BOWLING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 170, 4 January 1915, Page 4

BOWLING.

NEW I»LY.MOIj|i TOURNAMENT.. r', >■ i ,■ r ■ ANOTHER Wflr FOR WEST END. i ' ■ i > NEW PLYMOUTH RUNNERS-UP. The concludiiujr day of the New Ply. mouth bowling fpurnanient was favored with perfect wither, and the various greens played perfectly. It was only towards the enj-of.thc final game, when the sun got off |6e town green, that play was affected jfoth as to strength and direction, but as both sides bad to put , up with the altered conditions, the chances wore equal, yet it gave scope for additional skill.' Bath "the semi-final and the final proved most exciting games. In both the competitors were level ad) the twentieth head, and'.the last head evoking tense interest up to the final delivery, applause being frequent. At the eamo time tho play as a whole was not up to tournament mark, but Johnson's final victory was thoroughly well deserved, as his team were, fairly consistent throughout, while Smart had practically to carry his team on his back, especially during the final; He is cer*. tainly to be congratulated on doing BoJwell under such trying circumstances, and but for a fluke by Johnson with his la3t shot, which was intended to burn the head, but though missing the jack, displaced Smart's scoring bowl, Smart would have secured a very meri« torious win, On his own play throughout he earned victory, and it must have been galling to lose it in such a way. Such is the fortune of war—and bowls. The arrangements for supplying the' Press with the results were excellent on the first day, but on the second were not so good, the complete lists not being available. So far as eould be ascertained, the results of Saturday's play, ■ which chiefly consisted of sectional ties and the finals, were as follow: Sole (West End) beat Smith (Fitzroy) 10-4. Harrison (New Plymouth) beat Percival (Inglewood), 14-4. Sole (West -End) beat Abbott (Fitz-, roy), 11-4. Sole (West End) beat Harrison (New Plymouth), 9-fl. ~ Wyllie (Waitara) beat Sutherland (Inglewood). fi-5. Lobb (West End) beat Wyllie (Wak tara), 9-fl. Lobb (West End) beat' Bary (N-2W- ' Plymouth), 9-5. V . Johnson (West End) beat Morcy (New Plymouth), 18-7. Olivers (Fitzroy) beat Lealand (Fife-ro-1. 21-9. Johnson (West End) beat Beal (West End), 10-15. Morey (New Plymouth) beat Luscombe (New Plymouth), 15-12. . J. lAllen (Inglewood) beat Jackson (Fitzroy), 15-10. , . \ Burgess (New Plymouth) beat Calder (Waitara), 12-11. Bary (New Plymouth) beat Wyllie". (Waitara), 13-10; :: Lobb (West End) beat Hill (Westi End), 16-11. Smart (New Plymouth) beat Xcwell' (West End), 21-7. Sutherland (Inglewood) beat C. Allen' (Fitzroy), 17-16. SEMI-FINALS; ' The. semi-finals lay between JohnsonA • and Lobb, and Smart and Sole. In the I former game Lobb went down, and it re- , mained to be seen whether Smart or '_ Sole was to play Johnson for championL ship honors. As a consequence the game , between Sole and Smart attracted con- ; siderable interest, the issue being in . doubt right up to the last delivery, as i on tho twentieth heaa both sides were i equal. Until Smart delivered his final* > shot it looked as if he would suffer defeat, but, putting in a fine, flrm de«i livery, he secured 5, and put the result beyond all doubt, the game ending 2217,' amid rousing cheers. TEE FINAL. It was only to be expected that tha final game would be followed with thekeenest interest by all the bowlers present, consequently by general consent' the friendly games in progress on thegreen were mostly suspended, and every delivery of the members of the competing teams (Johnson's and Smart's) wasfollowed with the greatest interest, each good shot being applauded, while thespecially good play of the skips eamo in for special marks of approval. Smart opciicd his account with 2 tothe good, Johnson replying with a singlefollowing up with 3, and gaining a single on the next hfad, Smart only just falling to scoj>e. The score was thus Johnson 5, Smart 2. In the next head Smart. drove, but failed with the shot, being 2" down. Tn the following head Smart put ■.' in two great shots, resulting in his scoring 3. The scores then stood: Johnson 7, Smart 5. When the skips went down-

at the next head -Johnson lay 2 up. Smart drove, but without improving his position, and as the result of a measureJohnson secured 2, making the score 9.5. In the next head Smart again drove with

his first bowl, but failed, his second delivery only failing to score by a frac- : tion, and Johnson getting the honors. In the next head Johnson carried the jack and lay 2 uj>, Smart failing to score, thegame being: Johnson 12, Smart 5, Johnson securing a further 2 points on the* following head, a drive by Smart failing to produce a satisfactory result. In the' next head Smart ran through with his first delivery, and with his second played wide, leaving Johnson 1 up. Smart was now well hi the rear on the scoring-

lioard. At tliia period of tlie game the green was losing its keenness pf play, and that seemed to give Smart- his chanco of making up arrears. On the next head ho sent down a real hummer, scoring a single. This he followed up by. ■retting in 3 on the next (thirteenth)] head hy removing his opponent's shot bowl. The score then read: Johonson -■ 15, Smart 9. The fourteenth head also" went to Smart, who secured 2, and in the next ho secured 1 by a close shave. In the three following heads he again scored a single at each, so that the eighteenth head saw the scores 15 all. Then Johnson scored a single, but at the twentieth head the scores were again equal. Needless to say, excitement was * intense, as the championship dependedon the next head. When tfie skips went down Johnson lay 2 up, and, amid great applause, Smart rested on the shot howl laying 1 to the good. John--' son's first howl ran through, and the game all depended on his final delivery. Tt was all anxious moment. "I'll burn! tin- heart." said Johnson,- but his drive missed the jack, only to displace Smart's scorinc bowl, and so 'he won, amid General cheers. The element of luck enters into howls, as in other games. Certainly, on the play, Smart deserved thai honors, hut Johnson's team as a whole lad the heat of the play.