HOWLS CHAMPION PAIRS WON BY SPREYDON

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28217, 4 March 1957, Page 14

HOWLS CHAMPION PAIRS WON BY SPREYDON

In 1928, J. Brackenbridge won the champion of champions singles title for the Spreydon Bowling Club. Twenty-nine years passed before the next title came to the club, when on Saturday H. Berry and J. Howatson won the champion of champion pairs title from J. Gibson and M. Yugovich of Beckenham. The . game was filll of interest, but lacked good bowling in the main. Spreydon was leading 19-15 with only three heads left to play. However, the nineteenth head was burnt four times by Yugovich, and so seven heads were required to finish the game. All Yugovich’s burning did not help him, for when the nineteenth head was decided Spreydon held one shot. On the twentieth head Berry drew the shot and Gibson with his last bowl drove, but instead of turning the head to his advantage shifted his own bowls to leave Spreydon three up. Yugovich also drove and shifted one shot bowl, and then with his next two bowls drew two shots to be 17-20 down with one head left to play. On a full length head Berry drew a good shot. Gibson drew two much closer than Berry. With his last he played firmly on to the shot bowls and forced the kitty into the ditch leaving himself one up. Both skips put their first bowls in the ditch, and then Howartson drew second shot, only to have it taken away by Yugovich who, requiring three to tie on the last head,

could not get them. With his last he drove to remove t|ie Spreydon ’shot bowl, but failed and left Spreydon the winners 21-17. Spreydon was hard pressed in the semi-final against South Brighton, who recovered well over the last four heads. Howatson is one of the very few bowlers who have kept to the wooden bowls, and is the only player in the Spreydon club to use them. In the other semi-final Beckenham had little difficulty in accounting for Dallington 29-13 with one head left unplayed. The father and son combination from the Christchurch Workingmen’s Club A. and J. B. Rennie were eliminated in the quarterfinals by South Brighton. The results were:— Quarter Finals.—J. Gibson and M. Yugovich (Beckenham) 26, J. Douglas and T. O. Chinnery (Edgeware) 10; L. T. McKendry and H. V. Sharp (Dallington) 21, H. Ewing and R. Haworth (Kaiapoi) 13; K. Murray and W. Joblin (South Brighton) 18, A. Rennie and J. B. Rennie (Christchurch W.M.C.) 13; H. Berry and J. Howatson (Spreydon) 18, G. Smith and T. Round (Riccarton) 14. • Semi-finals.—Beckenham 29, Dallington 13; Spreydon 19, South Brighton 18. Final.—Spreydon 21, Beckenham 17. NORTH-SOUTH RAILWAYS North Island beat South Island in the New Zealand Railways Department bowls tournament on the United green on Saturday. South Island was leading at lunch, but the North Island took the last five heads and the tournament. The teams were:—South Island (from Oamaru): W. Lawrence (s), D. Laurie, D. Anderson and C. Dickie. North Island (from Manawatu): D. McMillan (s), I. Peterson, J. Hiriui and M. Parr. The general manager of the department (Mr A. T. Gandell) watched the match.