AROUND THE GREENS

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31586, 25 January 1968, Page 3

AROUND THE GREENS

Major bowls fixtures for the week ending January 31 are:— Today: electric light tournament at Beckenham; all day tournament at Cashmere. Saturday: open pairs (first day). Sunday: Mixed tournaments at Beckenham, Christchrch W.M.C., Oxford and Sydenham; Sunday tournaments at Darfield, Kaiapoi W.M.C., Leeston, Redcliffs, South Brighton and Tai Tapu. Monday: electric light tournaments at Beckenham and Linwood. Tuesday: electric light tournaments at Cashmere and Redcliffs. Wednesday: open singles (second day); electric light tournament at Kaiapoi W.M.C. Men in sport are often remembered in twos. One name is associated with the other as is Lindwall with Miller, Hoad with Rosewall and Kearns with Dempsey.. The Sydenham Bowling Club has its own special combination. Deavoll and Bateman teamed up together in 1959 and have been playing together ever since for Syden-

ham, in whose colours they have won titles at club, centre and national levels.

“Where did you learn to play football?” asked M. F. Nicholls of a 24-year-old Canterbury forward in 1935. “On the mudflats of Heathcote,” came the reply. The young H. Deavoll had impressed Nicholls with his performances prior to the selection of the 1935 All Black

team to Britain, and although he did not gain selection, appeared a certainty for future New Zealand teams. Deavoll played Rugby in his primary school days and afterwards remained a spectator until he was persuaded to play for Merivale at the beginning of the 1934 season. He was skilled as a goal kicker as well as in all round play, and so impressive was he that he played for Canterbury as a lock and kicked 21 points, in his first season in serious Rugby. The New Zealand Rugby Almanack of 1935 named him as one of their “Five Promising Players of 1934.” Tragically for Deavoll, an injury curtailed a blossoming career as it had done for Jim Turpin, another noted bowler, some years earlier. Deavoll burst a blood vessel in bis arm, and because of complications, was advised to play no more. Once or twice in later years he did play again, but at full back for Merivale “just to give them a hand.”

But bowls was to prove a satisfactory substitute and today Deavoll regards it as more satisfying than his Rugby, tennis or cricket. But unlike most others, he had a background in the sport, and had been playing at Heathcote since his teens.

He played for Belfast from 1946 and his association with C. T. Bateman started when he transferred to Sydenham in 1959.

Bateman had been at Sydenham since 1954, and before that at Barrington. Before taking up bowls, Bateman had represented North Otago at tennis and cricket, and when he came to Christchurch in 1948, went along to the Barrington Tennis Club hoping for a game. He sat by the courts during a Saturday afternoon but was unable to get a game, although someone did take his name.

When he walked away from the courts, he had to pass by the Barrington Bowling Club, and as he did so, was spoken to by a well known bowler, D, H. Joseph, who asked: “Why not play bowls?” Bateman played. In 1954, his first year at Sydenham, Bateman won the club’s singles title, as did Deavoll in his first year with the club, in 1959. They teamed up to win the club pairs championship in 1959, 1961, 1965 and 1967, and have both won other club titles. Both were members of the Champion of Champion rink in 1960, and they won the open pairs in 1961 without losing a life. They won the Christmas Fours in 1966 with A. King and F. Hanham.

Deavoll won the Open Singles and the Champion of Champion Singles (for the Maddison Trophy) in 1960 and won the Champion of Champion Singles again in 1961.

The greatest triumph for the team was when the Dominion Championships were last held at Dunedin, in 1964. With Deavoll skipping, and with J. M. Clarke and R. D. Barron, both now dead, they won the national fours title. Deavoll and Bateman that year also reached the last six in the pairs where they were eliminated by the eventual winners, Scott and Ogilvie of the Cromwell club.

In this year’s national pairs, they were eliminated in the quarter final by D. J. Wilson (Fendalton) and this was the third occasion that they have played together in the national pairs, and the third time they have reached the last 16 in that section. Connew’s Success

The win of M. Connew (Carlton) in the national fours at Dunedin was his first major win since his success in the Auckland Bowling Centre’s Christmas Fours 13 years ago.

It was a sort of Sugar Ray Robinson effort for the bowler who first went to Auckland from the small Waikato coal mining town of Glen Massey in 1946. In two years he was number three in the rink of his brother, A. Connew, who won the Easter fours. The same four went on to three wins in a row in the tourney. By 1953 with two pairs victories, Connew had qualified for the gold star for five centre titles. But in 1955, when he skipped a four to victory in the Easter tournament, the run of wins came to an end. But this month he hit the jackpot, with his fours win. Open Pairs Three hundred and sixty eight bowlers spread over 23 greens will take part in the 1968 open pairs tournament which starts on Saturday. The headquarters for the first day will be at Cashmere. Play, which is to be on the automatic two-life system, will continue on Saturday, February 3 and Saturday, February 10. Christchurch WJW.C. The club was host for Ashburton during the weekend when the extremely fast green suited the local side better and it won 118-59. The club singles are nearing the finish and the president (A. Bills) who has his two lives intact is the hot favourite to win.

