DOMINION BOWLING

Chronicle (Levin), 20 January 1948, Page 7

DOMINION BOWLING

Press Association)

Start Made With Fours After Rain

(Per

DUNEDIN, Jan. 19. Heavy showers -which affected the greens near the coast more than those on the hili areas, necessitated a postponeftient of the eommeneement of tlie first two'Tounds of the fours championship when the New Zealand bowling tournament entered on its seventh day. Fortunately the weather improved sulticiently to enable a start to be made in fine weather at 1 p.m. In order to keep the programme up to achedifle, the first two roun'ds were reduced to games of 21 ends with a time limit of 21 hours each, although inost of the games were oompleted well within the time limit. The 360 ' competing fours are drawn from the whole 22 bowling centres which constitutc the Xew Zealand Association and the present cliampionships are the most representative gathering of competitors ever yet .assemblod. The ease and rapidity with which the Dunedin greens recover from bad weather conditions, has been tlie subjec't of considerable surprise and much favourable comment on the paxt of the visitors. Five teams of the British Colurabia tourists are taking part in the fours championship which also includes last year 's winners from 'Tolaga Bay skipped by C4. A. Crowley, the 19*16 cl\ampion Runanga team skipped by F. White, a four from tlie Christchurch R.B.A. skipped by the 1914 winning slcip at Dunedin, C. D. Bpearman. Three of the 1940 winning four, J. Macklow. H. A. Robertson aud l'\ Livingslone who notv have J. ii. llingins as their skip are "also present. J. F. Benson, who in 1939 was a meinber of W. C. Franks 's winning four, is skip of a Balmoral rink which also includes C. (t. Maher, a member of W. Bremner 's chanipion four in 1924, while also competing are R. Haworth, of the Canterburv Club, skip of the winning four in 1936 aud 1937. F. Redpatli who was in Linwood 's 1934 and 193S ehampion team and J. W. Turpin, a meinber of Haworth 's four in 1936, are skipping their own riuks on this occasion. The first rouud did not produce many surprises and most of the well-known teiims emerged with wins. Crowley 's Tolaga Bay four liad a close call agaiust the Wellingtou disabled Bervicemeu's team skipped by Fl Thompson. Haworth 's Canterbury four, for wliich a former champiou C. II. Klsom, is lead, won its first game agaiust J. Patcrson's Caledouian rink. A somewhat unexpected result was the defeat of Benson 's Balmoral rink by W. G. Love 's, I'ort Chalmers team and a good win was scored by tlie Sydenham four skipped by the S7-year-old boivler, C. Tavlor, wliich beat the [nvercargill R.S.A. team skipped by S. Brewer, deputising for W. (I. Bpeucer. The last named had to r oturu home owing to an attack of pleurisy. Tavlor S19o won -his sebaird-^gaiire:- F. White (Runanga), whose team -ineluded J. Armstrong, a incmber of the winning combinalion in I94fj, beat J. Tonilinson 's West Lnd (Auckland) four by 25—17. - . ' . . W. D. Bennett, a former singles ehampion skipping a Hastings teani, won.both his games but was puslied hard by R. McDoiiald. (Beckenham ) in the first round, the seore being 19- IS, Tlie meeting of fours skipped by Dr. R. E. Austin (Cromwell) and W. F. Hadwin (Lower liutt), both members of the Dominion rouncil, aroused con siderabie iuterest ahd the game wa.*worthv of the occasion, the Cromwell iiien Winning by 22 — 21. C. (j. Bpearman, whose games are alwavs followed with interest, skipped a strong four whi h dofeated R. G. Morrison '$ Waihopai team by 27 — 22. j The Onehunga rink skipped by ( Mingins beat J. Cousins's Taieri four by 23 — 15 in its first game and 8. Liiuch (Taieri), whose four won its first si.\ games Jast tournament in Dunedin in 1944, skipped a rink which defeateil W. Bremner (Epsom) 20 — 16. A good win was recorded by a rink skipped by T. Lovil, immediate pasl president of Ihe New Zeuland Bowling Association, wliich defeatod J. D. Forbes's Awamoa team by 26 — 9. Oue of the surprises of the secoud round was tlie dectsive victory registered by N. W. AlcOorlick's BlulT rink

agaiust Haworth, tlie Canterbury nien going under 9 — 27. ATcGorlick had lost his first game by a wide niargin of 16— 36. Veitch also met defeat iu his second game, his four being beaten by thcPicton team skipped by W. Toms by 16 — 25. In the second game agaiust W. Cubitt (Newtown), Mingins 's four had another win by 20^12 while* C. E. Tyrrell's Mornington four won bolh its games by haudy margins. Crowley 's rink registered its secoud win in the game aguinst W. E. Clarke (Marlborough) 22 — 12 aud Iladwiu suffered his second defeat at the hamls of the Pukekohe four skipped by W. J. Bhort by 19 — 20. Riach was also beaten in tlie second round 13—17 by F. Bmith's Temuka rink. E. J. Exelby, a member of tlie ehampion pair last year, skipped a Frankton four which won its iirst game handily and tlien recorded a 32 — 5 win in its second game agaiust A. Melville ( Caversham K

C. H. Claridge (Bt. Kilda) had an easy win SS — 11 agaiust the Edgeware rink skipped by A. Keen, .and defeated R. S. Nicoll (Shirley) 25 — 12 in the second- round. F. Firtli's Mount Albert team wliich was fullv extended by J. J. Henry (St. Clair) 23 — 21 in tlie first round. overwhelnied an Otaki rink skipped bv H. Cahill by 31 — 9. W. J. Leeden (St. Kilda) gave Spearmau a close call in his second game, tiie Christchurch R.S.A. men winning by 19—18. ' Turpin was another Canterbury skip whose rink won both its games and Benson won his second game agaiust i the Naenae four skipped by J. W. Henderson by 26—16. The stroiyg inan in the Balmoral team was T. Hart, Nc„ 3, who played well in the paris competition. • • ~