PAIRS AND SINGLES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 10, 13 January 1939, Page 5

PAIRS AND SINGLES

DOMINION BOWLS

POST-SECTION PROGRESS

THE PLAY YESTERDAY

(By- Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, January 12.

A large crowd was present at the Carlton green today to watch postsection play in the New Zealand championship bowls pairs competition, as well as four singles contests which were made possible by the elimination of the required players from the pairs event.

In a spectacular contest the English champion, K. I. Cross, was eliminated from further play in the singles by his previous conqueror, W. C. Franks, Balmoral. An extra head was required to decide the issue. Remarkably fine bowls was played by Ginger (Hataitai), who beat the New Zealand champion skip, H. Wilson (Linwood) in the second round of the post-section play in pairs at the New Zealand championship bowls tournament today. On one head, which was partly covered, he drew round short bowls three times to score three points on his opponent, who had a bowl about 15 inches away. It was a great display of consistent drawing.

Ginger unexpectedly went out in the third round to an Avondale team skipped by J. Tomlinson, who in turn was beaten for green winner on the Ponsonby green by Robinson (Hamilton). Robinson and his partner, Anchor, put up the large score of 32 to 1 against the Barriball brothers (Waiuku). The Hamilton skip was in irresistible form and need only reproduce play of the same type to stand an excellent chance of winning the pairs title. The last game in the pairs on the Carlton green between Gisborne and Helensville teams saw the respective skips, Stephenson and R. Smith, fighting hard for victory. Smith equalised with a three on the eighteenth head, at which stage the score was 16 all. Qn the next head when Hunt, who was lead for Smith, was lying well, Stephenson, who is a very good driver, burned the head. The Gisborne players were too steady over the next three heads.

Barber and his partner Kelly (Balmoral) had a runaway win in the last round of the pairs on the Auckland green over the Onehunga pair skipped by F. Livingstone. The Sydenham pair, Gibson and White, prevailed over strong opposition on the Mt. Eden green. White's final opponent was Benefield (St. John's), champion skip in 1927. Benefield had had a hard tussle the previous game to beat R. Thomas. A strong local pair in McMurchy and Buckley (Grey Lynn) jutified popular opinion that they would go far in the event. They encountered a strong team from Te Aroha skipped by Callaghan, which has shown up well so far, in the last round at the Balmoral green, and won decisively, 24-15. Buckley beat Somervell in the morning round game, and so released the latter for singles play. The 1937 singles winner, C. Spearman (Sydenham), maintained his form and came through in a strong section on the Balmoral green.

PLAY IN SINGLES

Good progress was made in the singles championship. By a fortunate chance players who were required for further play in the singles were eliminated from the pairs, and this enabled the fifth round of the post-section play in the singles competition to be completed. Bell's loss of a life in his match with Cowper (Ponsonby) came as a surprise. The Takapuna player was much below his form and did not appear at all happy, apparently being troubled by the gusty wind. The game was generally very loose. Cowper's play was also a little disappointing. J. M. Martin (Ellerslie), who is considered to have an outstanding chance in the singles, disposed of the strong Grey Lynn exponent, L. Donaldson. A very fine exhibition was witnessed in the contest between Cross (England) and Franks (Balmoral). Considering the difficult conditions the players rose to great heights and frequent changes in fortunes had a large gallery of spectators keenly interested. Requiring two to tie on the final head, Franks took the jack to the ditch to square the match at 14-all. Franks drew better than his opponent on the deciding head and one of his shots sat close to the jack. Cross attempted to burn the head with both his last bowls, but on each occasion failed by a narrow margin. One singles match was played in the morning between the. Auckland champion of champions, J. S. Martin, Ellerslie, and L. Donaldson, Grey Lynn, victory going to Martin. Three singles contests were staged immediately after j lunch and commanded much interest. |Of the three singles matches, which 'were in progress at the same time, the best play was shown by Cross and Franks. The Rendle-Whitelaw game was a good contest and the heads were first class at times. Rendle was too consistent for the Whangarei player, generally having a bowl to beat his opponent's best. Whitelaw missed many i chances by narrow margins.

The game between Cowper, Ponsonby, and N. Bell, jun., Takapuna, did not produce good bowls till the latter stages. Cowper then bowled more consistently than his opponent and scored a comfortable win. Bell was thus the first of the remaining three two-life players to lose a life.

