Moffat heads for another Christmas fours title

Press, 30 December 1982, Page 3

Moffat heads for another Christmas fours title

Morgan Moffat’s remarkable sequence of fours victories in Christchurch centre bowls tournaments is very likely to be taken a step further on the Beckenham green today. Moffat (Linwood) has won the last five fours championships he has contested and he is just two games away from retaining his Christmas fours title and extending his record to six on end.

However, Moffat and his team of Roy Bailey, Sonny Calder and Ken Watson could face a stiff test in the semi-finals this morning when they meet Christchurch's most decorated bowler, Wally Wilkinson (Beckenham). In the other semi-final Jack Edmonds (St Albans) will play Noel A’Court (South Brighton). Moffat’s only period of

worry yesterday was when he dropped a five in the middle stages of his first post-section round game against Terry Kennedy (Christchurch-Richmond M.S.A.). He had too big wins in his next two games, his team giving him solid support to breeze through the quarterfinals where his opponent was Neil Banfield (Spreydon).

, Wilkinson and his team of Dennis O'Callaghan, Geoff Wilkinson, who is no relation to his skip, and Barry Chapman twice showed their mettle under pressure yesterday. They were in a tight second round game against Merv Robinson (Barrington), but then raced away to a 2010 win. In the quarter-finals Wilkinson met an old adversary in Jack Dale (South Brighton) and Dale was 9-4 up after eight ends.

Wilkinson quickly made up ’ the lost ground. His drive serving him particularly well.

Edmonds, whose partners are George Meech, Bernie Bigg and Stan Whiteford, had to battle for his first two wins, but his team improved to beat Roger Norton (Spreydon) in the quarter-finals.

A’Court’s team of Charlie Smith, Bob Lawless and Norman Williams survived in the closest of the quarterfinals. Post-section results: , First round

N. A'Court (South Brighton) 15. A. Jones (Darfield) 13; P. Hawke (St Martins) 16. W. Boyd (Papanui) 14; R. Howman (Burnside) 16. R. Green (Elmwood) 15; J. Edmonds (St Albans) 18. D. Glystra (Burwood) 17; J. Gill (Papanui) 24. J. Cunningham (Spreydon) 8; T. Coup (Kaiapoi) 18. R. Dorman (Fendalton) 17: R. Nor-

ton (Spreydon) 24. M. Hibbard (Linwood) 7; I. Hanson (Barrington) 17, H. Berry (Linwood) 10. J. Dale (South Brighton) 13. J. Simpson (St Martins) 8: W. Wilkinson (Beckenham) 25; A. Jackson (Sumner) 9; M. Robinson (Barrington) 20, C. Palmer (Woolston W.M.C.) 12; M. Moffat (Linwood) 14. T. Kennedy (Christ-church-Richmond M.S.A.) 11: D. Hobby (Burwood) 18. P. Meier (South Brighton) 15: N. Banfield (Spreydon) 19; R. Higginson (Rangiora) 15; B. Bishop (United) 20; F. Cater (Beckenham) 14. Second round A'Court 19. A. Kennish (Dallington) 16; Howman 33. Hawke 1: Edmonds 15. Gill 9; Norton 15. Coup 14; Dale 21. Hanson 18: Wilkinson 20. Robinson 10; Moffat 27, Hobby 11; Banfield 21. Bishop 20. Quarter-finals A'Court 16, Howman 14; Edmonds 20. Norton 9: Wilkinson 17. Dale 10; Moffat 22, Banfield 5.