ENGEBRETSEN’S TITLE

Taranaki Daily News, 21 January 1935, Page 9

ENGEBRETSEN’S TITLE

BOWLING CHAMPIONSHIP BOURKE BEATEN IN SEMI-FINAL. WHITTLE’S (GREY LYNN) RINK WINS PILKINGTON SKIPS WINNING PAIR By Telegraph--Press Association. Auckland, January 19. A. J. Engebretsen (Napier) won the singles bowling championship of New Zealand to-day, beating P. Bourke (Patea) in a close semi-final and Wellings (Hataitai) easily in the final.. He was unbeaten in the event. Whittle s Grey Lynn team won the rinks championship and Loveridge and Pilkington (Hamilton) the pairs title, beating the Harris brothers in the final. Details of the concluding day’s games are:— SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP. Seventh round: L. Russell (St. Heliers) 20 v. F. Livingstone (Onehunga) 12. Eighth round: Bourke (Patea) 20 beat Russell (St. Helier’s) 12. . Ninth round: Engebretsen (Napier) 18 v. Bourke (Patea) 14. Final. Engebretsen (Napier) 22 beat Wellings (Hataitai) 5. , PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP. Final: Loveridge, Pilkington (Hamilton) 20 v. W. Harris, H. Harris (St. John’s, Wanganui) 13.

* RINKS CHAMPIONSHIP. Final: Mincham, Donaldson, Liversidge, Whittle (Grey Lynn) 18 beat Stephens, Macklow, Livingstone, Robertson 15. Those who attended were well rewarded by the superb exhibitions of bowling. Despite the fact that some of the players obviously wilted under the final strain of a strenuous tourney, some amazing feats in accurate drawing and in deadly driving were recorded. Every shot was exploited and occasionally achieved with such superlative accuracy as to leave spectators breathless. Thrills were there in abundance, not the least of which was evidenced in the final stages of the rinks championship, when “Harry” Whittle, the redoubtable skip of the Grey Lynn team, literally pulled the game out of the fire and turned defeat into victory with two wonderful last bowls. From start to finish this great game held the spectators spellbound as first one and then another of the players altered the fortunes of a game that was evenly contested from start to finish. Being a final, there was no time limit, and it is scarce an exaggeration to say that each of the 21 heads, provided a complete game in itself, so keen was the competition and the tense attitude of the skips as each of the bowls went down —an aspect that appeared to infect the bulk of the spectators. Not all of the interest was given to the rinks final, though it naturally attracted the biggest bank. Close at hand Pilkington and Loveridge, Hamilton, were repeating their 1931 success by annexing the pairs championship for the second time, on this occasion with an unbeaten record.

Next to them Engebretsen, Napier, was giving a characteristic exhibition of bowling, whereby he had achieved the almost unique distinction of coming through the competition without a loss. Amongst 314 competitors, this assuming representative from Napier, until now an unknown name in classic competitions, has taken his place as undisputed champion. . It was a remarkable record, and . his runner-up in the final, Wellings, Hataitai, paid him the compliment of retiring in the 16th head when the score was 22—5 in the Napier man’s favour, and remarking: “What’s the use of trying to beat a machine.” Russell met Bourke in the remaining match of the eighth round. The deciding head was the 15th, when Bourke held the shot with Russell just in front. Russell decided to drive, and opened up the head when he was unfortunate in lying two down, and Bourke drew another. On the next head his saving shot was wrecked on the front bowl, and Bourke got two more. Even drawing followed until the 20th head, when Russell again failed to save the three shots that were lying, so the 21st head was not played. ENGEBRETSEN V. BOURKE. On the first head against Engebretsen Bourke lay two, and Engebretsen’s drive failed to save. On the second Bourke drew two more. Engebretsen scored one shot on each of the third and fourth heads. Engebretsen in the fifth burned the head, and on the replay knocked out a bowl for three. In the sixth Engebretsen had three on the jack, and Bourke was too strong to save. B—4.8 —4. Bourke burned the jack when Engebretsen lay' 3 on the seventh, and on the replay Bourke drew 2. A close head in the eighth gave Engebretsen 1, and he gained another on the ninth. In the tenth Bourke trailed when 2 down. Engebretsen in the 11th scored 1 on a measure. 11—7. In the 12th Bourke rested Engebretsen and drew another. 11—9. Engebretsen pushed in his own measure for shot in the 13th and made it 'certain. 12—9. In the 14th Bourke sent ’the jack into the next rink when three down, and on the replay he drew the shot. 12—10. Bourke drew the shot in the 15th, and in the 16th there were two drawn shots for Engebretsen. 14—11. In the 17th Bourke drew shot, and pushed out another for three. 14—14. Engebretsen had one on each side of the jack, and rubbed off Bourke’s wing bowl tor three. 17—14. Engebretsen had a toucher on the jack in the 17th, and Bourke’s attempts failed to push it off. The score was then 18 to 14 in favour of Engebretsen, and the time limit cut out the last two heads. FINAL OF THE SINGLES. In the first head of the final game Engebretsen lay 2 and Wellings pushed out one, but could not get the shot. The Napier man took 3 on the second head. 4—o. In the third he held three close shots until Wellington beat one. 6—o. In the fourth Wellington missed his drive when Engebretsen held one on each side of the white. B—o. Engebretsen was now picking the green to perfection, and had two alongside the jack, of which Wellings saved one. 9—o. Wellings held the shot in the sixth until Engebretsen put the white in the ditch with a perfect drive, his toucher being unbeatable. 10—0. In the seventh Wellings beat Engebret-sen-'s first shot, and with his last gently pressed Engebretsen for 2—his first score. 10—2. Engebretsen in the eighth got round Wellings for shot, and added two more, Wellings missing his drive. 13 —2. In the ninth Wellings beat Engebretsen’s two shots with a bowl nearly on the jack, and in the tenth held a nice one until Engebretsen trailed for one shot, well protected. 14—3. In the 11th Engebretsen was all round the jack, and Wellings had the misfortune to press out his own bowl, to leave Engebretsen the whole four. 18—3. Drawn shots in the 12th left Engebretsen one, and in the 13th two. 21—3. On tine 14th and 15th heads each player drew one shot, and Wellings drew the Ehot on the 16th, leaving the score 20 to

