BOWLS TOURNEY

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 98, 19 January 1935, Page 9

BOWLS TOURNEY

Concluding Stages of Championships RINKS FINAL TO-DAY Keen Contest in Pairs Events By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, January IS. The Dominion bowling tournament was continued to-day, when further games m the post-section - rounds in the rink championship were played and the semifinal round, was reached. Games in the inter-section rounds of the singles and pairs championships were continued. The day was extremely hot and the greens fast. Following are the results. Rinks championships—Seventh round: Buston, Moir, H. C. Clarke and S. Jenkins (Carlton), 24 v. Mincham, Donaldson, Liversidge and Whittle (Grey Lynn), 17; Stephens, Macklow, Livingstone, and Robertson (Onehuuga), 27 v. Paget, Blood, Wilson and Mingins (Epsom), 17. Eighth round: Whittle 18 v. Jenkins 12. Semi-final: Robertson 19 v. Jenkins 18. Pairs Competition.—Second round : Bull and Murray (Hawera) 19, v. Wellings and McWhannell (Hataitai) 17j Loveridge and Pilkington (Hamilton) 23, v. Wakefield and Beer (Napier) 11. Third round: Harris and Harris (St. Johns), 24, v. Casey and Lobb (West End, New Plymouth) 8; Loveridge and Pilkington (Hamilton) 24, v. Logan and McCarthy (Port Ahuriri) 23; Harris aud Harris (St. Johns) a bye. Singles Competition.—First round: Livingstone (Onehunga) 21, v. Luscombe (West End, New Plymouth) 16; Wellings (Hataitai) 18, v. Richards (Devonport). 13. Second round: Engebretsen (Napier) 17, v. Russell (St. Heliers) 14; Routley (Kelburn) 22 v. Bourke (Hawera) 13: Somervell (Ponsonby) 21, v. Coburn (Ponsonby) 16; Wellington 22. v. Keatley (Rocky Nook) 10. Third round,: Engebretsen, 21. v._Routley 10; Wellings 16, v. Somervell 15. Treat for Visitors. With eight rounds of singles aud fiverounds of pairs played off there was auy amount of play to please the great crowd of visitors at the Carlton green to-day, and they were rewarded with some very fine games of singles. A great exhibition of bowling was put on by the Napier player, Engebretsen, aud considering he was opposed in the opening tound by the local singles exponent, Russell, of St. Heliers, it was thought be would be fully extended to win. As a matter of fact he was, and he had to produce of his best to do so. The Napier player’s performance, tn view of his continuous previous play, was a creditable one. Engebretsen continued his' winning career when he met the Kelburn representative, Routley, who had previously disposed of the Hawera player, Bourke. in round two. " In this game the scoring was unique after the twelfth head, when the board showed 10-all Thereafter Engebretsen rattled on five consecutive twos, which made the score 20 to 10. The game finished on the next head, when the Napier player scored a single and the score was 21 to 10. Win for Routley. In the Bourke-Routley game in the second round the former was with his opponent up to the sixth head, when the score was 5-all. Thereafter Routley played much more consistent bowls, and he. finished up the winner on the nineteenth head, when the score was 22-13. A feature of the singles was three great games played and won to-day by Weil-, ings (Hataitai). Ip the pairs events the most stirring contest of the day was when Pilkington (Hamilton) the winner of .the event here four years ago, met the strong Port Ahuriri team skipped by McCarthy. McCarthy required three to tie on the last head, and with the assistance of his lead, Logan, he secured the necessary points. The re-play was most exciting. With a great effort the Port Ahuriri skip played his last bowl and just reached the head without the necesspry power to turn his own bowl into a shot, and he went down by one. It was a fine finish to a fine..game. In the second round game against Murray (Hawera), Pilkington had to fight hard to win. This gajne constituted the semi-final of the series, and Harris (St. John’s Wanganui), having a bye. the final now lies between he and Pilkington. The game will be played to-morrow. Tricky Conditions. In addition to fast surfaces finalists to-day faced a tricky cross-section wind. The closing rounds of the tourney may be adjudged as one of the best exhibitions that has been staged in Auckland, if not the best semi-final game in the rinks competition, which was won only with the last bowl of the young skip, Frank Livingstone, of Onehunga. After eight days of gruelling games the first round of the day saw Mincham. Donaldson, Leversidge, and Whittle, of Grey Lynn, in a complete collapse of form against the strong team, Buxton, Moir, Clarke, and Jenkin, of Carlton. The other game between Stephens, Macklow, Robertson, and Livingstone, of Onehunga, and Blood, Pager, Wilson, and Mingins, of Epsom, was also disappointing. The second round saw the meeting of Mincham, Donaldson, Leversidge, and Whittle, of Grey Lynn, and Buxton, Moir, Clarke and Jenkin, of Carlton, in one of the sternest tussles of the championship rounds. Jenkin burned two heads and Whittle burned another before chalk touched the board. Carlton, up to this stage, was undefeated. Scores were even, 6 to 6 on the ninth head, and Grey Lynn seemed to have the run of the play, but in the closing stages of the game the Grey Lynn team more than justified their well-merited win. Carlton drew away in the middle of the game, and by the thirteenth head had registered 11 to 9 in their favour. When the time bell went the game finished IS to 12 on the eighteenth head in favour of Grey Lynn. The bowling tournament will conclude to-morrow, when matches will be played in the following order: — Singles: Livingstone (Onehunga) v. Russell (St. Heliers).; the winner between Livingstone and Russell v. Bourke (Hawera). The final of the pairs, Loveridge and Pilkington (Hamilton) v. Harris and Harris (St. John’s). The final of the rinks. Stephens, Macklow, Livingstone and Robertson (Onehunga) v. Mincham Donaldson, Liversidge and Whittle (Grey Lynn). Engebretsen is the sole two-lifer left in the singles, and he is waiting to meet the winner of the morning singles game. Wellings (Hataitai) has a bye- in this division. Brilliant Exponents. The game between Stephens, Macklow, Livingstone and Robertson, of Onehunga, and Buxton, Moir, Clarke and Jenkin, of Carlton, was a strong tussle between brilliant exponents of the game. Sparkling play on the part of Jenkin in cutting out the counter with a drive effected a score of five shots up on the third head. There was slight difference in the strength of the two skips, and their respective teams, until the close of the tenth head, when the scores read 9-9. At the thirteenth head the game was 10 to 13 in favour of Carlton, and three points squared the score on that head, when the score was 15 to 17 in favour of Carlton. When the time bell rang the jack for the twentieth head had be thrown. The leads were wide of the jack in drawing. Mmr drew to twelve inches, cut Macklow drew closer. Robertson trailed for a shot up this position, and imposed upon Livingstone the task of pressing two shots back for a game. With wonderful accuracy

