BOILING TITLES Finals Reached In All Sections

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 February 1947, Page 4

BOILING TITLES Finals Reached In All Sections

Prominent Players Beaten Yesterday (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 19. The finals were reached to-day in the Dominion bowling championships. Highlights of the results were the emergence of S. Vella (Onehunga) to contest the final of the singles with the two-lifer, W. Freeth (Maitai), the narrowing of the pairs to a final between E. P. Exelby (Frankton Junction) and H. B. Kay (Shirley), and the lively interest which will accompany the clash of T. T. Skoglund's Otahuhu four with the Tolaga Bay four skipped by G. A. Crowley. The weather was sunny for to-day’s play, but a gusty wind caused bowls to drift at times. The contests were played on the Hutt green, which played perfectly. Amongst the prominent players to fall were T. T. Skoglund (Otahuhu) in the singles, the two-lifer G. Williams (Edgeware), and W. F. Reid (Masterton) in the pairs; and C. Spearman (Christchurch R.S.A.) in the fours. The finals will be played on the Khandallah green to-morrow, the pairs in the morning and the singles and fours in the afternoon.

Splendid Contest. Interest at the start of the day centred in the match between H. Rolls (Featherston) and C. Spearman, but changed to that between Skoglund and A. Clark (Barrington). This was a splendid contest. Clark and his team faced the opposition with confidence, and took the lead on the second encl, maintaining it until the tenth when, the score was 7 each. Clark then drew’away again to be 13-7 on the twelfth end. Skoglund, however, pinned him to 14 for five ends, and led 19-14 on the nineteenth end. Clark improved three on that before the end in Skoglund’s favour, 19-17. The Rolls v. Spearman game showed the match-winning temperament of the Christchurch man and his team. His concentration and determination never let up for one shot. The third fours match in the morning was between R. Hawkins (Paritutu) and Crowley (Tolaga Bayl. In this, the East Coasters were a shade better throughout the game, and won by 25-20. Spearman Beaten. The Crowley v. Spearman match had a sensational start, and one which virtually decided the issue. Crowley secured a possible on the first end—a long one with the kitty about six feet from the ditch. The bowls ol the Christchurch four found their way into it, and when skips went back, Crowley lay four up. In an effort to kill the head, Spearman took out his only two bowls on the green to leave his opponent eight up. Crowley failed to score on the next five ends, enabling Spearman, to drawlevel. The next seven ends saw a tussle, with singles being scored. On the seventeenth end a beautiful drawing shot by Whyte cut his opponents’ two counters out. Crowley just tailed to rest out this shot bowl, and Whyte laid counter on the next end. on which the kitty was only three feet from the ditch, making the score 17-14. The nineteenth end was noticeable for a magnificent running shot by Crowley, which sprang the jack into the ditch and placed him three up instead of one down. Spearman required to draw to the edge of the ditch for a shot, and appeared to have accomplished this, but his bowl just rolled into it, and Crowley led 20-14. On the twentieth end, Spearman was one down when the skips went back. He drove and took out his opponent's shot bowl, but the jack rebounded toward one of Crowley's bowls. With his next delivery, Spearman pushed this out to gain three and bring the scores to 20-17. The final end saw an anti-climax, and few bowls reached the kitty. Spearman sought to kill the head, but the cluster in front ol the jack gave him only a slender opening, and he finished by promoting one of his opponent’s bowls into a shot. On the next rink to Crowley s Lambess met Skoglund. The Otahuhu man started in an aggressive mood and ran into a 9-1 lead on the fifth end. A five on the eighth end sent Lambess’s stock up, but three ends later his opponent retaliated with a four scored by an almost identical shot, which, with a three to follow, made him 19-10 on the eleventh end. Lambess held his opponent to that score for five ends, but another four put Skoglund in a sound position for defensive work, and he won by 26-19. Edgeware Pair Beaten. The first pairs game in the afternoon was between J. S. Martin and G. Williams (Edgeware) against Christian and Reid Masterton). Williams at one stage of the tournament seemed invincible, but he seemed tense today, possibly because of an injured

eye. Reid then went on to play W. R. Hawkins and E. P. Exelby (Frankton Junction) in the .semi-final. Exelby played excellent bowls, and from the eighth head forged ahead. The other semi-final was between Williams (Edgeware), who was a twolifer and Armstrong and Kay (Shirley). Kay won by 18-17 after requiring a three. After his hard day, Skoglund was well below his best form when he met S. Vella (Onehunga) in. the semi-final of the singles. Vella consistently drew on the jack in spite of difficulties caused by the wind. The scores were equal on the eighth end, but then Vella went into a commanding lead. Skoglund conceded the game to his opponent after the sixteenth end, when the score stood at 22-8. * Results were:— Singles Semi-finals. —Vella (Onehunga) 22, Skoglund (Otahuhu) 8. Pairs Post-section play.—Kay (Shirley' 20, Lambess (Whangarei) 13; Reid (Masterton) 24, Brighting (Lower Hutt) 14; Reid 25, Williams (twolifer) 14. Semi-finals.—Kay 18, Williams 17; Exelby 21, Reid 14. Fours Post-section play.—Skoglund (Otahuhu) 19, Clark (Barrington) 17; Crowley (Tolaga Bay) 25, Hawkins(Paritutu) 20; Spearman (Christchurch R.S.A.) 21, Rolls ' (Featherston) 11. 4 Semi-finals.— Skoglund 26, Lambess 19; Crowley 24, Spearman 17.