Dominion Bowls Championships Start

Northern Advocate, 12 January 1948, Page 4

Dominion Bowls Championships Start

DUNEDIN, Mon. (P.A.)—Because of fairly light, but steady, rain in Dunedin this morning, the opening of the Dominion bowling championships was delayed for an hour and a half. When play began at 10 o'clock the greens were a little heavy, but were playing well. With about 1600 bowlers taking part, a quarter of them- from the North Island, entries are a record lor a Dominion tournament. The singles, the preliminary rounds nf which will occupy today and tomorrow, are being conducted on the automatic two-life system. Although the greens began to dry out and became less heavy, some players had difficulty in mastering the conditions, which were very different from those to which they have been used this summer.

SOME GOOD WINS As the first results came in, some good wins were recorded. W. Marshall, present Southland singles champion, was at the top of his form and had a runaway win, 30—9, from T. Sunderland, Alexandra. W. O'Neill, Runanga, had a similar easy victory. 2 24, over G. Claridge, El. Kilda. R. W. Lett. Ellerslie, beat E. N. Dewar, Riccarton Racecourse. 227,0 —7, and F. Firth, Mt Albert, beat L. son, Logan Park, 23—5. The Dunedin player, C. E. Tyrrell, who won the pairs in 1938 and skipped the rink which lost in a thrilling finish to the Christchurch RSA in the 1944 finals, had a clear-cut victory over D. Garrick, Hokonui, 19—13.

J. Ure, Invercargill, a previous South Island singles winner, was well beaten by J. Stoddart, Kaikorai, 25—12. F. Livingstone, Onehunga singles champion in 1936, and skip of the champion four in 1940, beat L. Breach. Enkaia, 23-12. Another prominent North Island player in F. Mingins, Onehunga, beat H Henderson, Kaituna, 27—9. UNEXPECTED LOSSES There were some unexpected losses. M. McKenzie, Te Rangi, prominent in fours in 1944, went under in the first game 23—14 to T. Anderson, Kaikorai. But S. C. K. Smith, North End, who won the pairs in 1946, won his first game against G. Kitchin, Leith, 26—10, A. Clarke, Ashbury, runner-up to M. J. Squire in the singles in 1944, won his first round game against P. Hunter, Awamoa, in a close finish. N. McGorlick, Bluff, won his game. Two Teams For New Plymouth A Whangarei and a Kensington team are to compete in the Taranaki Bowling Centre's annual full-rink tournament being held at New Plymouth from January 26 to January 31. The Whangarei four comprises E. Woledge, J. Marwick, L. Lambess and G. Wilding and that from Kensington K. Rivers, E. Draffin, S, Gribble and M. Erceg. The New Plymouth tournament is one of the major events of the bowling season in the North Island and attracts entries from a very wide area.

No Northland teams entered for the New Zealand championships being played at Dunedin.

Kensington Plays

Cup Matches

The Kensington club retained tha Swann Cup against Dargaville on Sat urday and failed against the same club in challenges for the White and Hayes Cups. In the Swann Cup match, Walker, Butler. Hopkins and Georgeson beat Peko's team 18—17 and Garland, Webster, Boucher and Kerr beat D. Smith’s four 28-16. Smith failed to score on the first 17 ends.

The two Kensington pairs which went to Dargaville for the Hayes Cup were Roberts and Fleming' and Finlay and Auld. Dargaville finished live points ahead. v

The White Cup four, Allan, Smeaton, Boag and Gough went down by three points. In a match for the Moore Stars, played at Kensington, a team skipped by Agnew beat one skipped by Woolford, 20—19.