Little Known Pair Reach National Bowls Final

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30948, 3 January 1966, Page 11

Little Known Pair Reach National Bowls Final

Two teams unknown on a national level—A. L. Rudduck and R. Kean Meadowbank) and E. W. Grimtnan and E. M. Wilson (Cavf rS i j V • rou Mh to the final of the pairs championship from a field o , entries at the end of the first week of the national bowls championships in Christchurch.

/• Ji he i Sin j l % fi i eld of 10 °8 was reduced to four one lifers— P. C. Skoglund (Palmerston North), D. McKenzie (Milton), R. E. Dunne (Otago) and G. H. Jolly.

Friday and Saturday’s plav proved a chastening experience for some of the prominent North Island bowlers. Five of the finalists in the pairs and singles are South Island players.

The finals of the pairs and singles will be played later this week when the players are available from the fours championship, which begins today.

There were trying conditions for the bowlers on Saturday morning. The heat imposed a strain on stamina but the blustery wind which raked across the Opawa green was the greatest problem. Hats were sent flying, paper scuttled across the greens and there was one diversion when a woman spectator holding an umbrella had the choice of losing her dignity or the umbrella.

She chose the former and was tipped from her seat, her skirt billowing, but still firmly clutching the umbrella. LOST HIS TOUCH The wind had a marked influence on the important singles match between Skoglund and McKenzie. When they met McKenzie was the

only two-lifer left in the field and his assured play took him to a lead of 10-3 on the fifth head.

But then the wind became stronger and McKenzie, a quiet and unobstrusive player, nearly always around or about the kitty, could not judge the wind and several of his bowls drifted across the kitty. Skoglund was at his throat immediately. On the next four ends he gained eight shots to take an 11-10 lead.

Superlative play by Skoglund. who gained four shots by delicate drawing and then saved three with an accurate drive, placed him ahead at 17-10. STRONG ATTACKER McKenzie was now on the defensive. A lucky shot when he cannoned of a short bowl and split the head saved him four shots but the game went its ordained way and Skoglund won, 23-14.

In his last few matches Skoglund has shown himself to be a master in his appreciation of the time when to apply sudden pressure. Against a younger player, I.

Judson (Forbury Park), who had taken a decisive lead on him, Skoglund suddenly unleashed two ferocious drives to bum the head. This upset Judson’s smooth drawing and Skoglund finally won, 19-17. Against M. R. Buchan, the only man to have won successive singles titles, Skoglund never allowed Buchan to settle down to his steady drawing play. Drawing delicately and driving powerfully when the occasion demanded, Skoglund won decisively. 20-10. Skoglund now seems to be the favourite to win the title. In the tenth round he was in masterly form to beat L. Burgess (Hutt), 22-7. JOLLY’S BUSY DAY Dunne was in good form against W. R. Hawkins (Hamilton). The wind seemed to upset Hawkins and Dunne won, 20-12. Another Dunedin bowler, Jolly, had a busy time on Saturday, playing four singles matches. The debonair Jolly, who is also a national bowls councillor had a tremendous tussle with R. Keen.

On the last head Jolly was leading 16-15. Keen drew the near perfect shot, and as the wood slowly trickled down the green it seemed it must take the kitty out. But it just brushed the kitty, moving it only a fraction, and Jolly took two shots and won, 18-15.

Jolly then faced a similar situation when he met the Mornington bowler (H. Miller). They were neck and neck for all of the match, but on the last two ends Jolly gained the vital points to win, 21-18.

Then Jolly moved on to the next green to play R. T. Thomson (Christchurch W.M.C.), one of the surprise players in the last rounds. Thomson fought hard, but he could not match the subtle drawing of Jolly, and went down 18-11 after having led early in the match. Jolly then eliminated M. G. Cooper (Khandallah) with accurate and consistent bowling. He was behind 8-3 at the eighth end, but made a determined come-back to score on each of the next six. With 19 ends played Jolly was in an unassailable position, and Cooper conceded the game with the score 23-13. TOP MEN BEATEN Friday’s play in the pairs saw many prominent bowlers eliminated. O’Neill (Carlton) disposed of V. J. Sellars, W. J. Broughton (Palmerston North), and W. Hampton (Naenae) to enter the post section play. On Saturday morning O’Neill and his lead, G. Gifford, seemed to have lost their touch against R. Crighton (Milton). Poor drawing on the eleventh head gave the Milton pair six points, but O’Neill’s fighting spirit and great temperament was in evidence on the last two ends, and the Cartion pair won, 20-19, when Crighton’s last bowl curved away from the kitty. While O’Neill was drawing a large gallery, Rudduck was going on his steady way. He beat Grimman. the only twolifer, reversed his loss against the young Park brothers from Carlton and beat J. Simpson (St. Martins), who has as his lead the genial D. Sugrue, formerly Superintendent of Police in Christchurch.

SCATTERED HEADS The semi-final between Rudduck and O’Neill did not produce bowls of a high standard. Quite often the heads were widely scattered but in the end it was the steadiness of the Oamaru combination that took them through to the final. Rudduck, formerly a barber by profession, but who now works for the Inland Revenue Department, certainly was adept at shaving the kitty.

For most of the match the Meadowbank pair were in command. Gifford was not quite leading as well as Keen and O’Neill often had to concentrate on saving rather than winning shots. Precisely and methodically Rudduck went to a 15-10 lead by the tenth end. But on the seventeenth the Meadowbank pair who, until then, had been the souls of bowling circumspection, had a momentary, but expensive aberration.

Keen decided to take Gifford’s shot bowl out with his second bowl. He missed: he drove again and this time missed badly. Rudduck caught the disease, too, and twice missed with drives. O’Neill took four and the score was suddenly 17-16 to Rudduck.

