Watson survives two epic bowls battles

Press, 10 January 1986, Page 3

Watson survives two epic bowls battles

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

The Linwood skip, Ken Watson, had every reason to heave a huge sigh of relief after he had survived the first two rounds of postsection play yesterday in the fours at the Rothmans national bowls tournament in Christchurch.

Watson, who along with his No. 2, Sonny Calder, was in Morgan Moffat’s winning four in 1978, faced what seemed, at least on paper, the most formidable combination in the championship in the morning round. This was the Paritutu team skipped by Bill MacArthur, which as well as MacArthur contained two other New Zealand representatives, Dave Baldwin and John Murtagh.

MacArthur had never been tested in the section rounds, but he was in trouble straight away against Watson, whose other two players are Glen Miller and Roy Bailey. Watson led 18-9 after the thirteenth end, but by the eighteenth end, MacArthur was in front, 20-18. Watson picked up again and he looked reasonably safe at 26-21, with four ends to play.

However, the Paritutu team won each of these ends to tie the scores at 2626, and Watson scored a single on a tense extra end after both Calder and Bailey had drawn him shots, and MacArthur had managed to get rid of only one of them.

If Watson and his team thought that their troubles were over, they soon had a rude awakening in the afternoon.

After nine ends they were 10-1 down to Dave Weaver (Leith), who was actually playing at No. 3, with Amis Hardisty doing the skipping. This was originally Gordon Jolly’s team, and Hardisty came in when Jolly was unable, because of a family illness to travel up from Dunedin. The Leith team looked an almost certain winner when it led, 23-12, with seven ends remaining. However, it won only the last of the seven, and helped greatly by a six on the twenty-third end, Watson got home, 27-24. An equally spectacular comeback was achieved by lan Dickison (Kaikorai) in his morning round game against Bruce Rothesay, of the Park Avenue club in.

Wellington. Rothesay led, 26-12, with seven ends remaining, before Dickison, who got started with a five, fought back to win, 29-26. After yesterday’s two rounds, 34 teams were left, and by tonight the number will be down to 16. All 34 will be in action at the Woolston W.M.C. this morning, but only one game will be played in the afternoon. This will be between the winners of the morning games, Wally Hurley (Alton) v. Phil Skoglund (Northern) and Bill Fiecken (Beckenham) v. Bryan Campi (Hillsboro). There were many close games yesterday as the battle intensified for places in Sunday’s final, and especially in the afternoon, when seven games were decided by a single point — and there were only two or three points in several others.

Along with MacArthur, two other strong teams to fall by the wayside were Bruce Ballinger (Marewa) and Ivan Marsic (Carlton). Ballinger went down by one point to a former fours champion, Kerry Clark (Johnsonville), and much more of a surprise was Marsic’s 24-14 loss to Malcolm McLeod (Cashmere).

The titleholder, Nick Unkovich (Rawhiti), had to work for both his wins. He was only two in front of Bob Hewitt (South Brighton) going into the last end of their morning game, and in the afternoon, Unkovich had only three points to spare at the finish against Gary Andrews (St Clair). Unkovich could be put to the sword this morning when he meets Terry Scott (Johnsonville), whose team includes his even betterknown brother, and a former fours champion, Jim Scott.

There are 14 Canterbury teams left, and if Peter Clark (Whakatane) had failed with his final bowl, there would have been 15. He was all square on the board and three down on the head to Jack Dale (Papanui), until he got the shot with his final delivery. Watson, Morgan Moffat (South Brighton), who had two clear-cut wins yesterday, and Morris Nairn (Leeston) are, perhaps, the best local hopes. Nairn took a big step towards his third placing in the event when he overcame Bruce McNish (Spreydon) in one of the big games of the morning round. Yesterday’s results.—

Morning round N. a’Court (Canterbury) 25, C. Williams (Middlemarch) 24; R. Morrison (Georgetown) 23, W. Gannon (Wanganui Services) 21; K. Watson (Linwood) 27, W. MacArthur (Paritutu) 26; D. Weaver (Leith) 27, K. Wing (Palmerston North) 19; R. Lowe (Onehunga) 28, P. Jacombs (Andersons Bay) 19; Morrison (Hikutaia) 28, W. Kane (North End) 15. C. Walsh (United, Nelson) 34, B. Pettit (Tainui) 8; M. Moffat (South Brighton) 27, E. Cartwright (Park) 14; L. Morrison (Clinton) 26, J. Settle (Hinuera) 15; D. O’Connor (Okahu Bay) 23, D. McConnell (Kaikorai) 16; J. Dale (Papanui) 23, A. Nimmo (Maitai) 18; P. Clark (Whakatane) 26, K. Harmon (Johnsonville) 9. P. Beiliss (Aramaho) 29, B. Lavery (Waverley) 16; L. Prouting (Kirwee) 30, D. Griffiths (Grey Lynn) 29; B. Papps (Meadowbank) 29, A. Birch (Woolston W.M.C.) 15; D. Hinton (Clyde) 27, D. Budge (North East Valley) 24; M. Hibbard (Papanui) 27, P. Webb (Blenheim) 22; J. Swift (New Brighton) 25, I. Dickinson sen. (Kaikorai) 18. K. Gash (Oratia) 23, P. Dunn (Onehunga) 22; D. Bagge (Stoke) 23, P. Paulin (Kew) 22; K. Clark (Johnsonville) 30, S. Shanks (Sydenham) 15; B. Ballinger (Marewa) 26, R. Neilson (Ashburton M.S.A.) 16; S. Robinson (Hokonui) 27, M. Symes (Hawera Park) 19; B. Drabble (Manurewa) 29, R. Robb (Motueka) 16. B. McGowan (Papanui) 28, E. Tomlinson (Redchffs) 19; N. Banfield (Spreydon) 24, D. Burgess (Te Rangi) 20; S. Rowe (Morrison Ave) 27, S. Galloway (Northern) 18; K. Schroder (Balclutha) 24, J. Craig (Takahanga) 14; N. Poole (Sumner) 28, P. Vodanovich (Glendowie)