In the pairs, the teams of R. McLeod, K. Grant and R.

Robertson have had good i wins while the surprise was the win of G. Wright and G. Millar over T. Hill and R. Thompson who have won the event for the past three years. In this game, the lead changed hands twice before the steadiness of the winners held out against some good driving by Thompson who has now lost both lives. Although the colts teams fared badly in the final day of Robinson Shield games, they can take consolation in that they finished well up in the competition. The winner of the Gregg Cup for colts will be either of two strong players, C. Pearson and G. Glasgow. Fendalton In the colts championship, J. T. Gregg has gone through to the semi final and he will play the winner of A. F. Wilson and D. C. Watson. There are only nine entries from the club for this year’s open pairs—the smallest number for many years. * * * One of the club’s senior members who had an outstanding record in the early days of the club is D. Leggat who won the singles in 1947, 1948 and 1952. He won the pairs in 1946, 1947 and 1950 and the fours in 1949 and 1950. B. Dunn and W. Dailey who played in these winning rinks are still members of the club. * * *

In the pairs championship, G. A. G. Connal and G. Thomson (skip) comfortably beat T. Lock and S. Boddington (skip) and are the only two lifers left. C. Lee and R. Jones (skip) met W. A. Hadlee and T. Smee (skip) in a very close game. Three ends from the finish, Jones led 12-10 and at that stage, only one three had been scored. On the nineteenth end, Lee drew a good shot and Jones added another. They held their lead until the finish. Van Dongen Cup Dallington retained the Van Dongen Cup when the trophy was contested recently at the Dallington green. Results were: Dallington: A. Pritchard 3 wins, W. Adamson 2), V Sharp 2, G. Rowland 2, total, 9| wins. Christchurch W.M.C.: A. McWhinnie if wins, K. Grant 1, T. Hill 1, E. McPherson 1, total, 4J wins. Burwood: A. Whitty 2

wins, G. Suckling 1, J. Dolan 1, J. Brailsford 0, total 4 wins. St Albans Games Elements of surprise often enter into club championship games and this is just what happened over the weeeknd at St Albans. In the fours, H. Hartmont’s rink took a life from W. Wilkinson and then went on to trounce J. Edmonds in displays of aggressive bowling. Hartmont has earned something of a reputation as a giant killer. A six on the eighth end was the turning point of the game against Edmonds, and the team carried on to play above themselves and win 23-16. The other players in Hartmont’s rink are H. Baker, D. Miller and W. Harvey. P. Butts, M. Briggs and B. Sinclair are teamed up with Edmonds. W. Bell beat E. Colville in a close game. Requiring a four to draw on the last head, Bell burnt two heads then drew the required four with his last bowl, getting a slide off his opponents bowl. Bell took the extra head with two shots.

Survivors in the pairs are E. Booth and Colville, and Fox and Wilkinson. Progress in the fours Is slow and the fours left are those of W. Cole, W. Cogswell, Hartmont, M. Sinclair (two lives), S. Whiteford and Wilkinson. Edgeware In the Club Champion fours J. Cowan went through to the final when he beat A. J. Charteris in a very close finish. Cowan was away to a good lead and on the twelvth end was leading 16-4. Charteris then began a run of scoring and took the lead on the second to last end, but Cowan drew even on the last. On the extra end, Cowan won and now meets P. Kearney in the final. Cowan’s team is J. Hayward, P. Packman, and T. S. Craythome. In the champion pairs, H. L. Boot and D. E. Wood (s) beat C. Black and K. N. Glover (s) 23-13. In the other game N. Hooper and P. Kearney (s) beat A. Hay and T O. Chinnery (s) 17-14. Presentation Made The president and members of the Burwood Bowling Club held a buffet tea on Saturday

to celebrate S. E. Lawson's win in the New Zealand Championships at Dunedin. Several of the speakers talked of Lawson’s coolness throughout the singles play. Lawson was presented with a mantel clock on behalf of the members. Bowler Dies Burwood suffered a severe loss w’th the sudden death of a past club president B. W. (Bernie) Walker. He had worked hard to get the club's pavilion built and it was opened during his term as president. As a skip in the Manning cup competition he was a sound tactician and a fine bowler. Beckenham A life member of the club, T. H. Watts was presented with the patron's badge recently by the president of the club, Mr S. King. There was keen competition in Chegwin Memorial Trophy games played over the weekend. The trophy is named after the founder of the club. The successful rink was composed of A. Uren, S. Robbins, H. Worsdell and J. Lyell (skip). This rink won ill of its games.