5 in favour of Engebretsen. He then abandoned the contest. On the first head Grey Lynn lay 3, and Livingstone was a little short. On the second Onehunga held the shot. Mincham drew the first shot in the third, and Whittle added another. Liversidge held the shot in the fourth until Robertson pushed in Macklow. Whittle drove for a scatter, and Livingstone drew the absolute shot. 5—2. Donaldson trailed the jack in the fifth, and Whittle drew another. In the sixth Livingstone drew the shot and Whittle drove him out for 2, but Livingstone again drew the shot. 7—3. The seventh was a ragged head until Robertson stopped on the jack, and Whittle missed his drive. 7—4. Robertson drew the shot in the eighth, but Liversidge drove, and a wick carried kitty nearly to the ditch. Whittle beat Livingstone’s draw. B—4. In the ninth Robertson drove out two opposing woods for three, and Liversidge saved two of them. B—s. Livingstone 10—5. Robertson drew the shot in the tenth, and Whittle picked it out for two. 10—5. Robertson drew the shot in the 11th, and Liversidge was wrecked- in an attempt to remove • it. This left an open track for Whittle to drive, and. he picke ' it out clean for one, but Livingstone beat him with a draw. 10—6. Livingstone trailed nearly to the ditch for shot in the 12th. In the 13th Whittle beat Robertson for shot, but Livingstone drove him out clean for two. 10—9. Mincham.drew the shot in the 14th, and Macklow beat him, Livingstone adding another, while Liversidge and Whittle failed to save. 10—11. PERFECT DRAWING. In the 15th Stephens drew a fine shot on a long head, his own two and Mincham’s all within 18 inches of the jack, but nobody could beat the shot. 10—12. Mincham held shot in the 16th and Whittle drew another, Livingstone getting wrecked on a short wood. 12—12. Stephens was almost on the jack in the 17th, but Macklow pushed Mincham in for shot. Robertson burned the head, and on the replay Stephens trailed without holding the jack, and Macklow drew a toucher, which was not altered by any of the thick cluster round it. 12—13. Macklow in the 18th moved the jack for one, which Mincham beat, but several changes saw Onehunga down until Livingstone drew the shot with his Hast bowl, and Whittle over-ran the jack. 12—14.

Stephens won the shot in the 19th and Macklow added another, but Liversidge beat both of them. Livingstone pushed him out with a lucky wick, and Whittle was found short of saving when the measure was put on. 12—15. In the 20th Macklow got inside Mincham and Robertson promoted him for two. Livingstone saved one and Whittle then rubbed off Livingstone to trail the jack, and the latter made the head safe by drawing a perfect, second shot. 13—15. In the 21st Mincham played a perfect twister to beat Stephens, and Donaldson drew another. Macklow pressed them all out for two without losing his bowl, and ■Liversidge was a bit narrow. Whittle switched the jack right across the head for four and added another with his last bowl, Livingstone covering the head, and leaving Grey Lynn the game and the championship, the score being 18—15. 1931 SUCCESS REPEATED.

The final of the pairs found the 1931 winners too consistent for a tired pair from Wanganui, the Harris brothers, from St. John’s club, who filled the position of runners-up. The first head was a little wide, and the St. John’s pair claimed a single, but thereafter Loveridge found his length, and by brilliant leading took charge of the game, both the brothers failing to get Not until the sixth head did the St. John’s men succeed in checking the great run of the Hamilton pair. The lead then beat Loveridge with his final bowl inches in front of the jack, and the skip added another with his first. However, Pilkington promptly burned the head. On the replay W. Harris dropped on kitty and held two, one of which Pilkington drove out. Hamilton 12, St. John’s 2. Play became more even, and at the ninth head the score stodti Hamilton 13, St. John’s 5.

St. John’s battled keenly in the succeeding heads, but they were playing below form and could not hold the measure of the Hamilton pair, who, while not showing the brilliance exhibited on some of their earlier games, were fairly consistent.’

On the tenth head the Hamilton pair each put on a counter, and H. Harris burned the head. On the replay dead drawing/from all 16 bowls left one of Pilkington’s a few inches to the good. Hamilton 14, St. John’s 5. On the 11th the St. John’s men clearly took the honours. W. Harris drew shot within inches of kitty, and the skip got in with another. Pilkington missed with two drives, one finding the narrowest of ports. Hamilton 14, St. John's 8. Loveridge finished up with one counter, but H. Harris drew two beauties that were better. Pilkington drove and saved one. Hamilton 14, St. John’s 9. At this stage the Wanganui pair seemed likely to make a game of it, and on the next head they were again in the lead until Pilkington drew in with his last bowl.

From this on the Harris brothers strove valiantly, but Pilkington and his mate kept shading them a trifle at the end of each head, and the game finally ended on the 20th, at which time the board showed Hamilton 20, St. John’s 12. The tournament was possibly the most successful yet held. It was unique in that on each of the 12 days there was fine weather and the keenest of greens.