Unkovich out of fours

Press, 10 January 1987, Page 72

Unkovich out of fours

PA Wellington The exit of the eighttimes champion, Nick Unkovich, and f the rapid strides made by so-called dark horses marked another dramatic day at the Rothmans national men’s bowls championships in Wellington yesterday. Unkovich beat Marewa’s Bruce Ballinger, 20-19, in his first game but was tipped out of the tournament by Paritutu’s Dave Baldwin, 25-11. Others -to bite the dust as the field was pared from 104 to 32 included Fairfield’s Ken Walker, who won the national singles title last week, Hillsboro’s Nick Grgecivich, Paritutu’s Bill MacArthur, Palmerston North’s Kevin , Wing, Hawera Park’s Maurice

Symes and the Commonwealth Games singles gold medallist, lan Dickison (Kaikorai). Grgeciyich was ejected in dramatic circumstances in his second round match against Nprthern’s Vic Sellans. « Qregecivich dropped a five and a two on the last two ends and Sellars into the ditch on an extra end. With the benefit' of a measure, which (took an age to agree on, Sellars took the match, 24-23. Sellars was earlier responsible for the demise of a, former pairs titlewinner (1985), Symes, whom he beat, 21-19. Aramoho’s Peter Belliss’s four was in commandlng form, beating Paraparaumu Beach’s Don (Roberts, 30-12, and

Hikutaia’s Malcolm Morrison, 34-6. Beiliss meets Johnsonville’s Brian Gibson snr today.

Hutt’s Eddie Irving escaped from the edge of two defeats to win through and will meet Tawa’s Arch Taggart today. Irving beat Carlton’s Ross Haresnape, 22-18, after ‘ Haresnape had miraculously saved his team on several occasions. Irving held a four-shot advantage going into the second-to-last end, but Haresnape held five shots and threatened to take the match. With a superb drive that knocked the jack into the ditch, Irving held on to win. In his next game, Irving was trailing Springland’s John Mears, 15-18, at the stah of the last end and

took five shots to bolt to a 20-18 win. .With a fellow Hutt Valley player, George Benvenuti (Naenae), Irving is clearly looking as a challenger for later rounds. Benvenuti knocked out Macarthur’s Paritutu four, 25-17, then Johnsonville’s Dick Williams and meets this year’s pairs winner, Peter Clark (Whakatane), today. Clark and Don McKillop, who won the pairs title this year, beat Eastbourne’s Malcolm Rudman, 36-16, then Paraparaumu Beach’s Don Bishop, 24-20. The Bay of Plenty pair are well placed to become double title winners at this tournament but the pace of the championships is severe. \

Under the hot sun for several days, McKillop has been unable to “have a breather” being involved till a late stage of the ' singles also. “I didn’t expect, before the tournament, that I would be involved in continuous bowls for 12 days,” he said. “If it turns out that we are still in contention on Monday, it would mean 15 days continuous bowling. It becomes a test of mental strength as well as physical.” Okahu Bay’s Rowan Brassey had a first round bye and demolished Waikanae Beach’s Godfrey Bowen, 28-9, in the second round. They now meet Levin Central’s Ross Ryder.