Country bowlers overwhelmed

Press, 28 November 1977, Page 3

Country bowlers overwhelmed

Town bowlers made sure that they will again dominate the Christchurch teams for this summer’s Rothmans i n t e r-centre tournament when they overwhelmed Country 131 matches to 2| at Linwood yesterday. The Town-Country event is a new fixture on the centre programme and one of the reasons for its introduction is to provide an opportunity for the top country bowlers to press their claims for Rothmans selection. The Town players were just as much on trial yesterday and according to the convener of the centre selection pane! (Mr George Cotton) the event was of some help in sorting out the players who will be considered most seriously for the 14 places. “There is certainly plenty of talent to

e choose from,” said Mr Cot- . ton. s The two Christchurch teams to compete in the s South Island elimination on t February 4 and 5 will be anti nounced next month, after ?. the Dominion tournament in Christchurch. t Town only just missed a e clean sweep in the morning e round yesterday. It won - seven' of the eight games i and in the eighth Sandy ) Keith (Ashburton I) scored s six points on the last four s ends — a three and three singles — to draw, 20-20, a with Arnold Memory. Town - won most of the other e games comfortably enough e and at lunch it had a points a advantage of 187-125. f Kevin Darling, who was a partnered by his former Lin- - wood club-mates, Sonny Cala der, Bryan Smith and Mor- ■- gan Moffat, had the biggest a win in the morning round — a 28-7 success over Jim Jones (Combined North Canterbury 11) —■ and he topped the poll again in the afternoon when he beat Keith, 40-14. Darling’s 40 included one seven, one six, one five and three fours. He was, how- ; ever, not the only skip to score a seven. John Gill, whose team of Bill Newburgh, Duncan White and Brian McGowan played very impressively, picked up a seven on his way to beating Ron Anderson (Combined [ North Canterbury 1) and on i a nearby rink the near-pos- 1 sible was recorded twice. 1 Travis Coup, who has 1 been the No. I Rothmans 1 fours skip for a number of • years, shot well clear of Les ; Menzies (Malvern II) with a i seven on the fifth end, but 1 Menzies matched the return , on the fourteenth end and the teams went into the last 1 end level at 24-24. 1 Menzies held two shots at I the change-over and al- i though Coup hit the kitty with his final-bowl drive it ’ rebounded to the side of the j rink and Menzies was left 2 with three shots. ' This was one of the two _ games that Country won in i the afternoon. The second successful skip was Bruce I Doig (Ashburton II). He led s Doug Stuart almost all the I way and it was only a three 2! on the last end that cut the final score down to 21-19. (1 Country had prospects in * two other games. Cyril g Thompson (Malvern I) made ii

a late charge against Stan Lawson and a single on the last end left him only 18-17 in arrears. Wally Wilkinson, who had to work hard in- the morning to beat Thompson, 21-18, had seven points — a four and a three — on the last two ends to thank for his convincing 26-18 afternoon win over Bob Cant (Ellesmere 11). The afternoon points subtotals were 195-135, giving Town an over-all advantage of 382-260. Results (town skips’ names first):— MORNING ROUND Doug Stuart 24, Ron Anderson (North Canterbury 1) 20; Travis Coup 25, Pat Thomas (Ellesmere 1) 9; Wally Wilkinson 21, Cyril Thompson (Malvern 1) 18; Arnold Memory 20, Sandy Keith (Ashburton 1) 20; Kevin Darling 28. Jim Jones (North Canterbury 11) 7; Stan Lawson 24, Bob Cant (Ellesmere 11) 15; Tom Dixon 21, Les Menzies (Malvern 11) 18; John Gill 24, Bruce Doig (Ashburton II) 18. Afternoon round Darling 40, Keith 14; Lawson 18, Thompson 17; Dixon 22. Thomas 12; Gill 23, Anderson 15; Stuart 19, Doig 21; Coup 24, Menzies 27; Wilkinson 26, Cant 18; Memory 23, Jones 11.