ISLAND BAY CLUB

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 45, 23 February 1939, Page 24

ISLAND BAY CLUB

Wellington's 70-mile-an-hdur gale of last Saturday fortunately petered out during the night and the weather was delightful for another of the club's popular one-day ' fours tournaments. Twenty fours participated and keen greens tested the drawing skill of many bowlers who. found kitty particularly elusive. A most enjoyable day's sport was brought to a close j with a well-contested final between Lower Hutt's four, Muter, Stoupe, Whitcher, and Hadwin (s), and an Island Bay team, Nicholls, Billing, Bryce, Parsons (s), victory going to the former combination by a single point on an extra end. Once again Mr. Gallagher proved an excellent host to visiting players. Parsons has now I been runner-up in the last four oneday tournaments in which he has engaged. Island Bay's champion singles player ] for the season is F. J. Jones, who con-j tested the . final with D. H. Taylor (both finalists, have previously won the title). A large number watched the game, which was a very fine one, ] both players giving a good display of drawing, trailing, and , driving. Jones made a promising start and at the third end was 8 points up. A steaSy rally over the next four ends saw Taylor draw level, 8 all. A single to Jones was followed by a bad lapse, 1 Taylor securing a4 to lead 12-9. The I next three ends were in Jones's. favour, 15-12. Taylor now prevailed for three ends and took the lead, 17-15. The sixteenth end was a critical one and possibly cost Taylor the championship. He was lying a very nice shot alongside kitty, and in attempting to draw another had the misfortune to move the white to a resting place with two of Jones's bowls, Jones drawing another .to collect a nice 3. Two to Taylor on the eighteenth end and the board read 19-19. One to Jones on end 19, and one to Taylor on end 20, and the players faced | the final end with score reading 20 I all. The strain was now telling, and Taylor lost the kitty by throwing it out of bounds, only to see Jones lose it by throwing it into the ditch. Taylor's second throw was correct for a three-quarter length end, and some great oowls were seen. With his second bowl Jones drew shot with a beauty, but Taylor managed to squeeze in between the bowl and kitty to be 1 up. A superlative shot was now played by Jones who, with perfect green and strength, dislodged Taylor's shot, taking its place and bringing into the count his own previous shot to lie 2 up. Taylor elected to run at the two bowls, but with an excellent effort dislodged only one of the counters, Jones discarding his final bowl to win, 21-20. The winner scored on 11 ends, Taylor on 10. At the call of the president, Mr. W. Kerr, cheers were given for the finalists. , Jones is a very consistent b.owler, having skipped the runners-up in the champion fours, and is the only Island Bay skip who has won the entire series of pennant games this season, six in a row.