BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 77, 31 March 1928, Page 16

BOWLING.

PUBLIC SERVICE TOURNAMENT LANDS AND SURVEY WIN. EXCITING FINISH. (By TRUNDLER.) The final of the Public Service tournament, in which 30 rinks had competed on Monday week, was played on the Epsom green yesterday afternoon in perfect weather. The green was in beautiful order, running fast and true,

and some very fine play was witnessed, most of the heads being fought out to the last bowl. Eventually the margin of difference was six points, the score being: Lands and Survey (Joyce, D. Smith, Johnson, Maher) 20, v. Post and Telegraph Veterans (B. Smith, Bourke, Green, Fletcher) 14.

Tho winners got away with a good start, and two points on the tenth head gave them a lead of 13 to 5. It looked | as if the fateful score was going to j give them good luck, for on the next I head they were lying four counters, but ! Fletcher saved the lot by putting his last bowl on the jack. The eleventh head broke well for the veterans, for they had five round the jack, Maher missing with a drive. With only two the difference, both sides now settled down to steady drawing, each of the eight doing his full share. Special credit is due to Joyce and Smith, for the Lands and Survey, for although on the average they were easily surpassed by their veteran opponents, they played a number of very fine saving shots, giving promise of excellent work when they have had more experience. A good deal of fast work was put in by Johnson and Maher, but the luck was often rather against them, the jack going the wrong way, so that on the next six heads they only increased their lead bv three, the score being 18 to 13 on the eighteenth head. The Post and Telegraph had their opportunity on the nineteenth, Bruce Smith putting a beauty near the jack, and another in the draw, which Bourke turned over for three. Green put in a fourth, and then succeeded in blocking Johnson's run, while Fletcher tried to block the opposing skip. However, Maher got fourth shot with his first, and then drove through a narrow port, picking out two of the opposing woods with a nice cannon. This still left the veterans one shot on the head, but four down on the card.

Things grew interesting as the twentieth started, for again it was building up well for Post and Telegraph, as Smith, Bourke and Green each got slightly inside the opposing woods. Johnson played a beautiful drive, and caught the jack fair, but it hit a bowl and shot straight across the head, fortunately pulling up alongside two Lands and Survey bowls. Fletcher drew a perfect shot, between the jack and the shot bowl, and Maher went straight at it with a fast drive. He got the jack, and it went across in the direction from which it had come, stopping just inside the boundary, but unfortunately alongside two opposing woods. Fletcher was a little short in attempting to get a third, leaving a draw still open for Maher. Without waiting to put his theodolite on it, he landed his last bowl on the jack, making him five up for the last head.

This was easily the best Head of the day. It opened well for Lands and Survey, so Bourke got at it while the going was good, and sent the jack into the next rink. On the replay the head was building up well for Post and Telegraph* until Johnson carried the jack to within a foot of the ditch, his toucher four feet away to the right. Green put both his bowls on the edge, about a foot to the left, Johnson meantime playing an amazing shot with his second bowF. It actually curled round the back of the jack, and fell on it. The position was far too good for Maher to disturb, but Fletcher drew another second shot, and with his last bowl he very nearly got five for a tie. He just grazed the jack, and his toucher pushed Johnson's toucher into the ditch, falling on it. Some who were standing over the head are of opinion that if it had fallen on the right side of Johnson's toucher it would have squeezed it far enough away to make itself and four bowls on the abnk count five for a tie. But it fell the wrong way, leaving Johnson's toucher the shot, and Lands and Survey a win. Thus ended in an exciting and remarkably well played head a tournament in which the competitors numbered 120, exactly the same as in the pairs tournament this week. They were from all the Government Departments, being drawn from as far north as Helensville and as far south as Frankton, this being the popular annual meeting of the seniors of the service. The winners are all well known senior officers in the Lands and Survey Department, the skip, C. G. Maher, having now won it for the third time. The runners-up are retired officers in the Post and Telegraph Department, some of them being known all well over sixty it is a very fine perall well over sixty it is a very fine verformance to qualify out of thirty rinks, and stand up to their younger opponents to the very last bowl.

AUCKLAND CLUB. ANZAC CUP FINAL. r* Th l £ up , was won Dunc.rn Campbell, who beat J. C. Duncan, 21- 18 • PUBLIC SERVICE TOURNEY. Played at the Epsom green yesterday, the final of the Public Service tournament resulted in a win for the Lands and Survey Department by 20 points to 14. The teams were:— Joyce, D. Smith, Johnson, Maher (Lands and Survey), and B. Smith Bourke, Green, Fletcher (Post and Telegraph).