NORTHERN BOWLING ASSOCIATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 7, 9 January 1901, Page 3

NORTHERN BOWLING ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL TOURNAMENT. GISBORNE, NEWMARKET AND PONSONBY LEADING. The annual tournament in connection with the Northern Bowling Association was continued on the Gisborne green yesterday. A largo number of spectators were m attendance, and some exciting play was witnessed. Afternoon tea was provided by Mesdames Mattbewson, Sweet, Birss, and Simson. The following are the details of the play: — FOURTH ROUND.

Whataupoko v. Auckland,

Flushed with their success of the previous day the wearers of the green and gold took the green in high spirits. The Auckland skip had however taken their measure and was prepared to pay them a certain amount of respect. Carefully building up the head Towsoy was able to draw first blood, a brace being credited to Auckland. A capital draw by Simson gave Whataupoko a point on the second head, and in the third head Hookey’s bowl scored, Towsey having made an unsuccessful drive. Gorrie and Towsey by accurate drawing raised the Auckland score to eight on the sixth head against their opponents’ two. From this to the eleventh head Whataupoko literally fell to pieces, and their second bowl being taken out by Towsey upon several occasious a big score seemed imminent. On tho seventeenth head Whataupoko put in two, leaving the score Auckland 21, Whataupoko 13. Two more to the credit of tho visitors and three more heads to go left little hope for the local team. Simson getting desperate mado a drive and almost cleared the field, taking the three scoring Auckland bowls out and lying one, Whataupoko put in fivo on the twenty-first head, leaving Auckland victorious by 24 to 19.

Ponsonbv v. Haiti. The Auckland team were at a manifest disadvantage in the first head, and were unable to grasp the green. As a result of this Kaiti scored six in the first head. This caused Ponsonby to brace up and by accurato drawing Co itts, Stowart, and Brown wero able to record six points in two heads. Then came three for Haiti, Dixon putting in both bowls and Pettio one. A drive by Coutts gavo tho Northern Club one. In tho next head the Haiti third player without measuring gavo one point to his opponents, but at tho request of one of his companions the tapo was put on with the result that the Kaiti bowl was found to bo lying. Ponsonby generously gave way and consented •to the point boing recorded against them. Brown in tho next head ran the kitty and got two, tho score on tho seventh head being ten all. Kaiti hung to their opponents, and at tho thirteenth head the score was 17 all. The fourteenth head on the full length of the groen was very pretty, and some excellent play was shown on either side. Whon the skips went up eight of the bowls were within two feet of tho jack. Witty drove and scattered them, but Ponsonby still held two, and Brown with his last bowl drew the shot, Ponsonby getting four out of the head, 21-17. Tho Auckland men got nine out of the next threo heads and tho game ended in their favor by 32 to 24.

Mt. Eden v. Gisborne. Mount Eden got quickly off the mark, a,nd drawing oarcfulty up to the jack ran upline in tho first four heads, but Gisborno cleared tho slate in one head. Tho next head gave Ponsford threo and the seventh two, a drive by Coleman being responsible for tho latter. Gisborno 10, Mount Eden 5. From this out tho gamo was all in favor of Gisborne, whose score on the seventeenth head was 36 to 9, and included one six, two fives, two fours, and two threes. The gome ended in favor of the local men by 41 to 12, which is, so far, a record in connection with tho present tournaniont whioh Ponsford can well be proud of.

Newmarket v. "Hastings. Newmarket settled down to their work in good style in thoir match against Hastings. Laurie, Haselden, and Brookes drawing splendidly, whilst Ivilgour was thoroughly reliable, and could be depended upon when a good shot was required. On the twolvth head tho score was —Nowmarket 16, Hastings 8. On the run down, playing on .the full length of tho green, Holt put a beautiful shot on tho jack, but Brookes, with a half drive, carried him out. Beatson unfortunately ran tho jack with his last shot, and Newmarket counted three. The game ended in favor of Newmarket by 27 to 14. Wellington v. Bluff Hill. Tho shaking up that Whataupoko gave Wellington in the match of the previous day, placed Ballinger’s team on their mottle, and they settled down to their work in grand style. Mentiplay showed what a really fine player ho is, and never failed to come to tho roscuo when called upon. Bell was also playing well. He has a very pretty delivery, and is well up in all departments of the game, His play against Bluff Hill was very deadly. On tho fourteenth head Wellington had sixteen to their opponents eight. Crawley, the Bluff Hill skip, was playing, a plucky game, but was a little overweighted. Wellington won this match by 24 to 16. Masterton v. Palmerston North. Masterton started well, and Dupre, Elliott, and Whitaker displaying good form wero able to put fivo on the board before their opponents scored. Some pretty drawing shots by Lissaman enabled Talmcvston North to score tho next two heads' and Nash also coining to the front caused six all to appear on the board on tho eigtht hoad. They fell away in tho middlo part of the game, and Masterton had a lead of four points on the nineteenth head. This was reduced by two on the twentieth, but Masterton again scored on the last head, and won by three points.