Connew's release from the pairs contest on the Mount Eden green enabled a key game of the singles to be played and a start was made at 5 o'clock. The Connew —Somervell game was completed shortly after 6 o'clock with Connew the winner. Connew was 6-1 on the fifth head and 11-9 on the fourteenth. He held a seven-point advantage on the seventeenth head and won on the twentieth with the score at 18-11. Somervell thua suffered hi 3 first loss in the singles. There are now eight players left in the singles, seven being one-lifers and one being a twolifer—H. Cowper, Ponsonby, who takes the honour of being the last beaten candidate in the competition. Drizzling rain set in about 6.30 but play was easily completed.

Results of yesterday afternoon's games are as follows:—

CARLTON GREEN

Second Round.—Burchell a bye; Stephenson 18, Parsons 15$ Kerr 19, Bell, jun., 15; Gilbert 16, Chambers 15; Smith 30, Miller 16. Parsons, Bell, jun., Chambers, and Miller were eliminated.

Third Round.—Stephenson, a bye; Kerr 25, Gilbert 19; Smith 26, Burchell 16. Gilbert and Buchell wers eliminated.

Fourth Round. —Kerr, a bye; Stephenson 21, Smith 17. Smith was eliminated.

PONSONBY GREEN.

Second Round.—Tomlinson 19, McGill 16; Ginger 25, Wilson 13; Murphy 19, Griffiths 9; Robinson 32, Barriball 1. McGill, Wilson, Griffiths, and •Barriball were eliminated.

Third Round. —Tomlinson 19, Ginger 16; Robinson 22, Murphy 7. Ginger and Murphy were eliminated. Fourth Round. —Robinson 22, Tomlinson 12. Tomlinson was eliminated.

MOUNT EDEN GREEN.

Second Round. —Thomas 18, Stewart 14; Benefield 21, E. Jury 14; Whyte 25, Baker 16; Rush 24, Mattar 20. Stewart, E. Jury, Baker, and Mattar were eliminated.

Third Round.—Benefield 18, Thomas 17; Whyte 22, Rush 12. Thomas and Rush were eliminated.

Fourth Round.—Whyte 18, Benefield 15. Benefield was eliminated.

ONEHUNGA GREEN.

Second Round.—-Wilson 20, Bell 14; Ingram 24, Jenkin 17; Spearman 20,

Cross 10; Letham 28, Crabb 8. Bell, Jenkin, Cross, and Crabb were eliminated. Third Round. —Wilson 21, Ingram 14Spearman 19, Letham 17. Ingram and Letham were eliminated. Fourth Round. —Spearman 18, Wilson j 15. Wilson was eliminated. AUCKLAND GREEN. Second Round.—Barber 19, Nash 15; Kirkwood 22, Scott 19; Mingins 28, Barton 16; Livingstone 22, Bird 12. Nash, Scott, Barton, and Bird were, eliminated. « ! Third Round. —Barber 31, Kirkwood 14; Livingstone 22, Mingins 16. Kirkwood and Mingins were eliminated. Fourth Round.—Barber 25, Livingstone 5. Livingstone was eliminated. BALMORAL GREEN. Second Round.—Buckley 31, Purdy 12; Murray 22, Watson 14; Callaghan 27, McCullough 8; Ewing 21, Doherty 12. Purdy, Watson, McCullough, and Doherty were eliminated. Third Round.—Buckley 20, Murray 13; Callaghan 27, Ewing 6. Murray and Ewing were eliminated. Fourth Round.—Buckley 24, Callaghan 15. Callaghan was eliminated. SINGLES. POST-SECTION PLAY. Fifth Round.—H. L. Cowpe'r (Ponsonby) 21, N. Bell, jun. (Takapuna) 12; C. H. de Launay (Carlton), a bye; A. Connew (Mount Albert) 18, R. S. Somervell (Ponsonby) 11; C. A. Rendle (Upper Hutt) 17, M Whitelaw (Whangarei) 8; J. S. Martin (Ellerslie) 17, L. G. Donaldson (Grey Lynn) 12; W. C. Franks (Balmoral) 17, K. I. Cross (England) 14. Whitelaw, Donaldson, and Cross were eliminated.- Cowper is the only player retaining two lives.