DOMINION BOWLS TOURNAMENT

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23232, 20 January 1941, Page 12

DOMINION BOWLS TOURNAMENT

Spearman Wins Singles j r FIVE TEAMS LEFt J IN FOURS The singles bowls championship of ff ew '', l Zealand, which was concluded on StAl* :-1 bans green on Saturday aftemopn in bril- Lliant weather, without wind, proved the j most sensational in the long history of that I event. At the end of the 21 heads J. R. ; Smith ■ (Elmwood) and C. Spearman I (R.S.A., Christchurch) tied with 18 aia, I and, therefore, in accordance with the Vl rules, the entire game had to be replayed. J In the second game Spearman found '1 his length right from the start and ran ■ 4 up a long lead on Smith, who seemed -■! to be suffering from the nervous tension of having virtually won the event and 1 then having it taken away from him af’-l the last moment. Later he rallied, but •? Spearman was always too steady, and having the advantage of his lead, could J afford to take risks where his opponent' ‘I could not. Spearman won 22-12. •>1 The final end of the first game gave the crowd a glimpse of the fighting quail.'-’ i ties that have gained Spearman so mw honours and near honours in the mf; \".i Although he had been throwing long endi J throughout the game, he shortened the '-1 last one to a short three-quarter and drew his first 18 inches rfom the kitty -1 jack high and on the forehand. Smith < i drew his first 18 inches from the kitty. A over. Spearman then drew a second shot Vj which rested on the outside of his first M bowl. ' ;M| It was at this stage that Smith threw -i away his chance. All through the games'll he had been dnawing on the back hand. -n Now he suddenly switched to the fore-’' I hand, but ran Well short.' Spearman took' J off a little; of his green and finished- jack' high between the kitty and his other two)'-1 bowls. This put him three up dn- tha head and meant that Smith had taf draw -CI inside the first two bowls to win. Once 1 again he attempted the draw and again ran short, resting onhis-jothar ’j short bowl. Spearman ran just the head with his last bowl, leaving .'aws;ii

with one bowl to go and the champiofe ship in his hand if he could - draw.ntiu second shot. Faced with the fact thafehi had ■already put two bowls short, Smltyi

was determined to be up with his but the extra weight ran it a shad* % and he rested Spearman’s first twd;boi

This left Spearman two up and the frtjp.J.l of the title depended on. the :meanmiSE! for the third shot. It went jn' Snflth*fc',( favour, bringing the game to an 3 This is the first time in the long of the championships that there has ever 1 been a tie in the singles, and, so liar U w official memory goes, the second flrafc'to- t any of the final games. The other oie- " casion was a tie in the pairs many yank's ago

The Fours , J: The fours advanced a further, stage and 4 there are now five teams left 4n.- They,-,;, are: Munn (Canterbury) with twolives, ■;* and Besley (New. Brighton), Mitchell (Blenheim). Maslin (Hawera)V and Vft : (North 1 End. Invercargill), each with'we.-.ir life. Under the automatic drawMton\' ; , gets the bye this morning, and although much will depend on how he gets on in his first game in the afternoon as-to when 5 the final will be played/ it is hot thought that it will be possible to rpach.it until/ Tuesday. ~ , A further stage in the pairs will bej played at 9 a.m. this morning at St J Albans, when Hadwin (Hutt) meet* yi Joseph (Canterbury). The remaining CK games in this section will be played as -'-1 some of the men become available from the fours, but it is thought that the , J final will not be reached until Wednesday.-, ; | Bremner (Auckland) was put out by Mitchell after a hard-fought game, last end being the deciding factor,., it Deare, who plays third for Bremner, drew .J what appeared to be the wmni^shot;*- 3 but Mitchell’s third player snicked it Mitchell put in protecting bowls, Bremner drove twice but, missed. Besley wanted three to tie in the end against Munn, but failed to get there. & His bowling has been one of the mgn- ;; lights of the tournament and the success ,;j of this team if om a small suburban dub, has been followed with interest, more es-,,, j pecially as they get little practice. They ■; still have one life left and the much-needed rest over the week-end rot? t . ; prove hard to beat in to-day’s playjMaslin’s team is playing excellent bowls, . as is Ure’s four, so that to-day should be . a day of thrills for the crowd. • -,( Saturday’s results were:—

ST. ALBANS GREEN (Two-lifers) Fourth Round— Canterbury (P. Muim) , 22, Kelburn (J. R. Smith) 9; Aucklwid (W. - Bremner) 23. Caversham (A.‘ S. Me- , Dougall) 13; New Brighton (L. W. - ley) 17, Blenheim (T. F. Mitchell) 18. Fifth Round— Canterbury (Munn) ». ' Auckland (Bremner) 16; New Brighton (Besley) 20. Kelburn (Smith) 18, Bien heim (Mitchell) 25. Cayersham(Mc- , Dougall) 17. Smith and McDougau were Cl Sixth tC ßound—Canter bury (Munn)| » New Brighton (Besley) 17: Blenheim (MK chell) 19, Auckland (Bremner) 17. Brem net was eliminated. ‘•„ i

* Barrington .Green ► vj One Lifers / Fourth Round—Hawera (H S. 21. Linwood (H. Wilson) 12; O’Neill) 22, United (J. M. Giles) 13, , terbury (R. Haworth) 23. Balmacewen IT. Ferguson) 15; United (J. S. Sumner (T. F. Chambers) 7. Ferguson, and Chambers were Fifth Round—Hawera .(Maslln) nanga (O’Neill) 17; United (Maroh) J“J7’ Canterbury (Howarth) 14. O Neill , Howarth were eliminated. „ Sixth Round—Hawera (Maslin) 21. uw ted (Martin) 15. Martin was eliminate*.,-

Elmwood Green • ,' \ One lifers Fourth Round—Otago (W. J. . 20, Canterbury (R. E. McNish) ,19. C*n bury (J. W. Turpin) 23. Bell) 10; Hokitika (J. S. Bain) I*. terbury (R. McKinley) 14: North vercargill (J. Ure) 18, McCornish) 16. McNish, Bell, and McCornish were eliminated. Fifth Round—Otago (Crawford) 25. terbury (Turpin) 17; North End, cargill (Ure) 24, Hokitika (Bain) pin and Bain were eliminated. Sixth Round—North End, Inverc»HH||(Ure) 19, Otago (Crawford) «• ford was eliminated. > .

DRAW FOR TO-DAY t |

ST, ALBANS GEEBN • Two Lifer , P. Munn (Canterbury) a bye. M One Lifers " T. F. Mitchell (Blenheim) Maslin (Hawera); J. Ure (North EnftJ vercargill) plays L. W. Besley {*l, Brighton),

Pairs Match A. Williams and D. H. Joseph (C terbury) play C. V. Piper and w* Hadwin (Hutt). ‘ ;