BOWLS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2412, 18 March 1915, Page 9

BOWLS

CHAMPION PAIRS TOURNEY RINK CONTEST SEMI-FINAL Being St. Patrick's Day, yesterday was a great day on the green. It was made of more than vsual interest by the Wellington Bowling Centre, which elected to play its championship pairs tournament on the Wellington Club's green. The weather was all that could he desired, and the lower green, on which the matches were played, was in capital ordor. There was just a nice little grip in the green, which militated against the extreme slipperiness of the last few weeks, making the conditions ideal for a steady draw. All the clubs were represented save Otaki and Khaudallah. The results of tho first round of tho pairs contest were as -under: — FIRST ROUND. Karori (Maitlaad and Crawford) beat Hutt (Davidson and Barlow), 25—20. Victoria (Bolton and Snowden) beat Johnsonville (Smyth and Morgan), 24 -19. Hataitai (Mitchell and F. Laurenson) beat Thorndon (Johnson aud Leighton), 23-17. Kelburn (Mayer and Dall) beat Lyall Bay (Brown and 1 Lambert), 27 —11. Petone (Cates and Wtarne) beat Newtown (Prince and Brackenridge), 21 —14. • Seatoun (Green and Hill) beat Eastbourne (Pilcher and Morris), 30 —7. Byes: Wellington (G re n fell and Thompson) and Te Hiwi (M'Clintock and Wilson). SECOND ROUND. Victoria beat Seatoun, 22 —21.. . Te Hiwi beat Kelburn, 20 —19. Karori beat Wellington, 22 —13.' Hataitai beat Petone, 25 —13. SEMI-FINAL. Victoria beat Karori, 20 —16. The other game in the semi-final, between Hataitai and Te Hiwi, will be played at 1 p.m. to-day, the winner to play off with Victoria. CHAMPIONSHIP RINKS. Semi-Final. Te Hiwi: Ba6kiville, Wiggins, Cohen, Hill (s.), 20. Petone: M'Ewen, Coles, Beynon, Stephens (s.) : 12. Hataitai: Baillie, Mitchell, Barnes, Laurenson (s,), 23. Kelburn: Manly, M'Coll, Routley. Dall (s.), 19. The final in the rinks will be played at 4 p.m. to-day.

NOTES ON THE PLAY.

Tho second round of the pairs was marked by some exceedingly close finishes. The game between l'e Hiwi and Kelburn was in issue up. to. the ; last bowl. On the eigliteenth ; .head Wfson (To Hiwi) managed to get in a sis, which pulled his score up let el with' fall's (16 all). On tho twentieth head the scoro was 19 all, and' when tho skips went down Dall was. lying one shot. Wilson failed to dislodge it with three drives, but with the fourth bowl he just managed to nick oui the shot bowl, leaving Lira the shot. Dall was an inch or two too narrow to do tho trick with his last bowl, and To Hiwi lay' the game. The game between Seatoun and Victoria was another close-fought contest. .Seatoun led up to the fourteenth head when Victoria got ahead with a three. The score was 21—20 in favour "of Victoria on the twentieth head, and on the final head Seatoun managed to get in one shot. On the play off 'Victoria scored a single, and the game. Wellington went down rather badly to Karori, and Petone was soundly beaten by Hataitai, thanks to Laurenson's aggressive ana accurate play. Hill. (Te Hiwi) bad a rather easy victory over Wearn© (Petone) in the rinks, winning with a margin of eight points. Tho other semi-final in tho rinks was rather sensational. The conclusion of the eighteenth head saw Dall (kelburn) with 19 points to Laurenson's (Hataitai) 12, and the odds were all against Hataitai on the play. Barnes (liataitai's No. 3) was playing indifferently, and was not at all responsive to the skip's instructions,. After a couple of deadheads, Hataitai gathered round tho jack, and scored four, amidst great excitement. On the next licad Laurenson who. already lay tho shot managed, with a magnificent shot to trail the kitty about a foot, and lay five, making the score 21—19 in Hataitai's favour. On the last hoad a lot of wood was piled in front of the jack, with Hataitai lying two Bhots at the side. Dall tried a. dramatic shot on the fore-hand with his first shot, but lay nearly a yard away. Laurenson blocked that draw, when Dall attempted to bump his front wood up, but there was not enough fira in the shot, and Laurenson took the game, with four points to spare. The result of the day's plav leaves Hataitai in the Bemi-final of the pairs and the final of the rinks, which is an exceedingly oreditable performance.