Anderson Worthy Champion

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32214, 5 February 1970, Page 14

Anderson Worthy Champion

J. P. Anderson (Linwood) accomplished a rare feat yesterday when he won the Christchurch Bowling Centre’s open singles title with his two lives still intact.

In the final, Anderson beat the 1968 national title-holder, S. E. Lawson (Burwood), 20-14. It was a dull affair after some of the exciting games earlier in the tournament, Anderson being In front from the start Anderson has been playing lawn bowls only for the last eight of his 42 years, and except for his first year when he was beaten in the final of the colts championship, he has not made much impact in centre events. However, he has a fine record as an indoor bowler and last year was runner-up in the national pairs. On Lucky Green

And more laurels could yet come his way before the season is over as he still has two lives in each of his three club championships. Anderson began yesterday’s rounds at the Christchurch club with a psychological advantage; he considers the green his lucky one. Of the 20 singles matches he has played there, he has won 17. He also had a more practical advantage over the five other competitors still in the championship yesterday morning in that he was the lone two-lifer. He had little difficulty keeping both in the first round of the day and he had a bye through the next to the final. Neither Anderson nor Lawson revealed the same drawing skill in the final as they had in their morning matches and the many scattered heads could not altogether be blamed on the blustery easterly wind. Anderson scored a single on the opening end and on the second went to a comfortable lead when he played three excellent draw shots, all of which were counters. Lawson was having diffi-

culty judging his strength on the long heads set by Anderson and his problem was to plague him for almost the entire match. Even when Lawson did have the opportunity to set up the short heads he prefers, Anderson more often than not outdrew him. Anderson scored his second three on the seventh end, to take a 9-2 lead, and another three on the tenth put him well ahead, 13.3. With the score, 8-20 against him starting the eighteenth end, Lawson came to light with a four, but a single was the best he could do on the nineteenth. On the next end Lawson again took a point after an attempt to kill the head with his last bowl had been well astray. He then conceded the match. Anderson qualified for the final when he had a 20-11 win over D. P. White (Christchurch W.M.C.). White had difficulty reading the pace of the green and after 10 ends was down 4-12. He scored a three on the eleventh to narrow the gap, but although winning four of the next nine ends, he could manage only singles. Anderson, on the

other hand had a three and a two to boost his total. In his first game, Lawson eliminated E. M. McCahon (Elmwood), 22-13. Lawson got away to a good start to lead 8-3 after six ends, but then McCahon fought back with seven points on the next three, to take the lead, 10-8.

After 16 ends the outcome was still wide open, with the scores 13-13. However, Lawson then hit top gear and added nine points to his total on the last four ends. A. Memory (Woolston W.M.C.) had a comfortable passage through to the tenth round when he beat G. Orchard (Burnside), 19-6, but his match against Lawson to find Anderson’s opponent in the final was a tense encounter, the lead changing a number of times. Both players at times produced brilliant shots, but they were not consistent and some heads were very scattered. After four ends, Memory led 6-1, but Lawson replied with three shots on the sixth. Memory hit back on the seventh end when, with his opponent holding four shots, he trailed the kitty with his last bowl to score a single.

Now fortunes began to fluctuate. On the ninth Lawson scored a three to lead for the first time, 9-7. Memory scored a four on the next end and went ahead again, 11-9; Lawson replied with a three on the eleventh to regain the lead. The scores were tied 12-12 starting the thirteenth end and beginning the fifteenth they were still deadlocked, 14-14.

With singles on the fifteenth and sixteenth ends Lawson edged ahead to 16-14, but then Memory struck back with a three on eighteenth after scoring a single on the seventeenth. On the nineteenth, Lawson came from 16-18 down to 20-18 ahead when Memory had the misfortune to push the kitty to the right where Lawson had four bowls resting. Memory played two fine bowls under pressure on the twentieth end to put him only one behind, but on the final end Lawson made sure of the game with a single. The photograph shows Anderson holding the A G. Munns Trophy, with Lawson (left).