Masterly shot brings Chch bowls victory

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33730, 31 December 1974, Page 3

Masterly shot brings Chch bowls victory

—--— . — / j A masterly swing shot on the last ' end carried K. G. Murray (Linwood) to a thrilling, 23-20, victory yesterday over H. Deavoll (Woolston W.M.C.) ( in the final of the Christchurch Christmas fours. '

After a see-saw battle, the teams went into the last end locked at 20-20. Murray’s lead, G. Thompson, drew a very close shot with his second delivery, but Deavoll’s lead, J. Buchan, improved with a toucher. Deavoll concentrated on protecting his one shot and Murray, holding two seconds, tried to run it off on the backhand. The Linwood second and third, A. Wilkinson and B. J. Smith, both narrowly missed getting the bowl, but Murray played the shot to perfection and now had three counters. BRAVE ATTEMPT Still cheerful in spite of the setback, Deavoll announced that he would "put the kitty into the ditch for a winner” with his final delivery. He might well have too, but he became caught on a front bowl which he had earlier placed as a block. For Murray, long one of Christchurch’s most accomplished bowlers, it was his sixth centre title, the first being the Christmas fours 12

years ago. The key member of the Linwood four was Wilkinson — without him, particularly in the middle stages when he twice trailed the kitty for three and four shots, Murray would have been hard pressed to overcome a slow start. Deavoll’s team of Buchan, J. Whiting and F. Wise scored on early ends and after five was ahead 8-1. Two fours brought Murray back in the game and another such return on the fifteenth erid when he shifted the kitty a foot seemed likely to take him clear.

i However, Deavoll was far ' from done. Wise, again the ' strong man of the team, played an impeccable draw < to get the shot, when four down, on the seventeenth end and this cut Murray’s i lead to 19-15. Deavoll scored another < single on the eighteenth end. J On the nineteenth, Murray got a single when he drove and went from four down to one up, the kitty going 1 almost straight up in the air. 1 Deavoll got his four on J the next end when he added two more counters to the two * he held at the change. 1 Over-all, Deavoll’s drawing ' was disappointing, but both ■ on this and on the previous 1 end he showed his class. FIRST TIME t Murray’s win was notable ( in that it was the first time 1 the team had played * together in a tournament. , The new man was the lead, ( Thompson, a second-year ( player who withstood the ' pressures of the final < extremely well. ]