Ken Walker stars

Press, 3 April 1987, Page 30

Ken Walker stars

PA Wellington The national singles champion, Ken Walker, again showed his affinity for the greens around Wellington when he spearheaded New Zealand’s attack in the Kiwi Bonds international men’s bowls classic at the Kapiti Bowling Club yesterday.

Walker and a fellow Dunedin bowler and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, lan Dickison, were the only players unbeaten after three games. New Zealand’s world champion, Peter Beiliss, a national selector, Phil Skoglund, and Australia’s playing-through international classic champion, Rob Parrella, were also unbeaten, but had played only two games each. But it was Walker’s 7-5, 7-5, win over one of the. pre-tournament . favourites, Australia’s lan Schu-

back, which carried pride of place and extended his amazing run of success on greens in the region.

Walker beat Auckland’s Peter Thom, Christchurch’s Ken Watson and then Schuback without dropping a set while Dickison dropped a set each to Taranaki’s Brian Baldwin and Manawatu’s Phil Skoglund Jun. sandwiching a 7-0, 7-6, win over the young Counties player, Dean Stewart.

Beiliss dropped a set in beating Marlborough’s Eric Doggett, and then featured in a three-set thriller with Ivan Kostanich, of Auckland. But despite being unbeaten, Beiliss was not at the top of his section. That honour went to Northland’s Warwick Edgar, who won two of three matches. The 30-year-old, who qualified for a place in the field by winning his area’s Coun-

trywide satellite tournament before Christmas, inflicted the first defeat on Christchurch’s Morgan Moffat in the last round of the day. The greatest upset yesterday, however, was a win by a Bay of Plenty player, Brian Hubert, who in his first match beat the 1985 classic winner and New Zealand representative, Rowan Brassey. After three rounds yesterday, Dickison led section one, and Edgar section two, while Walker was in charge in section three. Taranakite Commonwealth Games representative Maurice Symes led the other section, after the 1982 national singles champion, Jim Scott, of Wellington, brought off the first defeat of the Australian Commonwealth Games single’s representative, Ken Williams. •, ’