Victoria v. napier.

I Evans’s team disconcerted the Wellington Club by putting in five on the second head, and shortly afterwards two threes, Swan and ißristy being specially brilliant. Napier had doubled their opponents score on the twelfth [head, and had all the best'of the run homo, winning easily by 24 to 14.

FIFTH BOUND. Ponsonby v. Hastings,

A good game was promised from these teams, whose character of play is somewhat similar. Maddern, the Hastings leader has a pleasing style, but has a tendency to go fast. Stewart, his. opponent, is perhaps the most reliable leader at the tournament, and he seldom puts a bowl more than two feet from the jack. Beatson, for a young player, showed good form. He draws a good length bowl, but like many others at the tournoment, he altogether disregards the rule which insists that a player shall keep both feet on the mat. Stitchbury has a good style, and plays ,vith great caution. Coutts possesses a good knowledge of the game, and plays c, grand ■esting shot. Holt is a good all-round roan, drawing, resting, and driving with a fair measure of success. Hastings got away with the lead, and put four up in the first four heads, but Ponsonby were alongside of them at the eighth head. In the last few heads Ponsonby got in front of their opponents, and wearing them down, won by 22 to 18.

Gisborne v. Whataupoko. There was great speculation as to the result of this game, some sanguine Gisbornites being of opinion that the town elub would win by more than ten points, and this proved to be so. 'Whataupoko scored first blood, Ferris drawing a pretty shot. In the second head, on the full length of the green, things looked well for Gisborne, as when the skips [changed ends they were lying four, whilst I Whataupoko had not a back bowl. Simson, J with his first shot, drove the nearest howl out. Ponsford drew another. The Whataupoko !skip was equal to the occasion, and, his luck 'standing him in good stead he bumped on one of the front bowls, which rolled over until it became the shot, and amidst great applause the leaders of Monday soored for the second time against the parent club. Good luck followed Whataupoko on the next head, but Ponsford with his last shot redeemed the situation and gave himself two, and scoring three on the next, Gisborne had a lead of three after the fourth head. Hookey, by means of a beautiful draw, was able to score one for the northern suburb, but in the next head Gisborne put in four, Humphries and Coleman drawing both of their bowls to the jack. The Whataupoko leader showed a great laok of judgment in his selection of the ecgtb, wid this mainly responsible for 1 i

'he heavy points being scored against them. Gisborne scored four on the eigth head. Hum phreys, who was leading, playing a dashing oamJ and drawing on the jack every timeWhataupoko made a miserable display lor the rest of the game, and were defeated by -8 to 12, the last head not being played. Mount Eden v. Blupf Hill. This match produced a keen straggle, bot teams playing well up to form. Garland, for Mount Eden, showed that he is a very good lead, but he plays with too wide bowls. Newton, his opponent, has a good dehvery, but is inclined to play short. Hudson showed himself a very steady player, his fault as a number two being too many short bowls. Carson put in some very good shots yesterday. and Hooper also played most consistently. Ko.s and Crowley were well matched. The game was keenly contested, Mount Eden on the thirteenth head having a iead of seven. It was a tie on the twentieth head, but on the last Mount Eden put in three, and thus recorded their first win.

Newjiabket v. Napier. ", This was a ding dong game, and the result for a long time hung in the balance. Swan and Lawrie had a great battle for supremacy as leaders. Haselden played a, strong number two game, and was a little bit too good for Bristy. Kilgour, who played three m this match, put in some good work. Brookes made the most of his opportunities as skip, and was particularly successful in his fast shots not missing one during the game, -this cannot be said for Evans, who lost several points through driving. On the fifteenth head the score was—Newmarket 16, Napier 13. The last named got a timely five on the nineteenth head, and two more on the twentieth, when they were one ahead. Ihe last head was most exciting, but Brookes was too good on the draw, scoring with both his bowls, and winning by one point. Wellington v. Palmerston N.

