Graham Stanley earns gold medal award

Press, 1 March 1982, Page 34

Graham Stanley earns gold medal award

Graham Stanley became the third bowler to qualify for a Christchurch centre gold star this season when he skipped his South Brighton team of Peter Meier and Tom Dixon to victory in the champion of champions triples at Papanui yesterday. This is an event Stanley has dominated since it was introduced five years ago. He has now won it three times and been second (last season) once. Meier has been with him each year and- Meier now has 11 centre titles, one less than the centre’s most decorated bowler, Wally Wilkinson.

Stanley and his partners matched stamina with skill to get their latest victory. They were on the green more than 11 hours both Saturday and Sunday and two of their games against Bernie Johns (Christchurch) on Saturday and against John Gill (Papanui) in the

semi-finals yesterday, each lasted around four and a half hours. They got home by one against Johns and looked to be heading for the exit when they trailed Gill, whose partners were Evan Ambrose and Duncan White, 13-6 after twelve ends. Stanley made a great save when he burnt the head when four down on the thirteenth end and an end later he began his recovery with a lovely wrest shot for a three. The standard in this game remained high, but Gill never won another end and Stanley marched to an 18-13 victory, Dixon being especially valuable on the crucial last three ends. George Matthews (Kaiapoi), who lost to Stanley in the 1980 final, was the other finalist. His team of Jack Becks and Allan Griffin (Becks being a replacement for Travis Coup who was

playing in Dunedin) was always in front in its semifinals against Peter Rose (Burnside), who had Jeff Lenz and Tom Brady playing lor him. Matthews made a great start to the final when on the first end he trailed the jack for a five. But the South Brighton triple soon set aside this handicap and with all three players making a contribution it was 11-5 up after seven ends and virtually, beyond reach at 17-9 after fourteen. The final score was with the last end unplayed. Second round S. Rowe (Morrison Avenue) 21. R. Munro (Burnham Camp) 13; K. Watson (Linwood) 15,. R. P. Norris (Elmwood) 11: J. H. Gill (Papanui) 20. T. H. Wood (Mt Pleasant) 14; P. A. Neame (Woolston Park) 20. R. D. Harris (Hornby W.M.C.) 12; F. McNeill (Akaroa) 18. P. Bradford (Darfield) 15; C. K. Manson (Shirley) 14. W. H. Rhodes (Halswell) 11; G. L. Stanley (South Brighton) 19.

ic Neilson (Ashburton M.S.A.) 1,3: B. S. Johns (Christchurch) 12, R. Heeney (Redcliffs) 10. A. B. Nottingham (Riccarton W.M.C.) 29. L. Newell (Hoon Hay) 12; H. Scrimgeour (Rangiora) 27, S. Prendergast (R.S.A.) 13; M. McLeod (Cashmere) 15,1. Hanson (Barrington) 9: G. Matthews (Kaiapoi) 23. R. G. Norton (Spreydon) 13; W. T. Lark (Burwood) 21. P. Mullen (Avon) 19; P. G. Jolly (Edgeware) 16. F. Blackburn (Beckenham) 7; C. W. Thompson (Summer) 18. A. W. Palmer (United) 10; P. H. Rose (Burnside) 15. T. J. Edmonds (St Albans) 11. Third round Rowe 19. Watson 18; Gill 18. Neame 15; McNeill 15, Manson 13: Stanley 19. Johns 18; Scrimgeour 29, Nottingham 13; Matthews 17. McLeod 16; Jolly 18. Lark 16: Rose 18, Thompson 14 - Fourth round Gill 19. Rowe 16; Stanley 30. McNeill 9: Matthews 24, Scrimgeour 17; Rose 14: Jolly 12. Semi-finals Stanley .18, Gill 13; Matthews 18. Rose 15. Final Stanley 19. Matthews 11.