Matthews edges Tucker for bowling bronze

“I didn’t realize I was that close to winning a medal.”

This from bowler Damien Matthews etched his name into Bermuda sporting lore with his bronze medal winning performance at the CAC Games.

He edged out fellow Bermudian Delmont Tucker by four pins for the podium spot.

Matthews joins Antoine Jones and Conrad Lister as bowlers who have won a medal at a major games competition. Jones and Lister took home the silver from the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia in 1998.

Going into the final game Matthews was in fourth, two pins behind Tucker and just 14 off the pace of eventual winner Luis Olivo of Venezuela.

Matthews best game was a 238, but also rolled four other 200s — 229, 219, 213 and 213.

Matthews said: “I was nervous but I just tried to push through frame by frame. It just felt like a practice session. I followed the routine I had learned and I kept with it.”

With the rest of the Bermuda bowling team by his side, Matthews said: “There was a bit of pressure. They were all pushing me on, but I like the pressure so it helped me through.”

He added he would have been happy had Tucker maintained his slot and won because it would have all been glory for Bermuda.

Matthews helped ice out Tucker with a sixth game total of 213, which included a tenth frame of strike, eight spare.

Tucker’s final game of 207 left him four pins short of at least getting a share of the bronze.

Both Bermudians trailed Armando Batres of Guatemala who lost his concentration and rolled a 185 in the sixth game to fall from second to fifth.

Matthews said he’s already received support from his family back home as well as hearty congratulations from the rest of the Bermuda team.

David Maycock and Lamar Richardson were 34th and 35th respectively. Maycock had a 1,159 series, including games of 201, 201 and 202 while Richardson finished one pin behind him with a high game of 201.

Levinc Samuels was 64th (1,048, 188 HG) and Kevin Swan was 72nd (1,001 193 HG).

Women

In women’s bowling, Gloria Dill had Bermuda’s best result. Dill was 18th out of the 72 competitors with a six game series of 1,193 — 123 pins behind winner Rocio Restrepo of Colombia.

Dill moved up the standings in her last two games as she rolled a 247 and 222.

Patrice Tucker was 28th with a pinfall of 1,128. She had three 200s (203, 208, 246) but matched that up with a 146, 164 and 161.

Other scores included Bobbie Jones (33rd, 1,106, 224 HG), Pat Price (44th, 1,078, 204 HG), Kathy Christopher (49th, 1,066, 216), Rochelle Harvey (66th, 995, 193).