The former found a very hard nut to crack in Palmerston North, who from the jump made the pace very warm, running up ten before Wellington got an opening. A change was made in the position of the players of the Palmerston team, Bussell being promoted to third position, whilst Lissaman acted as leader, and this perhaps had something to do with the result. The score on the seventeenth had was— Palmerston 21, Wellington 10, and on the the twenty-first 27 to 10. Wellington throughout experienced very hard luck, and the scores hardly indicated the merits of the play. Victoria v. Masterton.

Prom the start Masterton had slightly the best of the game, but they were never able to draw away more than three or four points. Dupre played a fine lead for Masterton, and Harrison and Whitaker also showed themselves proficient in the leading departments of the game. Elliott made several successful drives during the day, and his style in this respect is very similar to the Newmarket men. On the 18th head the score was— Masterton 20, Victoria 16, and, more than holding their own to the end, Masterton won by 24 to 19.

Auckland v. Haiti. This furnished a keen contest. Gilmore the Auckland lead played a really good leading game, and was seldom far from the jack. King played most consistently, and was a tower of strength to tho Aucklanders. He was ono of the few players on the green who kept both feet on tho mat when playing. Gorrie and Towsey were frequently applauded for their accurate drawing, which is perhaps the feature of the Auckland men’s play. Kaiti made a good game of it, and on the fourteenth head had a lead, but they fell off towards the close and were defeated by 25 to 20.

SIXTH ROUND. Wellington v. Victoria. First blood was drawn by Victoria, Heuston drawing a pretty bowl when Wellington were lying five, and in the second head he ran the jack and made two. Wellington scored six on the next three heads when they froze for fivo heads, but getting three in on the fourteenth head the score read, Victoria 14, Wellington 10. Victoria came away towards the end and won rather easily by 23 to 13. Mount Eden v. Palmerston North. Two all was the score on the second head, tho result of careful drawing on either side. Palmorston North improved their position to the twelfth head, when tho score was 15 to 7, and 20 to Bon tho fifteenth head. Palmerston North won by 24 to 12.

Masterton v. Newmarket. Following up their previous victories Masterton tackled Newmarket in great heart, and in the first hoad scored two. Dupre and Whitaker (who is skipping Newmarket) [got four in the next head, Kilgour drawing two beauties. Masterton were level with their opponents at the next head, two nice shots being drawn by Elliott and Dupre. Last year’s champions then put in two two’s, and a three which brought the score to 12 to 4. Newmarket increased their lead to the fourteenth'head, when the score was 25 to 7, the gamo ending Newmarket 33, Masterton 11.

Auckland v. Gisbokne. This match was looked upon as one of the most important fixtures of the day, and attracted a goodly number of spectators. Auckland started with a single, and Gisborne responded with two, one resulting from a clever drawing shot from Ponsford. A single to Gisborne, and a one and a three to Auckland, made the score on the fifth head Auckland 5, Gisborne 3. The sixth head. resulted in a measure, and Gisborne scored a single. Ponsford took the full length of the green, and Humphreys drew within two feet of the'jack. Gilmour went one better and lay a foot froril the kitty, and McGowan followed suit for Gisborne. Coleman turned Humphreys’ bowl, and the home team lay two. Coleman’s second bowl kissed the “ kitty.” The position necessitated a drive, but Towsey decided to draw, and Gisborne scored three. Auckland scored one on the next head. The ninth was a very pretty head, and resolved itself into a contest between the skips. There was not a bowl in front of the jack, and Ponsford with his first drew nine inches from the jack. Towsey in a beautiful draw rested the -shot, and the Gisborne skip was unable to put. in another. Gisborne reached 13 in two heads, a two and a four being recorded. Auckland then got two. The thirteenth head put another five on to the Gisborne score. With his first bowl Ponsford trailed the jack and gave his side four, and with his second, drew the shot. The Gisborne skip received a welldeserved round of applause for this brilliant piece of play. Cheered by their success, the local men continued to pile on the points, the board at the fifteenth head reading:— Gisborne 25, Auckland 9. The three following heads gave Auckland six, but on the nineteenth head Gisborne scored one, some excellent drawing being done by the members of both teams, McGowan’s bowl' scoring. The game ended: Gisborne 27,'Auckland 17.

