BOWLS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2352, 7 January 1915, Page 3

BOWLS

WELLINGTON CENTRE'S TOURNAMENT

WON BY PORTEOUS'S RINK

The Wellington Centre's annual tournament was concluded .yesterday afternoon on the Wellington Club's green in dull, blustering weather. The green was in good condition .and played very keenly, but the action of the occasional gusts of wind which swept over the green waa often very trying to the players. The game was keenly fought to the last bowl; and was only won by Porteous (Wellington) by a single point. The'; result was Wellington—lnnes, Waddell,' Bary, Porteous (s.), 18; Petone—M'Arthur, Rennie, Fowler, Beynon (s.), 17.

On the first head Porteous lay a tbird shot when Beynon had his last bowl to T>lay. With' it he rested the Wellington bowl out and lay three. When the skips went down on the second head Beynon drew on to Bary's shot arid lay three, but Porteous, with his last shot, tipped the jack on a cotiple of feet, and lay. second shot with Waddell's bowl, Petone 8 up.

Innes lay shot when the skips went down in the third head. Beynon was short with his first and wide with his second, and Porteous managed to get in ; another shot. Petone, 3; Wellington, 2. The fourth head—a short one—found everyone a stray. Waddell lay the shot over , a yard away jack high. Beynon made no alteration, but Porteous drew another, and kept' them. Wellington, i; Petone, 4. On the fifth head Bevnon'a men got in. two sliots, and held them. Wellington, 4; Petone, 6. In the sixth head Wellington lay three at the cross-over. Beynon took out one with a drive, and attempted to do likewise with the others with .his second bowl, and missed, leaving Wellington .with two shots. Score—six all.

In the seventh head, Wellington lay three when the skips went down, and held them, Beynon having the narrows on both occasions.

Pertone' lay one when the skips changed ends in the eight head. Porteous attempted to drag the jack with his first bowl and just managed to miss, nnd with" his: second fell short. '• Wellington, 9; Petonej 7.

The ninth head ?aw Petone with three shots in and skips to play. Beynon drew another shot,' and Porteous cot in with a toucher lying on© down. Beynon kept the one..

Petone lay one again on the tenth; head and. it stayed there to the end »f the head. Score—nine all.

.. Tile eleventh, head saw some pretty play. Fowler played a beautiful shot and lay. ■. Beynon's first, Bowl " was short. Porteous' attempted to get the kitty away with his first shot, but found a port. Beynon rested on Fowler and got another shot. Then Porteons played a magnificent shot, tipping the j.ick out to the lee of one of his own bowls.

• On the twelfth head Beynon, with his last bowl, tipped a .front bowl up and robbed Wellington of the shot. Score: Ten all.

On the next head Beynon with his first bowl beat; Barry's good.- shot and lay three. Porteous was a yard too strong. Beynon got' in another shot and toucher, and everybody held breath . whilst Porteous drow a lovely shot;,

Beynon returned the compliment on the head (the fourteenth), when he tipped his own front bowi up on, edge and lay the shot by a couple of inches. Loud applause. Score: Eleven all.

• The fifteenth, head' was one of _ the widest. There was nothing . within a yard and a; half'of the jaok when the ,6kips went down. They, too,' were wide, and Beynon measured up three shots. Score: Petone, 14: Wellington, 11. . .

Every player's index finger went up when Portco\is played his final bowl on the sixteenth head, but the measure gave one' to Petone. Wellington clustered'round the jack in good style on the fateful seventeenth head, and the rods could count four shots, with the nearest Petone bowl over two yards away_. , With his first bowl Beynon went wide and rested in the deep field. Porteous ■ drew another shot. Beynon drove to. save, and got one shot'away, and Porteous drew another with deadly accuracy. Five for Wellington! Score: Wellington, 16; Petone, 15. : . v

On the eighteenth head Petone lay the shot when the skips went down, and they made 'no difference. The nineteenth head gave Wellington one shot, without: the skips altering the position. The twentieth head saw Bary draw two fine shots, But M'Arthur (Petone's lead) Btill lay .when the skips .went down. Porteous went; behind and Beynon followed. Porteous, with his second, got on to a side bowl, and Beynon rested on a front one without altering the position—-Petone, one. Score: Wellington, 18; Petone, 16. The final head was very exciting. Beynon had to get, two to tie, and three to win. Petone lay the shot when the skips went down. Beynon with his first bowl went narrow, and Porteous was side-traoked Beynon then sought to. drive Wellington's second shot to Cairo, but missed badly on the narrow- side, victory resting with the Wellington Club's; representatives by the smallest possible margin. : THE TEAMS HONOURED. At the. conclusion of the game Mr. E. J. Hill, president of' the Wellington Bowling : Centre, in 'addressing.the assembled bowlers and friends, said that all would agree that : they nad had a successful tournament. The weather had been all that could be desired except ifor the dampness on New Year's Day, and the greens were all in splendid order, for which they owed a debt', of gratitude to all the clubs concerned. In presenting the first prize to Mr. Porteous, lie could 6ay that it gave satisfaction to every, bowler to see him win the tournament again. It was a great-feat to be a dual winner, Mr. Porteous having won both last year and this. (Applause.) Mr. Beynon had put up a great fight, and had it not . been for that unfortunate five he would probably have been the winner. (Applause and laughter.) After presenting the Flyger ■ Shield, 1 and. trophies; Mr. Hill mentioned that Mr. l'orteous and a good team were going .to the Auckland tournament, and they all wished him the best of luck. Mr. Beynon had- proved himself: to be a very fine bowler, and a good sport, and every team in the tournament whom he had met .' had been proud :to play against him, and they were sorry, some of them at all that he did not •win. (Laughter and applause.) To Mr. T. Ballinger was awarded the aggregate points prize. He was the hero of a hundred fights, and judging from the games he had played and wins he had recorded, ho must be a hundred years old. (Laughter.) He (Mr. Hill) had, ho was sure, heard of his prowess when in the cradle. They were all glad Mr. Ballinger had done so well, and he would hold the Gisborne Rose Bowl for a year. Cheers were then given for "Porteous and his merry men," and the old ohorus so familiar to all was sung in his honour. ■ Mr. Porteous said that as skip of the team he thanked all for the manner in which they had received his victory. It was delightful to win, and he recognised that they had been fortunate in winning. If- it'had not been for the fivo and Baiy's lucky wicks bo did not think they would have had that honour.- He heartily congratulated tho riwncrs-UD, and caid .that throughout

the tournament the games had been keenly contested, and the standard of play had been very high. He also congratulated Mr. J. J. Roberts on tho manner in which he had conducted the tournament. . Cheers were given for Messrs. BoyDon and Ballinger, who .roplied briefly, and Mr. Hill again referred toMr. Roberts's work as director of the tournament.