Older players win bowls title

Press, 13 April 1988, Page 29

Older players win bowls title

Lester Thompson, aged 72. had to endure some bitingly cold weather in the final of the Easter Fours bowls at: Leeston on Sunday, but the; misery was worth it for the Barrington player because at ■ the end of it he was able to savour his first centre title. Thompson, with Merv Robinson (skip). Jack Johnson and' Arthur -Tall beat Bill Fiecken (Beckenham) 16-11; in the final. The combined age of the: Barrington team was 271 while its opponent ' had a combined age of 141. Fiecken, who won the[ Champion - of - Champions triples and fours earlier in the season, was also the los-[

ing finalist in [' the Easter I Fours !a year ago. j Robinson won his fourth [centre title, Johnson his.third [and Tall His sixth, and probably last[| centre title. He leaves shortly to live in Hastings. |i : ;:-[[[ v Fiecken, whose other team members were [Craig Lange, Dereck Moot arid Geoff Wilkinson, was down 0-5[ in the early stages of [the final, but fought back to | 5-5 and the game[ was; still evenly poised at 7-7, until a Robinson drive moved the jack sideways to give; him i|four -shots :and an 11-7 lead.il [ On the‘'next end. Johnson. [ who:; was the: 'outstanding player of the final, trailed the • Il . I -I

jack for another three and the Barrington four shot to a 14-7 lead. 1 [ [

i It dropped a three immediately then a single, and with two ends to. play the! score was 14-11. ; '

■j Fiecken - was holding five shots on the penultimate end when a Robinson drive scattered the head and left him with one shot and a 15--11 lead starting the last end. Barrington won the last end with a single. [ il

| In the semi-finals, Robinson beat John Saundercock (Linwood) 15-12, and Fiecken beat Alan Briden (Spreydqn). 16-13. In the plate final Travis Coup (Kaiapoi) beat Pat Doig (Papanui). ‘