New experience for top bowler

Press, 7 March 1984, Page 48

New experience for top bowler

Playing bowls for the joy of winning is nothing new for Wally Wilkinson, of Beckenham. He has been doing it for years and with more success than most. He has a record 14 Christchurch centre titles to his credit, a Dominion title, plus a number of placings at this level, and also he can look back on the thrill of having played for New Zealand. Today at Edgeware Wilkinson faces a new exKice. He will be playing for quite good money and whatever happens he is assured of his first cheque from the sport.

Wilkinson is through to the semi-finals in the Christchurch tournament in the Countrywide satellite series and if he can reach, and then win, the final this afternoon he will be $6OO better off. The other three with the same goal are Robin Howman (Burnside), who will face Wilkinson in the semifinals, and Bill McDonald (Spreydon) and Travis Coup (Kaiapoi). If experience should prove vital it will be a Wilkinson-Coup final, but Howman, by far the youngest of the four, and McDonald must be given good chances on their form yesterday. Wilkinson, in fact, has had the hardest row to hoe so

far. He only just qualified on Monday and he looked to be history when he trailed Ray Hunt (Riccarton W.M.C.), 4-16, in their morning game yesterday; but Wilkinson fought back and eventually drew level at 2929, before reaching the target of 31 with a four. In the quarter-finals Wilkinson was up against a formidable rival in Neville Poole (Sumner), who was in his fourth straight day of top-level singles play (the first two being in the Rothmans tournament at the week-end). There was little between Wilkinson and Poole for a long time, but then Wilkinson’s draw play got better and better and he was a clear winner at 31-18. After his game Wilkinson, who is 59 and in his first year of retirement, said that while playing for money was not an appealing prospect the tournment had already given him a worthwhile reward. “It is nice to think that I can still play top-level singles. I was beginning to think that my day at this particular game had gone,” he said. Howman, who has for some years looked a bowler with a future, had two comfortable wins yesterday and the first, against Bernie

Johns (Christchurch), was full of merit. Johns is a proven singles player and Howman had to overcome a bad start which had him 412 down. McDonald had to battle to get on top on Noel Tomlinson (Hornby W.M.C.) in the morning, but he played very well in the afternoon to dispose of another Tomlinson — Owen, of the Papanui club. Results.— Second round N. Poole (Sumner) 31, M. King (Woolston W.M.C.) 22; W. Wilkinson (Beckenham) 31, R. Hunt (Riccarton W.M.C.) 29; G. Cameron (Darfield) 31, P. Doig (Elmwood) 24; R. Howman (Bumside) 31; B. Johns (Christchurch) 20; T. Coup (Kaiapoi) 31, J. Dale (Papanui) 22; S. Lawson (Sydenham) 31, W. Fiecken (Beckenham) 16; O. Tomlinson (Papanui) 31, L. Prouting (Kirwee) 26; W. McDonald (Spreydon) 31, N. Tomlinson (Hornby W.M.C.) 23. Quarter-finals Wilkinson 31, Poole 18; Howman 31, Cameron 11; Coup 31, Lawson 28; McDonald 31, O. Tomlinson 13. Plate , First round: Prouting 21, Doig 12; Johns 21, King 16; Fiecken 21, N. Tomlinson 10; Dale 21, Hunt 4.