The division one cellar- dweller shocked Daylesford by a single shot on Saturday with a 95-94 victory on opposition turf.

Smeaton’s Bill Cosgrave said the side was “elated” after coming out on top in a thrilling finish.

Only a handful of shots separated the clubs at the halfway mark, and the two entered the last end neck and neck, only for Jim Taylor to clinch the win by knocking his opponent’s bowl away with his final roll.

“We had a nail-biter,” Cosgrave said. “It’s good to have a win because time was running out for us.”

Taylor’s rink went down fighting in a 27-25 loss to Pat Torpey, but skippers Greg May and Geoff Pickering both had wins.

May beat Barry Watson 25-19, while Pickering’s four defeated David Hoare’s team 27-21.

Meanwhile, Daylesford’s Kevin Gibson beat David Toose 27-18.

While it has been a tough season for Smeaton, Cosgrave said the club has unearthed several new talents in its bid to keep up with the ever-improving standard of division one.

“It’s been a poor year, but we’ve seen a lot of good things happen for us,” he said.

“We’ve found a good young skipper in Geoff Pickering and Greg May keeps improving.”

In other matches, Ballarat East fended off Creswick 94-75, City Oval beat Mt Xavier 99-79, while Ryan Bedggood led BMS to an impressive 123-86 thumping of Buninyong in his first match as skipper.