GREAT BOWLING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 18, 23 January 1939, Page 7

GREAT BOWLING

FRANCES'S DOUBLE

RINKS AND SINGLES

BOTH DECISIVE WINS

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, January 21

The annual tournament of the New Zealand Bowling Association was concluded in Auckland today, when the finals of the fours and the singles were played on the greens of the Carlton Club. The fours event was won by the Balmoral team, skipped by W. C. Franks. This player was also successful in the singles. Franks thus created a Dominion record by being the first player to gain the honours in both the fours and the singles in one tournament.

Tremendous interest centred in the finals of both matches. The streets in the vicinity of the Carlton green were lined for a considerable distance on both sides with motor-cars. The special grandstand erected on the western side of the green was packed, and all the sides were lined five and six deep with enthusiasts. The balcony of the pavilion was also crowded, and the attendance was estimated to be a record for such an event. The weathsr was fine and warm, and the green was in a fast condition. There was just a .mild cross breeze, and it was not the disturbing element it had proved in the earlier stages of the tournament. In the rinks final the score at the end of the ninth head was 9-7. Balmoral was lying five on the tenth head when Deare took the jack to the ditch to obtain a single. The match was squared on the next head, where ex- i cellent play by Franks, jun., and his father paved the way fora three. From this point. Balmoral forged! ahead. Good team work realised two points for Balmoral on the twelfth head, but Taylor's first bowl was a; counter. On , the succeeding head Fraser, who had been giving an indif- j ferent display, was responsible for two! good shots. On the fourteenth, Bird added another, .but Benson sent the jack to the ditch, burning the head. It was a fine shot by Benson. On the replay Fraser was asain on the mark, but Benson was once xnort equal to the occasion, as he rested the closest bowl for shot by touching jack. Deare increased his opponents' total to two fas? ; Franks added ' another with his tJSS I*1'* gr-eaJ £ un on-*he backhand Benson carried the jack to the ditch a°thi^ O fl OnVk c fifteenl h' Franks d^w ThH a fi Dearepus,hed UP a fourth. This made the score 19-11. That was practically the end of the contest from' Carlton's point of view. The BalrnorS a, m h SC^ red. 3 ' 5 ' and 5 on the succeeding heads to make the final totals 32 to 11, with three heads to play. THE FINAL OF THE SINGLES. The final of the singles produced bowls of a standard that compared more^than favourably with that" witnessed at any previous New Zealand tournament. There was little between the pair up to the thirteenth head, at the conclusion of which the board showed 11 all. Both contestants received liberal/applause from the large galleryvjfor their consistently accurate drawing^'-.From'r^ff6ff^6ri^ard,! hoWever, Franks showed superiority, and went steadily ahead. The turning point came on the sixteenth head, where Franks held a lead of five, and he eventually clinched the match on the twentieth head with the score 19-12. Connew played steadily throughout, and was a little unfortunate in some trails which would have turned the fortunes in his favour. However, he was unable to maintain the marvellous consistency of the winner. Franks opened the scoring on a three-quarter-length head with a single, and scored similarly on the second. Franks lay the shot on the third, and his opponent promoted another, giving the Balmoral representative an early lead of 4-0. Connew opened his, account on the fourth, where Franks missed with two drives, allowing Gonnew three counters. Connew held the.shot on the fifth, but Franks rested the jack for one. He followed with a positional shot for two, and made it three with a difficult draw on the backhand. 4 There was only one good bowl on the next head, that belonging to Franks. Singles on the seventh and eighth to Connew made : the score 8-5 in favour of Franks. Two good bowls increased Franks's advantage on the ninth. Both played splendidly on the tenth, first one and then the other holding the advantage with touchers. Finally Connew carried the jack a little, but could only obtain a single. Franks had a lapse on ithe eleventh, when he missed drives with his last two bowls, allowing Connew three shots, and the board then read 10-9. Connew took the lead for the first and only time in .the game on the twelfth head. He realised two points by driving his opponent out, and the latter was unable to redeem the position with his final draw. Connew 11, Franks 10. FRANKS GOES ON TO WIN. ■i. Franks evened the score on the thirteenth, where he drew a great backhand shot for a single. He went into the lead again on the next head with a couple, Connew failing with his drive. Two good opening shots by Franks saw him further increase his total on the fifteenth. . The sixteenth was the, turning point of the game, as Franks here advanced his lead to five. Connew's last two were weak shots. A single was added by Franks on the seventeenth. Good as Franks's play had been hitherto, his bowling on the eighteenth was superb. hI was forced to produce an accurate draw, as Connew had twice Sen him for the shot 11.was an outstanding effort on the forehand, and gave Franks a lead of 18-11, witn three 8 heads to go. On the mneteenth head, Franks put his first close, and played for position with his next three, ,a single resulting. . Connew.was lying tine on the twentieth head, 'but this was no use to him, and he attempted to burn the head, but failed.