Tenth centre title for Wilkinson

Press, 31 March 1980, Page 3

Tenth centre title for Wilkinson

The waiting finally ended for two of Christchurch’s top bowlers, .Wally Wilkinson and Morgan Moffat; ,on the Woolston W.M.C. green yesterday. In an all-Linwood final to the pre-Easter fours tournament, Moffat beat his fellow New Zealand representative, Kevin Darling, 21-16. The win was important to Moffat, lifting the burden off him of being a New Zealand selection without having a centre title to his credit. But the result was of even greater significance to Wilkinson, who was Moffat’s No, 3. After a string of narrow misses he at last got the tenth title he needed for a bar to his centre gold star — the first Christchurch bowler to accomplish the ■eat..

The other members of the winning team were ’ Ken Watson, who, like Moffat, had not previously won a centre title, and Sonny Calder, whose total now stands at four. As the “stand out” team on paper, Moffat’s win surprised no-one, but it did not come without -some anxious moments.. In the second post-section round on Saturday Moffat was placed under a lot of pressure by Bob Cullen (Spreydon) and it was only a six in the last end that inflated the worth of -Moffat’s win. He had another stiff test before getting past Peter Jolly.. (Edgeware), but his biggest fright-came in the quarter-finals, where he met Syd Glennie (Papanui), yesterday morning. / s Moffat looked set for a comfortable’ victory when he led 18-8 after twelve ends, but Glennie staged a recovery and with a five oh the last end — it could easily have been a winning six — he forced an extra end. Moffat won the extra end with a a four, but Glennie was not too far astray with his last bowl run for the jack in the ditch Maurice Penfold’s Rangiora team of Eddie McDermott, Jack Pulley and Ernie Doggett gave Moffat no respite in the semi-finals. Penfold led 9-6. going into the last, half an. hour, but then his team faded a little and Moffat, whose drive had been a big asset, scored three twd» te. ; double his score and wih afl2-9,

Darling, who missed the qualifying rounds the previous week and had a substitute, Wally White, fill in for him, ■, showed once . again What a-;tremendous bowler he is. His team of Colin Calder, a brother of Sonny Calder, John Saundercock and Dave Page played competently throughout the two days, but it was Darling’s brilliance, that kept them going. Darling’s tightest game on Saturday was' against Roy Bailey (Mt Pleasant) and he got past the quarter-finals with a most impressive 3110 win over Alan Charteris (Papanui), six of Chatteris’s 10 points coming on one end. Tom Story and his little favoured Sydenham team of Gordon King, Milan Yunovich and John Cartmell did well to reach the semi-finals and they gave Darling a tough fight. The scoring was close until the penultimate end, on which Story drove the jack into the ditch and when he failed to save with his second bowl went down four shots —• a winning break for Darling. The final was a fascinating game, although the quality of play varied a good deal. Colin Calder conclusively outled Watson, who was weir below his best form. Saundercock had the better of Sonny Calder for a start, although towards the end Calder, held an edge. ,■> Wilkinson, by his standards, had an indifferent game. He played a lot of loose bowls, although two superb shots he. drew. on the sixteenth' end t were instrumental in turning the game Moffat’s way. Page, played a, few good shots, but he seemed to lack confidence, especially in his driving, and Darling was left with a lot to do in the closing stages. Darling, who won this tournament in 1977, was not as consistent as he might have been, but his ability to play, the great shot was again'amply demonstrated. , . Moffat struggled a little at the start, but like Darling he showed his class when the need was most , urgent and towards the end he played with the air of a man who knew he was on the way to victory.. ;. ' The scoring-was.dose on the early ends, and it was Darling 'who got th§ firsj

break. He played a wonderful shot to earn a three on the eleventh end and got. another three on the next end when a Wilkinson drive went badly. This put Darling ahead, 12-8. The thirteenth end was also important. Darling held four shots until Moffat, with his last bowl, got a most difficult trail to score a two.

A good three on the fifteenth end put Darling ahead, 15-11,. but then in the space of just two ends the whole complexion of the game changed. On the sixteenth Sonny Calder secured a close shot, Wilkinson added two more and Moffat topped off with a fourth. A three, fairly earned, oh the next end gave Moffat the lead, 18-15, and although Darling himself remained a threat, Moffat’s team was able without tOo much difficulty to win, if only with singles, three of the last four ends. . ■ > Results from the second post-section round were. — SECOND ROUND S A. Glennie (Papanui) 18, D. H. K. Stuart (DaUington) 12; P. H. Rose (Burnside) 12, R. Dorman (Fendalton) 11; R- Coe (Woolston W.M.C.) 15, R. T. Masefield (Akaroa) 14; N. H. Poole (Sumner) 22,.W. A. Newton (Tai Tapu) 9; M. Moffat (Linwood) 19, B. L. Cullen (Spreydon( 10; F. J. Blackburn (Cashmere) 18, W. G. Dennis (Burwood( 13; A. Memory, (Woolston W.M.C.) 14, W. Kinsey (Riccarton Racecourse) 12, P. G. Jolly (Edgeware) 21, P. Jarvis (Riccarton W.M.C.) 6. R T. Bailey (Mt Pleasant) 15, F. S. Cornelius (Hornby) 6; K. R. Darling (Linwood) 19, R. Higginson (Rangiora) 11; T. N. Story (Svdenham) 16, G. Honey (Papanui) 8; D. P. White (Papanqi) 20, A. B. Nottingham (Spreydon) 13; E. C. Lyons (Linwood) 13, W. A. Hadlee (Fendalton) 12; H. Drewery (DaUington) 14, J. Smillie (Elmwood) 11. M. F. Penfold (Rangiora)’ 17, I. J. McAllister (DaUington) 7, B. S. Johns (Christchurch) 14, J. Steele (Burwood) 3; T. W. Dixon (South Brighton) 10, P. L. Reini (Hornby) 9; J. Kelly (Linwood) 20, G. Craig (Edgeware) 6; J. A. Dale (South Brighton) 23, K. J. Heritage (Burnham Camp) 9; A. J. Charteris (Papanui) 15, K. N. Jones (Leeston) 6. , THIRD ROUND \ Glennie 17, Rose 15; Coe 13, Poole 12; Moffat 19, Blackburn 7; Jolly 19, Memory 16: Darling 12, ’ Bailey 8; Story 17, White 16; Drewery 21, Lyons 11; Penfold 12. Johns 10; Kelly 13, Dixon 10; Charteris 16, Dale .8. FOURTH ROUND . Glennie 22, Coe 13; Moffat 13, Jolly 6; all the. others byes. ' QUARTER-FINALS Moffat 22, Glennie 18; Penfold 22, Kelly '10; Darling 31, Charteris 10; Story 18, Drewery 15. SEMI-FINALS > Moffat 12. Penfold 9; Darling 15, Story 12? - . FINAL . , Moffat H, Darling IS.