Policeman holds off the new Sherriff in town

In the end, it all came down to one drive for Aron ‘Azza’ Sherriff. On a blustery, four-seasons-in-one day at the Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls centre, Australia’s singles bowler lined up his bid for survival in his semi-final against Scotland’s Darren Burnett. And nailed it.

Australia had a busy and successful Thursday in the bowls. Well-supported by their Jackaroos fans, the women’s triples team of Kelsey Cottrell, Lynsey Clarke and Karen Murphy won a silver medal, performing outstandingly before being outbowled by England in the final. The men’s fours advanced to the semi-finals with a win over Wales. Meanwhile, all eyes were on the 28-year-old Sherriff in his bid to win Australia’s first gold medal on the Glasgow greens.

To backtrack a little: during the morning, Sherriff had staged the comeback of his career to win his quarter-final against Malaysian Muhammad Abdul Rais. Having trailed by 18 shots to 10 in the first-to-21 match, Sherriff stormed home like Kiwi in the 1983 Melbourne Cup to win 21-19. ‘It’s one of the best wins of my career,’ he said afterwards. "Things weren’t happening, but I thought, ‘There’s four years till another crack at this, so you’ve got to give it everything.'’’

As Rais began to lose his accuracy, Sherriff homed in. "He was nailing everything until I got a bit close,’ Sherriff said, ‘and then it changed."

Two hours later – "I’m glad I don’t have much time to think about it; the semi’s the hardest game to win because after that you’re guaranteed a medal" – Sherriff was up against Scotland’s world indoors champion, Darren Burnett. A 38-year-old policeman, Burnett required special leave to be within the rope at these Commonwealth Games, rather than patrolling on the outside.

By the time their semi-final started, the morning rain had subsided but a gusty wind was dispersing the clouds. Sherriff made a good start, but Burnett soon pegged him back and built a lead. A crucial moment came in the eleventh end, when Burnett was leading 8-5 and held four shots when Sherriff had his final bowl. Rather than drive, Sherriff drew in on the backhand side, as delicate as lacework, and won the shot. Where he might have trailed 12-5, he was only two shots behind.

Now with momentum, Sherriff dominated the next period; after the fifteenth end, he led 12-9. Solidly-built men with a light touch, Burnett and Sherriff brought to mind Arthur Beetson, or Jason Dufner. The Scot missed with a drive on the sixteenth end, and Sheriff looked like he might extend his lead to five. But Burnett drove again, took out Sheriff’s shot bowl, and cut the difference to one.

It was cut and thrust for five ends from there until Burnett made his move on the twenty-second end. He led 20-15 in the twenty-fifth end, and was holding a potentially match-winning shot, centimetres from the jack. With his last bowl in his hand, Sherriff walked the length of the green. He returned to the mat and squared up for a drive. It was everything or nothing.

‘It’s the sweetest drive I’ve got away all tournament. It looked unreal all the way down,’ Sherriff said.

But it slid, by a breath, past the target. The Australian’s knees buckled. The lawman had got the Sherriff.

The breeze had played a role, with Burnett playing better than Sherriff upwind. ‘No excuse,’ Sherriff said. ‘Darren played great. He was too solid at the end.’