DOMINION TOURNAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 9, 12 January 1926, Page 8

DOMINION TOURNAMENT.

SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP. ATXCKLANDERS PROMINENT. MINTO'S (SCOTLAND) GREAT GAME. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Monday. The Dominion bowling tournament opened to-day in fine weather, but a gusty wind at times made accurate play difficult. The opening days are being devoted to singles, 25G players competing, including several ex-champions, M. Walker (Auckland), C. R. Ingram (Wellington), W. Foster (Caledonian), E. Harraway (Dunedin), J. C. Rigby (North East Valley), W. _.arswell (Taieri), and J. Best (Dunedin), last year's champion. Tlie games are being played on the twolife system. Sixteerf full greens were occupied. The following are the players who remain in the competition at the end of the day's play :— Dunedin Green. — Harraway (Caledonian), two lives; J. Findlay (Mount Eden) and L. L. Macey (Dunedin, late of Remuera), one life. North East Valley Green.—W. F. Wade (England), two lives; J. D. Smith (Dunedin), Edwards (Temuka), one life. Caversham Green. —C. G. Maher (West End, Auckland), two lives; Hinton (St. Kilda) and Carswell (Taieri), one life. Otago Green. —A. C. Mclntyre (Hamilton), two lives; Abbott (Caledonian), Reid (Kaituna), one life. Kaituna Green.—Halman (Edgware), two lives; Stewart (Southland), Payne (Kaituna), one life. Mornington Green.—Buehan (Balmacewan), two lives; Morgan (Beekerban) and Chambers (Sumner), one life. West Harbour Green.—H. Wright (St. Helier's), two lives; Efford (Edgware), Bardsley (Dunedin)j one life. Caledonia Green. — Anderson (Caledonian), two lives; Veitch (West Harbour), Gray (Kelburn)), one life. St. Kilda Green. —Mair (Glasgow), two lives; J. Hutchison (Dunedin), Preece (Gore), one life. St. Clair Green.—Bentley (Dunedin), two lives; Batchelor (Te Rangi), Tillie (Caledonian), one life. Anderson's Bay Green.—H. C. Clarke (Rocky Nook), two lives; . Webber (Rotorua), Rankin (Kaikorai), one life. Roslyn Green.—W. Foster (Caledonian), two lives; M. Walker (Auckland), E. Harraway (Dunedin), one life. Kaikorai Green.—W. Bremner (West End, Auckland), two lives; Edwards (St. Kilda), McGorlick (Bluff), one life. Balmacewan Green. —Malcolm (Greenock), two lives; Fastier (St. Clair), Heath (Dunedin), one life. Taieri Green. — Weir (Otago), two lives; Vance (Mornington), Page (Lyttelton), one life. Green Island Green.—Ellis (West End, Timard), two lives; Doherty (Kelburn), Falconer (Otago), one life. On the Roslyn Green three ex-singles champions, M. Walker (Ponsonby), W. Foster (Caledonian), and E. Harraway (Dunedin), were playing. Minto (Annan ) Scotland) beat Walker, 20—14, in tlie second round. It was a great game of bowls. Walker led 11 —1 at the seventh head, when Minto struck form, and cut ; Walker's shots out repeatedly, taking i the last eight heads.

The singles will be continued to-mor-row, and a start will be'made with the rinks on Wednesday. , Notes •on the Play. Aucklanders were particularly successful in the opening rounds, no less than seven still being in at the close of the first day's play. The number includes the ex-champioii and Auckland Club's representative,- Maxw.ll Walker, but lie suffered one defeat —this being at the hands of one of the British touring team —Minto, of Annan, Scotland. At one stage Walker was 11 to 1, but Minto persevered so successfully that he wen eight heads in succession and the game. Harry Clarke, Auckland's champion of champions, made an excellent- start, winning each of his four games. He had a close call in his first game with Edney, of Southland, who was one up as the last head was commenced. The Rocky Nook representative, however, made no mistake on the twenty-first, counting with each of his four bowls. His clubmate, Gladding, after notching a couple of wins, was beaten by Mair, of Glasgow, and Preece, of Gore. The West Enders, W. Bremner and Con Maher, got through with four wins eachl though Maher only notched his second victory after a play-off with Seddon, of St. Clair. Their "two team mates, Ure and Clarke, were less fortunate, and went out early. Pilkington, of Hamilton, was beaten by Wright, of St. Helier's, and later by Efford, of Edgware. He needed three on the last head to win, and lay that number, but Efford drove and, shifting the. jack, lay shot. Mclntyre, also of Hamilton, had a great day, finishing up with-four wins. Martin, of Sumner, gave him a hard tussle. They were 15 all with two heads to go. The Hamilton man made a fine trail on the next head, securing four counters. Efford also accounted for Keith in the first game. The Pukekohe representative won his second from Jolly, of Cromwell, but was then put out of the competition by Thomas, of Roslyn. J. Findlay, of the Mt. Eden Club, won three of his four games on the Dunedin green, losing one to Tretheway, of the Caledonian Club. Parker, of the Auckland Club, started off well with two good wins, but had bad luck with the next two and was counted out. It may be explained that under the system on which the singles championship is now played there are 16 competitors in each section. After the first round, winners meet winners and losers meet losers. Consequently, four go out of each section in the second round, with two losses. In the third round four more go out, and in, tlie fourth round three more. This leaves in each section one two-lifer, who. gets the bye in the fifth round, but four one-lifers, who meet. each other. Consequently, only two one-lifers would remain in each section at the end of the fifth round last night, and the two-lifer who got the bye, making 48 competitors in all to enter upon the sixth round this morning, out of the 256 who entered. The elimination to-day may not- be so regular, as it depends on how they are spread out amongst the various greens, but 16 must necessarily go out in tlie first round this morning, another 12 in the second round, and eight in the third, whilst most likely by to-night there will he only four left, and these will fight it out next week, as soon as the pairs tournament is finished.