NATIONAL BOWLS TOURNAMENT Jolly Has Chance Of Two Titles Today

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32194, 13 January 1970, Page 20

NATIONAL BOWLS TOURNAMENT Jolly Has Chance Of Two Titles Today

One of New Zealand's best-known bowling administrators, G. H. Jolly, of Dunedin, will today attempt to become one of the few men to win two national titles in one year.

This morning Jolly will skip a team from his Leith club in the final of the fours championship against a little-known combination from Palmerston North, skipped by S. M. Gibb. Later in the day he will meet P. C. Skoglund in the singles final.

Jolly is employed full-time as secretary-treasurer of the Bowling Association and he is also the secretary of the Dunedin Bowling Centre. He is a past-president of the association. Jolly has as his rink’s lead his son, Peter, aged 23, a Dunedin bank clerk. The other two members of the team are A. J. Robinson, a retired bank manager, and J. W. Walls, a publican. By his own count, Jolly has competed in dozens of national fours championships, but this is the first time he has got past the quarterfinals. First Attempt Gibb, on the other hand, has reached the final in the premier event of bowling at his first attempt. Only once before has he participated in a national tournament and on that occasion he entered only for the pairs. Gibb, whose neatly-trimmed beard offers a clue to his occupation as a hairdresser, will begin today's match with one AM***#*#****####**##*#*###*

advantage. His team has been together for more than two years, while the Leith four played together in only one tournament before coming to Christchurch. Gibb's team comprises J. Phal, a taxi proprietor, W. G. Stern, a company manager, and J. W. Moody, a retired publican. It is remarkable that Stern, a brother of the nationallyknown golfer J. G. Stern, is at the tournament at all. Last October he underwent an operation for a brain tumour and between then and the start of the tournament two weeks ago he had not touched a bowl. Both Butin Once Both teams go into the final with one loss at the tournament. Jolly was beaten In the final round of section play by A. G. Bailey (Canterbury) and Gibb dropped a game In section play to J. C. Austin (Ashburton). If Gibb should win the fours final it could be a memorable tournament for the Palmerston North club which has Skoglund as its representative in the singles final. Jolly will have to beat Skoglund twice to win the title, as Skoglund is still a two-lifer. If a second match Is necessary it will be played straight after the first.

Like the singles semi-finals ot the previous day, the rinks semi-finals yesterday were onesided affairs.

G. K. Watt (St Clair) was never in the race against Gibb and went down 12-37. Some excuse could be found for Watt in that his team had to be reorganised when his lead, J. W. Trewern, was prevented from playing yesterday because of mumps. Trewern's place was taken by another St Clair representative, M. H. Ponsford. However, it is doubtful if the change made much difference as the Palmerston North four, taking a lead from its skip, was in better drawing form throughout the match.

There had been opinions expressed before yesterday's semi-final that Jolly was “carrying" his team, but the manner in which the Leith four disposed of P. E. B. Jones’s highly-rated Otahuhu Railways combination should have put an end to any such contentions.

Jolly, in fact, was so well served by his associates that seldom was he called upon to salvage the head. P. G. Jolly's leading consistently gave his side an Initial advantage and Bobinson also played some fine draw shots. When a drive was called for, the No. 3. Walls, seldom failed to do what was asked ot him.

Quickly In Lead Gibb was quickly Into stride In hls semi-final against Watt and lost only three ends up to the thirteenth when he led 21-4.

With his team functioning smoothly, Watt scored a six on the fifteenth end to put him 22 points ahead. Watt regained a little ground with a two on the sixteenth end and a three on the seventeenth.

However, the writing was clearly on the wall' for the St Clair four and with consistently better drawing Gibb forged away again. On the twentysecond end Gibb scored a four and then followed with a three, which convinced Watt that there was no point in prolonging the match.

For Jones, the dream ot a fifth national title this year was shattered before his semi-final was half over. Neither he nor hls Otahuhu Bailway team was playing up to its capabilities. Jones scored on the opening two ends, but from that point the Leith four was in full control and after fifteen ends led 17-9.

A four to Jolly on the nineteenth end, which took the score to 22-11. convinced many spectators that there was little Saint In staying any longer, n the twenty-fourth end Jolly scored a five.

Even Jones, whose sparkle and words of encouragment had given hls team some ray of nope, realised that It was time to pack his bowls away.

Easy Passage In the quarter-finals in the morning, Jolly had an easy passage through to the next round when he streaked away from G. J. Daniel (Waikanae) to win 29-9 after 21 ends.

Down 6-27 after 18 ends, the Waikanae rink consistently burnt the head in an effort to get back into the game. On one end—the twentieth — the head was burnt five times. The fourth occasion was by Daniel's No. 2, J. A. Lambert, who ricocheted the kitty back up the green with it coming to

rest sbout 12 feet from the mat.

The twentieth end was eventually completed, after more than an hour of trying by Jolly, when Daniel's attempt to burn the head for the sixth time left the kitty alive iri the ditch and pushed one of Jolly’s bowls through the head to leave him holding the shot. The score was then 28-8 in Jolly’s favour and two ends later Daniel bowed to the inevitable and conceded the game. Comfortable Win Jones’s quarter-final against B. Foster (Manawatu) was closely fought until the nineteenth end, but In the closing stages Jones pulled away to win comfortably. The game drew a large gallery, obviously keen to see if Foster could repeat hls giantkilling of Saturday's two rounds. Two of Foster’e four, G. S. Bobinson and G M. Newton, were both described by their skip as "young grandfathers’’ when he was asked about the composition ot hls team. Both, he added, had never played as well before as they had at this tournament. Jones scored freely on the opening ends, but Foster’s rink eame on to its game after the seventh end and by the sixteenth the scores were level 15-15. Jones applied the pressure and beginning the final end was in front 25-19. Foster held three shot bowl* with his last delivery to come, but with the number not being enough he attempted to burn the head. His drive collected the kitty and deposited it in such a position that it was Jones who had the two closest counters.

The closest finish of the quarter-finals was in the match between Watt and J. B. Mills (Wakatipui. Watt opened up a comfortable early lead and after the thirteenth his total of 14 was double that of Mills’s.

On the twentieth end, Watt still led by nine points, but after the twenty-fourth the margin between the two teams had been cut back to four points. On the last end. Mills was holding two shots with his last bowl to play. He attempted to take out Watt's best bowl which was the third counter, but missed and the game was Watt’s -23-21. Aratla Bink Beaten Gibb came through to the semi-finals with a win In the morning over the more highlyrated Oratla four skipped by C. Nola. Gibb appeared likely to justify his favouritism when after five ends he led 8-0. However, he lost the next five and after the tenth end the score was 10-8 in Gibb’s favour. Nola drew level 10-10 on the twelfth end and with a single on the next went ahead again. However, this was the last time he held the advantage and in a series of tight heads Gibb scored more consistently on the last seven ends to win 23-16. Besults of fours matches played yesterday were.— Quarter-finals.—G. H. Jolly (Leith) beat G. J. Daniel (Waikanae). 29-12: P. E. B. Jones (Otahuhu Ballway) beat B. Foster (Manawatu). 27-19; G. K. Watt (St Clair) beat J. B. Mills (Wakatipu). 23-21; S. M. Gibb (Palmerston North) beat C. Nola (Oratia), 23-16. .

Semi-finals.—Jolly beat Jones, 32-15; Gibb beat Watt. 37-12. (