N.Z. BOWLING TOURNEY

Chronicle (Levin), 20 January 1949, Page 9

N.Z. BOWLING TOURNEY

press Association)

1 W EighteenFoursRemain Unbeaten

(Per

AUCKLAND, Jan. 19. . Eighteen of 412 teams entexed in the New Zealand Bowling Asso"eiationJs fours championships, remain unbeaten aftex six xounds of section play tonight. These have alxeady qualified fox postsection play whieh begins on Pxiday but a considexable pexeentage of the coxnpeting founs stiil have a chanee with the last two games of section play tamorrow, by gaining thet minimum xequirement of six suceesses to enable them to continue. The skips still unbeaten axe: — W. P. O 'Neill (Auckland), Smith (Helensville), O'Connor- (Ohaupo), Marinovich (Oxatia)', Mexedith (Balmoral), Ewing (Stratford), Blackwell (Putaruru), Wootton (Pukekohe), Skoglund (Otahuhu), Bremner (Carlton),. Morris (Whitiora), Fleming (Newtown), Engebretsen (Heretaunga), Burndred (Mangere), Neve (Hallyburton Jolmstone), Donaldson (Ponsonby), Bradley (Ponsonby), Leather (Ponsonby). The powerful Heretaunga skip, Enge-1 bretsen, was fully extended for the first time by Hawken (Hamilton). Engebretsen was behind almost throughout the game but got up on the last head to wip. by two points. O 'Neill, the highly experienced Auckland Club ' player has yet to be fully tested while Smith (Helensville), with probably the oldest aggregate team of the tournament is also coasting along in one of the easier sections. Marinovich with Garelja, his skip in the 1948 champion pairs as number three, and Meredith (Balmoral) ar.e both unbeaten in the same section and will not meet in section play. . Ewing is the only Taranaki player unbeaten. Skoglund, one of the last two-lifers in the singles, is etill winning by good margins. The team is playing well as was instaneed in one head this morning when, after . t'he first six Otahuhu bowls were seut down, he lay five shots with four touchers. Bremner 's Carlton team in cludes Donaldson, lead in his 1940 champion pair, as two and the capable . Connew brothers as lead and three. On paper it is the most powerful team in the competition but today they were twice extended. Narrow wins were achieved only by the skip's exceptionally fine drawing. The defending champions, the Onehunga four skipped by Mingins, have lost only one game to date and on displays , today, are almost certain to gain one furtlier win tomorrow to carry forward to post-section play. One of the best games of the day was that in which Glover (Gonville) beat Benson's Balmoral team whieh ineluded as three, pairs lead Gandefton with whom he retains two lives in the pairs chS'nfpionship?' Glover was "leading 17 — '3 after 11 erids, when a very heavy rain shower held up play for 20 minutes and completely changed the paee of the green. On the next four ends after resumption, Benson scored xour, three, two and two to trail 17 — 14 but scored only two two's and two one's thereafter. Glover won 25 — 20.

In another close game, North,' the young virile Papatoetoe skip, defeated Constantine (Auckland) after an extra end. North was leading 25-^18 on the 21st head. Constantine scored three, two and three on the 22nd, 24th and 25th heads to make the score 26 all. Constantine laid the sliot in the last end but North took the bowl out with his last ball and changed the score to three in his favour. Pirret, sole remaining two-lifer in the singles, and stiil in the pairs, had only . three wins up to tonight and is now unable to qualify for post-section play in the fours which probaoly is a blessing in disguise for him. It would be unfortnnate if he were deprived of the chance of winning the singles by fatigiie caused by constant play. The Crowley brothers (Tolaga Bay)

1947 . champions, suffered their first defeat by a narrow margin at the hands df Harland (Remuera) this afternoon. Travers (Christchurch) one of the three players remaining in the singles, still I has a chance of going forward to the post-section fours, having had only one loss to date. White (Runanga) 1946 winner, nad two unexpected defeats today and needs to win both games tomorrow to reach the post-section rounds.