ROWLS Open Pairs Title

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32253, 23 March 1970, Page 6

ROWLS Open Pairs Title

A thrill comparable to the many he enjoyed as coach of the Canterbury Rugby team dur ing the province’s golden vcars of Ranfurly Shield tenure in the 1950 s was how D. P White described his win yesterday in the final of the Christchurch Bowling Centre s open pairs championship White and his lead. S Piper, beat the Burwood combination. M. J. Sealby (skip) and C. B. Hill, 20-12, to win the title, and in doing so gave their club. Christchurch W.M.C.. the open: pairs champions for the second! time In three years. It was perhaps fitting that 1 yesterday's final should be; played on the Linwood Club’s green—it was here that White and Piper started the tournament seven weeks ago. They qualified for the final when they took a life from the hitherto unbeaten Burwood pair on February 14. but* a combination of other centre events and wet week-ends prevented the two teams matching skills again until yesterday. The latest postponment came on Saturday when large pools of surface water made the Linwood green unplayable By yesterday afternoon, however. it had dried out remarkably and provided excellent draw. Both White and Piper are[ relative newcomers to bowling and yesterday’s triumph was fori both the highlight of their careers so far. They have been playing together as a pairs, team for about three years and | in that time have 7 lost only six j of the more than 50 championship matches they have played. The long delay in completing I the tournament had obviously;

placed a strain on both teams, but White and Piper had lost nothing in the way of form. Sealby and Hill on the other hand, did not play as well as they had in earlier rounds. The outstanding player was Piper, and end after end his leading put the pressure on the opposition Whenever White p a llod for a back bowl or one to the side of the head. Piper seldom failed to comply. White also, played many fine draw shots and on occasions he used the drive to good effect One exception to the latter however, was on the eleventh end when two drives only suc‘ceeded in removing all but one rf if pe l ? deHver >es from the Jink and leaving Sealby holding [five shots. ■ After a rueful s»udy of the head and a customary straightening of his hat White elected Ito draw with his final bowl and it was perfectly tracked tn finish inside four of Sealby s (Counters and reduce the scoring to one point Sealby did not always have luck on his side but he was not • consistent enough to change the fate of the game. Hill did plav ( to his best form i Sealby ?and Hill scored two • points on the opening end and then moved to a 3-0 lead with a single on the second end White and Piper struck back w’ith six points on the next three ends, all Piper’s bowls being counters on the fifth. White matched his lead's feat ion the eighth, each of his three bowls bringing a point. After nine ends. White and Piper led 11-4. but the Burwood pair got back into the game somewhat, on the next two ends by progressing to seven. On the twelfth end Piper drew two shots and White in creased the head by adding two more. This took the score to 15-7. and singles on the next two ends to White just about ended all hope for the Burwood pair. Sealby won four of the six remaining ends, but he could only improve his points tally by five, and he conceded the igame on the twentieth