FOUR AMONG LEADERS

Taranaki Daily News, 14 January 1935, Page 3

FOUR AMONG LEADERS

TARANAKI BOWLERS’ PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP OF NEW ZEALAND DROUGHT MAKES GREENS BUMPY. COMPLETION OF FOURTH ROUND. (By Wire—Special to News.) Auckland, Last Night. Taranaki rinks were still ' prominent after the conclusion of the second day’s play in the New Zealand rink bowling championship. Of the four games played so far, Price (Fitzroy), Lobb (West End, New Plymouth), Douglass (West End, New Plymouth) and Skoglund (Stratford) have each won three and are among the leaders in their sections. It was another scorching summer’s day on Saturday. There is every indication that the long spell of fine weather which Auckland is enjoying will continue, so that good progress should be made with rinks play on Monday and Tuesday. It has been a wonderful week of hot summer days without the threat of a break, fast and true greens and everything to provide ideal conditions for bowlers. Unfortunately, however, the very dry weather has made some greens bumpy. How the hard and somewhat rough greens yesterday had the effect of lowering the form of some leading players was particularly shown in a game between Hutchison (Dunedin) and Bartlett (Awa--kino). Rigby, a past singles champion, Gregory and Gardiner, both wearers of champion badges, together with Hutchison, one of the strongest skips from Dunedin, utterly collapsed in form. The score read 24 to 15 in favour of Dunedin on the 16th. head and the game finished 24 to 34 on the 24th. head in favour of the Taranaki rink. The Dunedin team, which contained so many consistent players, had not put the chalk upon the board for eight heads and in the meantime their opponents had scored 17 points. It was a remarkable collapse of a particularly strong rink. The Dunedin team has now the task of having to win the next four games to obtain qualification for the post-section rounds. The best players from all the prominent clubs of the Dominion, have been scattered over the city and suburban greens. The tournament opened on Monday with the singles, in which no fewer than 314 players competed. On Wednesday the pairs games were begun and on Friday the rinks contest. All three competitions will be completed during the coming week. GREENS VERY FAST. The long spell of fine weather has made the greens very fast and yesterday they were drawing very wide. As in the singles and pairs there were several surprises in the rink games. Many of the recognised crack club skips went under while others just pulled into the next round by a single point. Scoring varied considerably and, while there were games in which the total points scored were in the 30’s, there were others where the totals were considerably greater. The scores of J. R. Lundon may not come under the heading of sensational, but in the first three rounds of his rink games they were unusual. In his first game against Mantell his tally was 38, in the second against Ferguson he put 31 on the. board, and in the third against Price, the marker chalked up 30, making 99 for three successive games. Another unusual score was recorded in the game between rinks skipped by C. Little and Johnson. Little’s Hamilton quartet put 44 on the board against their opponents’ 18, the aggregate being 62. During the first three rounds of rink competition there were 15 games where the total of points scored exceeded 50. Mantell (Tauranga) put up a record in the fourth round of Section C by scoring eights in two of the four rounds he played. This has probably never-been equalled in the Dominion. Tire 10 Taranaki rinks, one of the strongest provincial units at the tournament with two exceptions, did well on the opening day of rinks contest on Friday but as a whole they did not open yesterday’s account very brilliantly. In the third round decided in the morning eight losses were recorded. Only two rinks, Lobb (West End, New Plymouth) and Douglass (West End, New Plymouth), being the only two to gain victories. It certainly was West End’s morning for another rink from that club almost succeeded in snatching victory. ■This was Petty’s team which met Maher (Auckland). The game was very keenly contested, the margin being only three points in favour of the Aucklander at 25-22.

