WATTS WINS RINKS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 82, 31 December 1934, Page 2

WATTS WINS RINKS

Christmas Bowling Final KEEN POST SECTION PLAY Playing skilfully through a scries of sternly-fought post-section rounds, the. team skipped by 11. Watts (Victoria club) won the Wellington Bowling Ccntre’s Christmas rinks competition on Saturday. The finalists they beat were Neilson’s rink (Karori), Hill (Wellington) and Nielsen (Kelburn), being eliminated in the semi-finals, and Silbery (Petone) and Smith (Kelburn) in the first round. The day was fine, and the green at tlje Wellington club, where all the post-section rounds were played, keen in spite of a little rain overnight, although patches of a slower character increased players’ difficulties. Silbery’s Defeat. Silbery’s team did not play up to the form which it displayed in section play, but the game was not lost until the seventeenth or eighteenth head. Petone won the first three heads, but the Kelburn men took the succeeding four, so that on the seventh head the score was 10-5 against Silbery. The scores fluctuated until the fifteenth, when they were 13-13. Kelburn scored two on the sixteenth. Silbery’s No. 3 attempted to remove one of Neilsen’s bowls when Petone was shot during the seventeenth head, but the jack rebounded off a bowl to the side of the head, and Nielsen lay three, which situation was not altered before the end of the head. The score was then 18-13 against Silbery, and although ho got four on the eighteenth, and two on the twenty-first, a two and a cue to Neilsen allowed the latter to maintain his lead and win. Watts appeared likely to win early in his game with J. R. Smith. He won the first three heads, but Smith had made the score even at 10 by the twelfth head. Tlu;ee further heads to Watts made the score 15-10 in his favour at the conclusion of the fifteenth, and although the losers reduced the difference, they never brought the totals even again. Neilson beats Hill. ■ The twenty-first head of the game in which Neilson beat Hili was not played, the latter’s recovery being impossible by then. Hill did not score until the sixth head, when he got two. Neilson’s total was then 11. The Wellington skip drew some good shots on the succeeding few heads, but his team never overcame the handicap of the unfortunate start, and there was a difference of ten at the conclusion of the twentieth head. The result of this game was attributed largely to the play of the respective leads. The mate’ll between Watts and Neilson was one of the keenest of the tournament and the killing of a number of heads prolonged it to over three hours. Neilson secured four points on the first head and Watts three on the second, but the third was a .tie. A three on the fifth to Neilson was countered with four on the sixth by Watts. On the seventh head the score was eight-all'. The thirteenth saw Watts with 14 and Neilson with 12. The fourteenth was burned thrice, but finally was won by Neilson, who added two to his total. Watts was leading 19-15 at the nineteenth. Three to Neilson from the twenties brought the totals nearly even. When the skips were delivering their bowls in the twenty-first head Neilson was lying three or four and needed two to win, but Watts drew second shot and the one left to Neilson was insufficient to save the game for him. FinalisCJ’Struggle. The final was anybody’s game throughout. The totals were even on, the fourth, seventh, ninth and sixteenth heads. At the conclusion of the sixteenth both Neilson and Watts had 15 against their names. In the seventeenth O'Connor drew a splendid shot a foot from the jack. Dyett was) short and a little narrow. Keech was wide and over the head with his first. Tucker also was rather narrow. Gilbert made a good attempt, but was a trifle short of getting the shot.