Rain stops bowls final

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33515, 22 April 1974, Page 5

Rain stops bowls final

“You must be bloody mad.*’ boomed a voice from over the fence at the Woolston W.M.C. bowling greens on Saturday morning as the finalists in the Easter Fours. L. ('. Lindley (Christchurch) and T. W. Dixon (South Brighton), fought bravely to reach a result. The two teams might well have agreed, for it was not bowls they were playing, but something akin to a refined version of skimming a stone : across the water. When play started just before 9 a.m. there was little rain and the green was reasonably dry. Even at the morning tea break, taken after nine ends, the green [Was still quite playable although there were a few [pools of water. These were mopped up by a team of club members, but as players returned the rain

intensified and before long there were only isolated patches of green showing above the water. However, the players opted to continue playing and it was not until the sixteenth end that they reviewed their decision. Once again, water was mopped up and play resumed. But by this time no number of mops could keep the water back, and after two more ends the players happily gave up. The clincher was the seventeenth end. Until then short heads had been the order, mainly because the leads had difficultv even getting the kitty up past the marker. After Dixon's lead. G. A. Stanley, had failed to get the kitty past the peg, his rival, F. Needham. threw it. or more accurately bounced it. to almost maximum length. To his own. as well as every, one else’s surprise. Needham then drew a toucher, but as the depth of water on the rink increased rapidly, the following players had utmost difficult' in reaching the head. The skips. Lindley and Dixon, were almost driving, but still the water pulled up their bowls well short of the kitty. When play was called oil, four ends remained and Lindley led 16-14. The game will be comple-

ted at the same venue on Thursday morning lAnzae Dayi, beginning at 1(1 a.m HIGH STANDARD In spite of the tremendous difficulties, the standard of plav -would have done justice to a tine iday. Even when water was lapping the bowls all the way, the heads were tight and the points 'came largely in singles. ' Lindley made the better start and after five ends he was 8-2 up. Dixon, largely as a result c.f his own fine play, fought back and bv the eleventh end be was in front 11-10. From then on the scoring was close. On the twelfth end Dixon had the misfortune to move the kitty with his last bowl and go ■ from two up to one down, but -generally the two teams were very evenly matched Lindley, who was a Greymouth resident for many years, admitted knowing "a thing or two” about playing on flooded greens. iHis score on the final end accounted for the difference in the i scores. ' However, although the Easter fours finalists bowed to tlie cle merits, players from the Woolston W.M.C., on an adjoining green, were not so easily deterred. They continued to complete a club edrapetition and the water on their green was even deeper. About the only way they could have got a bowl past the kitty ’would have been to hcaie it ' overarm.