Few upsets on first day of national fours bowls

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33423, 3 January 1974, Page 3

Few upsets on first day of national fours bowls

ISearly all the teams expected to do well in the fours championship at the national bowls tournament in Christchurch began on the right foot yesterday with wins in the opening rounds of section play.

Of the 542 teams which set out with hopes of achieving the six wins necessary from the eight rounds to qualify’, 153 had a perfect record of two wins.

A further 238 had a win and a loss, and 151 were beaten twice.

The defending champion, R. I. McDonald (Onehunga), whose team of N. Church, C. W. Smith, and M. E. G. Davis is the same as he had last year, had two comfortable wins.

In the first, his opponent, E. J. Robinson (Edgeware), made a recovery in the middle stages to trail only 14-17 playing the twentieth end. but then McDonald scored 12 points on the last five ends to win easily. In his next game, McDonald romped away from J. A. Wilson (Barrington), who conceded on the twenty-third end when down 12-37. McDonald played some of his best bowls of the championship, all members of his team supporting him well. He should have little trouble qualifying. Gaines skip G. H. Jolly (Leith), who won the fours in Christchurch four years ago, and who will skip’ the New Zealand four at the Commonwealth Games, began with a win, 25-16, against T. Hopkinson (Woodend), but was then well beaten. 25-9, by E. M. Patrick (North End). Jolly does not have a particularly strong team, but after his disappointing efforts in the singles and the pairs, the pressure is on him to make a worth-while showing in the fours. The day was marked by some very high scoring and some one-sided games. B. M c K i n n e I (Roxburgh) amassed the highest total when he beat R. C. Croal (Christchurch R.S.A.) 51-14. Another big winning score was 41-5, recorded by E. W. S. Wilson (Balmacewan) against L. J. Bertenshaw (New Brighton). Clich teams The Christchurch team of P. G. Jolly, B. S. Johns, S. E. Lawson, and L. C. Lindley (s), which looks one of the best hopes of a local victory, began satisfactorily with two convincing wins, but another favoured local team, that skipped by B. W. Sinclair (St Albans) and containing the Games representative, P. K. Clark, did not fare so well.

In the first round. Sinclair was beaten. 22-7. bv B. J. Bennett (West End, New Plymouth), who more than once in recent years has gone close to becoming a national bowls champion, as well as a New Zealand snooker champion.

In the second round, Sinclair partly redeemed himself with a 40-9 win again I. C. W. Divehall (ChristchurchRichmond M.S.A.)

Other prominent local skips to drop a game were A. B Nottingham (Spreydon) and

C. Rowe (Papanui)—both beaten by one point— W. J. Cogswell (St Albans), E. M. McCahon (Elmwood), and G. E. Bennett and W. A. Hadlee (both Fendalton). R. W. Cullen (Spreydon), who on paper has a strong team, surprisingly lost twice. Skoglund win Apart from Jolly and Clark, the other Commonwealth Games representatives came through the day unscathed. McDonald, P. C. Skoglund (Northern), and J. Somerville (Matamata) skipped their teams to two wins, and D. C. Baldwin, who is playing third for K. Murtagh (Paritutu), is similarly placed. The seventh Games selection, P. £. B. Jones (Otahuhu Railway) did not enter for the fours, but he has come in as a replacement lead for R. S. M. Low (Mount Albert), who won twice. It is possible that a record was set at the Edgeware green where the lead for T. F. Chapman (Christchurch R.S.A.) was David Vine, aged 13, a son of the team’s third, J. A. Vine. David took up bowling this season and noone can recall anyone younger having played in the event.