Unkovich—fours skip supreme

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 31

Unkovich—fours skip supreme

Nick Unkovich might not be everyone’s favourite bowler, and his exclusion from the recent New Zealand team for the test series against Ireland was the latest in a number of snubs he has received over the years from the national selectors.

But there is one thing about Unkovich about which everyone would agree — he is some bowler.

In the coming championships Unkovich will be trying to become the most successful bowler in the history of the championships. At present he shares with Phil Skoglund the distinction of having the most titles — eight. Skoglund, too, will be on hand and he could well increase his haul. But the odds are that Unkovich will get to nine first and his best chance will be in the fours. This is an event which Unkovich has dominated in recent years. Seven of his eight titles have come in fours and five of them have

been in the last seven years. His other success was at singles, which he won at Wellington in 1979. It was at Wellington in 1971 that Unkovich first won the fours, as the No. 3 in a Rewa team skipped by Jack Somerville.

By 1975 Unkovich was living in Auckland and it was at the Okahu Bay club that he put together one of the best club fours New Zealand has seen. He started out with Des Craig as his lead, Doug Richards-Jolly at No. 2 and Danny O’Conner at No. 3. They were the champion four at Wellington in 1975 and 1979 before a youngster by the name of Rowan Brassey caught Unkovich’s eye and he replaced Craig as the lead. The new combination was successful at Auckland in 1981 and Christchurch in 1982 before Unkovich left Okahu Bay and moved to Rawhiti. In 1984 at Dunedin he had

a composite four, George Alley (Mount Wellington), Bert Robinson (Hillsboro) and Ivan Marsic (Carlton). All were skips, but it mattered little that they were playing out of position and Unkovich became the first bowler to win national titles at all the four tournament venues. Last summer at Auckland Unkovich had another change. He again had a composite team, Somerville now playing for him at No. 3 and two little known bowlers from Rawhiti, Chris Tracey and Lou Musin, making up the front half. Unkovich, in fact, had never seen Tracey play before the tournament began. But once again, Unkovich proved himself the master fours skip. His opponent in the final was Peter Beiliss, but not even a world champion could dent Unkovich’s record of having never lost a Dominion final.

Tracey, Musin and Somerville are again Unkovich’s team this year and while the odds are very much against a team winning the event in successive years the odds come down dramatically when the skip concerned is Unkovich.

As well as being a great bowler, and he must rank with “Pete” Skoglund (Phil’s uncle) as the best fours skip New Zealand has known, Unkovich is also a very engaging character. There are many stories about his behavfbur and, undoubtedly, he has gone too far at times in attacking officialdom/ But all games need their “characters” and Unkovich, who will turn 63

next month, is certainly a man who fits this bill. Crowds are seldom bored when Nick is on the green, whether it being from jacks flying in all directions or comments which may upset, and perhaps are designed to, more than just opponents.

A child who picked an inappropriate moment to cry in a fours final a few years ago was not spared Unkovich’s annoyance, and a lady who was not altogether taken with his language on another occasion was given a follow-up which would have burnt her ears even more.

But for all his failings, if they can be so called, Unkovich is a good loser, and nor is he one to try and find excuses for his own bad play. Naturally he is at his verbal best when a game is clearly going his way, but he would not be alone in this respect.

It was at Christchurch in 1970 that Unkovich first started to make a name for himself. His big drive attracted the crowds, and his

antics on the green, mild by comparison to those which some bowlers employ today, became very much a talking point. Unkovich was at his cantankerous best when the great controversy about towelling hats was raging. He appeared one day in Dunedin with a towel, wrapped turban-style, around his balding pate and tljere was great consternation among officials before he could be persuaded to remove it. And when he did he simply draped the towel over his head. Unkovich does have a legitimate exe to grind about his non-selection for New Zealand in recent years, and his outspoken views about how some so-called amateurs have been hiding behind trust accounts have not helped his popularity. But first and foremost Nick Unkovich is a champion bowler, and in getting the best out of fours a man outdoubtedly born to command. That he is an entertainer as well is simply a bonus. i