Allan Matheson Shield | Cartwright spearheads Bulldogs to victory in emotional win over Kyabram

By Aydin Payne

Jan 23, 2022

Go left: Tallygaroopna’s Brian Hogg. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

A remarkable effort from skip David Cartwright guided Tatura-Hill Top to a memorable Allan Matheson Shield win over Kyabram on Saturday.

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In an emotionally-charged contest, Tatura-Hill Top strolled home to clinch an emphatic 15-112 to 3-85 win at Kyabram Bowls Club.

And it was Cartwright, still grieving a personal loss, who led his Bulldogs to the stunning 27-shot triumph.

Cartwright’s father, Barry, died last week and instead of stepping aside for the clash against the Bombers, Cartwright bowled his heart out.

The talented skip recorded a sublime 38-18 rink win which earned the praise of his coach, Brendon Boyd.

“It was a really tough and emotional week for David and his family. The emotions were high and he played superbly,” Boyd said.

“David’s father was a key figure and was well-known to everybody, so it was nice to be able to get the win.

“It was a special performance from David and his entire rink, Angie (Serra), David (Townsend) and Josh (Cartwright) all did a fantastic job.”

The outcome delivers the Bombers their second loss of the Allan Matheson Shield season.

A 29-25 win to skip Greg Shilling was a highlight of the day for the home side, a day where it dropped further behind the competition’s top-two.

But it was a day full of positives for the Bulldogs.

Cartwright’s rink win was followed by a brilliant 29-18 effort from Justin Spedding, followed by a gutsy 20-20 draw from Peter Le Sueur against Kyabram’s premier skip Glenn Fields.

“I was really rapt with the way the entire team performed,” Boyd said.

“Again, we came close to Golf the other week and I knew if we came in with a similar performance that we would go close to getting the win.

“Kyabram have been up there all season long, so it was a fantastic win.”

Boyd was also impressed with the debut performance of his side’s latest young gun.

Cartwright’s youngest son, Jacob, stepped up to play his first Allan Matheson Shield contest.

The 11-year-old was the lead in Boyd’s rink.

“It was great to see Jacob step up and play his first game for the club,” Boyd said.

“I was really impressed with the way he went about it and seeing youngsters like him come into the side is really exciting for the club going forward.”