Connal’s Four Take Bowls Title

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31564, 29 December 1967, Page 9

Connal’s Four Take Bowls Title

‘By Our Bowls Reporter) j The lofty disdain of the five very large elm I trees watching over the Elmwood green * bore mute testimony | yesterday to bowls of rather ragged quality at the start of the final game of the 1967 I Christmas Fours tournament. However, both rinks later discarded their indifference and after moments of tenision, G. A. G. Connal (Fendalton) beat K. R. Smith (Christchurch), 16-12. The craggy-faced Connal, a retired solicitor who maintained that he was too old to play competitive bowls, once previously had been a member of the winning Christmas fours team, but on this occasion his number three yester-

day, H. P. Rennie, was the skip. In the early stages, Connal I was not as accurate as he would have wished, but in the overcast but warm and pleasant conditions, tightened his game considerably. At the break Smith led 8-6 i—and deservedly so. The experienced Christchurch skip v.as more consistent and used to advantage the particularly accurate lead deliveries of B. Johns. Connal started with a two. and Smith did not get the lead until the fifth head when Connal’s drive nudged a Christchurch bowl near the kitty and Smith took a two. Smith gained one on the sixth after an immaculate delivery by his number three, K. D. Brierley, had sided up ■to the kitty, and neither skip was able to alter the position. Brierley’s awkward style may have resembled an j arthritic kangaroo complete ‘with a hop at the end, but

there was no doubt about his control and judgment. On the seventh head, Connal attempted a “burn” but it was unfortunate for him that the kitty went into the ditch about a foot inside the rink boundary and Smith was able to pick up another point, to lead 6-3.

Connal made up the difference on the eighth end when his number two, H. P. Rennie, took the kitty out from a crowd of bowls to give his side the shot, and a well judged long bowl by Connal made it three. Smith sneaked in front again with one on the ninth, and gained another on the 10th. At this end, Connal’s number three, E. A. Lee, took the shot with a bowl which closed right in on the kitty, but Smith, his white Panama hat angled in “gangland” fashion, nudged the kitty with an accurate bowl which confounded Connal’s further ! efforts.-

Connal took two on the 11th end, the first after the interval, and a further one on the 12th to take the lead once more. In this head, Brierley again turned up trumps to give Smith the shot, but Connal was right on target to reverse the score.

Connal took one on the 13th and two on the 14th—which had to be replayed when Brierley “burned” the head with a quick, clean drive—one more on the 15th, in which play was extremely tight, and then surrendered one at the 16th where Brierley had rolled his bowl on to the kitty. Smith needed every point, and interest mounted when he took a two at the 17th, but he conceded one on each of the next two ends. It was with a certain amount of desperation at the 20th end that Brierley drove in an endeavour to kill the head when Connal was three up, but his

bowl whistled through a gap less than a foot wide. Incredibly, a moment later, Smith himself found the same gap with a drive. His second effort succeeded, and when he took one as the head was replayed, a relieved smile flashed across his face. Smith needed four to win at the 21st, but Connal scored one with another good delivery by Lee which proved to*be enough when Smith took his own bowl out on his last delivery. E. M. Taylor, lead for Connal, was generally right on target and Rennie showed more than a few glimpses of his old form. Lee recovered much of his control after an indifferent start. Smith’s number three, J. : Hewitson, often drew applause for well-placed shots. (The photograph shows the winning team: from left, Taylor, Rennie, Lee and Connal).