South Brighton Team Wins Champion Fours

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31631, 18 March 1968, Page 16

South Brighton Team Wins Champion Fours

In a match in which youth demonstrated its staying power against a team which failed to find its best form, the South Brighton champion rink beat Opawa.to win the Christchurch Bowling Centre’s champion-of-champion fours tournament at Elmwood yesterday.

The first three rounds were played on Saturday at the South Brighton, Edgeware and Elmwood greens, and the fojirth round, semi-finals and final at Elmwood yesterday.

This tournament was < one that the Opawa veteran and skip, C. Rowe, wanted to win for his centre gold star for five centre titles but, in spite of his accurate drawing and skilful driving, he was unable to head R. Hewitt’s South Brighton team after the first three ends. Conditions deteriorated during the afternoon and the wind occasionally scattered the bowls. Right from the start, Hewitt’s lead, P. Meier, bowled accurately to the jack to give his team a foundation for high scoring. Hewitt scored a five on the fourth end and four on the

seventh to lead 13-3, and when he gained four more on the ninth, the game appeared to be getting out of hand for Rowe. On this end, Meier touched the jack, and although Rowe cleared two South Brighton shots without moving it, South Brighton’s drawing had been too good and Hewitt went to a 17-4 lead.

Both leads, Meier and J. Stoddart, were right on target on the tenth end and, in spite of valiant efforts by Rowe to alter the situation, Hewitt scored another four. The last shot was decided on a measure, as it had been on the ninth.

Rowe showed his skill on the twelfth head when he took one with a drive, carrying the jack and his own bowl into the ditch when Hewitt was holding four shots, but by now the match appeared to have slipped beyond his grasp. A team which performed very well on Saturday was Darfleld, skipped by W. J. Bevis, which eliminated a strong Fendalton combination, skipped by R. P Jones, after an extra end.

However, the country team was well beaten by South Brigh ton in their first match yesterday, 8-25. St Albans, skipped by W. R Wilkinson, had two convincing wins on Saturday against Kaiapoi W.M.C. and Morrison Avenue, but were soundly beaten in the fourth round by Cashmere (K. A. Donaldson), 7-19.

"They played great bowls. I don’t know how we got our seven points," said Wilkinson.

Donaldson lost to Hewitt in the semi-final.

The South Brighton rink consisted of P. Meier (lead), C. Crockett, J. Clegg and R. Hewitt (skip). Opawa's rink was J. Stoddart (lead), W. Whitehead, F. Baxendall and C. Rowe (skip). Saturday’s results were:— South Brighton

First round; Linwood (J. P. Anderson) 22, Halswell (H E. Blakely) 21; Oxford (R. Powell) 21, Lyttelton (J. Welsh) 14; Shirley (D. G. Graham) 21, Redcliffs (A. Bloom) 19; Christchurch (D. Langley) 21, st Martins (S. Reardon) 17; Belfast (L. Stead) 24, Elmwood (H. R. Pool) 18. Second round: Linwood 24, Oxford 22; Shirley 31, Christchurch 22; Woolston (W. Wales) 30, Belfast 12; Imperial beat Woodend by default. Third round; Shirley 28, Lin-

wood 24; Woolston 29, Imperial 9. Elmwood First round: R.S.A. <N. A. McNab) 18, New Brighton (R. Bowman senior) 16; Canterbury <L. M. Thompson) 21, Avon (R. Fuller) 20; Cashmere (K. A. Donaldson) 24’, Spreydon (J. R. Howatson) 12; United <T. Wallace) 23, Woolston W.M.C. (A. Memory) 21; Burnside (K. G. Shivas) 26, Beckenham (K. Little) 11; Christchurch W.M.C. (D. Robertson) 28, Hornby <W. H. Ellwood) 8. Second round: R.S.A. 21, Canterbury 16; Cashmere 26, United 12; Burnside 25, Christchurch W.M.C. 10: Edgeware 20, Rakaia 17; Opawa (C. Rowe) 25, Burwood <G. F. Roberts) 16; DallIngton (L. T. McKendry) 23, Riccarton Racecourse (B. A. Robson) 8. Third round: Cashmere 19, R.S.A. 14; Edgeware 20, Bumside 15; Opawa 32, Dalllngton 18, Edgeware First round: Hampstead (L. Craythorne) 20, Sydenham (F. Matthews) 17; Amberley 22 (J. Hayes), Lyttelton Watersiders (D. Taylor) 21; South Brighton (R. Hewitt) 24, Sumner (C. B Idle) 14; Mona Vale (A. Geddes) 19, Akaroa (C. H. Moore) 14; Barrington <H. H. Gibbons) 14, Ashburton (R. L. Lindsay) 13; Rangiora <E E. Doggett) 26, Burnham Camp <G. Taylor) 16. Second round: Amberley 20, Hampstead 17; South Brighton 25, Mona Vale 16; Barrington 19 Rangiora 13; Darfleld <w. J. Bevis) 21, Fendalton (R. p Jones) 19; St Albans <W. R. Wilkinson) 29, Kaiapoi W.M.C. (E. Raudsepp) 8: Morrison Avenue <R. Lawrie) 25, Mt Pleasant <L. J. Morgan) 16. Third round: South Brighton 20, Amberley 19; Darfield 25, Barrington 15; St Albans 25, Morrison Avenue 14. Sunday’s results were:— Fourth round: South Brighton 25, Darfleld 8; Cashmere 19, St Albans 7; Opawa 25, Edgeware 11; Woolston 26, Shirley 9. Semi-final: South Brighton 16, Cashmere 14; Opawa 19, Woolston 11. Final; South Brighton 31, Opawa 10.