ROTORUA FINAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 37, 14 February 1939, Page 15

ROTORUA FINAL.

BOWLS IN PROVINCE.

PAIRS EVEHT NEXT WEEK.

HARDLEY SHIELD SATURDAY.

(By TitUNDLER.)

The Rotorua bowls tournament turned out as enjoyable as ever, the only misfortune' being the showers on the first day Robertson and his Onehunga rink Will be heartily congratulated on their final victory (19—17 over Otahuhu) when they return. This will be in a fortnight, as some of them ate playing at the invitation tournament at Tauranga this week, Livingstone and Robertson intending to EfeJf, in tne Pairs at Rotorua next week. With a different front division this pair won the rinks two 3-ears ago and were runners-up it 1933 and 1935.

The result in the last-named year was Specially noted as being one of the five major tournaments in which they were runnersnrp during that season, including the Dominion rinks.

This was the fifth year in succession that the same Ot&huhu four competed, and although Gardiner ..nd his men usually do very well the furthest they had reached before this' year was in 1937, when they survive! until defeated in the semi-finals by Fovkes (Rotortia).

The Rotorua pairg next week will suit the Auckland party spending Saturday nt Hamilton, to play the South Auckland Centre for the Hardley Shield, for some can conveniently break their journey to Hotorua. *

Nominations for th • Waikato match are satisfactory, and there will be a small surplus over the eight rinks required for the official games. South Auckland -ra at the last series of games. Pennant Final. On Saturday of next week there will La the pennant final between Howick and Buckland's Beach; This will Hot be the first time the final has been a two-Tink event. On previous occasions, however, onlv one of the contending clubs had two r'nhs, while th.. opponents had their tv. j rinks -' oisen by lot from a larger number. By a coincidence these two clubs were the nst to meet a larger club on these conditions, Btfekland's Beach playing West End three years ago and Howick '"' ving Carlton the previous year.

The other instances were in 1929, when Helensviile played Rocky Nook, and in 1926; when Avondale played Papatoetoe. The larger club won each time, except when Helensviile defeated Rocky Nook, but this time a two-rink club cannot help winning. Nominations close next Saturday for inclusion in the party* who will leave Auckland on March 5 to spend a week in Taranaki. The champion of champions tournament • ill start four w. ':s from to-day. Entries close the previous week, so there is not much 'mi to lose. Several clubs seem likely to be within striking distance of their final, if fine weather prevails till -Saturdav but others report having still a lor" way to go.