But Rudduck, still smiling serenely, did not panic. He drew two shots on the next head to take a three-point lead.

SHOWING STRAIN On the twentieth head it was 19-17. O’Neill, now showing some strain as he watched every bowl with the greatest concentration, skipping out to the side of the rink to watch the bowl, had to drive with his last bowl. He took out one shot but Rudduck moved to a 20-17 lead.

Three points were now needed by O’Neill as Rudduck winged in off Gifford's bowl to hold the shot. It was now or never for O’Neill, he drove with his last two bowls but he was unsuccessful. Asked after the match how he felt playing before a large gal-

lery, Rudduck said he was relieved when it was all over for it was the first time he had ever got this far in a national tournament. Musing over a glass of lemonade later O’Neill, one of the most consistently successful bowlers in New Zealand, was quite philosophical about his loss. “They were just that little bit tighter than us,” he said. Results: PAIRS St. Hartins Green Ninth Round.—One-lifers: J. Fridd (Riccarton R.C.) 19, P. H. Rose (Eastbourne) 16; W. H. Hampton (Naenae) 21, B. P. McManus (Amberley) 14; W. P. O’Neill (Carlton) 24, G. K. Watt (St. Clair) 10; V. J. Sellars (Palmerston North) 22, E. M. Patrick (North End) 12. Tenth Round.—Hampton 24, Fridd 16; O'Neill 19, Sellars 16. Eleventh Round.—O’Neill 22, Hampton 19. Woolston Green Ninth Round. —One-lifers: P. C. Skoglund (Palmerston North) 23, D. Jones (Walmate) 14; A. Bridge (Onehunga) 21, A. Bowden (Sydenham) 9; R. A. Crighton (Milton) 23, D. Finnie (Lyttelton Watersiders) 17; J. M. Adams (Pukekohe) 22, R. Brown (Marlborough) 21. Tenth Round.—Bridge 27, Skoglund 9; Crighton 19, Adams 12. Eleventh Round.—Crighton 23, Bridge 13. Opawa Green Ninth Round. —Two-lifers: R. L. Park (Carlton) 20, A. L. Rudduck (Meadowbank) 17; E. W. Grimman (Caversham), a bye. One-lifers: A. L. Hawkey (Kia Toa) 20. T. D. Mclntosh (Kew) 17; N. C. Manchester (Waimate) IS, D. McKenzie (Milton) 13; F. L. Donnelly (Christchurch) 19. J. N. S. Flett (Point Chevalier) 18; R .Pirrie (DaHington) 21, R. Cowles (Ashbury) 10; J. Simpson (St. Martins) 23, S. Park (Kilbirnie) 10.

Tenth Round. Two-lifers: Grimman 24, Park 14. Onelifers: Manchester 15, Hawkey 14; Donnelly 25, Petrie 7; Rudduck 25, Simpson 13. Eleventh Round.—Two-llfers: Grimman 20, Donnelly (one-lifer) 19. One-lifers: Rudduck 19, Park 18.

Twelfth Round.—Two-lifers: E. W. Grimman 20, N. C. Manchester (one-lifer) 17. One-lifers: W. P. O'Neill 21. R. A. Crighton 19; A. J. Rudduck, a bye.

Thirteenth Round.—Rudduck (one-lifer) 22, Grimman (twolifer) 14; O’Neill, a bye. Semi-final. Rudduck 22,

O'Neill 17: Grimman. a bye. Manchester 19, Crighton 15 (for fourth place). SINGLES Opawa Green Ninth Round.—Two-lifers: D. McKenzie (Kew) 20, A. Swanson (Milton) 9, R. E. Nurner (Otago) 24, D. Carbin (Stoke) 18. Onelifers: A. Govorko (Te Puke) 26, J. Dale (Burwood) 8; L. P. Burgess (Hutt) 19, H. Todd (Blenheim) 14; M. R. Buchan (Tui Park) 19, H. Morris (North Devonport) 12; R. J. Thomson Ch’ch W.M.C.) 21, J. W. Walls (Leith) 12; T. N. Vaughan (Gisborne) 15, J. P. Anderson (Linwood) 14; H. W. M. Hogg (St. Clair) 18, R. A. Croft (Amberley) 9; H. O. Andrews (Okato) 21, K. G. Shivas (Burnside) 11; W. Cousins (Taiere) 21, W. T. Elsdon (Mission Bay) 9; H. N. Miller (Mornington) 17, L. B. Crush (Manly, Sydney) 10; A. K. Browning (Omakau) 18, B. A. Robson (Springlands) 13; D. J. Wilson (Fendalton) 16, K. G. Altcheson (Hampden) 14; W. R. Hawkins (Hamilton) 17, F. W. Crawford (Hillsborough) 17: P. J. Trainor (Palmerston North) 21, S. W. Jolly (Point Chevalier) 14; P. C. Skoglund (Palmerston North) 19, I. Judson (Forbury Park) 17; G. N. Jolly (Leith) 18, R. Keen (Meadowbank) 15.

Tenth Round.—Two-lifers: McKenzie 19, Dunne 11. One-lifers: Burgess 16, Govorko 11; Thomson 23, Vaughan 14; Hogg 19, Andrews 15; Browning 21, Wilson 17; Hawkins 20, Trainor 13; Carpin 17, Swanson 13; Skoglund 20, Buchan 10; Cooper 22, Cousins 12; Jolly 21, Miller 18. Eleventh Round.—One-lifers: Thomson 19, Hogg 18; Hawkins 23, Browning 13: Dunne 20, Carter 16; P. C. Skoglund 22, L. R. Burgess 7; Jolly 23, Cooper 13. Twelfth Round. Skoglund (one-lifers) 23, McKenzie (twolifer) 14. One-lifers; Dunne 20, Hawkins 12; Jolly 18, Thomson 11.