.
But during Bowls Victoria’s Region Sides Championship final between Goulburn Murray and Metro West on Sunday, the margin that crowned the champion was even smaller than that.
After Goulburn Murray sent the contest to a tie-breaking extra end, lasers had to be used to decide the winner in a thrilling contest that came down to the final bowl of the day.
With the measurements taken, it was Metro West that managed to pip Goulburn Murray at the post to earn gold, prevailing in a thrilling grand final, 35 shots to 34.
“I think we are all pretty chuffed with the result over the weekend,” Goulburn Murray and Shepparton Golf bowler Brad Orr said.
“I know it wasn’t an ideal finish, but each day we recapped as a group and we were proud of how well we were going against the other regions from the state.
“To walk away as the runner-up by one shot is pretty fulfilling, I would say.
“The Metro West team beat us quite comfortably on grass in the sectional rounds, we put that behind us and came up against them on a different surface and a different day and we nearly got them.”
The Regions Sides Championships has the best bowls players from each region across the state going head-to-head.
Sixteen regional men’s and women’s teams comprised of 12 players each competed in two sections, with a round-robin group stage followed by the grand finals.
Metro West and Goulburn Murray finished first and second in the men’s gold section, setting up a gold medal showdown that would be filled with drama.
In a final that lasted more than three hours, the two sides were neck-and-neck across the three rinks from start to finish.
While Metro West skips Brett Mahoney and James Pearce were in control on rinks one and two, Orr’s quartet was keeping Goulburn Murray in the contest.
With 35 of 36 ends in the book and rinks one and two finished, Metro West held a two-shot advantage as the final bowls on rink three were played.
Orr’s side had been flying the flag for Goulburn Murray in the final; now the skipper Orr himself needed to produce a moment of magic.
He did so not once, but twice.
First, still trailing by two, he sent a driving shot down the green that killed the jack, forcing the end to be replayed.
In the repeat end, Metro West still held the same narrow advantage.
This time, instead of killing the end, Orr was able to make a perfect shot that delicately nudged out an opposing bowl, earning Goulburn Murray the two shots it needed to force an extra end.
For the other players who had completed their rinks, an extra end meant delaying their post-game drinks and getting their bowls back out to decide a winner.
Rinks one and two again finished first, with Goulburn Murray now in front by three shots. This time, it was Metro West that got the magic it needed.
With the gold medal on the line, Dane McKinnon’s final bowl left the contest on a knife’s edge.
After more than four minutes of measuring, the umpire declared Metro West had picked up four shots on rink three, crowning them the champions.
Orr said taking part in a grand final like that was unlike almost any other match he’d played in.
“Probably nothing as intense as that one, there was a bit going on,” he said.
“It was definitely exciting, there was a big crowd there and they were all in shock too. It was great to be a part of. I know we were on the wrong side of the ledger, but I’m sure everyone walked away happy with a successful campaign.
“To be that close with the calibre of players we were going up against, that took a massive effort from everyone in our region.”
In the women’s gold section, Goulburn Murray finished seventh with two wins and five defeats across the three days.