BOWLS FINALS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 23 January 1939, Page 10

BOWLS FINALS

FRANKS WINS TWO EVENTS j BALMORAL SUCCESSFUL IN FOURS RECORD ATTENDANCE AT CARLTON | i U.l'A.—B.v Lleoiric Telegraph— Copyright! AUCKLAND. 21st January, i The annual tournament of the New i Zealand Bowling Association was conI eluded in Auckland 10-day, when the ' j finals of the fours and the singles were • played on the greens of the Carlton j Club. The fours event was won by the I Balmoral team, skipped by W. C. I Franks. This player was also successful |in the singles. Franks thus created a , Dominion record by being the first ; player to gain the honours in both the lours and the singles in one tournament, j Tremendous interest centred in the i finals of both matches. The streets in j the vicinity of the Carlton green were I lined for a considerable distance on | both sides with motor cars. The special 1 grandstand erected on the western side ! of the green was packed, and all the ; sides were lined five and six deep with enthusiasts The balcony of the pavilion was also crowded, and the attendance was estimated to be a record for such an event The weather was fine and warm, and the green was in a fast condition. There was just a mild cross breeze, and it was not the disturbing element it had proved in the earlier stages of the tournament. Following were the results of the matches FOURS j Final; C. E. Robertson, 11. Franks, J. ! Benson. W. C. Franks (Balmoral), 32. i beat A. Taylor, J. Bird, D. C. Fraser. G. I A. Deare

SINGLES Final: W. C. Franks (Balmoral), 19, beat A. Connew (Mount Albert), 12. The final of the fours was played this morning, and the event was noteworthy for the fact that Deare, of the Carlton club, was making 1 ' third appearance in the final of a New Zealand rinks championship, whereas his opponent, though the winner of many events in oilier parts of the Dominion, was a newcomer in such a competition. The Balmoral team started rather scratchily, and only good play on the part of the skip kept the scoring nearly on level terms. Benson, the No. 3, who had been a strong force in the previous games, was the unsteadiest of the four. However, once he struck form about midway through the game, he executed many brilliant shots, which forced the team ahead, and made matters less difficult for his skip. After Benson found his true form, the result was scarcely in doubt, more specially over the latter part of the contest. Deare received good assistance from his lead, Taylor, who overshadowed his opponent to some extent, but there was no cohesion between members as a team . In the circumstances Deare played very well and it was no fault of his that the score against him mounted so high. He had to cope with Franks at his best, and had some very difficult heads to deal with. EXCELLENT IN ALL-ROUND PLAY Altogether, the winning team excelled in all-round plva, and this constituted the outstanding difference between the fours. Deare showed good form early in the game, drawing the actual shot on the first head, but Franks evened on the next. Four to Carlton on the third head was the result of Taylor’s placing two nice shots tc open with, while Bird and Deare added another each. Deare lay well on the fourth head, where there was some difference of opinion between himself and Bird as to what the skip should do with his last bowl. The final result showed Bird’s judgment to be correct, ns a single was obtained. Up to the sixth head, Benson was driving badly and lacking the accuracy jhe had hitherto displayed. Franks alsoj ! missed with a drive, and drew on this head, at the end of which the board i showed 9-2 in favour of Carlton. The Balmoral team made a forward move at this stage, chiefly as a result of Benson coming on to his game, while Franks continued to add to anything Benson did. The score at the end of the ninth hea was 9-7. Balmoral was lying five on the tenth head when Deare took the jack to the ditch to obtain a single. The match was squared on the next head, where excellent play by Franks, jun., and his lather paved the way for a three. From this point Balmoral forged ahead, and were never overtaken. Good team work realised two points for Balmoral on the twelfth head, but Taylor’s first bowl was a counter. On the succeeding head Fraser, who had been giving an indifferent display so far, was responsible for two good shots. On the fourteenth Bird added another, but Benson sent the jack to the ditch, burning the heed. It was a fine shot by Benson. On the replay Fraser was again on the mark, but Benson was once more equal to the occasion, as he rested the closest bowl tor shot by touching jack. Deare increased his opponents’ total to two, and Franks added another with his last.

With a great run on the backhand; Benson carried the jack to the ditch for two on the fifteenth, Franks drew third and Deare pushed up a fourth. This made the score 19-11. That was practically the end of the contest from Carlton's point of view'. The Balmoral team scored 3,5, and son the succeeding heads to make the final totals 32 to U, with three heads to play.

The final of the singles produced bowls of a standard that compared more than favourably with that witnessed at any previous New Zealand tournament. There was little between the pair up to the thirteenth head, at the conclusion of which the board showed 11 all. Both contestants received liberal applause from the large gallery

for their consistently accurate drawing. From then onward, however. Franks showed superiority, and went ! steadily ahead. The turning point came on the sixteenth head, where Franks held a lead of five, and he eventually clinched the match on the twentieth head with a score of 19-12. Connew played steadily throughout, | and was a little unfortunate in some I trails which would have turned the fortunes in his favour. However, he was 1 unable to maintain the marvellous con-1 sisteney of the winner. Franks opened the scoring on a three-quarter-length head with a single, and scored similarly cm the second. Franks lay the shot on the third, arid his opponent promoted another, giving the Balmoral representative an early lead of 4-love. Connew opened his account on the fourth, where ! Franks missed with two drives, allowing Connew three counters. Connew held the shot on the fifth, but Franks rested the jack for one. He followed with a positional shot for two, and made it three with a difficult draw on the back-

hand. There was only one good bowl on the next head, that belonging to Franks. Singles on the seventh and the eighth to Connew made the score 8-5 in favour of Franks. Two good bowls increased Franks’s advantage on the ninth. Both played splendidly on the tenth, first one and then the other holding the advantage with touchers. Finally Connew carried Ihe jack a little, but could only obtain a single. Franks had a lapse on the eleventh when he missed drives with his last two bowls, allowing Connew three shots, and the board then read 10-J. A GREAT BACKHAND SHOT Connew took the lead for the first and only time in the game on the twelfth head. He realised two points by driving his opponent out, and the latter was unable to redeem the position with his finai draw Connew 11, Franks 10. Franks evened the score on the thirteenth. where he drew a great backhand shot for a single. lie went Into the lead again on the next head with a couple, Connew failing with his drive.< Two good opening shots by Franks saw him further increase his total on the fifteenth. The sixteenth was the turning point of the game, as Franks here advanced his lead to five. Connew’s last two were weak shots. A single was added by Franks on the seventeenth. Good as Frank’s play had been hitherto, his bowling on the eighteenth was superb. He was forced to produce an accurate draw, as Connew had twice beaten him for the shot. It was an outstanding effort on the forehand, and gave Franks a lead of 18-11, with three heads to go. On the nineteenth head. Franks lay his first close, and played for position with his next three, a single resulting. Connew was lying one on the twentieth head, but this was no use to him, and he attempted to burn the head, but failed.