BOWLS Oratia Easily Wins N.Z. Fours Title

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28794, 15 January 1959, Page 10

BOWLS Oratia Easily Wins N.Z. Fours Title

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, January 14.

The New Zealand fours title was won today by M. A. Marinovich (Oratia), who beat J. Telford (Seatoun) 33-15. Two of the scheduled 25 ends were not played. It is probable that Oratia would have finished further ahead over the full distance, so commanding was its grip on the game in the latter stages.

Seatoun’s brilliant semi-final form indicated that it would be fighting all the way in the final, but the occasion was too much. Even the Oratia players did not look world-beaters in the early stages, but they combined splendidly.

In fact, some of Oratia’s play was devastating, even if only because it was so steady. Seatoun could just not afford to show any looseness. Over much of the game the Seatoun men missed chance after chance merely by bowling short. Several times they had only to be up to the head to save valuable shots. Altogether Oratia’s win was a team effort, and the crowd appreciated the skilled combination of the northerners. Marinovich started <by scoring three on the first head, and he added two more on the fourth after conceding two singles. A good effort by Seatoun earned three on the fifth, Telford drawing a shot after his men had laid a solid foundation of two.

Seatoun took the lead, for the only time, with a single on the sixth, but scores were quickly levelled. Oratia’s superiority began to show during the ninth end, when it scored three. On an eventful tenth end Telford was two up, but Marinovich ran the kitty through to lie two himself. Telford saved one with a good bowl.

Seatoun paid dearly for bowling short on the twelfth, Oratia scoring an easy four to go to a 16-6 lead. The crowd was tense as Telford scored three consecutive singles and a two, but Marinovich removed a Seatoun bowl with his last shot on the seventeenth to take two and go ahead, 18-11. Seatoun jumped back into the picture with a four which everyone thought would give it confidence and perhaps begin a scoring streak. But Seatoun did not score again. Fine teamwork made Oratia a

precision bowling machine, and on the nineteenth it scored four. Then it had 2,2, 3, and 4, and with two ends to go Seatoun had lost all chance and conceded the game.

P. Donaldson (Ponsonby) led J. H. Rabone (Auckland) all the way to win the play-off for third place. Results were:—

Final:—T. Sunde, C. Hill, A. Sunde, M. A. Marinovich (Oratia), 33, D. A. Kenyon, W. F. Milgate, T. A. Tucker, J. Telford (Seatoun) 15. For third place: L. Semi, C. Atkinson, P. Donaldson, P. Sunde (Ponsonby) 29, V. N. Meredith, W. Clayworth, A. L. Albertson, J. H. Rabone (Auckland) 14.