- Tucker went to the back. Gilbert drew a firm one on the backhand to get the shot bowl, but isitrudk the woods in front. A drive by Neilson was rather narrow and Watts also was narrow. Another drive by Neilson struck the “front stuff” and the head was unchanged, Watts scoring two. Victoria Increase Lead. O'Connor was six feet over the jack with his first bowl in the eighteenth head, and Dyett drew alongside him. With his second O’Connor was three inches in front of the kitty. Grant drew second shot two or three feet on the jack on the backhand. Keech drew beautifully with his first bowl, tipping O’Connor’s bowl on the jack and staying alongside himself. Grant drew a splendid shot right on the kitty with his first. Keech’s second made no change, and Grant drew in two feet behind the shot bowl. Tucker passed the head and lay six feet behind, and Gilbert came to the back also. A drive by Tucker went through the head. Neilson asked Gilbert for a position shot, but the latter drew a little short of the head. Watts played a firm shot which disturbed the head, the jack going back and giving him one shot. Neilson just failed to draw inside the shot bowl, and Watts played a short one to protect the head, but it was still left open. A fast onti by Neilson did not get the object, and Victoria was one up on the head, making.the score: Watts 17, Neilson 15. The nineteenth was opened by O’Connor drawing a good shot slightly in front of the jack. Dyett drew up to the shot, but did not change the position, and O'Connor’s next wont six feet behind. Dyett’s second was a little over. The kitty was drawn a little back by Keech, making Victoria one up. Grant’s second was a .good bowl, but a little strong, and got second shot. Tucker drew on to the shot bqwl, and nearly gave Karori the shot (a measure), and later he snicked off the front bowl and, got the shot in front! .Gilbert was a little wide, and ran behind the head. Watts was narrow with his first, and stopped on the short bowls. No further change was made to the head. Neilson playing firmly, but being narrow with his first, and being a little short with his second. Watts’s total was raised by one. La,st Bowl Saves Head. Watts won the twentieth head also. O’Connor was a yard behind with his first, and Dyett.two feet in front. O’Connor was four feet over with his second, and Dyett drew alongside him. Keech was two yards short, and Grant drew second shot, 18 inches, jack high. Again Keech was short, and Grant drew third shot. Tucker was four feet short with his first. At this moment Karori was three up on the head, but Tucker drew the shot a foot from the jack on the forehand. Gilbert tried to draw him off, but was slightly short and narrow. Victoria now bad one shot and Karori , four seconds. Watts just touched the kitty in passing and drew into third post- , tion and Neilson just passed the kitty, , going a yard behind. With his next de- ; livery Watts drew'the shot. making Vic- , tori'a two up. However, Neilson with | his last bowl drew into first position and , won the first head for Karori since the j fifteenth. The totals were then: Watts ( 18, Neilson 16. s ( Exciting Finish. 1 The final head was a short one. Dyett was a yard over with his first and O'Connd? two yards over. Dyett drew a foot ( behind with 'his second and O'Connor six b inches in front for the shot. "Both Grant’s , bowls wore narrow and short. Keech I; drew backhand a yard past the jack. The jack was missed by a few inclies also by Gilbert, who ran to the back. Tucker o played right behind. At this stage Neil- - 1 son and Gilbert had a consultation on the head and Gilbert drove, but, being a little wide, did not disturb the head. Tucker again came to the back and when the skips went down Victoria was still lying one up. Neilson, playing a*

firm shot on the forehand, just touched the shot-bowl on the side and lifted it, but failed to 'turn it over. Had he turned it Karorj would have been lying two shots. Watte played a position bowl near the boundary, and Neilson played another good shot with his last bowl, attempting to squeeze the shot bowl out. His shot connected, but was not heavy enough to remove O’Connor’s bowl, and the Victoria rink won the head, scoring one and winning the game by IS to 17. Had Karori brought the totals even, as their skip’s howls on the last head nearly did, the 21 heads would have had to be played again. The results in detail arc as follow:— FIRST ROUND. Croxton. Petrie, Reid, IV. Nielson (Kelburn), v. Cates, Paul, Lowry, (J. Silbery (Petone). 21-17. O'Connor, Keech, Tucker. H, Watts (Victoria), v. Arthur, aieColl, Hnv-Mac-kenzie, J. R. Smith (Kelburn), 18-1(1. SEMI-FIN ADS. Watts (Victoria) v. Nielsen (Kelburn), 20-10. Dyett. Grant, Gilbert, A. K. Neilson (Karori), v. O’Gorman, McKenzie, O'Donnoll, E. J. Hill (Wellington), 22-12. FINAL. Watts (Victoria) v. Neilson (Karori), 18-17. J