BOWLERS WIN NEW ZEALAND’S 7TH GOLD MEDAL

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29994, 1 December 1962, Page 14

BOWLERS WIN NEW ZEALAND’S 7TH GOLD MEDAL

Pairs Team Hold Off Scottish Challenge

(Special Correspondent NJS.P.A.)

PERTH, November 30.

New Zealand won its seventh gold medal of the seventh British Empire and Commonwealth Games today when the Auckland skip, R. L. McDonald, and his lead, H. H. J. Robson, of Waikato, won the bowls pairs title. With its win the New Zealand pair retained the championship won at the Cardiff Games by J. Morris and R. E. Pilkington. The latter was a member of the four this year.

The New Zealand pair won both games today. They were far too good for Wales in winning, 36-7, and in the final game they beat Fiji, 25-10.

Scotland, the only pair to defeat the New Zealanders during the competition, shared the lead with New Zealand last night but dropped back into second place when beaten by Australia in the final round.

While the New Zealanders were beaten only by Scotland, 25-23, Scotland lost to Rhodesia and Australia. Scotland took the silver medal, and there will be a playoff tomorrow between Rhodesia and England to decide third place.

McDonald and Robson always looked like the champions. They found the weight of the greens very early and were soon playing up to their best New Zealand form Robson, who had little previous experience as a lead adapted himself extremely well, and New Zealand was usually in a good position when the skips changed ends Fierce Drive McDonald had the fiercest drive of any player in the tournament and was also wonderfully accurate when it came to draw play McDonald was the youngest bowler competing in the Games He is married, with four children, and is employed in Auckland as a metal worker He has been playing the game regularly since he was eight, having been drawm into it after watching his father play He was a greenkeeper at the Ellerslie Club for 10 years but gave it up 11 months ago because the work was interfering with his bowling He won the Auckland open singles in 1960 and 1961. and skipped the winning national pair this year In the singles he was runner-up in 1960 and again this year Grade No. 3 Robson, who has his own business as a cartage contractor at Mangakino, was graded No. 3 in his club when he skipped the winning four at the New Zealand championships in 1956

Then 38, he was the oldest player in an exceptionally young team He proved himself as a singles player this year by finishing fourth in the national championships The New Zealanders played Wades right out of the game in the morning with fine play frutr both players It soon became a matter of by how much New Zealand would win, and when the Welshmen were trailing 7-36 they conceded defeat with three ends unplayed Sterner Opponents Fiji proved sterner opposition in the afternoon. New Zealand scored on the first three ends to lead 5-0 but Fiji came right back with a

five on the seventh end to tai— the lead at 8-7.

With 13 ends gone New Zealand was leading by only 12-10 but the game was virtually decided on the 15th end when New Zealand collected i. six.

The game ended on the 20th end with New Zealand winning 25-10.

On an adjoining rink Scotland, which needed a win to keep level with New Zealand and force a play

off tomorrow, was always struggling against Australia and was finally beaten, 23-15.

In the morning game Scotland beat England, a team that was expected to give stronger opposition than the Australian pair. The manager of the New Zealand bowling team, Mr C. H. Hain, said both New Zealand players had performed magnificently. The decision of the bowling selectors to make the pair their top

choice had been fully vindicated, he said.

- D. J. Bryant, of England, won his second gold medal in the singles after being a member of the English team that won the fours last week.

In his final game today, Bryant beat the New Zealand singles player, T. W. J. Barron, 21-16, to retain his unbeaten record.

He beat Barron only after a tremendous fight in a game watched by the biggest gallery of the games bowling series and carried to a much wider audience through television.

Barron won his morning game, 21-10, against Kenya, and finished with six wins in 12 games.