BOWLS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2351, 6 January 1915, Page 7

BOWLS

WELLINGTON CENTRE'S TOURNAMENT SOME FINAL GAMES Contrary to all expectations rain fell yesterday morning. True there was not much of it, still what there was served to give the green a grip, which had been absent during the tournament, calling for an amount of push to get up to the jack that would have meant the ditch every time on Monday. The two morning games, both of whioh were splendidly contested, attracted a. large number of spectators, who manifested the liveliest interest in every shot played, and no player who put down a good bowl was denied a round of hearty applause. Ten rinks were left in the finals. To play cut fairly the names of six skips wore drawn from a hat. The four skips left constituted the first round of the finals, and played off as drawn in the following manner:— FIEST ROUND. Routley (Kelburn). v. Hendry (Hutt). Kelburn—Doherty, Gannaway,.M'Coll, Routley (s.), 20; Hutt—Jones, Simpson, Holiard, Hendry (s.), 18. On the completion of the twentieth head Hendry scored one which put him two ahead. With tree to win Routley bad his'work cut out, but with accurate drawing the Kelburn man got in two shots, and so made a tie on the last head. When the skips went up on the last head Routley lay two each about, half a yard away. Routley put in a front bowl with his first, and went wide with his second, whilst Hendry failed to alter the positions. The most remarkable feature of the game was Hendry's wonderful recovery from an apparently hopeless position! On the ninth head Kelburn was 14 and Hutt one, and on the eleventh the score was 15—3 in favour of Kelburn. The first, tie came on the eighteenth head (16 all). Beynon (Petone) v. Remington (Wel-

lington). Petone—M'Arthur, Ronnie, Fowler, Beynon (s.), 22; Wellington—Jeffrey, Varnham, Pettigrew, Remington (s.). The rinks were level (11 all) on the fifteenth head. Remington scored one on the following heads. On the eighteenth head Beynon scored a single, and'in the nest head both Pettigrew and Remington failed, and Beynon secured a valuable four. Petone kept it up by getting in a single on the twentieth. On the last head Beynon's howls lay all round the jack, and Remington's onlv hope was to '.rail kitty through. In'making the attempt with his last howl he took his own nearest bowl out, leaving Beynon a full hand. SECOND ROUND. Perry (Masterton) v. Routley (Kelburn). Masterton. — Cresswell, Chapman, Pragnall, Perry (s.), 22; Kelburn— Dohortv, Gannaway, M'Coll, Routley (a.), 17. , v . In this game Perry established!; an early lead, and was never headed throughout the game. Kelburn got within three of their opponents on the -thirteenth head, which was quickly nullified by the four which Masterton - got on the next head. On the nineteenth head Routley got a four, which made the score 19—16, and another one secured by Kelburn brought them within two of their opponents on the twentieth head. On the final head Perry's team got in three shots, one of which 'M'Coll took out and Perry drew another, giving him three and a win. 22—17.

Beynon (Petone) v. Laurenson . (Hataitai). Petone—M'Arthur, Fraser, Fowler, Beynon (s.), 22; Hataitai—Claridge, Donald, M'WhanneH, F. Laurenson (b.), 14. In this game the play was not very edifyiug, the majority of the heads being fairly wide of the-jaok. Beynon's team did not play so well as usual, and the Hataitai boys were not in beadbuilding form, the result being that Laurenson was called upon to drive a good deal, but the resultant dead-head's did him little good, and Perry finished up with eight points to spare. Ballinger (Wellington) v. Thompson (Wellington). Wellington—Wylie, Osborn, Berry, Ballinger (s.), 24; Wellington—Grenfell,. Campbell, Frost, Thompson (s.), 15. ■ A capital contest resulted between the clubmates up till tho fifteenth head, when the score was 14 all. In the three succeeding heads Ballinger got a four and two singles. Thompson got a single on the nineteenth head, and Ballinger hammered home his win by getting a single and three on the two last heads. Porteous (Wellington) v. Churchward (Wellington). Wellington—lnnes, Waddell, Bary, Porteous (s.), 23; Wellington—Kinvig, Geddis, Horner, Churchward (s.), 18. ■This game was watched throughout with intense interest by a full bank, and it was well worth watching. Churchward established a serviceable lead in the first half of the gamo, and on the sixteenth head led 18—12. From thai out Churchward never scored a point. His total was passed on the nineteenth head when Porteous {jot in a lucky fire on tbe widest head in the game. The latter wound up with 23 points to his credit, SEMI-FINALS. Perry (Masterton) v. Beynon (Petone). Petone—M'Arthur, Fraser, Fowler, Beynon (s.), 18; Masterton —Creswell, Chapman, Pragnall, Perry (s.), 14. For the first time in the tournament Perry's excellent rink from Masterton, though they fought gamely against defeat, showed evidences of being slightly "off colour." That is to say that they did not draw with the same accuracy, nor did they build so well as in the section games, where they carried everyone's hearty respect. Beynon drew away steadily until tho thirteenth head saw the Petone "stayer" eight points to the good. After that Perry's rink, scored a two, one, and two on tho sixteenth ' and the following heads, which brought him within two points of Petone. The draw went to Beynon on his nineteenth and twentieth heads, and the final head saw the "stayer" four points to the good— and a competitor in the final Porteous (Wellington) v. Ballinger (Wellington). Wellington—lnnes, • Waddell, Bary, Porteous (s.), 18;_ Wellington—Wylie, Osborn, Berry, Ballinger (s.), 9. Porteous jumped into the load, and with seven' heads gone Ballinger was only two to bis opponent's eight. Then, thanks to Osborne's sound drawing powers and Ballinger's facility in driving , the latter scored on the next four heads—three singles and a two. Thereafter, however, Ballinger only scored on two heads (singles), whilst Porteous, well supported oy his team, particularly by Waddell, clapped on ton points, but never more than two on any liead—winning by a margin of nino points.

THE FINAL TO-DAY. The final game between Porteous (Wellington) and Beynon (Petono) will be played on the Wellington , Club's green to-day, commencing _ at 2 p.m. sharp. Both skips are skilled players and both popular men on the green, and there should be a full bank to watch the game.