Christchurch Bowlers Improved In Pairs

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29101, 13 January 1960, Page 9

Christchurch Bowlers Improved In Pairs

finishing with only one representative in the quarterfinals of the fours tournament, Christchurch bowlers were out to avenge their wholesale dismissals when the pairs tournament of the forty-fifth annual New Zealand bowling championships began in Dunedin on Monday. ,

They finished with fair success, for at the end of the day the city had quite a number of teams remaining with their two lives intact, 'in spite of quite stiff opposition.

Pleasing

What was particularly pleasing was that many of the players who, by their local performances had been expected to do well, and who had failed miserably in the fours tournament, showed some signs of their true form when the pairs got under way. The Dunedin greens, which are classified by the experts as being amongst the fastest in the Dominion, obviously upset quite * number of the club representatives from Canterbury who found it difficult to settle down to their s Peed and wide draw in the initial stages of the championships. But by now, with more titan a week’s play under their belts, they have settled down and none can offer the state of the greens as an excuse for elimination.

Veteran

A particularly pleasing result the first day of the pairs was the return to form of the veteran champion, c. L. A. Spearman, of ihe Christchurch R.S.A. Club--111 his first game, drawn against a Balclutha combination, Spearman romped away to a 22-10 win, and in his next, against the Prominent tournament player the Otago club, W. W. '-atiender. the Christchurch team notched up a 23-16 win. It was also pleasing to see R. fmrie, of Dallington, emeige from the first day as a two-lifer with comfortable wins, his last being against the pair skipped by the rormer Empire Games manager ?nd prominent Dominion administrator. G. N. Boulton, of Wanganui.

Edgeware’s E. G. Colville, who *howed some flashes of brilliance

in the fours, started his pairs tournament shakily with a onepoint win. Then, in his second, he crashed badly, being beaten 9-27, with never a sign that he would come back into the fight.

To W. Quirk, of the Christchurch club, probably goes the doubtful honour of being a participant in the lowest scoring game of the first day. Against Te Rangi’s P W. Harris, he took the ’decision 13-9 in the initial game, but redeemed this low scoring with a handsome 22-11 win in his next match.

J R Smith, the Dominion councillor from the Christchurch club, started shakily when he edged through to a 24-19 win in his first game, but when he was drawn against Carlton s W. F. O’Neill in the next the writing was on the wall. O’Neill has been playing particularly attractive bowls throughout the tournament, and it will be a surprise if he does not go right through the pairs to at least within striking distance of the finalists.

Poor Run

S. J. Snedden (Linwood) has not been having a good run at the championships, and although he started out the pairs tournament with a workmanlike win, 31-15, when he came up against a little-fancied Hokonui pair skipped by W. A. Logan, he encountered trouble and had to concede victory by one point—and thus finished the day with only one life.

H. P. Rennie (Fendalton) was another who started well, then suffered an unaccountable lapse to lose his first life. It was the reverse with MYugovich, of the Beckenham club. He was not in the race when he played his first game, going down 12-26. Then in his second, determined to survive, the day, he produced his best brand of bowls and romped home with a 23-14 win. But if he is to continue he must be more consistent.

Lives Intact

The United club pair skipped by D. Lonie, and Shirley’s G. L. Young, finished the first day of the pairs with their lives intact, and their reputations enhanced. Lonie in particular showed masterly qualities in drawing which

left his opponents without an answer.

A surprise elimination was that of the prominent fours skip, J. O’Rourke, of the United Club, who was thrashed in his first game, 25-9, then failed by only one point in his second. A clubmate, K. H. Samms, who has also a national reputation, failed to live up to it and was beaten quite convincingly. It was cut-throat competition all the way in the early games, and many fell by the wayside. In fact, out of the record 704 entries for the pairs, more than 170 teams were eliminated by the end of the first day. So Christchurch has reason, if not to be proud, at least to be satisfied, with the course of play during the first day of the pairs. It could have a number of representatives when the “sorting out” process has been completed.

The draw for this week is: Today, Kaiapoi W.M.C. floodlight tournamen; Thursday, January 14, Mona Vale all-day tournament, Beckenham floodlight tournament; Sunday, January 17, Kaiapoi, Woolston W.M.C. (colts’) tournament; Monday, January 18, Beckenham-Sydenham floodlight tournament; Tuesday, January 19. Cashmere floodlight tournament, mid-week inter-club fours.

The former New Zealand halfmile champion, M. Earwaker, of Southland, will take part in an inter-club athletic meeting at Rugby Park on February 6. Earwaker has won several national titles from the 200 yards to the half-mile in the last four years, but he has done little training so far this