THE LAST GAMES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 19, 24 January 1927, Page 10

THE LAST GAMES

■? SINGLES 'AND PAIRS i- t

r~ :.'"" (By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") AUCKLAND, This. Day. On Saturday, at 5 o'clock, at the Carlton Club's green,'the curtain fell on the 1927, tournament of the Dominion Bowling Association—a tournament that is acclaimed by visiting bowlers as the most successful that has yet been held. The Aucklanders had laid themselves out to achieve this result, and the weather conspired with, them in their aims, for every, day, was a perfect summer's day. The link championship having been disposed Of on Friday, there remained only the singles and'pairs championships. The weather was sultry and the greens fiery as the last four to qualify in the singles commenced their games. These were Clark (Eocky Nook) v. M'lntyre (Hamilton), and Bell, jun. (Hamilton) v. Smellie (Green Island). The Green Islander was eliminated, but not till the last head of a closely contested game. Bell was the smartest offi the mark, and at the end of the fifth head had six points to his opponent's two. Then Smellie began to judge, the green better, and at the tenth the score was Bell 8, Smellie 7. The Hamiltonian was still drawing.the better, and only by well-judged running shots could Smellie. keep the score down. At the | 13th head Bell led 12-8, but Smellie ■; was coming to his best form, and on the 16th was'level with 11 all. Close play went in Bell's favour, and the 21st was commenced with the Hamilton man 4 up. • Bell made it hard by drawing a toucher with his first, and Smellie promptly burnt the head. In the replay, the Green Islander made a great effort to draw level, and with some very clever shots added 3 to his total, the final score being Bell 17,, Smellio 16.

■ Meanwhile Clarke was giving the other . Hamilton representative a. bad beating. M'lntyre was not quite at his best, while the Rocky Nook representative was drawing superbly. On so fast a green any bowl that was within a yar,d of kitty was a good one, but the Eocky Nook champion drew many touches at all distances, and on the rare occasions N that necessity demanded was equally accurate with his running shots. M'lntyre was outplayed throughout, leaving Clarke to enter the_ final against BelL In this the Bock Nook representative continued his winning vein, and, although Bell made a great fight, and played excellent bowls, he never looked a winner. Clarke's drawing was again a revelation in accuracy, many of the experts alleging that they Had never seen better. The game ended on the 20th head with the score Clarke 22, Bell 11. ■■•.•"■"

PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP. The next and last event of the tourney was the final of the pairs championship, in which A. Brackebush and M. "Walker (Auckland) met Bell, sen., and Bell, jun., of Hamilton. It was generally expected: that a keen contest would result, and this' anticipation was fully justified, although' the local pair won comfortably at the finish. The issue was fought out keenly over every head, and the result was quite uncertain until the closing rounds. Both the father and son from Hamilton had built up a. great reputation by brilliant and resourceful play throughout the tournament, whilst the bowling skill of Maxwell "Walker is a by-word in Auckland. Brackebush, on the other hand, was more or less an unknown factor in first-class bowling, but in this tournament he earned the right to be counted with the best. At the outset the Aucklanders were made to realise that, in bowling parlance, they were "up against a hard proposition." Young Bell jumped off with the load, and, beating Braekebush to the jack, buitt up a position which their opponents could not disturb: "Walker drove, then drew, but when he had done his best Hamilton still lay 3. This was repeated on the next head, and a single on the third, making 7 to nil, made things look black for 1 the local players. Then it was that the resourcefulness of the Auckland Club's champion made itself felt. Time after time he drove, sometimes at the bare bowl, sometimes at the bare jack, and almost always with success. He mingled this with run-on Bhots and resting shots, wicks, and the plain draw. On the sixth head he "burnt" the bowls twice in succession, and then up drove again to count ' three at the • finish. At this point his work was up to the very highest standard, and devastating to the confidence of liis opponents. Gradually Brackebush. improved in his leading, whilst both the Bella .related from jfcheli foimr

er accuracy. They were feeling the strain, of a hard match, following on I other gruelling contests." For five heads they failed to score, enabling the Aueklanders to get within one of their score. On the 11th head they led by four points, but at this stage they became becalmed, -whilst Walker, using all his strategy and being ably backed up by his lead, established a winning position. The final -result was "Walker 22, Bell 12. CLARKE'S CAREER. "Harry" Clarke, the new Dominion singles champion, is one of the most popular players in this district, having played with distinction, in many tournaments in recent years. He has held for three years the positions of singles champion of his club, Rocky Nook, and in 1925 put a fitting climax to a long series of local successes by winning the champion of champions' contest under \the Auckland Centre. When the last Dominion, tournament was held in Auckland, Clarke was third to M. Walker and E. Jury in the champion singles. He is equally successful as a skip, and has piloted his clubmates to victory very frequently. As bowlers would say, he has been "knocking at the door," and was to-day congratulated from all sides upon. Ms success in achieving at a comparatively early stage in his career the proud distinction of Dominion champion.