CLUB CHALLENGES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 127, 1 June 1938, Page 19

CLUB CHALLENGES.

TOURNAMENTS IN VIEW. KING'S BIRTHDAY ARRANGEMENTS. ' Light sprinkles of rain did not prevent the usual programme from being carried out last Saturday and there are hopes of even better conditions daring the coming week-end, for Balmoral will be starting the first of their winter series of twoSaturday tournaments, and on Monday [there will be the usual King's Birthday tournaments. The lints are already closed at Ellerslie, Hill-.'ooro and Onehunga, and the projected tournament at Grey Lynn has been abandoned owing to renovation | being rctjtiired immediately. The Edwin Stars have left Ponaonby, after being there since last year, but the I result was only determined by a great finish on the part of the visitors, who pot on seven points' on -the test four heads, after having tied at 5 all, 14 all and 18 all: J. Matchett, W. H. Birkenhead,. J. A. Bird, F.' Pitt -(Carlton); challengers, 25, v. H. Cowper, D. Mclnnes, R. S. Somervell, A. Parsons (Ponsonby), holders, 18. • . .The green played fairly fast, although it had received a good soaking from recent rain, and there was even a light drizzle during the game, but the visitors were apparently pleased with the conditions, for they started off with 3 on the first'? head, and. although the score was evened at 5 all on the fifth head they got 7 ,qn.- the next three heads, the locals responding with 9 on the next three, to give them their first lead. , The first head began fairly wide, with Carlton lying one or' two until Parsons drew; the shot on the jack, but Pitt, drove and sent the white into ..the < ditch for three.: On the second head Parsons had to push out the shot bowl to score a single ana did not score again until he lifted 4 on the fifth head, Pitt responding with 4 on the next. With the exception of the strong Ponsonby run of 9 points on three heads the game continued fairly even until they were 18 all on the seventeenth head, nfter which Carlton did all the scoring. Parsons was forced to drive on' the last four heads, the position never leaving an opening for a draw, but he either missed or merely managed to keep the score 'down to singles, except on the last head, when his drive failed to burn the head and left Carlton 4.

Cowper *as drawing well and this was I required, for Matchett was also on his! frame. Birkenhead was the outstandingillustration of the contention that the No. 2 is the deciding factor in a win, for he was on the jack or somewhere near it every time, leaving Mclnness an impossible,task, especially as he was not in his best form. Somervell bad a slight ad van-1 tage over Bird, but was not as effective as. formerly, although admittedly he did j not hare the thus} openings for drawing the shot. Pitt played welL whether drawing or driving, bat Pardons did not get many opportunities for his deadly draw, and too often he managed only to keep down the score. The next challereefs are R. Thomas (Mount Albert); W. Corieland (WaitemataV, F. Firth (Glen Eden) and L. L. Macey (Remuera). Denis on Pins Retained. Rocky Nook had their third win in the Denison Pins, but only after .quite an | exciting game, for a 3 on the seventeenth head put the visitors into a position that seemed likely to lead to victory. Walker had played a splendid drive, to turn 2 down to 5 up, and Keatle.v was able to save only two of them, and even play Teft them 18 &U> with one bead to go. That head built up well, drawn shots altering]

! the position from time to tim*. wiil Loram was nearest with a bowl short of I the jack. How Higginbotham went | through without touching either of them | is a mystery, for there seemed to be no ; room, but doubtless he had too much of a swing on his run, and by the time Walker got at it there was no chance to alter the head: W. E. Oughton, A. C. Farley, W. A. Loram, W. H. Keatley (Rocky Nook), holders. 19, v. J. Knight, A. F. Massey, R. S. Higginbotham, Theo Walker (Hen- : derson), challengers, 18. i The next challengers are F. Eshelby I (West End), D. C. Fraser (Carlton) and S. Wrigley (Devonport). Two Wins to Rocky Nook. I The other Rocky Nook rink was equally successful in retaining the Diggers' I Badges, although it was very close at the end. They started with a 3 and a 7, and I were 12 before their guests had anything! lon the board, but the latter caught them I by the eighteenth head, helped by an > opportune 5 and 3, and then failed to con- ; tinue their good work: R. Page, Ayres, R. IV. Ellisdon, J. C. Yeo (Rocky Nook), 1 holders, 24, v. J. Meltzer, R. Long, M. I Esterman, J. Gifford (Balmoral), challengers, 19. Ellisdon played an exceptionally strong game and this was suffi-, cient to turn the scale. The next challengers are W. E. Mineham (Grey Lynn), ' H. A. Robertson (Onehunga) and S. i McMahon (St. Helier's). The High Commissioner's Trophies. The Jordan Pins gave a very fine game and the holders still had a chance to win until the very last head was played. They started well, scoring 5 to nil, but when : the score had been evened at 8 all on the j tenth head they slipped and allowed the 1 visitors to get two fours in succession. Even then it was a close fight to a finish, but the holders could not cut down the advantage held by Onehunga when the last head was played: W. B. Stephens, J. R. Hat-lock, E. J. Gatland, L. Bray (Onehunga), challengers, 22, v. M. Stewart, J. Pennington, W. Gregory, S. W. Thompson (Hillsboro), holders, 19. The losing skip has expressed his admiration for the efficiency displayed by the opposing third, "who was right up to the mark all through the game, and on two occasions he made a valuable save when the head was working up in favour of Hillsboro. He is not the first to be surprised at the ability of the "young fellow," who skipped the winning firstyear fours at the Easter tournament in 19U, and as he is not much over 80 there is probably time for further improvement in his skill. , Three Generations at Bowls. In this connection it may be suggested that Mr. E. J. Gatland is responsible for a record that has only once been equalled in Auckland, to the best of my knowledge. He was secretary and treasurer for about seven yeaas, just after the war, and his son Arthur joined the club on his return from Gisborne, the latter's son Raymond being runner-up in the club's first-year championship two years ago. Apparently the only other instance of three generations being active members of a club at the same time was the family of the late Mr. F. W. Court for a few years, but his son and his grandson have not been playing in recent years. These most unusual records in bowling, probably impossible in any other game, are brought to mind by noticing a paragraph in a Queensland paper which mentions the election of Mr. F. S. Holdway as president of the Auchenflower Bowling Club. It adds the unusual feature that his father joined the club as a novice about three years ago, and is now among the club's foremost leads, while his son Is also giving promise of proficiency. HILLSBORO TOURNEY. Skips to enter teams for a full-rink tourney to be held by the Hillsboro Bowling Club on Monday, coipmpncing at 0 a.m. :— Bilkey (Waltemata), Firth (Glen Eden), Humphreys (Mount Albert), McMaster (Stanley). Harland. Baker (Mount Eden), Clarke, Parker Hill, Montgomery (Auckland). Stringer. Dormer, Thompson, Drake, Hollows, Davidson, Jackson (Hillsboro).