The Maltese bowlers had to settle for bronze after another epic battle with San Marino. David Farrugia’s stirring fight-back was not enough

In fact, the victory proved to be sweet revenge for San Marino’s Matteo Albani who was beaten by Stefan Farrugia to the gold medal six years ago.

Farrugia fought his way back into contention after having been 14-8 down. But the nervous Albani managed to win at the end.

Albani’s last shot left Farrugia with a good chance to wrap up the game with his last throw but he missed it and lost 15-13.

On his part, Joe Demanuele lost 15-10 against Frisoni to prevent another Maltese bowler setting up another final against Albani in a remarkable event for San Marino.

David Farrugia later took the bronze in the all-Maltese match for third place, beating Joe Demanuele 15-9. But throughout the tournament, Farrugia and Demanuele showed their class with some superb shots.

Bowls Federation president Victor Zahra was visibly disappointed for missing out on the final. “David was within an inch from the jack but the player from San Marino had luck on his side”, he explained.