BOWLING

Evening Star, Issue 25679, 31 December 1945, Page 7

BOWLING

CHRISTMAS PAIRS WON BY LEITH CLUB Tlio final for tlie ■ Dunedin Bowling Centre’s Christmas pairs tournament wlucli was played at the St Kilda green on Saturday; was won «by the Leith Club pair, D. A. Mitchell and W. Baxter (skip), who defeated C. K. Fay and J. W. Thomas (Otago) by 25 points to 13. The conditions under which the match was played were not pleasant, for altogether the weather was. fine at the outset, a heavy shower suspended play after nine heads had been completed, and the remainder of the match was fought put in' a drizzling rain. In the circumstances, the standard of play was commendably high. The winners deserved their success, as they were the more consistent and because of the skip’s ability to retrieve difficult situations. The veteran Mitchell seldom got all his bowls as well plaped as those of his opponent, Fay, but he drew the shot more often than not and finished the tournament with another highly creditable performance. Thomas played some brilliant shots, one of which gave him a chance of snatching a win when .the position had. seemed hopeless, but he • could not match the Leith skip’s steadiness in drawing. Leith made a good start, and led 3-0 after three heads, and went on to increase this to 10-1 after the ninth, ■when an adjournment had to be made. Following this interruption, _ Leith maintained its control until the eleventh head, when matters became more even; Baxter led 18-7 after 17 heads, and the game appeared to be over, when a sensational six to Otago in the eighteiith renewed the contest. In this head Baxter had the shot bowl, but had not provided protection at the back, so when Thomas played a good “yard-on” shot, the jack stopped in a cluster of Otago bowls. Baxter was unable to .undo the damage with; his last, and the six reduced the latter’s lead to 18-13, with three heads to*play. Leith' gained three more points in the next head, and although Thomas made a brave attempt in the twentieth to run the jack through for a four, he had no luck, for it rebounded to give his opponent four instead, and the game ended in an easy win, so far as points were concerned, for Leith.

ONE-DAY TOURNAMENT

The following is the draw for the first round of the one-day bowling tournament to be played on the Kaikorgi arid Balmacewen greens to-mor-row, commencing at 9 a.m.: —

Kaikorai Green :—Section A—J. Forster (Caversham) v. G. Ritchie (Kaikoyai), W. .0. Clark .(Kaikorai) v. A. Walker, (Otago), P. Austin (Balmacewen) v. A. Portman (West Harbour), A. Dodd (Opoho) v. 0. Hudson (Port Chalmers). Section B.—G. Lindsay (Roslyn) v. J. Skinner (St. Kilda). W. Mills (Tainui) v. F. Shadrach (Kaikorai), J. G. Butler (Mornington) v. J. J, Davis (Kaituna). Balmacewen Green.—Section A—A. J. Robertson (Anderson’s Bay) v. T. G. Anderson (Kaikorai), J. Jackson (Kaikorai) v. W. A. Mackay (Roslyn), W. McLean (Tainui) v, J. F. Thompson (Taieri). E. J. Chapman (Opoho) v. R. Tyrrell (Mornington). Section B. —J, McNarey (Roslyn) v. W, W. Callender (Otago). R. Hunter (Balmacewen) v. 0. B. Ufton (Kaikorai), W. Wilson (North-east Valley) v. B. Kirkland (Mornington).