BOWLS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 145, 8 March 1918, Page 7

BOWLS

CHAMPION PAIRS WON BY EASTBOURNE KELBURN RUNNERS UP There was a large attendance ,tif bowlers at the Thorndon Bowling , - Club's green yesterday afternoon, when the semi-final and final £ames in tho champion and champions' pairs were played iu perfect weathor. Tho , green wag a little heavy and sodden after the persistent ram of the day before, but it drew very well indeed, without being exactly keen. Play commenced at 1.20 p.m.,.but owing to the extreme deliberation of some or tho contestants, and the number of dead beads recorded in the Newtown-Easfc-courne game, the semi-final games took over throe hours to complete. This meant a late start with the final game, and the two final heads, were, played practically in the dark. "This would lie shot—where I stand 1" was a fre<iuont instruction given to players, who' found it impossible to see the lay of the head. Under such circumstances the bowling waa remarkably accurate, indeed, the play was of a very high standard throughout the afternoon. _Tlie semi-final games were between, howtown and Eastbourne, and Petone andKelburn. In the former gpmo Wylie (tho Newtown skip) was gives rather too much work to do, ana though ho at times played some brilliant shots, ho was not seen to such advantage as ho is on a much keener gfeen. His partner, who played very well for tho first half of the game, became rather erratic towards the end, and waa outclassed by the steady, reliablo play of Harry 'Mayer. It was largely due to Mayor's excellent leading that Wyllie had to "doad-head" sc frequontly. Powell (Eastbourne's skip) was in great form, and scarcely ever threw a bowl away. The other serai-final game between Kolburn and Petone was very even for the first half of the game, and then Kelburn drew ahead, and won comfortably by a margin of ten points. The Semi-final. * The Ecores in the semi-final, games ivera:— Eastbourne.—Mayer and Powell, 24; JNewtown—Laws and Wyllie, 16. Kelburn—Doherty and Gray, 24; Pe-' tone—M'Ewan and Melhuish, 14. The Final. Tho final game was full of interest throughout. Both pairs gave an exr cellent account of themselves, and it .could bo said that the score scarcely indicates how close they were in goneral form. Steadiness and reliability marked the play of both leads,, but, if anything, Mayer was the most consistent, and gavo his skip the best support. Dohorty was playing with fine accuracy for the first twelve heads, and oven after that almost held his own, but Mayer (who won the champion singles last week) was not to be denied, and'tho concluding half of the game saw him lie with the greatest frequoncy. Thanks to good loading and Gray's solid play as skip, Kelburn led up till the nineteenth head, when tho scoro was 16—14 in , that club's favour. The nineteenth head proved to be tho crucial one of the game. Doherty put a beauty right on tho jack in front, which shot appeared, to be well protected by a couplo of bowls lying a yard in front on an angle. Both Mayor and afterwards his skip triod to move tho shot bowls with drawing shots, but failing, Powell, whose wood lay thick behind the jack, essayed a difficult shot—to drive straight botween the two front howls and lift; tho shot bowl off tho jack. This he-was successful in .doing, and as the result of his skill lay five. Gray played one down , on tho wing, and Powell rested 'it back a little with his last bowl and lay six. It was a great shot, which earned a round of applause from the bank. Powell's two shots put Eastbourne four ahead, with two heads to go. On the penultimate head—played in the gathering gloom—Eastbournemanaged to annex another point, and on tho final head Gray drove the jack out to the boundary lino in an attempt to burn tho head, and when the wide-lying bowls were inspected in the dark it was'ffound that Kelburn lay one shot,, leaving Eastbourne the winners by "four points. The scores were:—Eastbourne: Mayer and Powell, 21. Kelburn:. Dohorty and Gray, 17. It is interesting to note that Powell was the runner-up for the centre's champion singles in 1916 and 1917, and his partner won that event this year. Mayer, in ' partnership with Gray (Kelburn) won the champion pairs last season... THE CHAMPION RINKS. The champion of champions' . rinks will be played off on the Wellington Club's green on Tuesday afternoon aud : Wednesday next. ■ himTplns. The weekly contest for the Hill Pins resulted as follow: — Seatoun (holders)— North, M'Gill, M'Lennan, M'Girr (s.). 'Johnsonrille (challengers)—o Neill, Harrop, Petrie, Orr (s.), 14. Kelburn will be the chaUengers on Tuesday nest, the game being played a day earlier on account of the full rinks championship being played on Wednes*-. day. __^______«