A shirt tale

Press, 14 March 1984, Page 32

A shirt tale

The St Albans lawn bowler, Stan Whiteford, was beginning to wonder if he owned a shirt of magical aualities after he had won le Christchurch champion-of-champions singles at United last Sunday. The story of the white shirt starts two years ago when Whiteford was in Oamaru for the North Otago Easter tournament He wore it throughout the singles, right through to the final which he won. Last year his St Albans club-mate, Jack Edmonds, found when he got to Oamaru that he had left his bowls shirt behind. So Whiteford lent Edmonds a second shirt he had, the one he had worn the previous year, and this time it was Edmonds who took the singles title. Not surprisingly, Whiteford had the shirt on when he started out in the singles last Saturday and when he

was still in the draw at the end of the day his wife suggested that, perhaps, she should wash it, and for him to wear a fresh one on Sunday. But Whiteford was taking no risks. He wore the same shirt again on Sunday and before the day was over the champion-of-champions title was his. The shirt, according to Whiteford, only seems to work its magic when it’s left unwashed, and that does present something of a problem. And, furthermore, it does appear to be a “singles specialist.” But even if he is not a superstitious man it is a fatly good bet that the next time he is playing in a major singles tournament Whiteford will be wearing the said shirt. “It certainly seems to bring luck and in bowls luck is a very handy ally,” said Whiteford.