BOWLS CARNIVAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23705, 12 January 1939, Page 6

BOWLS CARNIVAL

NEW ZEALAND TOURNAMENT THE PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST FOUR ROUNDS SECTION WINNERS FOUND (Per United Press Association) AUCKLAND, Jan. 11. The Pairs event of the New Zealand Bowling Championships was commenced to-day when 374 teams, divided into 62 sections, completed four rounds of section play. This comprised the main part of the Pairs programme as section play was confined to one day only. To-morrow the winners, or those tieing in the sections, numbering 97,' will participate in a further day's play on the sudden death principle. The weather was fine to-day. but a strong wind which prevailed caused the competitors to use good judgment. As in former years three bowls only were used.

Of the 748 players who took part in to-day's play ]ust over half were making their first appearance in the championships. The section winners were as follows: —

Section A Burchell (Te Awamutu). Section AI Barber (Balmoral). Buckley (Grey Lynn). Squire (Hawera). Section B R. Smith (Helensville). Section BI I. Clarke (Auckland). Section C Wilson (Helensville). Section CI Harland (Mount Eden). Pirie (Napier). Section D J. Tomlinson (Avondale). Somervell (Ponsonby). Stewart (Matamata) Section DI Bennet (Auckland). Section E Brackenridge (Lyall Bay). Section EI Tongue (Rocky Nook). McFarlane (Ngaruawahia). Section F Purdy (Mount Eden). Hawken (Hamilton). Section FI Bell (Hamilton). Section G Stephenson (Gisborne). Nash (Palmerston North). Section GI McGill (Waitemata). Pavitt (Fitzroy). Section B Thomas (Mount Albert*. Parsons (Ponsonby). Ingram (Victoria). Section HI Cowper (Ponsonby). Section I V. Little (Carlton). Watson (St. Helier"s). Section II Benefield (St. John's). Cross (Ewgland). Section J Hosking (Grey Lynn). Section JI Scott (Grey Lynn). Ginger (Hataitai). Section K Loram (Rocky Nook). Section KI Whittle (Grey Lyn). Section L Bell (Takapuna). H Jenkin (Carlton). , Keast (North End, Invercargill). Section LI Murray (Hawera). Section M Forsyth (Ohaupo). Section MI Gordon (St. John's). Section N Thomson Kirkwood (St. Johns). Campbell (Victoria). Section NI Wilson (Linwood). Section O L. Jury (Ponsonby). Section OI E. Jury (Ponsonby). Section P Henderson (Paeroa). Section PI Ritchie (Carlton). Longworth (St. Kilda). Section Q Griffiths (Grey Lynn). Section QI Walker (Auckland). Section R Baker (Mount Eden). Smart (New Plymouth). Section RI Kerr (Onehunga). Vaughan (Ponsonby). Section S Mingins (West End, Auckland) Section SI Callaghan (Te Aroha). Section T Aitchison (Caledonian). Section TI Deare (Carlton) Section U Snearman (Sydenham). Section UI Moore (Mount Eden). Murphy (Taihape). Hall (Rangiriri). Whyte (Sydenham). Section V Chambers (Sumner). Section VI Barton (Hamilton). Section W Williams (Gisborne). Section WI Popplewell (Port Ahuriri). Section X McCullough (Papatoetoe). Gardiner (Otahuhu). Section XI Martin (Ellerslie). Section Y Lyett (Karori). Section YI Davis (Mount Eden). Ewing (Stratford). Gilbert (Karori). Section Z Macklow (Onehunga). Section ZI Livingstone (Onehunga). Section A2 Robinson (Hamilton). Section B2 Brightling (Hataitai). Mattar (Foxton). Section C2 Crabb (Matamata). Lundon (Devonport). Section D2 H. Bray (Remuera). Section E2 Hay Mackenzie (Kelburn). Leather (Devonport). Bush (Wanganui East). Section F2 Bird (Carlton). Section G2 Miller (Whangarei).

Section H2 Topp (Lyall Bay). Section 12 Doherty (Kelburn). Section J2 E. S. Barriball (Waiuku). W. Haigh (Opawa). A. J. Letham (Ponsonby). NOTES ON THE PLAY NINETY-SEVEN TEAMS QUALIFY DEFEAT OF EX-CHAMPIONS R. T. HARRISON ELIMINATED (Per United Press Association; AUCKLAND. Jan. 11. As was anticipated, the game between Maslin and Squire (Hawera), winners of the event in 1933, and the Grey Lynn pair, McMurchy and Buckley, was a great duel, the latter team winning by two points. A double winner, R. N. Pilkington, of Hamilton—l93l and 1935—was early out of the running, his first two games resulting in losses. Harrison (Australia) was another one who failed to come up to expectations, two early losses robbing him of section honours. The English pair. Cross, sen., and Cross., jun., with the former skipping, had early successes on the Eden green, but went down in the final game to Muhro and Watts (Victoria. Wellington), but qualified with three wins.' The Auckland champion pair. Maud and Martin (Ellerslie). upheld their reputation well on the Ponsonby green, and paved the way for a section victory by three wins in the first three rounds. The veteran player Watson, of St, Heliers, who is 78 years of age, put up a good performance in section I. He shared the honurs by tieing with V. Little (Carlton)—three wins each. Playing on the headquarters green, Dyett (Karori, Wellington) went through his section without a loss. His final victim was Engebretsen (Wanganui). the 1935 Singles winner. Hay Mackenzie (Kelburn) upset W. Leather's calculations in the final round. The Devonport team had three wins on end. but failure in the last game brought in his conqueror as well as Rush (Wanganui East). By defeating Buckley in the last round of the day, Barber (Balmoral) brought Squire back into the play, as well as qualifying himself with three wins.

A good performance was registered by the Te Awamutu pair, Henderson and Burchell. who were undefeated in section A. The Te Awamutu lead is a noted Singles player. Father and son combinations were in evidence to-day. Besides the Cross family team, two Clarkes of Auckland qualified, the latter with an unbeaten record on the day. G. Deare (Carlton), with the British Empire champion lead, W. Whittaker, assisting him. went through l\is section without a loss. The hardest game the pair had was in the opening round against a Tauranga team which included E. Tamblyn, the 1926 winning skip in the Pairs event. Murphy (Taihape) went down In the last round to Hall (Ranglriri), and his defeat was responsible for four teams qualifying in the section on the Papatoetoe green. In the last round at Ellerslie the Te Awamutu skip. Gee, who is a fast driver, drove and.sent the jack against a bowl, the former breaking into a thousand pieces. The head was a dead one under the rules.

A feature of the day's play were the surprises which occurred in the final rounds, when several players with three wins underwent defeat. They did not lose their positions themselves, but by suffering one loss they allowed others to share the section honours.

Ninety-seven teams qualified for post-section play. It was an extremely long and tiring day's play, and the final round was" not completed until after 7 o'clock. The post-section play will be commenced to-morrow morning, and will be on the "sudden death" principle.