22; R. Cant (Leeston) 28, B. Ware (Christchurch R.SA.) 23. P. Doig (Papanui) 25, D. Middleton (Kapiti) 9; K. McLaughlin (Hornby W.M.C.) 20, J. Gillespie (Halswell) 18; P. J. Dickison (St Clair) 22, T. Austin (Hornby) 20; D. Page (Linwood) 26, K. Piner (Park) 11; K. Pash (Shirley) 29, R. Morrison (Tawa Services) 23; I. Dickison (Kaikorai) 29, B. Rothsay (Park Ave) 26. M. Farrington (Invercargill) 26, I. Nicol (Pukeuri) 16; P. Rose (Burnside) 28, P. Bennett (Barrington) 16; B. Turnbull (West End) 25, R. McDonald (Taieri) 11; W. Hayes (Linwood) 24, C. Pablecheque (Westport R.S.) 18; G. Swale (North End) 29, B. Sceats (North East Valley) 18; M. Nairn (Leeston) 30, B. McNish (Spreydon) 21. K. Dolheguy (Papanui) 24, I. Tough (Mornington) 11; G. Pascoe (Blaketown) 28, D. Hambleton (Taieri) 16; R. Williams (Pohara) 25, B. Kelly (New Brighton) 21; R. Fridd (Woolston Park) 21, D. Mills (Balmoral) 17; I. Scott (Dallington) 34, A. Brown (Leeston) 10; R. Oakes (Hawera) 23, C. Lowery (Leeston) 14. G. Andrews (St Clair) 31, B. Smith (Papanui) 17; N. Unkovich (Rawhiti) 27, R. Hewitt (South Brighton) 22; T. J. Scott (North East Valley) 27, D. Holwell (Whangarei) 12; J. Mears (Springlands) 19, G. Rhodes (Riccarton W.M.C.) 17; J. Walsh (Taieri) 37, F. Blackburn (Beckenham) 15; J. Kelly (Dallington) 28, A. Campbell (Papanui) 23. I. Marsic. (Carlton) 32, M. Stewart (Papanui) 13; M. McLeod (Cashmere) 26, A. Memary (Woolston W.M.C.) 15; G. Benvenuti (Nae Nae) 24, B. Workman (Waimate Services) 19; L. Agnew (Gore) 35, N. Kennedy (Papanui) 8; N. Grgicevich (Hillsboro) 22, P. Remi (Bumside) 17; R. Milne (Geraldine) 29, G. Allan (Westport R.S.) 15. R. Sim (Tainui) 29, T. Coup (Kaiapoi) 23; P. C. Skoglund (Northern) 30, J. Henderson (St Clair) 19; J. Earles (Palmerston North) 24, R. Fenton (St Clair) 22; M. Brown (Hillsboro) 30, R. Jobin (Mission Bay) 18; W. Hurley (Alton) 32, N. Hargreaves (Stoke) 3. E. Bungey (Grange, Aust.), W. Fiecken (Beckenham), B. Campi (Hillsboro), byes. Afternoon round Morrison (Georgetown) 29, a’Court 13; Watson 27, Weaver 24; Morrison (Hikutaia) 23, Lowe 22; Moffat 24, Walsh (United, Nelson) 14; O’Connor 28, Morrison (Clinton) 13; Clark (Whakatane) 21, Dale 19; Beiliss 35, Prouting 10; Papps 29, Hinton 24; Swift 25, Hibbard 11; Gash 25, Bagge 24; Clark (Johnsonville) 25, Ballinger 24; Drabble 21, Robinson 20; McGowan 30, Banfield 13; Schroder 22, Rowe 13; Poole 29, Cant 11. Doig 22, McLaughlin 21; Page 33, Dickison (St Clair) 24; I. Dickison (Kaikorai) 24, Pash 21; Rose 24, Farrington 12; Turnbull 30, Hayes 19; Nairn 25, Swale 16; Pascoe 22, Dolheguy 21; Fridd 22, Williams 13; Scott (Dallington) 30, Oakes 16. Unkovich 25, Andrews 22; Scott (North East Valley) 27, Mears 25; Walsh (Taieri) 24, Kelly (Dallington) 12; McLeod 27, Marsic 14; Agnew 31, Benvenuti 15; Grgicevich 27, Milne 11; Fiecken 28, Bungey 13; Campi 24, Sim 23; Skoglund 27, Earles 15; Hurley 27, Brown 20.