Fours title to Christchurch

Press, 25 February 1980, Page 3

Fours title to Christchurch

Experience was an asset that yesterday carried the Christchurch club to its fourth champion-of-cham-pions fours bowls title in the last seven years. Bernie Johns’s team of Philip Melville, Gary Barnes and Dave Langley won all its four matches on the way to the final in convincing style and then in the final it had too much all-round strength for a Kaiapoi team which leaned heavily on its skip, Travis Coup. Coup’s partners were Jack Becks, Bill Brown and Alan Griffin. Becks led well enough to be the equal of. Melville, but Christchurch was always in front. The win took Johns’s haul of centre titles to seven and he has now won this event three times. The man with most to celebrate, however, was Barnes as the win was his fifth and earned him a gold star. Coup saved his team repeatedly on the early ends. He burnt two heads when the situation was grave and on the second

end he brilliantly drew the shot when six down. But Christchurch was well on the way to victory at 13-5 after 10 ends. Kaiapoi narrowed the gap to 15-12 after 16 ends, and Coup may well remember the sixteenth end. He held one shot, but opted to play safe and hold it rather than attempt a trail which might have given him another four. A two, following a very good shot by Langley and a drive by Coup which removed his closest bowl, put Christchurch ahead 19-13 playing the twentieth end and although Coup added four points on the last two ends there was never much likelihood of Johns losing his advantage. Results.— SECOND ROUND A. Jackson (Sumner) 26. L. Woodhouse (Canterbury) 18; B. S. Johns (Christchurch) 29. J. S. Gowans (Riccarton Racecourse) 4; F. Southern (Riccarton W.M.C.) 21. B. Bloor (Kirwee) 14: E. C. Evons (Linwood) 15, E. Tomlinson ißedcliffs) 14; T. W. Dixon (South Brighton) 18. R. Harris (Hornby W.M.C.) 9; J. Welsh (Lyttelton Watersiders) 20. G. AleFadzien (Burwood) 13: 11. Bain (Sydenham) 26. J. McClov (Ashburton) 18: A. Memor'v (Wcolson W.M.C.) 26. L. Dunhill (Oxford) 12. F. J. Blackburn (Cashmere) 19. A. H. Berry (Spreydon) 16; T. F. Coup (Kaiapoi) 23, L. J. Jones (Tai Tapu) 15; C. Cox (Barrington) 17. G. T. Dimmock (Burnham Camp, 14; R. Dalgetv (Christchurch-Richmond AI.S.AJ 19, T. E. Armstrong (Akaroa) 12; P. G. Jolly (Edgeware) 21. P. H. Rose (Burnside) 16; R. T. Bailey (Aft Pleasant) 21. F. Burrows (Opawa) 19; D. Fuller (Papanui W.M.C.) 12. P. L. Rem! (Hornby) 17; J. P. Garven (Dallington) 26. G. Anderton (Morrison Avenue) 21. THIRD ROUND Johns 30. Jackson 4: Lyons 23, Southern 7: Dixon 19. Welsh 11; Bain 21 Memory 18: Coup 24, Blackburn 14: Cox 23. Dalgetv 16; Jolly 22. Bailey 17: Garven 31. Fuller 16. QUARTER-FINALS Johns 17, Lyons 12: Bain 23 Dixon 17: Coup 18, Cox 12; Jollv 24, Garven 17. SEMI-FINALS Johns 17, Bain 10; Coup 23, Jollv 18. FINAL Johns 19. Coup 17.