BOWLS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 82, 31 December 1929, Page 15

BOWLS

WELLINGTON CENTRE TOURNAMENT POST-SECTION PLAY FINAL BETWEEN FERKINS AND BRIGHTING Favoured with bright sparkling weather and a light northerly breeze, ’which strengthened considerably as the day advanced, the Wellington Bowling Centre's annual tournament was advanced another stage yesterday. First Round. In the first round rinks skipped by Parsons (Island Bay) and Naylor (Thorndon) tried conclusions. The result was: — Thorndon—Cullen, Hyarns, White, Naylor (s.). 28; Island Bay—Springhall, Hamilton, McAnerney, Parsons (s.), 23. Island Bay took the lead with a fourpoint end to begin with, and held it stoutly until the seventeenth head, thanks to McAnerney’s good driving and Parsons’s accurate driving. On the seventeenth head Thorndon measured in three shots and so got their nose in front for the first time, 20 —-19. The next head was disastrous for Parsons, who, when 2 down, elected to drive. He smacked his own bowls out and left Thorndon lying six. Thorndon also scored two on the twentieth head (28 —22). Faced* with the job of. getting six to tie, Parsons succeeded in burning two heads, but on the third occasion, though he hit the jack, it remained within bounds'with an Island Bay bowl lying the shot. It could be said that during the latter half of the game the Thonidon players were outdrawing their opponents. White was particularly accurate. Second Round. Island Bay—Wilkie, Reece, Duncan. Ferkins (s.), 21; Thorndon —Cullen, Hyams, White, Naylor (s.), 12. , In this game the opinions of most dn the bank were upset. Thorndon did not score a point until the sixth head, when they got two shots; then for five successive heads they stuck fast, whilst Island Bay, by superior drawing, increased its score to 20. Then to vary the monotony Island Bay stuck dead for eight beads, but such was the low scores made by Thorndon (singles with one exception), the latter rink was eight points behind on the nineteenth head. On the twentieth Naylor was lying a comfortable three, if’ not four, shots, when Ferkins drove the jack back and lay one shot. That finished the game. Duncan and Ferkins shared the honours for Island Bay, whilst Cullen and Hyams played the steadiest bowls for Thorndon. Naylor has played a lot better bowls. Kelburn—Williams. Mackenzie. Smith, Dowry (s.), 24; . Hataitai—Kershaw, Wells, Halliday, Ardell (s.), 20. Kelburn took the lead from the outset, and newer lost it. Still, it was a very keenly-contested game, marked by some excellent heads, and that Ardell’s men were able to draw up to within four points of the winners showed what a good fight was put up to the very last head. Lowry played very fine bowls indeed, and was really only caught napping once. That was on the fifteenth head, when Hataitai managed to connect in six shots. But even that left Hataitai five points in arrears. The next two heads increased Kelburn’s to eight, and from that out the issue was never in doubt. ' Third Round. Island Bay—Wilkie, Reece, Duncan, Ferkins (s.), 23; Kelburn—Williams, MacKenzic, Smith, Lowry (s.), 19./ This game was packed with interest all through. The lead see-sawed and the “bank” was kept entertained by spectacular if not brilliant bowls. Both skips were left-handers and drivers, and all bowlers know whnt that means. On the second head Kelburn notched six, but on the third and fifth Island Bay replied with four and five. The eleventh saw the score 14-all. Kelburn . then seemed to get going in earnest, but the Bay i>layers were very persistent, and had established a lead of four points on the nineteenth head. The twentieth saw Angus Duncan draw n miracle shot inside a bowl that was only lying five inches from the jack. Smith drove and shot the jack out to the side, where he lay one‘ (22 —19). Ou the last head it was Duncan again who drew two very fine shots. On this occasion Lowry

