BOWLING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 119, 4 March 1950, Page 2

BOWLING

ASHBURTON CLUB

CHAMPION PAIRS DECIDED The champion pairs competition of the Ashburton Bowling Club was decided last evening, E. A. Cockroft (s) and P. R. Brown defeating F. Bonifacio (s) and P. Cookson, 17-16. The match went the full 21 heads, and the issue was open right up to the last bowl played by Bonifacio, who needed two to tie and three to win on the last head. He was lying one shot, and needed to turn an opposing bowl out to make three, but he failed to do so. The shot was not without risk, but Bonifacio had no option but to play it in order to gain the necessary points. Had it come off it would have been, a well-deserved win. At jio stage was there more than three points between the finalists, who gave a good exhibition on a green which was holding after rain. The leads played very stdadily, and overall there was little between them. Cockroft was perhaps the steadier of the skips, Bonifacio being inclined to drop short on the long heads. On several occasions when it was vital to be up to the head he lacked the necessary strength, giving his opponents the chance to gain position. The difference of one in the scores gives a fair indication of the closeness of the play throughout.