Altona Sports has come back down to earth after one-shot loss to Werribee in a Bowls Victoria division 1 thriller at Chirnside Park on Saturday.
Sports has been a revelation in the early rounds, winning their opening three games to kick-start their first season in the state’s second tier competition.
Not even the nail-biting loss to the Bees could wipe the smiles from the faces of those associated with Sports after a October to remember.
“It’s the first time the club has ever been in divvy 1 and you never know what you’re going to achieve early,” Sports skip Glenn Maxwell told Star Weekly.
“To win our first three and to go down by one shot to probably one of the top four sides – it’s been a great start for us.”
This was the one that got away for Altona Sports.
Sports led by as many as nine shots at the halfway mark of the game before they were overrun.
They picked up two rinks, but it was not enough to avoid a minor stain on an otherwise flawless record.
“We sort of led for most of it and probably blew it at the finish,” Maxwell said. “We dropped a couple of numbers here and there and it cost us.”
Pat Dalli’s rink was the most impressive on the day for Altona Sports.
Dalli took care of Werribee’s Rob Panton by nine shots.
“He was the one who virtually kept us in the game,” Maxwell said. “Him keeping in front in his rink gives everyone else a chance.”
Aaron Putt’s quartet had a day out, beating Werribee star Snowy Barker by nine shots.
Putt was a key signing from Yarraville-Footscray in the off-season.
“He’s been fantastic for us,” Maxwell said.
“He did play alongside me about eight or nine years ago, so I knew of his ability.
“Once he spoke to me that he was interested in coming to our club, I jumped on him.”
The overall loss for Sports was a reflection of two poorly performed rinks.
Maxwell was hammered 28-14 by Brett Dodd, while Paul Howard fell short by five against Mick O’Neil.
“Every week we step up to face these sides who have been in division 1 for a long time,” Maxwell said. “There’s a lot of great bowlers.
“This was our biggest challenge so far, playing away to a top division 1 side who were in the premier league two years ago.
“We were right in it and it shows that if we’re on top of our game, we’re up there with the best of them.”
Altona Sports will face Preston-Reservoir at their Altona Road home under lights on Friday night.
Maxwell is calling on sports fans to get out and support the team.
“Hopefully the weather is fine, we get a few people coming out to have a look and we get the club out there,” he said.
In premier league, Altona remains on top of the ladder after a hard-fought 77-72 win over Kew Sports, while Yarraville-Footscray suffered their second loss in a row when they were comprehensively beaten 87-61 by Essendon.
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