FRANKS THE WINNER

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 17, 21 January 1939, Page 15

FRANKS THE WINNER

RUNAWAY FINISH

PROBABLE RECORD

RECOVERY

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, This Day.

Entering the final of the fours in the New Zealand Bowling Championships with two lives, Franks's Balmoral rink did not need them, Deare's Carlton team being decisively beaten by 32 points to 11 on the eighteenth head this morning.

The teams were:—

Carlton.—A Taylor, D.' C. Fraser,' J. Bird, and G. A. Deare.

Balmoral. —C. F. Robertson, H. Franks, J. F. Benson, and W. C. Franks,

On Nthe first head Taylor held two but Franks jun. beat one and then trailed for shot. Fraser went through, a measure for shot, but Benson settled it by tipping the, ; white. Deare's first trailer was a perfect toucher and his second stopped in front. Franks used it to rub in;on the jack but his toucher went just too far. Carlton thus drew first blood, one on a great opening head. On the second lead Franks landed on the jack to cut out Deare's shot and the Carlton skip could only replace his own bowl with another second shot. 1-1. The third end saw the Balmoral rink four points down, as Franks ran through, with both bowls when Carlton was lying four. Carlton had three counters on the fourth end when Franks smashed the head, moving the whole three, but he 'turned the jack, too, for Deare to count with a wide bowl. Carlton 6-1.

Franks had to fight hard to get one back on the fifth head. The sixth was another disastrous end for Balmoral, as1 Franks moved three bowls with a drive only to leave Carlton still lying a cotiple. He dropped short with his final bowl and Deare's last one promoted Fraser for three. Carlton ! 9-2.

Franks reduced trie lead by two on the seventh end and there was a great fight for the eighth, on which a perfect trail by Franks. carried the white well past Bird's protecting bowl. Deare was wrecked on a short v/ood, Carlton 9-5. , The Balmoral skip next promoted Robertson's opening bowl to give him two on the head, Carlton 9-7. Deare used his final bowl on the tenth end to drive the jack into the ditch for a single, Carlton 10-7. The eleventh head was all important Franks jun. beat Taylor for shot and all missed until Franks sen. put one on it. Bird was over. Deare was narrow with his first draw and over and wide with his run. Franks played a prefect draw for three, to level the score for the first, time. 10-10. ' FRANKS TAKES THE LEAD. Franks went into tlie lead on the twelfth head when he took advantage of a difficult opening to add a second after~Deare thought he had made it safe for a single. Balmoral 12-10. This was the beginning of the end, for although the Carlton men got a point on the next head, it was their last. By the eighteenth head the Balmoral team had added another 20 points, making the "score 32-11. Deare did not hesitate to "call it a day"; he would have required 23 points out of'a possible 24 for* a victory on the next three heads. From - the end of the sixth head Franks scored 30 points to his opponent's' 2. Probably a record recovery anywhere in the world. Franks, in his second year in Auckland, won the rinks championship at the Christmas tourney in 1935. Before coming to Auckland he played for the Featherston and Masterton Clubs. His son, Howard, playing No. 2, gives every appearance of being a worthy successor to one of the finest bowlers New Zealand has produced. The final of the singles, which lies between Franks, sen., and A. Connew, Mount Albert, open champion of Auckland, commenced at 2 o'clock.