mmg.com.au

Kyabram super-duo David Cartwright and Greg Shilling won one epic, but not a second in yesterday’s Central Goulburn Murray Region Champion of Champions men’s pairs final.

Cartwright and Shilling have enjoyed a banner season and combined on the same rink on Saturday to help Kyabram reach Goulburn Valley Bowls Division’s division one preliminary final.

They were back at it again yesterday morning, eliminating Seymour’s Rob Baldwin and Don Lawton 18-14 in a thriller at Alexandra Bowls Club.

Scores were level through 17 of the 18 ends, only for Cartwright to trail the jack for four match-winning shots on the last end.

They played catch-up from the start in the decider against Tocumwal’s Barry Cosgrove, the previous week’s CGM State Singles champion, and Alan Whiteside.

The Cosgrove-Whiteside combination led 18-13 with one end to play, but the Kyabram twosome, as is their style, gave themselves every chance of extending the match.

Cartwright and Shilling were holding a game-equalling five shots before Cosgrove stepped up to claim another shot for his Tocumwal side to complete a 19-13 triumph.

‘‘We got out-bowled and they were too good on the day,’’ Cartwright said.

‘‘Realistically, no (we were not going to hang onto those five shots on the last end). Barry was always going to hit something and would have been unlucky to turn Greg’s (bowl) in.

‘‘We let them get too much of a head start after the big game we had this morning. We were a bit flat and they came out bouncing.’’

Cosgrove’s deadly accuracy was evident multiple times during the decider.

The Kyabram team held five shots on another occasion before Cosgrove killed the end.

‘‘We played the same end four times at one stage — they killed it three times and we did it once,’’ Cartwright said.

‘‘It was high-quality bowls. It was almost as if the more bowls we had in the head, the more trouble we were in.

‘‘We were disappointed at the end of the day, but not disappointed to be beaten by that sort of quality of player.’’

Cartwright said he hoped to partner Shilling, who he dubbed a ‘‘legend’’, again next season.

Goulburn Valley’s other representatives yesterday — Stanhope’s Jenny Crilly and Joan Stephens — bowed out 17-21 in the semi-final to Wallan pairing Lyn Thompson and Jenny Cockerill.