Canty bowls team humbled

Press, 4 February 1987, Page 46

Canty bowls team humbled

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

Once again Canterbury’s bowls reputation has taken a tumble with the failure of both its senior and junior teams to get past the zone elimination rounds of the intercentre championships. Canterbury was second behind North Otago in both contests at Ashburton last week-end, and to be beaten by a centre as small as North Otago was not only disappointing for Canterbury, but also embarrassing. North Otago has no more than 600 bowlers to select its teams from. Canterbury has 6000. Even the other two centres which contested this zone five elimination, South Canterbury and Canterbury Country, are bigger than North Otago. South Canterbury has close on 2000 bowlers and Canterbury Country around 1200.

So North Otago did prove that size is not everything, and if it should do well at the national finals in Auckland early next month, it will again be cast in the "mouse that roared” category.

As always in. this event, North Otago’s senior win can be attributed to consistency. Its singles player, John Rudduck, went unbeaten through the three rounds, as did the pair of Russell McDonald and Dick Cleland (s).

Rudduck has taken over the singles position from his uncle, Arthur Rudduck, who has long been North Otago’s best known bowler. John Rudduck was a shade fortunate to beat Canterbury’s Ken Watson in the second round, a vital win for North Otago. It was a quality game throughout, and Rudduck was the one in front when it mattered most.

Another important win for North Otago was when Cleland beat the Canterbury pair of Bernie Johns and Graham Stanley in the first round. Johns and Stanley were all at sea for a start in the tricky wind that swept across the Tinwald green on Saturday, and at 19-4 down appeared to be hopelessly placed.

However, they came with a rush at the finish and very nearly grabbed the lead on the second-to-last end. Cleland, four down, punched one of his short bowls in for shot. On the last end Stanley scored a three to lose by one, 20-19. The North Otago four of Aden Veint, Brian Papps, Wayne Stewart and Jack Smith (s) had only one win, but it was a big one, 33-B,tand North Otago woulff'probably still have

prevailed on the points differential if Canterbury, had managed to tie the game scores in the last round.

Canterbury gave itself a chance by winning all three games in the last round, and the form of Johns and Stanley was by then quite exceptional. They played very nearly the perfect pairs game, Johns drawing close on nearly every end and Stanley, whether drawing or driving, being no less effective.

It says much for the play of their opponent, Allan Jones (Canterbury Country), that at the finish, the winning margin was only five points. But to get square on match points Canterbury had to count on North Otago being beaten in either pairs or singles. The pair shot clear early and was never in danger, but a singles loss looked; likely when Rudduck was 11-0 down to Canterbury Country’s Errol Woodward.

But Rudduck responded superbly and he eventually won, 25-23.

Canterbury, obviously, lost the elimination through the singles and pairs defeats to North Otago. However, the four skipped by Morgan Moffat fell even more heavily from grace when it was swamped 22-10 by Eric Nicholas (South Canterbury) in the first round.

Nicholas was well beaten in his next two games, and Moffat went on to win his next two. Nevertheless, the Canterbury four never functioned smoothly and the placement of two skips, Alan Griffin and Bruce McNish, in the front positions was not a success. Nor did Moffat play all that well and the pick of the Canterbury four was the newcomer, Bill Fiecken, at No. 3. He played many fine shots, especially when the pressure was on him to salvage an awkward situation. No effort was spared in preparing the two Canterbury teams for this event, and the fact that they could ‘ both do no better than second to a small centre like North Otago must give cause for concern. The numbers game apart, Canterbury undoubtedly has the better bowlers. But proving it in a team event is a battle which has yet to be won. Footnote: The teams for the national finals are:— Senior: Northland, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Marlborough, North Otago and Dunedin. Junior: Counties, Bay of PlentyLTaranaki, Nelsonjh North Bago and Dunedin w