Chch players among top contenders in bowls

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32810, 10 January 1972, Page 3

Chch players among top contenders in bowls

"The Press” Special Service

DUNEDIN.

As the 1972 national bowling championships in Dunedin enter their second-last day, Christchurch players are still in contention for all three titles.

In the singles P. F. Meier (South Brighton) is through to the last four, J. P. Anderson, (Linwood) is a pairs hope, and Anderson and A. H. Berry, (Spreydon) are quarter-finalists in the fours.

Meier advanced to the last four in the singles yesterday when he beat E. M. Patrick (North End), 17-14. Just beforehand Patrick got past the tenth round when he scored three on an extra end to beat the highly-promising 23-year-old West Coaster, P. K. Clark (Mororo).

Meier did not play as well against Patrick as he had in earlier games, short bowls being a persistent source of frustration. However, he got a narrow lead early and held on to it grimly. If Meier was a little offform in the morning, he was right on his game in the afternoon when he and Dixon, who was also in tre-l

mendous form, progressed to the tenth round of the pairs with an 18-15 win over the most able Roxburgh pair, A. B. McKinnell and W. Kitto (s-).

With Dixon continuing to play some superb shots the South Brighton pair looked to have C. A. Cole (Khandallah) in difficulties when in its next game it led 15-8 after 14 ends. However, both Dixon and Meier slipped a little and Cole, with good support from his lead, J. R. McMaster, fought back to win, 20-18.

This morning Cole will play Anderson and depending on how the remaining two-lifer, R. E. Pilkington (Balmoral) fares, the winner will be at least in the last six.

The other one-lifers in the pairs are: M. A. Marinovich (Oratia), H. W. M. Hogg (St Clair), J. A. Lambert (Tawa) and E. M. Patrick (North End) who are all one round behind Pilkington, P. C. Skoglund (Northern), M. H. Ponsford (St Clair), Cole, Ander-

, son and E. G. Windlebum ; (Springlands). One round fur- > ther ahead still is J. K. . O’Kane (Nelson). i The other three still in the singles besides Meier are F. , B. Tait (Naenae), a two-lifer, Skoglund and W. Howat (Whakatane). Meier’s next game will be against Howat. Skoglund has the distinction of still being a contender for all three titles, but it was only by the narrowest margin that he kept his singles life against W. B. Macarthur (Paritutu) yesterday afternoon. On the last end with the board showing 15-15, it took an umpire’s measure to determine the shot bowl. The umpire took a long time deciding and the usually unemotional Skoglund showed obvious relief when his bowl was declared the shot.

Berry had two close calls in Saturday’s opening rounds, but yesterday his team of R. W. Fehsenfeld, C. W. Bull and A. G. Honey had an easier time with 33-22 and 28-19 wins.

HARD-FOUGHT GAMES Anderson, on the other hand, has had to fight hard in all his three games after having a bye through the first round. He got home 23-20 against the former Burwood player J. A. Dale (Stokes Valley) on Saturday and yesterday he came from behind to heat both S. Johnstone (North End), 22-21, and Lambert, 25-19.

Besides Berry and Anderson three other skips are through to the fours quarterfinals. They are T. E. Scott (Cromwell), W. N. Cousins (Taieri), and B. M. Weeds (Invercargill). The other three will be found this morning when MacArthur plays G. Barron (Balclutha), Skoglund plays R. H. Cowles (Ashbury), and McKinnell meets K. P. Tompkins (Paritutu).

Lambert, who has played such outstanding bowls at the tournament that he is being tipped as a possible world bowls selection was ahead 13-4 about the half-way mark, but steadily Anderson and his team of B. J. Smith, who is also Anderson’s lead in the pairs, E. M. Russell and E. Lyons, wiped out the deficit and finally won 25-19. Starting the fourth round of post-section play in the fours yesterday three Canterbury teams are still alive and the one to fall by the wayside was S. E. Lawson’s Christchurch rink. Lawson went down 32-30 to Scott after Lawson had led for much of the game. POOR ORGANISATION

Although the many interruptions to play because of rain upset the programming, the organisation of the tournament has left much to be desired. One example of this was when it was discovered that not 99 teams, but 100 had qualified for postsection play in the fours.

The team to be overlooked was a St Martins four skipped by A. N. Reid. Apparently a game this team won was recorded as a loss and it took some hasty arranging on Saturday morning to fit the team into the post-section draw. However, Reid caused the organisers little further embarrassment as he was eliminated 25-18 in the first round of post-section play. Three other Christchurch fours were on the bank after the first round on Saturday morning. H. Deavoll (Sydenham), who might well have

had hopes of repeating his fours victory at Dunedin eight years ago, was beaten 31-23 by G. Fluery (Forbury Park), and D. Langley (Christchurch) and P. L. Remi (Riccarton Racecourse) also were out. Results in the singles and pairs over the week-end:— Singles Ninth round.—W. B. MacArthur (Paritutu) 16, M. R. Buchan (Tui Park) 14. Tenth round.—MacArthur 22, N. Gordon (Balclutha) 13; Baldwin (Paritutu) 22, K. G. Aitchison (Hampden) 8; W. Howat (Whakatane) 18, C. W. Smith (Onehunga) 16; E. M. Patrick (North End) 20, P. K. Clark (Karoro) 17. Eleventh round.—P. C. Skoglund (Northern) 16, MacArthur 15; Howat 18, Baldwin 16; Meier 17, Patrick 14: F. B. Tait (Naenae), was through to the twelfth round with two lives. Pairs Eighth round.—J. K. O’Kane (Nelson) 15, J. Maher (Papakura) 14; H. J. M. Hogg (St Clair) 17, J. W. Moody (Northern) 11; P. C. Skoglund (Northern) 13, B. J. Bennett (Westend, New Plymouth) 11. Ninth round.—Hogg 32, W. T. Dodd (Pari) 10: E. W. S. Wilson (Balmacewen) 21. G. W. Boulton (Wanganui) 14; Skoglund 26. N. S. Burrett (Onehunga) 10; R. M. Salisbury (Upper Hutt) 24, B. H. Pettit (Taihui) 19; J. N. S. Flett (Onehunga) 19, L. Sykes (Naenae) 18; O’Kane 18, F. L. Smith (Springlands) 16; T. W. Dixon (South Brighton) 18, W. Kitto (Roxburgh) 15. Tenth round.—O’Kane 26, E. G. Windleburn (Springlands) 12; Skoglund 19, Wilson 15; M. H. Ponsford (St Clair) 21, Salisbury 20; Cole 20. Dixon 18: J. P. Anderson (Linwood) 21, Flett 13.