New bowls format

Press, 28 October 1981, Page 48

New bowls format

The annual bowls match between the Christchurch city clubs and the subcentres, to be played at Linwood on November 29, will take on a new look this year, one designed to make it more than ever a trial for the Rothmans inter-centre tournament. For the first time this season Christchurch country will contest the Rothmans event, bringing to an even six centres the number for the zone three (top half of the South Island) elimination. In the past the host centre has provided a second team

to allow for a full roundrobin draw. This year the Town-Coun-try contest will be played along Rothmans lines. Instead of having eight fours the city clubs will field four teams, each comprising a singles player, a pair and a four. The three sub-centres — Malvern, Ellesmere and Ashburton — plus the combined North Canterbury clubs, which are soon to be united as a sub-centre, will do likewise, giving a total of eight teams to meet over three rounds, town teams playing country teams in each round.

The same format will be used for the town-country juniors fixture, also at Linwood, on December 13. Here again the event will double as a trial for the Christchurch teams, town and country, for the national junior inter-centre tournament, which was introduced last season. The new format would be of considerable help to the centre and country selectors as they would be able to judge players on how they performed in specialist positions, said Mr Dave Martin, of the Christchurch centre executive. -