2015 Victorian Open – day 7 men’s pairs
“We fell apart.”
That was Cain Hanley’s frank assessment of what was happening to he and brother Curtis after they had led 7-0 in the Victorian Open men’s pairs final, led for the entire match, before Clayton’s Rob Dixon and Neil Jebb got a hold of them. Big time.
Last end. Scores level. Dixon and Jebb holding two and flying.
Last bowl to Curtis. Confidence down. You know how it goes in bowls sometimes when it all seems to get on top of you.
Then something happened. The Victorian under 18 delivered exactly the bowl he needed exactly the right time. In basketball, it’s the clutch shot. The buzzer-beater. Here it won the two Melbourne BC bowlers the pairs title they craved.
“I was really getting worried throughout the game – they were coming back strong. I’m very happy,” Curtis says of the 15-13 win.
The experienced Dixon was full of class when discussing the match afterwards.
“It came down to the last bowl, and he played an awesome bowl. They deserved to win,” Dixon says.
For the Hanleys, it was a great local result. The pair are from Katamatite, just up the road from Shepparton.
Every weekend they make the drive with mum Justine to Melbourne BC to play at the highest level.
For Curtis, it has been a breakthrough tournament. And remarkable on so many levels, for this is not his only clutch shot delivered under pressure.
In one of his knockout games, Curtis was hit in the head by a bird just as he was making shot. He followed through with a resting toucher.
Read about triples and mixed pairs finals