O’Connor wins bowls final

Press, 21 November 1987, Page 96

O’Connor wins bowls final

PA Auckland The former national singles champion, Danny O’Connor, of Auckland, last evening soundly beat Andrew Seator (Manawatu) in the Superbowls final at Royal Oak. O’Connor, a last-minute entry in the Countrywide event, had won his games on the first, third and fourth days of the tournament, but dropped both on the second day of section play. In the final he was in the kind of form that has won him six national titles and a place in the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games team. Seator tried to outdraw O’Connor, but found the 37-year-old from the Okahu Bay club in great touch. O’Connor won the first set 7-2.

Seator picked up two shots at the start of the second. O’Connor countered with a three, Seator got a single. So did O’Connor to lead 4-3.

Then came the dramatic fifth end. O’Connor drove the jack into the ditch and held three shots, even if his closest bowl was some three metres back up the rink.

Those three shots would have given O’Connor the match. With his last bowl Seator drew to within a centimetre of the ditch to take a shot Had he rolled into the ditch it would have been all over.

O’Connor had some luck on the next end when he was down three and drove. The jack was sprung sideways and stayed right on the line and gave him two shots. He then drew a great shot on the last end to take the match.

O’Connor was given his ticket to the world indoor finals in London in March. The tournament director, lan Birch, revealed the organisers had asked that the runner-up be sent to England as welL Seator will thus join O’Connor, Peter Beiliss and Phil Skoglund.

It will be Seater’s second overseas trip. He played in a pairs tournament in Australia some years ago as a prize for winning the Papakura junior pairs.