WELLINGTON PAIRS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 10, 13 January 1939, Page 11

WELLINGTON PAIRS

OUT OF THE CONTEST

RENDLE STILL IN SINGLES

(By "Kiwi.")

Of the ten pairs from the Wellington Centre who survived section play and were in the post-section stage yesterday, not one appears to have been alive at the close of play. Morton and Dyett (Karori), Bruce and Topp (Lyall Bay), Nay lor and Brighting (Hataitai), J. R. Smith and Hay-Mac-kenzie (Kelburn), L. Smith and Campbell (Victoria), and Noad and Brackenridge (Lyall Bay) went out in the first round. Forgie and Doherty (Kelburn) were eliminated in the second round. Wyatt and Gilbert (Karori), Fletcher and Barton Ginger (Hataitai). and Tucker and S. Ingram (Victoria) were not eliminated until the third round.

Brackenridge won B Section outright, and Stone and Harris (St. John's), in the same section, had only two wins. Brackenridge was drawn to play Balfour and Stephenson (Gisborne) in the first post-sectional round, but the telegraphed Press report evidently wrongly showed the "St. John's pair as the opposers of the Gisborne men. who won by 23-17.

The form shown by Ginger (Hataitai) in the second round yesterday when he beat H. Wilson (Linwood), the New Zealand champion skip, would appear to have been of a high character, judging by the telegraphed description of his play. Ginger was unexpectedly eliminated in the next round'by J. Tomlinson (Avondale).

The Rendle-Whitelaw singles game in the fifth round of post section play yesterday was. quite a good contest and the heads were fine at times. Rendle (Upper Hutt) was too consistent for the Whangarei player, generally having a better bowl to beat his opponent's best. Whitelaw missed many chances by narrow margins, and was a shade unlucky in this respect. However, his opponent proved to ■be a player hard to beat under, any circumstances. Rendle's play gave the impression that he will be hard to dispose of. His next opponent is Martin (Ellerslie), and the game between these two players should provide a great display.

J. S. Martin (Ellerslie) whom many consider to have a great chance of annexing the singles honour, went a step towards that ambition when he disposed of the strong Grey Lynn singles exponent, L. Donaldson. The latter is,, a hard player to defeat and Martin's chance (according to an Auckland Press report) is now enhanced.

Though K. I. Cross and his father, C. P. Cross, of England, did not survive the day, as they lost in the last round played, they certainly distinguished themselves in the first round by scoring a 22 points win against the strong Ellerslie pair E. Maud and J. S. Martin. Martin was recgonised. when stationed as postmaster at Sumner, as one of Canterbury's finest play, ers, and He has been a notable player in Auckland, since his transfer to the Ellerslie Post Office.

Keith Cross went down fighting hard in his fifth round singles post-sectional game yesterday against W. C. Franks (Balmoral), who had deprived him of one life in section play. Young Cross, on his form at Auckland, has shown the mettle of his pasture and proved

himself to be worthy of holding the] English championship title.

The fours championship, which began this morning and' will last for four days, two games of 25 ends being played each day, has a strong appeal to most competitors, as allowing them, in a more leisurely way than in the other competitions, to meet old friends and to make new ones. There is more diversified play, too, in the rinks.

As A. E. Neilson (Karori) has been indisposed, his place in W. Gilbert's rink, it is understood, will be taken by J. Wyatt. For a similar reason, J. Lowry, it is also understood, will take the position of M. Routley in T. Gray's Kelburn rink.

Mr. George Gladding, secretary of the» New Zealand Bowling Association, has been a severe sufferer from sciatica, which kept him from his official duties at a most busy time in the association's business. It is therefore pleasing to know that he was able to attend the opening of the tourney, so as to assist in its management. Mr. Fred Hosking, president of the council, in declaring the tourney open, made the following graceful reference to Mr. Gladding:—"l am particularly glad to see here the man I call the 'sheet anchor of New Zealand bowling'—Mr. George Gladding. He has been seriously ill and unable to attend his work for three months. Now'he has returned earlier than he intended from a holiday at Helensville in order to help with the organisation of the tourney. We trust that it will not be too great a strain on his health." (Applause.)