DOMINION BOWLING

Chronicle (Levin), 11 January 1949, Page 7

DOMINION BOWLING

Press Association)

Champions Fail In Singles Section Play

(Per

AUCKJLAND, Jan. 10. There were extraordinary upsets of form in the first day of play of tlie 34th national championship bowling tournament wliieh began on 23 Auckland greens today. The national ehampions of 1947 and 1948, S. Vella, of Onehunga, and S. Marriott, of Opawa, were, both eliminated in tlie tliree rounds of section play which were played today, Vella falling in the first two rounds and Marriott in the three. Another past national •ehampion im both singles and fours, J. A. Engrebretsen, of Heretaunga, Hastings, was also defeated twice in three rounds. F. Livingstone, of Onehunga, singles ehampion in 1936 and one of the present rinks champions, lost a life and his leader in the ehampion rink of lasi year, J. H. Mingins, also of Onehunga, also lost a life. C. L. A. Spearnan, of Sydenham, one of the few players in the history of tlie championship to win the singles title twice — 1937 and 1941 — like a number of other prominent "players, was beaten in his lirst game but hung on grimly in tlie next two to retain a life. He was more fortunate than the runner-up to Vella two years ago, W. Freetli, of Nelson, who was beaten in the lirst two games and eliminated almost without a struggle in his second game 26 — 14. It seemed more than a coineidence that the three players of the front rank, Marriott, Vella and Freetli, sliould all be defeated on the Grev ..Lynn green. This was notably bare at the ends and not of championship quality. Judgment of both pace and green was exceptioually difficult and Freetli in particular could make nothing of the foreliand draw — his strongest shot — when playing to the northern end of the rink. Vella had himseif mostly to blame for his first loss against E. Spurdle, of Inglewood. - He had won an early lead with victories on the short heads and then unthinkingly threw a long jack which was admirably suited to Spurdle 's- free styie of play. jSpurdle gained points with good bowling but even so he was 11 — 16 down with two heads to play. Vella had the jack to throw but was overcareful aud the ball failed to 'reach tlie boundary mark. Spurdle proinptly threw a long jack and scored tlie maximum cf four points 011 the head when Vella played soiue extraordinarily poor bowls. Spurdle was then one down with one head to play. He made sure of throwing another long head and la}* ti\*o shots for victory when Vella essaved his last sliot, a drive to c break up the head. The shut .was jll played and Spurdle won an exciting and deserved victory. The prominent Wellington player W F. Had win, went out in straiglit games. I11 the first game his opponent wor. with the last bowl of the game but in the second encounter Iladwin was much troubled by the fact tliat he was on ai: end rink and he could make no iuipres - sion oji his opponent. A good impression was made by the youngest player in the tonmament, F. C. Hearsey, of Palmerston North, who is only 21. He narrowly lost his first game by two points but retained his life in the other two. Hearsey, whose father was eliminated, took up the game four years ago aften an accident at Riigby. This is his first national championship. Problems Involved. The fantastic growth of popul&rity of the tournanient since prcwar days has created administrative problems of dismaying complexity. As an instance, about 15,000 names had to be handwritten on to score cards for the tournanient. It has also caused a division of opiuion over the worth of a "championship ' ' tournament which is unrestricted in entry. However, 110 critic of the present system has been able to deny that it is very difficult to win any of the three titles. There is no such person as a definite favourite for any of the cliampionships this year, and it is significant that none of the present title-hblders was successful in the 1947 championship.