Bowls test series tied

Press, 7 April 1984, Page 72

Bowls test series tied

PA Timaru Australia fought back to square the rubber with New Zealand in the second bowls test at Geraldine yesterday. The deciding test is today. Ken Williams and Bob Middleton gave Australia a good start yesterday morning, taking the pairs from Peter Beiliss and Phil Skoglund, 21-12. Williams’s form, which has improved throughout, was immaculate. He won the crucial singles comfortably from Beiliss, 21-12. The triple of Morgan Moffat, Rowan Brassey, and Jim Scott kept New Zealand’s chance of a draw open when they scraped a win, 17-16. Trailing by one shot going into the last end, Moffatt had to draw one shot with his last bowl so New Zealand could the take shots and a win. He responded magnificently even though the match had been in progress nearly five hours. The four, which had to win to square the test at two each, had an early advantage, but by the fourteenth end the Australians were square. On the fifteenth they took a one-shot lead and three ends later had extended it to five shots. The turning point was probably the nineteenth end when, after four consecutive killed ends, Skoglund had the opportunity to trail the jack and claim four or five shots. He narrowly failed to do so and the match eventually went to the Australians, 18-15.

Play again finished under lights and players in both the triples and fours were on the green nearly ten hours altogether.