BOWLS.

Dominion, Issue 1337, 15 January 1912, Page 3

BOWLS.

-ft SND OF N.B.A. TOURNAMENT HEMINGWAY (VICTORIA) WINS THE "LAST TRY." PRINCE (NEWTOWN) WINS THE CONSOLATION. Tho w.eather conditions for bowls on Saturday won" distinctly unfavourable. A good deal of ruin had fallen the previous night, making tho green rather dull, and n slitY northerly galo blew in blasts across the playing area in a manner which disturbed Iho best-laid shots. Added to.this a heavy shower of rain fell at 11 a.m.,'causing most of those engaged on tho green to decamp hastily to the pavilion for coats and umbrellas. The rain did not last long, however, but the wind continued to blow furiously, making tho piny tho reverse of pleasurable. In the morning tho final game in tho Consolation Match was played between Princo (Newtown) and M'Gregor (Carlton), tho result being- a fairly easy win for Wellington's doyen of bowls. This win gavo tho Newtow.ii Club a double victory—tho championship (won by Wylie) and tho Consolation (won by Prince).* As Still (Wellington Club) was runner-up in the championship, nnd Hemingway (Victoria) won tho "Last Try," it will be seen that every prize offered by the association was won by clubs belonging to Wellington city—a notable record.

"THE LAST TRY." THE SEMI-FINAL. The semi-fiiinl gamo in tho Last Try nwtch was played on the Wellington Club's green on Saturday morning, tho result being a victory for Hemingway (Victoria), who had a comparatively easy win against Gordon (St. John's). Tho result was as follows:— Viotoria—Tucker, Chapman, Hatch, Hemingway (s-), 26. St. John's—Scrivener, Paterson, Christie, Gordon (s.), 16. The rinks kept level up to the sixth head, when Hemingway had a lead of one, 0-8. Then Gordon stuck dead for lour heads, while Hemingway put on no fewer than eight points, which made Gordon s tight an uphill one. On tho twelfth head Gordon scored two, to which Hemingway responded with a lucky six, making tho score 23-10 oil tho thirteenth head. Victoria got a single mi tho next head, and then took root for three heads, whilst Gordon got a two and hvo singles, but singles were no good to Gordon, who only managed to total 16 on the twentieth head to his opponents' 26, when, as tho position was hopeless for St. John's, tho gamo was terminated. THE FINAL. ' Though tho weather was even worse than in tho morning, a keen interest was manifested •in the final gamo for the Last Try," which resulted in Hemingway (Victoria) beating Walker (Ponsonby) •by tho narrowest majority. Tho scores were: Victoria—Tucker, Chapman, Hatch, Hemingway (s.), 22. Bcecnft, Sneddon, Walker (s.), 2J. It was'an up-and-down game, with the advantage with no ono up to the seventeenth head, when the score stood at 16 all. On' the eighteenth head Walker scored two, and on the nineteenth HemlVr S M a -' witn a s P lcmlul drive, cut put Ualker s shot bowl and lay four. On the twentieth head Walker's men, by good drawing on a wet green, got in t'hreo shots, to which result Hemingway assisted by driving the jack back amongst Walker's wood, against which it collided. It was n hard luck shot. N This gave Walker the advantage of one point, with one head (o go. On the twenty-first head Tucker (Victoria's lead) drew a beautiful shot, and it and-cosy against tho jack until tho skips-went down. With his first bowl Walker drove and missed. Hemingway played to block, but did not find the line. With his second bowl tho Ponsonby skip struck-the jack fair in the face with ft magnificent drive, carried it into the ditch and lay tho slnt—nine feet away. Then Hemingway, with line nerve, drew steadily, and amidst applause got within four feet of "kitty" and lay the shot, tho game was 21 all. On the play off, Maurice Casey (Ponsonby) drew a lovely shot within two inches of tho side of the jack. Chapman (Victoria), with his second- bowl, just touched Casey's shot up a little and lay in its place, while Casey's bowl, still the shot, rested on its edge precariously for about a minute, and thon gradually fell over on the flat, giving Chapman the shot. A blast of wind did it. Snedden (Ponsonby's No. o) essayed to drive it out, but mjssed, and Chapman's all-important shot still lay when the skips went down. Homingway attempted to put in a block with his (irst bowl, and just missed the line. Walker drove at the shot bowl hard, and missed by inches. Once more Hemingway just failed to shield his shot, and down came Walker with a hard drive, missed once-more by an inch, and Hemingway lay the game. 4 It was a splendid finish to the finest bowling tournament ever held in NewZealand. The teams in tho final gamo must, after the record of each, be classed as even—the difference between them only amounted to a puff of wind, and when it comes to -wind Wellington must win—and it did. THE CONSOLATION MATCH. WON BY PEINCE (NEWTOWN). The final game in the Consolation Match was played on the Wellington Club's green yesterday morning, and resulted in a win for the Newtown Club's rink, skipped by veteran George Princo. The scores wore:— Newtown—Mayo, Sexton, Price, Princo (s.), 24. Carlton—Otter, Gaudin, Lamb, M'Gregor (s.), 21. These rinks jogged along in sunshine and rain fairly, evenly to the eleventh head, when tho score was: Prince, 13; M'Gregor, 12. Then the hope of Newtown got a two and a four in succession, and «o established a lead which was never headed. On the twentieth head the scorewas: Prince, 21; M'Gregor, 17. As the Carlton skip wanted a hatful to win, ho made I dead-head after dead-head, but Princo proved too wily a general to allow his opponent to collect a bunch. On the twentieth head, after a couple of deadhoads, Prince lay tho shot. On tho last head M'Grogor's men drew in well, while Prince contented himself by placing his bowls well at tho back in case M'Gregor drove tho jack. As it was hopeless to do that with such a defence, he drew tho shot, and at tho end of the ijamc lav four, which made Prince tho winner by three points. BANNER AND SHIELD. BY WHOM IT HAS BEEN WON. In 1897 the Champion Bannor and Shield Competition was inaugurated (which in those days had to bo won by two rinks). In that year it was won by rinks from the Christchurch and Kaitun'a Clubs (South Island), but as they were not affiliated to tho Northern Bowling Association, they could not lift tho Bannor and Shiold. Wanganni being second, held the trophies. After that the results wore:— Napier (1888)— First, Palmerston North; second, Wanganni. Auckland (1900)-First, Neinnarket; second, Wellington. Wellington (1902)— First, Victoria; second, Wellington. Auckland (19M)—First, Wellington; second, Ponsonby. Wellington (1906)— First, Southland; second, Newtown (took Banner and Auckland (190S)—First, Carlton; second, Gisbornc. Wellington (1910)— First, Wellington; second, Grey Lynn. Auckland (1911)— First, Onchunga; second, Ponsonby. Wellington (1912)— First, Newtown; second. Wellington. [Note.—Prior to 1910 tho Banner and Shield were played for every other year. Now they are played for annually.]