It was a tragic end to what was shaping up to be a gold-medal performance from Howard, who had beaten the number one ranked Australian bowler and the 2014 Commonwealth Games winner on Thursday. 

It was last Friday when, during his first game of the day, Howard “started to feel a bit crook”, before he passed out and was taken by the paramedics to hospital.

Despite assurances from a Bowls Australia representative that the match could be continued if he recovered soon enough, Howard was in the hospital for three hours and missed his window of opportunity.  

Howard described himself as being absolutely “gutted” following his illness. 

“I was just gutted on Friday afternoon,” Howard said. 

“Just no words to describe how I felt, I was just totally destroyed. It just gutted me.” 

The start of the tournament was not fortuitous for Howard. 

“I lost my first two [matches],” Howard said. 

“I was leading me first one by a heap, then I fell in a hole the bloke from Tasmania beat me.

“Then in the next one, the bloke from Western Australia beat me fairly well.” 

The omens did not look good for Howard following two unfortunate losses, however he managed to draw on his vast experience and knowledge of the sport during his next three matches to pull himself back into medal contention. 

“The young fella from NSW, I got him. He was the silver medalist, and I beat him 21-11,” Howard said. 

“So he actually said ‘The old fox got me.’” 

Playing against some of the top players might have goaded younger competitors to try and imitate the game styles of their opponents, but Howard knew better than to be drawn into unfamiliar territory on such a high-profile stage. 

“I just played my game. I didn’t try to imitate their game, I just stuck to the game that I know works for me,” Howard said. 

“I knew I was worrying them earlier on, and they started to change their game a little bit.

“I was bowling real well, and they were just trying to out-bowl me a little bit."

Despite a disappointing withdrawal from the tournament, and a finish of sixth place when, in reality, he should have finished much higher, the reaction of his clubmates from Yass was heartening for Howard. 

“Aw, mate, [they were] unbelievable,” Howard said. 

“I stayed in Sydney on the Saturday night, and I come back on Sunday. And I never got back in until late, and they were calling all day, wanting to know what time I was getting there. 

“A few of the boys hung around and they put We Are The Champions or something on the dukebox … Mate, it was unbelievable.”