drove at the head and carried the jack into the ditch, his own bowl runping dead. With ten feet to draw the shot, Ferkins made no mistake. The game ended 23—19 in Island Bay’s favour. Hataitai —Bennett, Mailings, Cometti, Brighting (s.), 23; Lyall Bay—Leahy, Reid, Hazelwood, Sherwood (s.), 16. This game proved to be one of the keenest of the tournament, and right up to the nineteenth head the going was neck-and-neck, with no marked superiority in play or tactics on either side. 1* inality came when on two successive long heads (the nineteenth and twentieth), Brighting scored a four and two respectively, scores in which both skill and good luck played their part. This gave the Hataitai rink a lead of seven, which set too great a task for Lyall Bay. The game ended: Hataitai, 23; Lyall Bay, 16. The Final. The final game between the Island Bay rink (skipped by Ferkins), and the Hataitai rink (skipped by Brighting), will commence at the* Wellington Club s green at 2 p.m. to-day. Brighting has won the centre tournament for the last two seasons, and no one would be at all surprised if he does the “hat trick” to-day, but the Island Bay rink is a tough one to beat. HUTT VALLEY TOURNAMENT. Bowlers in the Hutt Valley are reminded that the Valley clubs’ tournament commences on the various greens (Hutt, Central, and Petone) at 9 a.m. to-mor-row (New Year’s Day). All the greens are in good order, and some enjoyable play is anticipated. Last season this tournament was won by a Newtown Club rink skipped by Levestam. Twenty-eight rinks are competing in the tournament. CANADIAN TEAM ARRIVES PARTY OF TWENTY-EIGHT .Dominion Special Service. Auckland, December 30.

Twenty-eight Canadian bowlers arrived by the Aorangi on Sunday, to make a tour of five weeks in New Zealand. Their object is to meet representatives of the principal bowling clubs of Australia and New Zealand, and they confess that they are “out for the fun of it,” and are not anticipating that they will carry off laurels on every green. There are, nevertheless, some among their number who hold very creditable records in their home clubs. Most of the visitors are Scotsmen. The oldest member of the party is Mr. A. White, of Toronto, aged 78, and the ages of the team average 60 years. Fourteen of the party have retired from business., The visit was nearly abandoned because of the recent financial panic in New York. “Eight of the party had to cancel the trip at the last minute through business developments, and it looked as if the tour •would be upset,” said Mr. H. Westoby, secretary of the team, and a former Mayor of Guelph. “However, we managed to muster a party, as we did not want to break our promise. We will be able to play only six rinks, instead of the eight, intended.” Mr. Westoby resided in Napier for fourteen years, and left the Dominion twenty-nine years ago. His mother has lived in Napier for nearly 50 years, and he has a sister in Auckland. He has toured the world eight times, and has enjoyed big game hunting in South Africa. An extraordinary reunion was experienced by Mr. Westoby when the Aorangi was at Suva a few days ago. There, quite accidentally, he met Mr. J. Caughley, formerly Director of Education in New Zealand. They had been schoolboys together, and had not met for thirty years.

The captain of the bowling team is Dr. AV. Krupp, a prominent member of the medical profession of Ontario. Dr. Krupp was a member of the Canadian team which toured Great Britain in 1924.

With the party are Mr. T. Johns, of Oshawa, Mr. S. Sutherland, of Toronto, and Mr. T. S. Ford, of Mitchell, who were also members of the 1924 party. Others in the team are Mr. A. IV. H. Moore, a former Mayor of Welland, Ontario, and Mr. J. F. Burnett, vice-presi-dent of Andrew’s Wire Company, of Toronto. Nine of the bowlers are accompanied by their wives. The party played four rinks at Suva. They won two, having one loss and one tie, and emerging three shots up in the aggregate.

VISIT TO WHANGAREI. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Whangarei, December 30. The Canadian bowlers arrived at Whangarei this afternoon, and were given a civic welcome., This evening they nlay friendly games with the Whangarei Bowling Club. To-morrow morning the party will be taken to Wljangaruru, where old-time Maori customs will be reenacted. Inythe afternoon they play a tourney at 'Whangarei.

SOUTH AUCKLAND TOURNEY. v By Telegraph —Press A'hsocihiiou' Hamilton, December .30. In the South Auckland centre bowling tournament, AV. Chapman, skip of the Hamilton team, defeated F. Adamson’s teams (Thames) by 22 to 17. This made Chapman’s third successive win in the tournament. He went through without a loss,- as on three previous occasions.