Surprise Win At Dominion Bowls Tourney

Chronicle (Levin), 25 January 1949, Page 7

Surprise Win At Dominion Bowls Tourney

Press Association)

(Per

AUCKLAND, Jau. 24. Two titles were decided and the third was advanced to the final round when the 11th dav of play was compJeted in the New Zealand Bowling^ Association's championship tournament. The 4L-year-old painter from Gisborne, S. Gooch, won the singles championship in his first appearance in a national tournament. ' T-wo oxperienced players, J. H. Mingins and F. Livingstone, of Onehunga, who were associated in the' 1948 cham- , pion four, won the pairsGooch's- was - quite the outstanding perforinance of the day for he twice beat J. Pirret Junr., of Tuakau, the only two-lifer left in the singles, and in the last mateh scorcd oue of the quickest wins in the history of the championship. Mingins and Livingstone also twice defeated an opponent to win the pairs title scoring over the Balmoral team of T. A. Ganderton and T. F. Benson in the semi-fmal and winning again at the second encounter after Bensbn liad defeated the Taranaki team skipped by W. Spurdle, of Inglewood. Four games were played in the fours. The most reniarkable matcli oecurred in the quarter-final round when Pilkington's team seore live points on the second to last head of the game with V. O. Potter, of Tauranga, and tlien scored two points .on the final end to win by 26 to 24. In this round tli6 team skipped by G. A. Crowley, of Tolaga Bay, championship winnei' in 1947, liad an even battie with K. 8. Ewing, of Stratford, for most of the game but won fairly comfortably by good. work over the lasr half dozen ends. In the semi-final Skoglund's team combined admirably to score a large win over the Newtown team led by W R. Fleming. Fleming was well aliead in the early stages of tlie game. Skoglund struck his best form and the latter stages were all in his favour. There followed the most unexpected result of the day, the defeat of - Crowley ;s team by Pilkington's by 25 points to 18. Pilkington is in his 71st year and won the first of liis tliree national championships in 1925. His No. 8, W. A. Forsyth, is one-armed and, in average age, all members of his team were scveral years senior-'to Crovvicv's. Nevertholess the veterans got a grip* on t lic game from the early ends and broke away again when Crowlev crept7 up to 15 «P7 on the 18th ehd. On the second "to: last end Pilkington made a magnificent draw to within two fect of the ditch to tako tne shot from Crowlev 's Louclier bowl lying in the ditch. Gooch's Triumph. Gooch achieved the very highesl standards-rn all- -three "Of* his ' singles mafcches. In the first he defeated iv. C. .Travors, of Christchurch, with a good deal of eas'C. Then follo\Vod . his ' first game with |Trrct who was easily the popular choice for the 'championship. I. irrct played like a machine. for the first half dozen ends and led by 8 1 r bofore Gooch struck form. He then scpred on only two moro ends. Gooch for the most part .relied upon drawing shots and excculed tliesc with remarkablo precision but once or twice he played a running shot and showed commondabie skill with it. v I" Lho second game with Pirret in the fi'nal of Llie championsliip, Gooch scored i*i the first nine ends of the game and IhVn.led by 17 to nil before Pirret at lastNacored. Pirret Jacked the toucli whiclrjiad laken liim tli rough twelve rounds n'lidie-fcated but even if ho had had tliat toncli iie would have liad difii eiiltv in dofeating the macliiue-like Gooch. Ati ngifls out played Benson in botli their * pairs encounters, Benson having groat difficulty in obtaining accuracv vvith, his drivcs and ruhuing sliots. The highly experienced Livingstone who zrrrr- — ■ — —

won the singles championship of the Empire Games festival at 8yd ney in 1938, had rather the better of Ganderton at leading and Mingins, especiaiJy in the second game, was in brilliant toucli witli all shots. . The results oi the day were: — Singles Championship. Semi-finals: 8. Gooch (Kahutai) beat L. C. Travers (Christchurch) 22 — 18. First final: Gooch beat J. Pirret Jun. (Tuakau) two-lifer 20 — 12. 8econd liuaL^looch beat Pirret 20—9. Pairs Championship. -Senii-finais : F. Livingstone and J. H. Mingins (Onehunga) beat T. A. Ganderton and J. F. Benson (Balmoral) 25—18. ■ Benson beat E. Ouetzig and W. 8purdle (Inglewood) 28 — 11. Final: Mingins beat Benson 28 — 14. Quarter-finals: li. N. .Pilkington (Hamilton) beat V. C. Potter (Tauranga) 26—21. G, Crowley (Tolaga Bay) beat. K. E. .Ewing (8tratford) 28—19. . .. feomi-finals: Pilkington beat Crowley 25—18. T. T. 8koglund (Otahuhu) beat W. R. Fleming (Newtown) 29 — 15.