Further Rain Upsets Bowls

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30337, 13 January 1964, Page 12

Further Rain Upsets Bowls

(New Zealand Press Association)

DUNEDIN, Jan, 12. In an effort to catch up on lost time, the national bowling tournament was continued today in Dunedin—the first time in the 50-year history of the tournament that the event had been held on a Sunday. But only three games in the pairs competition were completed before rain washed out the prospect of any further play.

The tournament has been dogged by bad weather. There has been rain on all but two days and on Saturday bowlers played in a howling gale. The weather is not the only factor upsetting .the smooth running of the tournament. A number of competitors have reached the final rounds of more than one event and officials have had a harassing time trying to fit them in. Both H. Deavoll (Sydenham) and R. L. McDonald (Onehunga), who are in the finals of the fours, are still competing in the concluding rounds of the pairs. So that the competition in the singles, pairs and fours could be brought to a conclusion without undue delay, a number of skips agreed to play their pairs and singles games today. Cromwell’s G. P. Ogilvie distinguished himself in the championship pairs this morning by trouncing the strong Onehunga pair skipped by R. L. McDonald. Ogilvie and W. D. Scott beat McDonald and his partner, W. O. Macdonald, by 22-13. Ogilvie and H. E. Fayen (Taumarunui) were the only two-lifers left in the competition after the week-end. After his fine display in

winning through to the finals in the fours on Saturday, McDonald lost his touch completely. Both Ogilvie and Scott were on form and won 14 of the 21 ends. In the only other games to be completed today in the pairs, Deavoll beat R. C. Marshall (Port Chalmers) 20-12 and W. H. Hampton (Naenae) beat L. P. Burgess (Wellington), 19-17. Fours Final Today The championship fours, the blue-ribbon event of the national bowling tournament, will be decided tomorrow when R. L. McDonald’s Onehunga four play the Sydenham four skipped by H. H. Deavoll. In a gale on Saturday, the Auckland and Christchurch teams emerged triumphant after some engaging battles on the Kaituna green. A large crowd saw the remaining eight competitors meet in Saturday morning’s quarter-final rounds. The winners Deavoll, McDonald, W. 'N. Cousins (Taieri) and W. H. Hampton (Naenae), returned in the afternoon to decide the finalists. Cousins’ four could not master either McDonald’s four or the wind and lost, 19-28 over 25 ends. Deavoll and his Sydenham team were in form in spite of the wintry blasts. When it was the skip's turn to bowl he removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves. Hampton’s four were unsettled by the conditions. The game was decided on the twenty-first end. Deavoll removed one of the Naenae bowls to stand seven up with a measure for the eighth. However, the measure was against him and the score stood at 24-15. Hampton was

still six behind on the last end. Trying for the six, Hampton played his final bowl to hold three but Deavoll sent down an accurate shot to take the end—and the game. Won On Last End In the most exciting quarter-finals to be seen in a national tournament for years, each game was decided on the last end. Against G. K. Watt (St. Clair), McDonald’s team had to produce some class bowling for their hard-earned points. After 11 ends the scores were level at 10-all, but on the twenty-fifth end McDonald’s four claimed one shot to win, 22-20. After struggling over the early ends Deavoll took the lead on the twelfth end of his match against R. E. S. Wilson (North Otago) and carried on to a 21-19 win. Cousins had the best of a tense finish cffainst B. G. Noble (Te Rangi) and scored a well-earned 26-25 win. Hampton won through to the semi-finals after beating M. A. Marinovich (Oratia) by a measure on the last end, 29-28. M. R. Buchan- came unscathed through Saturday’s singles play to emerge as the only player with two lives intact. Buchan was never in trouble, comfortably beating a fellow two-lifer. W. E. Barron (Balclutha), 23-12, and following that with an 18-11 win over K. G. Aitchison (Hampden). C. L. A. Spearman was in fine form. In two games he eliminated P. C. Skoglund (Northern) and W. E. Barron (Balclutha) —both of whom were among the favourites for the 1964 title—to hang on to hi» one life.

Spearman looked as if he was on the way out by the time the seventeenth end had been played in his game with Barron. He was losing 10-17. With a tremendous burst Spearman added a four and a three and by the last end was leading by one point. On the last end Barron held two shots, but Spearman killed the head with his last bowl. On the replay he held the shot to win, 19-17. In Saturday’s pairs competition, H. E. Fayen, of Taumarunui, had an excellent day, winning three matches to retain his two lives. He beat J. Stewart 19-16, J. Mills 21-15 and R. A Wilson-Pyne 25-12. Weather played a large part in the elimination of 84-year-old L J. Edwards (Balclutha). He beat J. G. Hedley 22-12 but the cold, damp conditions unsettled him and the high wind often sent his slight figure staggering. This affected his play in the next round and he went down 17-20 to W. Walker. Singles The position of the singles competition after the week-end is:— Round 12. —One life: D. McKenzie (Milton). C. L. A. Spearman (Christchurch RS.A.), J. T. Webster (Wellington). Round 10.—Completed. Round 11.—Two lives: M. R. Buchan (Tui Park). One life: W. D. Scott (Cromwell). Round 9.—One life: W. H. Hampton (Naenae), C. D. McGarry (Carlton). Pairs Round 12.—Two lives: H. E. Fayen (Taumarunui). One life: G. McGarry (Cromwell). Round 11.—Two lives: G. Ogilvie (Cromwell). Round 10.—One life: R. L. McDonald (Onehunga), J. N. S. Flett (Point Chevalier). W. H. Hampton (Naenae). H. W. Neal (Albertland), G. Young (Shirley). Round 9.—One life: H. H. Deavoll (Sydenham), G. K. Watt (St. Clair).