Baker cooks up comeback
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From 19-9 down Baker, Aaron Hewson, Jamie Anderson and Robbie Wild, clawed back what looked like a desperate situation and turned it into gold by claiming a match winning four on the final end.
There was a number of emotions afterwards for the winning skip.
“Relief, and then extreme happiness,” said Baker when the win was confirmed after a measure.
Baker battled past Neville Jenkins, 14-11, in the first semi, while Halmai breezed past Rod Smith’s Beenleigh Mud Crab’s, 21-14, to set up a classic final.
Early blows went back and forth in a close contest with singles and pairs keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
The final was finely poised at 9-9 after the eleventh end, but Halmai wasn’t shocked.
“The pressure they put us under was expected, but then it started to go our way.”
Halmai, with Paul Jopson, Richard Strawbridge and Kurt Brown, scored a three and a five followed by consecutive singles to break away from Baker. At 19-9, and the end was in sight.
But having fought so hard to get to the final, Baker encouraged his team to play their natural game and see if they could derail the Halmai freight train.
“I knew as long as we had bowls in our hands we were in with a chance.”
“We felt if we just played our shots, something could go our way. We got fortunate,” was Baker’s honest assessment.
Picking up two gave Baker a glimmer of hope, but Halmai hit back with a single to lead 20-11 with four to go.
Baker’s charges revved their engines and the juggernaut gathered pace, scoring 1-3-2, to give the final end a grandstand finale with the scores at 20-17.
“We bowled one short and then one in the gutter,” said a disappointed Halmai, feeling the game was up.
Baker was confident his team had got the four required.
“We had three and we crossed one over. We had the measure just to make sure of it.”
The umpires tape confirming Baker, Hewson, Anderson and Wild could celebrate snatching victory from a defeat.
Halmai paid tribute to his tormentors.
“Very disappointed, but we were playing a class side who played well.”
Baker had praise for his team.
“I’m playing with great friends of mine and we’ve beaten some very, very strong teams to get here, but to find ourselves behind was very unfortunate.”
“The finish we had, you certainly wouldn’t pick it.”
The win gave Baker and Wild a second State Fours title after lifting the 2007 trophy.