Napier v. Ponsonby. The Northern club from the start had Napier fairly in trouble, and on the thirteenth head had 21 to their opponents !>. All members of the Ponsonby team vrere drawing splendidly, whilst Evans showed poor form. On the nineteenth head the score was 28 to 9, and the game ended in favor of Ponsonby by 29 to 11. Whataupoko v. bluff hill. The local men made a better start in this match, and at the seventh head had a lead of four of the Bluff, which was reduced on the fourteenth head by two. The game was keenly contested, and the result was in doubt to the last head, Whataupoko winning by 23 to 20. 4 Hastings v. Haiti. In this match there was a change made in the.Kaiti team, Bright skipping, and Witty playing number three. Hastings had all the best of the run to the eleventh head, when the score was—Hastings 18, Kaiti 9, and the game ended in favor of the visitors by 27 to ■l6. . . The following is the order of play for today:— . ........ r ... . . Seventh Bound, 9 a.m. Hastings, v. Auckland, rink 1 Gisborne-v, Bluff Hill, rink 2 Kaiti v. Napier, rink 3 Whataupoko v. Palmerston N., rink 4 . Ponsonby v. Masterton, rink 5 Mt. Eden v. Victoria, rink 6 Newmarket v. Wellington, rink 7

Eighth Round, 12.30 p.m. Bluff Hill v. Auckland, rink 5 Hastings v. Napier, rink 6 Gisborne v. Palmerston N., rink 0 Kaiti v. Masterton, rink 1 _ Whataupoko v. Victoria, rink 3 Ponsonby v. Wellington, rink 4 Mount Eden v. Newmarket, rink 2 Ninth Round, 4 p.m. Napier v. Auckland, rink 7 _ Bluff Hill v. Palmerston N., rink 3 Hastings v. Masterton, rink 4 Gisborne v. Victoria, rink o Kaiti v. Wellington, rink 2 • Whataupoko v. Newmarket, rink b Ponsonby v. g The following table shows the various

GISBORNE v. THE VISITORS.

On the bowling green to-morrow, instead of the tournament games, a match will be played between the visiting bowlers and the local men. Eleven rinks have been selected, and the order of play was last evening arranged by Mr Mentiplay, Secretary of the Association.

No 1 rink Laurie, Haselden, Brookes, Kilgour, v. Cousins, Wallace, Simson, Bright, skip.

No 2 rink—King,'Gilmore, Gorrie, Towsey, v. T. Witty, Jackson, Hookey, Witty, skip. No 3 rink—Cuff, Bell, Mentiplay, Ballinger, v. C. Rosie, Olliver, Hennessey, Gaudin, skip. No 4 rink—Garland, Hudson, Hooper, Ross, v. T. Adair, Robertson, Buttle, Pettie, skip. No 5 rink—Avery, McGowan, Gooder, Henston, skip, v. Harding, H. Lewis, Ferris, Matthewson, skip. No 6 rink—Stewart, Stitehbury, Coutts, Brown, v. C, Adair, Wyllie, Willocks, Coleman, skip. No 7 rink—Dupre, Harrison, Whitaker, Elliott, v. Quigley, Morrison, Humphreys, McGowan, skip. No 8 rink—Cottle, Russoll, Lissiman, Nash, v, A. Rees, Ambridge, Sidebottom, Dixon, skip. No 9 rink—Swan, Bristy, J. Smith, Evans, v. Jones, Johnston, Muir, Batham, skip. No 10 rink—Newton, Carson, Kennedy, Crowley, v. O’Meara, Price, Birss, Skeet, skip. No 11 rink—Maddern, Holt, Beatson, Beatson, v. J. Rosie, Kane, Davies, Ponsford, skip.

ment: — Club. Wins Losses. Gisborne 5 i Ponsonby .. 5 i Newmarket .. 5 i Auckland 4 2 Wbataupoko .. 4 2 Wellington .. 3 3 Victoria 3 3 Palmerston North 3 3 Hastings " .. 3 3 Masterton 2 4 Napier 2 4 Bluff Hill 1 5 Mount Eden .. 1 5 Haiti .. 1 5