a chance gone begging

An opportunity that is not seized or acted upon, particularly in sports. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Lawrence makes a great shot, but unfortunately, it's a chance gone begging as he hits the woodwork. The score remains tied at 2-2. Man, talk about a chance gone begging—we had a 1-0 lead late into the third period! How did we end up losing that game in regulation? Their strong showing on Saturday night ended up being a chance gone begging when they lost 3-2 in overtime.