Livingstone played the shot and won the game 19 to 18-

BEATEN IN PAIRS Hataitai Team Eliminated Dominion Special Service. Auckland, January 18. The bowling tournament was continued to-day in hot and sultry weather. Not a drop of rain has fallen since play commenced on January 7, and the greens, in spite of watering, are becoming very parched. They continue very fast. There were many spectators at the. Carlton green this morning, where the final games in what has been a remarkably successful tournament are being played. A feature of the rinks contest, has been the play of Buxton, Dr. Moir, Clarke aud Jenkin (Carlton), who, when play was resumed this morning, had a wonderful record of 14 wins and no defeats in the rinks contest. They made their total 15 in their first game to-day, when they defeated Whittle (Grey Lynn), 24-14, in a very one-sided game. Wellings and McWhannell (Hataitai) were the only Wellington representatives left in the pairs championship, which had been held up because McWhannell and Beer (Napier) were engaged in the rinks until they were defeated in the last round played yesterday, and they met their respective opponents in the second round or the pairs this morning, whereas all the others had already played in the third round. The Hataitai pair were matched against Bull and Murray (Hawera), and after a keen game they were beaten by two points, 19-17, and were eliminated as post-section play is on the sudden-death principle. Hataitai had a good lead at one stage, and seemed to have the game won, but Murray came with a late run and secured two fours and won by two points. The Wellington in the singlee to-day were Routley (Kelburn) and Wellings (Hataitai). each with one life. Routley started well, beating Bourke (Hawera), 22-13, but lost to Engebretsen, 21-10, and was eliminated. Wellings also started well after his defeat in the pairs earlier in the day, and defeated Richards (Devonport), IS-13. He went on to beat Keatley, 22-10, and Somervell, In his match against Wellings the Rocky Nook player, Keatley, who played such a sterling game against Squire (Hawera) last.week, was expected to play a great part in the final disposition of the singles championship, but on the day he was quite out of touch and never at any part of the game did he master the intricacies of the rink. Probably the spell went against his retention of form.

Wellings, on the other hand, who had previous experience of the green earlier in the day in a round in the pairs event, played excellently, and after opening with scores of three and two went into a commanding lead and was 14-4 on the ninth head. Keatley went up to eight, and then added only two more singles, while his opponent went to 22. The last singles match of the day was the third round fixture between Wellings and Somervell (Ponsonby), and a very good struggle resulted, though heads for the most part were of the scattered order. The score was 11-all on the fifteenth head, and then Somervell ran to 15.12 on the nineteenth head. With three up and two heads to go Somervell’s chances looked good, but the Wellington man secured a nice four on the twentieth head and the time limit being up he won by one point.