Beiliss bowled out by doughty Scot

Press, 9 October 1982, Page 17

Beiliss bowled out by doughty Scot

From

KEVIN TUTTY

in Brisbane

The aspirations that Peter Beiliss had of winning the bowls singles gold medal at the Marooka green disintegrated in 45 minutes yesterday afternoon at the hands of the doughtv Scot. Willie Wood.

While Wood was winning the gold, the Australian. Rob Parella. was two rinks away sneaking up to snatch the silver medal from Bellis on a points differential of 1.860 to 1.497.

Beiliss scored two points on the first end. but by the time he scored his next point Wood had the match and medal safely in his grasp. He had coasted to a 17-2 lead in just 11 ends.

On Thursday evening Beiliss expressed' the hope that his touch would stay with him for one more day.' Unfortunately it deserted him and he was never allowed to regain it by Wood, who played some outstanding draw bowls. Beiliss said later he was disappointed at the way he had played, and that he made it easy for Wood. "When there is no pressure on you, it is easy to play well, and I never put pressure on him."

On the first end Beiliss drove with his second bowl after Wood had drawn to within a couple of centime tres of the jacket. On the replayed end he scored two points. Wood took one shot on the second end and on the next end the rot started for Beiliss. Wood had the shot, but Beiliss, with his last bowl, trailed the jack and instead of winning the point gave Wood three.

This established a pattern of bad luck that followed Beiliss for the rest of the match. Whenever he tried to kill an end he failed, while Wood drove three times and each time gained the shot. On the twelfth end Beiliss scored a three just•as the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, arrived at the match. It seemed like a good omen for Beiliss, but unfortunately it was not. He scored two on the fifteenth end to make the score 7-20, but another brilliant draw bowl on a long end gave Wood the point he needed for his first Commonwealth gold medal and his third medal.

Beiliss normally prefers to

play short ends. and. once he was on the scoreboard. Wood played a little reverse psychology. He played a couple of short end’s, and Beiliss was not able to match him. The Scot then switched to longer ends and Beiliss was further astray.

"He played short on me and I never had the touch." said Beiliss with a shrug of his shoulders.

Wood said his tactics were to "draw, draw, draw." as long as he could. At Edmonton four years ago Wood won the silver medal behind David Bryant, of England, and at Christchurch in 1974 he won a bronze medal in the pairs. Aged 44. he has been playing for Scotland since 1966. That was four years before Beiliss started playing bowls.

Wood said he was confident before the game that he could beat Beiliss, but not over-confident. “He is a good player."

Wood received a new set of bowls only a few days before the games started, but they did not suit him. He borrowed a set from the father-in-law of the Marooka club president and "they suited me down to' the ground.” But Wood will not keep them. “They won’t want to let them out of the family now,” joked Wood. For both players yesterday marked a significant point in their bowls careers. Both will now switch to professional bowls, which, barring a rule change, will eliminate them from any further Commonwealth Games.

Beiliss is wasting no time in entering the professional arena, He is playing in a match north of Brisbane tomorrow. Wood is returning home, but said emphatically. “I will accept money now?’ Wood recently turned down Al4OOO after winning a tournament in Scotland. Beiliss said there would be. about $lOO,OOO available in New Zealand tournaments this season, and he hoped to get about 20 or 25 per cent ol that — enough to make a reasonable living.