EXCITING CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE

Evening Star, Issue 25699, 24 January 1946, Page 7

EXCITING CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE

SCORES EVEN ON LAST END *, FINAL BOWL DECIDES ISSUE (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 23 Amid intense, excitement, the Runanga team to-day won the New Zealand Bowling Associa- / tion’s champion fours, the first occasion on which that prize has gone to the West Coast. When with his last bowl F. White played ■ the deciding shot that put him from 1 down to 1 up, there was a scene of enthusiasm, the like ,of which has never been equalled on a Canterbury green. The final score was: Runanga (F. White) 18, Mount Eden (G. A. Deare) 17. The final was played on the Edgeware green. About starting time a heavy south-west shower fell, making a short postponement necessary. Then the sun shone, and except for another shower when the game was nearly finished, the“weather was fairly good. Naturally, the green had lost its former keenenss, and this was against the ohances of the Aucklanders, who are accustomed to fast greens. The Aucklanders were at another disadvantage in that their second, J. Gribble, had been compelled to return north on the previous day. His place was taken by T. R. Pope. , The teams were: (Runanga—W. Hillhouse (lead), J. Gourlay (No. 2), J. Armstrong (No. 3), and -F. White (skip). Mount Eden—E. J. Wilson (lead), T. R, Pope (No. 2), H. Wilson (No. 3). and G. A. Deare (skip). CHANGING FORTUNES. In the first end. when Deare was lying 1, Armstrong nicked in for the shot. White ran through the head and Deare failed to disturb it—(Runanga 3-0. Deare lay two shots oh the second till Armstrong knocked one of his own to the jack. White drew another, taking his score to 5-0. E. J. Wilson drew a toucher on the third, but Gourlay cut him out. H. Wilson then ran through for the shot, and the end finished with Runanga 5. l&ount Eden 3. Deare was lying 3 on the fourth end till Armstrong disturbed the head and lay I,‘ouly to.be cut out by H. Wilson. White missed with a firm shot, but got the jack with his last and the shot, 6-3. Hillhouse threw a long head on the fourth and put his second bowl into the ditch. It was a wide head till Pope drew to within a foot of the jack. Then Armstrong got away with the jack and sent it into the ditch, lying wihin a vard of it. 7-3. On the sixth end Runanga lay 2 till H. Wilson cut them out by resting the bowl shot out. Deare drew an-, other with his last bowl—Runanga 7, Mount Eden 5. Pope got the jack with his first bowl and lay a good shot, which H. Wilson improved to a pair, 7-1. E. J. Wilson sent down two good ones on the eighth and Pope drew another. White failed -with his two firm shots, leaving Mount Eden up, 9-7. In the ninth end Pope and H. Wilson each drew ' nice ones, leaving White with a well-covered head against him. His last bowl was a good one, but still left Deare 1 up—lo-7. In a wide head Armstrong drew a single, and White nicked in for an-other—lo-9 in Deare’s favour. RUNANGA FIGHTS BACK.

in the eleventh the leads were short, and tnen Armstrong drew a toucher, leaving Runanga three.. White trailed the jack and gave one away—ll-10 in Runanga's favour. Runanga was one up on the twelfth, thanks to a nice draw by Armstrong, and H. Wilson turned another in tor them by a firm shot. Deare eut one out, but left Runanga still one up. By a, splended firm draw on the thirteenth Gourlay cut two Mount Eden bowls out and lay a good one. Then H. Wilson cut the shot bowl out and lay two, but White shifted the head and got two. E. J. Wilson drew a nice one on the fourteenth, only to he cut out by Gourlay. ,H. Wilson shifted the shot bowl and lay three. White was short with his second, but Deare turned a Runanga bowl in for the shot. Gourlay drew a good one on the fifteenth, but H. Wilson cut it out. Goth skips failed, leaving Mount Eden one up—ls-11. Early in the sixteenth Gourlay shifted the jack, and Deare was two up. Then White drove into the head and by a lucky shot scored one—(Runanga 16, Mount Eden 11. Hillhouse drew two nice ones, hut E. J. Wilson got inside them. Then Gourlay drew the shot, only to be displaced by H. Wilson, who burnt the head, Deare lay one on the seventeenth and got another on the eighteenth end. Pope drew one, but Gourlay cut it out. A. Wilson drew to the jack, but Armstrong pushed it out and took its place. He also drew another. Deare sent down a good bowl and cut one out. The score was Runanga 17, Mount Eden 13 with three ends to go. Mount Eden lay the shot, but Gourlay cut it out with a beauty. H. Wilson failed to alter the head. ' Deare' pushed tho jack away and then drew one—l7-J.4. Hillhouse drew one on the twentieth in a loose head, and Gourlay improved the position, leaving Runanga two up. Deare missed with his drive, but with his second shifted the kitty. White drove and got the jadlc, which sprang forward and left Mount Eden three up—l 7 all with one end to go. TENSE MOMENTS. On the last head Hillhouse drew the shot, but was beaten by Pope. H. Wilson then drew another shot, and Gourlay just failed to rest him out. When the skips went down Mount Eden was lying one within a foot of the jack. White's first bowl was narrow, but with his second he put the shot out and lay one, taking the game 18-17.