A NEW STAR

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 3, 25 March 1927, Page 13

A NEW STAR

""CHAMPION AUCKLAND BOWLER INTRODUCES FRESH METHODS. j the singles contest j t Yesterday a new star was dis- I covered in “he Auckland bowling tournament — a player who is a master of skill and tactics, and one who will have to be reckoned with in the future. It may be said with certainty that seldom has the Queen City of the North ever w tnessed such a remarkable exposition of bowling as that given in the f nal round of the Champion of Champions contest yesterday. It was a masterly game with a new interpretation. The new Champion of rhampions —Mr. O. Gallaher, of the Grey Lynn Club—has earned his high place in the bowling wprld of Auckland on an entirely new and original, but extraordinarily simple style of P Bowlers will quite naturally ask, what obscure tactics not already widely known to our great army of bowlers can be discovered? What forces can b€ called into action that have been completely overlooked by all our present aid past giant exponents? What ingenuity can be brought into being that will entirely reverse or disorganise the accepted rules that have been fully tried out and which have forme! the winning basis in many a grim battle on the greens in the past? They will add: “It is impossible. And yet it is so. Gallaher has not only won this supreme test in bowls, but he came through without a loss. A brilliant achievement. Bowlers realise the strength of play necessary to win only our big club champion Angles: but r.o go through the champion of champions’ contest without one loss is he test of the highest strength and is also supreme merit. To the numerous worthy aspirants to high honours in bowling ranks who unfortunately did not witness this fine contest, and who are constantly on the watch f o ' points for improvement in their play, such information will be of striking interest and very welcome. WINNER'S TACTICS DESCRIBED What then are the simple tactics which led to the wholesale defeat of the runner-op—Mr. T. George, of Onehunga—by the big margin of 23 to 9on the 19:h head? At the commencement of the game Gallaher threw the jack to a full length head nd drew his first bowl firmly to it. It then became George's task to either draw closer or get the shot off. He vis immediately put on the defensive, u'tcht throughout the game Gallaher •iccomplished this. With the utmost regularity and precision his first bowl went straigh :to the jack. It seemed wonderful ju Igmcnt that this could be done, as a stuck wind was sweeping the green from end to end, but it was accomplished with uncanny and per.lstent regularity. For six heads he persisted In doing this before George .cored at al.. Then on the seventh head the runner-up scored two. George cot the kittv and tried to shake him off by throwing a short head. But bo was not to be denied On went the first bowl to the jack and GalBIG MONEY Nearly half a million dollars to stand in a 24ft. roped square for 45 minutes!!—For defending his title before September, 1927, Gene Tunney, 'world’s heavyweight champion, is to get a guarantee of £400,000 for the match — tne largest guarantee ever given a boxer, and He is to receive 20 per cent, of everything ovtir one million dollars. Under the contract Tunney is expected to receive more than the 700.000 dollars which Dempsey pocketed for the Philadelphia battle.

laher scored again. Right throughout the game these tactics were persued The first bowl to the jack, it seemed that sooner or later he would miss, but such a circumstance did not happen. _ Out of the 18 heads played George scored on only four: a 2. 3. 3 and • He was always on the defensit , always with the proposition of draw inK to limit 'd Inches or running the shot off. That these .tactics are mo “ t . tructlve to any opponent and me‘ organising it will be widely Here again Gallaher displayed mas terly skill. Wherever his howl finished it was drawn to «ei terously. No attempt was made to make a target by drawing the secon . third or fourth bowls close to the_jac . Always the second shot covered the opponents bowl. He jeenie fer _ content w th small scoring in 1 ence to putting up a target. Out of the 15 heads he scored o the scores were seven-one s, n , and only two-three's. It w a - h very hard and disorganising to tn runner-up from the time the ■ - • . was thrown. Almost right throughout the game George had a clo. to get oft or draw inside of. it . terrible pressure. FIRST SEASON WITH GREY LYNN The name Gallaher is not widely known to Auckland City bowlers us this is only his first season in the Grey Lynn Club. He is, however, a bowler of Dominion wide repute. When E. Jury, now of the Rocky FJook Club, won the Dominion rinks’ competition a few years ago, Gallaher was the number three of this famous combination. Since then he has been in the country districts cf Auckland. It may safely be said that Auckland bowlers are pleased to greet such an o, d player and to congratulate him on his present brilliant form. At the conclusion of the contest r James Pascoe, president of the Centre, congratulated tho winner and runner-up on behalf of the Auckland Centre and the combined clubs. He Paid a li Jfh tribute to the splendid kreens upon which this contest was played. H' also welcomed to this con- , If, st Mr. Gribble. of Whangarei, and congratulated him upon his excellent Play and success in getting into the semi-finals. In the semi-finals George beat Hoskings (Went Knd > by 14-13 after a wellfought g; me Gallaher beat Gribble 19-10. Altogether the tournament lias been one of the finest the Auckland Centre bas conducted. It will be remembered by those who were fortunate to get away from business to witness it for two t imgs. First, the spectacular defeat of M. Walker, the recent champion of champions. by J. Hoskins, and secondly for the new style of bowling exhibited by the present holder. The Giey'l.ynn Club is to be heartily congratulated on the acquisition ot «ueh a sterling bowler as Mr. O. Gallaher an-*, at the same time, it is sate afflrrr that such a strong player s influence must not only be a great

a * s »et to the club, but a splendid example to the younger players of Grey ■Lynn.