PEACE SHIELD

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18595, 4 January 1935, Page 6

PEACE SHIELD

POVERTY BAY’S WIN CLOSE FINAL CONTEST MARGIN OF THREE POINTS Leading m the early stages of the match, and only once being headed ny liis opponent, S. McKenzie, skip of the Poverty Hay rink in yesterday’s Peace Shield bowling iinal, Drought his team through to win by a margin of three i,units over J. E. Newton’s Kahutia rink. The contest was ajdose one all the way, with the Poverty Bay rink having a good defensive position after, the first three heads. The winning rink comprised .T. Huzza, ,]. Graham, A. Slight, and S. McKenzie, while the Kahutia representatives were T. Robertson, H. L. Power, A. Sawyer, and .1. E. Newton. Both rinks had done well in the earlier rounds of the tournament, McKenzie having been undefeated, while Newton had had only one loss prior to the final game. McKenzie made a good start, the first head giving him a single, and the following two heads a four and a three respectively. Newton faced an 8-poiuts deficit before his rink settled down, but lie took (lie situation in hand, and won the fourth, fifth ami sixth heads, the seme standing 8 6in favor of McKenzie after the sixth. Poverty Bay then scored a single, but Newton responded with a three on the eighth, equalising the scores at this, stage, at 9-all.

Tlid mate'll continued on even terms to the thirteenth head, when Newton took I lie lead with a three, bringing his own tally to 15, as against McKenzie’s 13. The Poverty Bay lour then won four heads in succession, and at the eighteenth were on top with the score 19 —15. Newton got a single, but McKenzie again went ahead with a two on the twentieth, and with one head to play, the score was 21—16.

The situation called for a supreme effort on the part of the Kahutia rink, and though the position looked hopeless against the steady play of McKenzie’s rink, there was just a sporting chance that Kahutia would pull off the match or tie the score, forcing the playing of another head. When the skips went down to play their howls in the last head, Newton’s rink was lying three, and required five for a tie. Excitement ran high at this stage, and the last four bowls were played amidst an unusual concentration of attention. McKenzie missed a drive with his first bowl, and Newton failed to reach the head, and the match was decided at that stage, the last bowl from each skip failing to affect the situation. The final score was: McKenzie 21, Newton 18. The presentation of the Peace Shield to the winning skip, and of the accompanying trophies to the members of- the winning link, was carried out by Mr. B. L. Power, president of the Gisborne and East Coast Bowling Centre, who congratulated the winning rink on the performances registered throughout the tournament, and characterised McKenzie’s rink’s play, from start to finish of the tournament, as unbeatable. Cheers for winners and losers concluded the ceremony.