Nevertheless, the NZPBA top seed played down any suggestions that he might have opted to channel his energy into the singles internationals yesterday instead of the ranking tournament on Saturday, considering he had amassed 383 points, ahead of No 2 Craig Merrilees , of Southland (312 points), on the player rankings to earn the right to represent his country in the Transtasman Challenge against Australia later this year.
"Not really, sometimes the opposition just plays better than you so you just have to accept it," said Glassey who beat MacKenzie 2-0 on Saturday morning before making a second-round exit in the rankings tourney.
Glassey felt the Masterton Bowling Club member had got used to the carpet to find better traction at Heretaunga club over the past two days to keep him honest last night, after succumbing 9-4 before bouncing back to make it 1-all in sets with a similar 9-4 reply.
"There must have been like 5cm in it so it was quite close," he said after the kitty tumbled into the drain and a measuring tape was pulled out to declare him a winner in the second tie breaker.
Having gone to his first trip to England in March this year, a grinning Glassey said it would be nice to go back there because he would know what to expect after making the last 16.
But he wasn't getting too far ahead of himself, mindful the qualifiers from other centres who were to converge in Dunedin won't be easy beats either.
"The greens are similar to our ones but it'll be quite hard."
Three Heretaunga club members made yesterday's international singles semifinals.
MacKenzie beat Dean Drummond (Heretaunga) 10-2, 9-5 while Glassey beat club mate Gavin Keighley 8-6, 12-3.
MacKenzie, just like previous winner Down, is in his maiden year of PBA competition after seven years of playing bowls.
The 42-year-old forestry worker was simply happy to have locked horns with Glassey.
"He's the best carpet bowler in the country, as far as I'm concerned, so to be able to push him close like that I'm super happy, you know," said MacKenzie.
"I also felt that I could have won so it was also pretty promising from that direction so he's bloody good."
It was the third time MacKenzie had rolled out the mat against Glassey, who had "cleaned me out quite comfortably in the first two times".
"I probably felt in a more comfortable position because virtually no one knows who I am here so I was quite relaxed out there but the class act that he is, he still responded."
MacKenzie said he was one of four players from Wairarapa who had travelled to compete in Hastings.
While it was pretty "full-on" bowling in summer, the NZPBA tournament had allowed him to keep his "hand in" after a big break throughout the winter.
MacKenzie saluted the host club yesterday for its hospitality and making them feel so welcome.
"I felt my bowling up here hasn't been the best the first couple of times but today it was okay and I felt there was a possibility I could have beaten Murray and gone to Dunedin to put myself in a position to go to England."
While the principle was the same to outdoor bowls it had taken MacKenzie three weekends to figure out what the demeanour of the indoor carpet greens was like.
After taking a sip from a congratulatory bottle of beer from Glassey, a smiling MacKenzie said there was always next year for him to fulfil that ambition.
NZPBA media liaison wallah Richard Corry won Saturday's ranking singles when he beat Down 10-8, 7-7.
Corry beat Steve Love 6-5, 10-1 in the semifinals and Down had a 7-2, 9-3 victory over Phil Austin.
