EXHIBITION BOWLING TOURNAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8337, 21 January 1907, Page 5

EXHIBITION BOWLING TOURNAMENT.

By Telegraph—Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, January 19. The Bowling tournament was continued this morning under adverse circumstances, frequent adjournments in the face of vigorous hail and rain showers being rendered necessary. As might be expected the greens were not in particularly good trim, but as soon as the sun appeared, shortly before noon, they! improved wonderfully. SV. number of matches in the Doubles and Singles . Championships Were got off in the morning, as also was one of the semi-finals in C grade of the rink competition. Victoria (Brackenbridge) defeated Dunedin (Gillies) without serious difficulty, by 18 to 13. Victoria (Brackenbridge) met Christchurch (White Parsons) this afternoon in grade B (rinks) final. Parsons'rink held their opponents until, the 11th head, when they went completely to pieces,, Brackenbridge winning as he liked by 29 to 9. In the semifinal (grade C) Green Island (Young) defeated Thorndon (Munro), after a finely contested game, by 21 to 20. Green Island (McDonald) won easily against Victoria (Keith). The final between- Young and McDonald is to be decided on Monday. ' Chief interest was centred in the semi-finals for the rink championship, Kaituna (Payne) meeting Dunedin (McLaren), and Taieri (Carswell) playing St. Albans (Johnston). The first game was remarkable chiefly for the wonderful recovery made by McLaren's rink. At the 11th head they were ten down and playing most erratically. From this stage onward they pulled themselves together wonderfully and put up a stubborn .fight, honors being easy at the, 15th head, and the score 13 all. At" the last head McLaren required two to tie and three to win. He wrested out his opponent's shot with I the intention of securing four, but ' carried away one of his own also, scoring one and losing the second shot by an eighth of an inch. The game between Taieri and St. Albans was undoubtedly the gem of the tournament, being full of excitement from start to finish. The outstanding features of the contest were the exceedingly brilliant play of Johnston, the St. Albans skip, and the steadiness under adverse circumstances of the Taieri rink. Up to the 10th head each side scored alternately, the game standing at 9—7 in Johnston's favour. On the 12th head St. Albans obtained four (13—8). The gap was preserved tijl the 20th head, when 16 all. was registered. At the last head St. Albans were 20 to 16, and Carswell's task appeared hopeless. The Southerners, however, stuck to it gamely, and placed the bowls all round the jack, the St. Albans rink for once playing miserably. Taieri were lying six when the skips went down to play, Johnston played a good one, and saved four, and Carswell retorted with a lucky one, which again gave him six. Instead of playing to save Johnston essayed to draw the shot, but bumped against one of his own side's bowls half-way up the green, Taieri thus registering a most sensational win by te single point. The final between Kaituna (Dunedin) and Taieri (Otago) is to be played at the Canterbury green on Monday afternoon. The Doubles and Singles Champion-' ships will also be continued, commencing at 9 a.m. The tournament will conclude on Tuesday, and in the evening a smoke concert (when prizes will be presented) is to be held at Alexandra Hall* . !