Fighting bowler, 78

Press, 9 January 1986, Page 3

Fighting bowler, 78

At 78, Ron Buchan, of the Cosmopolitan club in Hamilton, would be one of the oldest fours skips at the Rothmans national bowls tournament in Christchurch.

But Buchan, who won the singles title in successive years back in the mid-19605, is still a fighter. He proved this yesterday when he battled for nearly five hours, long after all other games were finished, to try to reach the qualifying mark of six wins.

He failed, however, going down 31-16 to Les Beveridge (Darfield), to whom the victory meant nothing more than a fourth win from the eight rounds.

A total of 133 teams have qualified, from the entry of 538. Five fewer and the organisers would have been able to forget about byes and cut the post-section rounds from eight to seven. With few exceptions, nearly all the skips expected to qualify came through, although some of them had to wait until the eighth round.

The most notable of these was Peter Beiliss (Aromoho), the singles winner this time and the fours runner-up last year. Beiliss had to win both his games yesterday and he got the first comfortably enough, 31-20.

He then met Ernie Watt

(Burnside), who was also sitting on five wins. Watt was the early leader, but steadily Beiliss edged past and ahead of jiim. Just about all hope went for Watt when on the eighth end he dropped the possible eight, and they were all drawn shots. Beiliss went on to win, 35-9.

Pip Eder (Woodend), who beat Beiliss on Tuesday, was not so fortunate. He, too, went into the last round requiring one more win, but went down, 26-17, to Kevin Harmon (Johnsonville), who was already safe. Mervyn Ryder (Waverley), who finished fourth in the singles last week, dropped out when he was beaten for a third time by Neville Pickering (Wakari) in the seventh round, and Ryder’s fate was shared by Alan Stuart (Burnside), who had a team which was expected to at least qualify. Stuart lost, 24-19, to Syd Glennie (Papanui). The skips to qualify for postsection play in the fours at the Rothmans nationals bowls tournament are.—

J. Settle (Hinuera), N. Kennedy (Papanui), M. Symes (Hawera Park), I. Scott (Dallington), K. Piner (Park), P. Doig (Papanui), P. Paulin (Kew), G. Pascoe (Blaketown), W. MacArthur (Paritutu), B. Pettit (Tainui), A. Memory (Woolston W.M.C.), J. Gillespie (Halswell), P. K. Clark (Johnsonville).

R. Williams (Pohara), D. Burgess (Te Rangi), T. Scott (North East Valley), K. Watson (Linwood), R. Oakes (Hawera), R. Neilson (Ashburton M.S.A.), D. Mills (Balmoral), P. Vodanovich (Glendowie), R. Fenton (St Clair), D. Page (Linwood), S. Shanks (Sydenham), B. Kelly (New Brighton), K. Wing (Palmerston North).

R. Milne (Geraldine), I. Dickison (Kaikorai), K. Gash (Oratia), K. Dolheguy (Papanui), L. Prouting (Kirwee), I. Nicol (Pukeuri), M. Brown (Hillsboro), R. Low (Onehunga), J. Walsh (Taieri), K. Schroder (Balclutha), W. Hurley (Alton), R. Fridd (Woolston Park), J. Henderson (St Clair): E. Tomlinson (Redcliffs), B. Lavery (Waverley), N. Hargreaves (Stoke), N. Grgicevich (Hillsboro), K. Pash (Shirley), G. Hinton (Clyde), R. •McDonald (Taieri), L. Morrison (Clinton), T. Austin, (Hornby), D. Bagge (Stoke), D. Hambleton (Taieri), W. Gannon (Wanganui Services), N. Unkovich (Rawhiti.

B. McGowan (Papanui), P. Bellis (Aramoho), B. McNish (Spreydon), K. Harmon (Johnsonville), D. Weaver (Leith), J. Mears (Springlands), B. Campi (Hillsboro), G. Benvenuti (Naenae), P. C. Skoglund (Northern), C. Pablecheque (Westport R.S.A.), D. O’Connor (Okahu Bay), P. Remi (Burnside), R. Morrison (Tawa Services). R. Robb (Motueka), W. Rhodes (Riccarton W.M.C.), S. Rowe (Morrison Avenue), A. Birch (Woolston W.M.C.), P. Rose (Burnside), B. Sceats (North East Valley), J. Dale (Papanui), L. Agnew (Gore), N. Poole (Sumner), P. Webb (Blenheim), W. Hayes (Lin-

wood), D. McConnell (Kaikorai), M. Hibbard (Papanui). M. Nairn (Leeston), P. Clark (Whakatane), I. Marsic (Carlton), F. Blackburn (Beckenham), B. Ware (Christchurch R.S.A.), I. Dickison sen. (Kaikorai), P. Bennett (Barrington), E. Bungey (Grange, Aust.), M. Moffat (South Brighton), R. Morrison (Georgetown), R. Hewitt (South Brighton), S. Galloway (Northern), B. Papps (Meadowbank). E. Cartwright (Park), M. Stewart (Papanui), D. Middleton (Kapiti), B. Drabble (Manurewa), P. Dunn (Onehunga), I. Tough (Mornington), D. Holwell (Whangarei), J. Craig (Takahunga), D. Budge (North East Valley), W. Fiecken (Beckenham),. G. Swale (North End), T. Coup M. McLeod K. McLaughlin (Hornby W.M.C.), A. Nimmo (Maitai), S. Robinson (Hokonui), A. Brown (Leeston), M. Morrison (Hikutaia), J. Kelly (Dallington), M. Farrington (Invercargill), J. Earles (Palmerston North), C. Williams (Middlemarch), G. Andrews (St Clair), N. Banfield (Spreydon), D. Griffiths (Grey Lynn), B. Turnbull (West End), B. Workman (Waimate Services).

P. Dickison (St Clair), B. Ballinger (Marewa), C. Lowery (Leeston), R. Sim (Tainui), P. Jacombs (Anderson’s Bay), N. A’Court (Canterbury), B. Smith (Papanui), R. Cant (Leeston), J. Swift (New Brighton), C. Walsh (United, Nelson), G. Allan (Westport R.S.A.), R. Jobin (Mission Bay), B. Rothsay (Park Avenue), W. Kane (North End), A. Campbell (Papanui). Today’s draw, Page