DEFEATS SUFFERED. It was rather curious that in the morning all the Taranaki players were drawn against members of various Auckland clubs. Murray (Hawera) was soundly defeated by Cameron (Takapuna) 33—19, and there was a margin of 10 in favour of Bray (Remuera) when he defeated Harris (Stratford). Murray and Harris both finished the third round with three losses each. Lobb had a keen tussle with Shirriffs (Mt. Eden), the score running very close throughout and the game finished with the New Plymouth skip only one point ahead. The victory of Douglass was more comfortable, the New Plymouth players gaining a fairly easy win against Kerr (Onehunga) 24—15. Two Taranaki players, Skoglund (Stratford) and Price (Fitzroy) faced the third round with two wins each, but neither was able to maintain, this strong position. Both were well beaten, Skoglund by Brookfield (St. Helier’s), 30-14, and Price by Lundon (Devonport), 30—23. It is interesting to record that at one green all winners of two games on Friday suffered defeat in the third round. The fourth round in the afternoon saw Petty make a recovery, but only narrowly, for his game with Gordon (St. John's) ran to 27-28. That gave Petty two wins on four rounds. Bad luck continued to dog the rink skipped by Murray (Hawera), who was again soundly defeated and he has four losses. The Taranaki “stars,” Lobb, Douglass, Price and Skoglund, each of which has three wins, were all in good form in the fourth round and won their games with comfortable margins. Price met the prominent Dunedin player Ferguson ,(Balmacewan) whom he defeated 39 11. Taken altogether Taranaki has done very well. The position of Taranaki players at the end of the fourth round is: Petty (West End; New Plymouth) two wins, Murray (Hawera) no wins, Harris (Stratford) one, Bartlett (Awakino) two, Foy (Hawera) two, Lobb (West End, New Plymouth) three, Smith (Hawera) two, Douglass (West End, New Plymouth) three, Skoglund (Stratford) three, Price (Fitzroy) three. This places some of the Taranaki bowlers, particularly those representing the West End Cluj, in a very strong position and if they maintain their early form they should have a large say in deciding the honours. Thirteen rinks have won all four games played and practically all those securing this success represent clubs in the Auckland province. The total of games to be played is eight. . EX-HAWERA PLAYER’S WIN. The champion rink, G. Dickson, F. Redpath, H. F. Gibson and H. Wilson (Linwood, Christchurch) lost the last game

of the day to the St. John’s (Wanganui) team skipped by A. E. Stone (formerly of Hawera). The score was 31—23. The loss will not damage the holders’ chance of going forward into the post-section rounds as six wins will be necessary to qualify for the major stage of the competition. The following rinks have had the maximum of four wins: Thomas (Waiwere), Lundon (Devonport), Jenkin (Carlton), Vella (Onehunga), Lett (Park, Masterton), Robertson (Onehunga), Carswell (Auckland), Harrison (Auckland), Walker (Mount Albert), Dunstan (Waihi), Buchan (Te Aroha), Little (Hamilton), Huston (Carlton). Leaders in each section, with the number of games won, are as follow:— : Section A: Thomas 4, Maher 3. Section B: Jury, Arnott; Hickman 3. Section C: Lundon 4,' Kenny,- Smith, Price 3. ' . Section D: Jenkin-4, Bray, Wright, Mackie 3. _ • Section Et Pranks, Lor am, Adess, Englebretsen; Rolls 3. ■ • i - ■ - Section F: Francis, De Launay, Gee 3. Section G: Vella, Lett 3. Section H: Robertson 4, O’Callaghan, Whittle, Graham 3. V Section I: Carswell 4, Lancaster 3. Section J: Harrison 4, Rankin,? Henderson, Brightling 3. Section K: Muston, Walker 4, Lobb 3. Section L: Fraser, Moncur, Foster 3. Section M: Kerr, Short, Newman, Brackenride, Douglass 3. Section N: Dunstan 4, Walker, Skoglund 3. Section O: Buchan 4, Buckley, Madsen 3. • Section P: Little 4, Findlay, -Layzell, Wilson, Stone 3. • . Owing to the number of teams unduly prolonging the 25-head games now played in the rinks competition, the Bowling Council will consider the advisability of placing a time limit in future so that the original purpose of the new arrangement will be successful, that of giving contestants a spell for an hour at midday after the gruelling days of the singles and pairs championships.