New Zealand holds on in climactic bowls finish

Press, 13 March 1987, Page 21

New Zealand holds on in climactic bowls finish

NZPA-AAP Perth Three days of sparkling bowls drew to a climactic close at Perth when New Zealand held on to win the Interdominion series against Australia. Australia needed to win at least three of the last four matches to square the threetest series, and with two matches remaining it was still in the hunt.

But New Zealand won the fours. 24-21, and then the pairs, 19-13, to chalk up the series win by 2>/ 2 The first test was drawn. The 15-9 scoreline over the series did not indicate the closeness of the competition. One match was tied, and in four more the margin was three shots or less and often it was a single bowl which made ail the difference.

At the seventeenth end of the final fours encounter, Australia was still in the fight to win the series.

But at two shots up, an error turned that advantage into a three-shot deficit that the Australian team of Paul Richards, Ken Woods, Neville Day and John Rainoldi could not recover.

Going into the twenty-first and final end, they trailed by six shots and needed an impossible seven shots to stay in the series.

They pulled back three, but there was no way an internationally experienced skip like Phil Skoglund would allow the New Zealand mantle to slide any further. With the series won, the pressure was taken off the New Zealand pairs team of Peter Beiliss and the out-

standing Rowan Brassey, and they coasted to their most convincing win of the tournament.

Australia’s sniff of victory was set up in the morning when Ken Williams defeated the world singles champion, Beiliss, 25-16. Results:— singles: K. Williams (Australia) beat P. Beiliss (New Zealand), 25-16. Pairs: Beiliss and R. Brassey (New Zealand) 16 beat P. Richards and J. Rainoldi (Australia), 16-13. Triples: P. Skoglund, M. Moffat, I. Dickison (New Zealand) 13 drew with Williams, N. Day, K. Woods (Australia), 13-13. Fours: Skoglund, Moffat, Dick Lon, Brassey (New Zealand) 24 beat Richards, Rainoldi, Day, Woods (Australia), 24-21.