Profitable time for pair

Press, 7 February 1985, Page 40

Profitable time for pair

By KEVIN McMENAMIN

The Australians, Rob Parrella and Joe Amos, are the leading money-earners after the first three days in the Countrywide Classic international bowls tournament at Burnside.

Parrella, with five wins from as many games, has earned $5OO, and Amos, who is unbeaten in four games, has $4OO to his credit.

Christchurch’s Morgan Moffat is next with $350 and there are five players, Brian Trillo (Wanganui), Ken Watson (Christchurch), Kevin Darling (Dunedin), Sid Giddy (Bay of Plenty) and Kevin Wing (Manawatu) on $3OO.

Trillo, Darling and Giddy share with Parrella and Amos the distinction of still being unbeaten. There was a full day of 22 games yesterday and it was one of the last that produced the biggest surprise. Roy Bailey (Christchurch) looked hopelessly placed against Rowan Brassey (Auckland) when he trailed 5-0 in the second set after losing the first, 7-0. Bailey narrowed the gap to 5-3, and then drew four shots on one end to take the set at 7-5. Encouraged by this sudden change in his fortunes, Bailey played with poise and assurance in the third set and he outdrew Brassey throughout to win it, 7-1.

John Mears (Marlborough) surprised by beating Ivan Kostanich (Auckland), who had started the tournament with two decisive wins. Mears adopted a bold approach and it served him well, particularly when he came from 5-2 down to win the third set.

Parrella had two games yesterday and it was not without a fight that he got past Ken Watson (Christchurch) in the first. Watson played to his best form and, with an ounce of luck, could ’ have won the deciding set. It was 5-5 before Parrella won it, 7-5. Parrella had less trouble with Dean Stewart (Counties) in his second game. Amos also had two games. He was taken to three sets by Gordon Duggie (Dunedin) in the first, but later had less trouble with the New Zealand international, Jim Scott (Wellington).

The third Australian entrant, Peter Lawson, broke through for his first win after three losses. He did it in style, taking only seven ends to beat Shaun Patton (Fiji), 7-0, 7-0.

Patton has cause to remember the game for a reason other than his whitewash. He hit the jack with a drive and it came off the top of a back bowl to clear the fence behind the green and finish some distance away in Avonhead Road.

It was a good day for Manawatu’s Kevin Wing, who had lost his first two matches on Tuesday. Yesterday he beat both Nick Unkovich (Auckland) and John Murtagh (Taranaki) in straight frames, the Murtagh game lasting only nine ends.

Graham Stanley (Christchurch) was another to show sharp improvement. He also had two wins, over Wayne Wrack (Northland) and Horrie Walker (Wellington), and in both games Stanley played some extremely delicate shots.

Giddy again impressed as steady a draw player as any of the 32 taking part, and Darling showed glimpses of his true worth in beating Murray Pratt (Waikato) in two sets. But to be fair to Pratt, he drew the closer shots of the two and it was only Darling’s ability to turn bowls or shift the jack that got him home. Because of the varying number of games each player has had (Parrella, for example, has had five and Phil Skoglund only one), it is still too early to pick the likely pair from each section to contest the quar-ter-finals on Sunday morning.

Yesterday’s results were.—

Section one.— P. Bellis (Wanganui) beat J. Leitch (Wellington), 7-5, 7-6; P. Lawson (Tasmania) beat S. Patton (Fiji), 7-0, 7-0; B. Trillo (Wanganui) beat S. Kennedy (Waikato), 7-1, 7-6; R. Bailey (Christchurch) beat R. Brassey (Auckland), 0-7, 7-5, 7-1. Section two.— M. Symes (Taranaki) beat P. Fong (Fiji), 7-3, 7-0; J. Mears (Marlborough) beat I. Kostanich (Auckland), 7-5, 6-7, 7-5; K. Darling (Dunedin) beat M. Pratt (Waikato), 7-6, 7-4; P. Skoglund (Manawatq). beat B. Gibson (Southland), 7-5, 7-2.

Section three.— J. Amos (New South Wales) beat G. Duggie (Dunedin), 7-4, 3-7, 7-4; S. Giddy (Bay of Plenty) beat K. Gash (Auckland), 7-3, 7-3; N. Unkovich (Auckland) beat J. Scott (Wellington), 7-6, 4-7, 7-3; Amos beat Scott, 7-1, 7-4; Duggie beat Gash, 7-3, 7-4; K. Wing (Manawatu) beat Unkovich, 7-3, 7-6; Wing beat J. Murtagh (Taranaki), 7-1, 7-1.

Section four.— R. Parrella (Queensland) beat K. Watson (Christchurch), 7-3, 3-7, 7-5; D. Stewart (Counties) beat W. Wrack (Northland), 7-4, 3-7, 7-5; M. Moffat (Christchurch) beat O. Dallah (Hong Kong), 7-2, 7-2; G. Stanley (Christchurch) beat H. Walker (Wellington), 7-6, 7-5; Stanley beat Wrack, 7-5, 7-3; Parrella beat Stewart, 7-3, 7-1; Moffatt beat Watson, 7-5, 2-7. 7-3.