Excerts from Local papers regarding the 7th Eastbourne Open Bowls Tournament (1930) MAYOR OPENS SEVENTH ANNUAL EVENT WITH A ‘TOUCHER’

Happiest of happy auguries for the success of the Seventh Open Bowling Tournament was found by the large gathering of competitors at the Redoubt Greens on Monday morning in the ‘toucher’ bowled by the Mayor (Col. Roland Gwynne) in the first ‘wood’ of the tourney. It was hailed with delighted applause and it mattered nothing that the Mayor’s second wood was a couple of yards before the ‘jack’.
The opening ceremony, in perfect summer weather, was of the most informal character, Mr. W.S. Gardiner the hon. secretary, introduced the Mayor, who in extending a very hearty welcome to the competitors, observed: ‘Once again the weather is going to do us well. I look back with the happiest recollections to my experiences of the tournament last year. It was a week of unadulterated pleasure. (Applause.)
Col. Gwynne concluded his brief remarks with an expression of appreciation of the vast amount of work done by Councillor MacLachlan and Mr. W. S. Gardiner, chairman and treasurer and secretary respectively, in organizing the event, remarks which were received with well deserved warmth.
In point of numbers this is by far the most successful of the seven tournaments held in Eastbourne. Entries total 556, 268 singles and 288 pairs, an increase of 67 over the 1929 figures.
The number of familiar names amongst visiting competitors indicates that the organisation in previous years has given every satisfaction, a circumstance upon which all the officials and particularly the hon. secretary, Mr. W. S. Gardiner, merit hearty congratulations. Everything has been in apple-pie order on the present occasion and the smooth-running arrangements for the games on greens as widely separated as those of the Redoubt, Cavendish and Saffrons, have been the subject of much favourable comment.
Following were the officials, apart from those already mentioned:- Councillor L. MacLachlan, G.R. Hills, hon. secretary English B.A., Councillor G.E. West, chairman Sussex County B.A., W.J. Richards, C.H. Prior, A. Cramphorn, W. Llewellyn, C. Matthews, A.J. Carter, L.B. Payne, W.E. Coy, R. Fish, T. McCririck, F. Kite, G.A. Fox, W.W. Howl, C.J. Knowsley, J.H. Venables, A.J. Hennings, A.T. Sole, C.J. Coombs, Hon. Scorer, G.A. Fox Stewards: H. Allen, F.H. Barton, A.E. Benz, A.J. Carter, R.S. Chatfield, C.J. Coombs, W.E. Coy, A. Cramphorn, P. Dawes, G. Doull, E. Fish, S.N. Gates, W.J. Gilbert, J.M. Gray, E.W. Harvey, A.J. Hennings, S.E. Hervey, C.J. Hills, J.A. Hounsom, W.W. Howl, F. Kite, A.E. Kett, C.J. Knowsley, W. Levack, Walter Llewellyn, C. Matthews, C.S. Maynard, T. McCririck, J.E. Napier, F. Nye, L.B.B. Payne, H. Pinnington, C.H. Prior, W.J. Richards, C.A. Rollason, A.T. Sole, E.C. Stanbridge, A.E. Stephenson, C. Stewart, C.H. Taylor, C. Thomas, T.F. Turner, F. Uphill, J.H. Venables, H.R.R. Watling, J.B. Whyte, R.H. Woodland, J. Worsfold,
It is interesting to note that out of the total of 558 competitors, 101 are from the local clubs.
In connection with the tournament a special ladies’ match is being arranged for Friday, for which there are already well over sixty entries.
BOWLS TOURNAMENT – KEEN PLAY IN PAIRS FINAL, BUT SINGLES POSTPONED – HAPPY SPEECHES AT LUNCHEON AND CONCERT
The Open Bowling Tournament, the seventh of an increasingly successful series, was brought to a happy conclusion on Saturday with games and social functions which occupied the whole day. In the morning, the pairs final was played off before a full gallery of spectators who grew enthusiastic over a closely contested game, whilst the usual competitors’ match took place on the adjoining green at the Redoubt. About a hundred players and supporters, including the Mayor (Col. Roland Gwynne) and Mr. E Marjoribanks, M.P., took lunch in the large marquee and the afternoon was occupied with an exhibition game between the losing semi-finalist, J. Moore, of Seaford, and another visiting player, H. Lancaster, of Tooting. The second attractive item in the afternoon programme was a ten end game between two Eastbourne club-men, L. MacLachlan and R. Fish, for the ‘Owen’ Cup, a trophy to be held by the local player going farthest in the singles competition. As it happened both Eastbourne men reached the same stage and in the deciding game MacLachlan won with rather surprising ease by 14 shots to 5. Finally, the Cavendish Bowls Pavilion was filled to capacity with a jolly company in the evening for the tournament concert and prize distribution by the Mayor, whose speech was in the happiest vein.
There was only one fly in the whole day’s ointment and that was the enforced postponement of the singles final, billed to be played off in the afternoon. This was entirely due to the somewhat ungracious action of the E.B.A. in fixing an inter-trial for Saturday afternoon, which compelled R.W. Pickering, of Watford, to travel to London. The singles final will be played at the Redoubt next Saturday, June 21, at 3 pm., which P.J. Foster, who hails from Brighton and whose play throughout the tournament has been a credit to Sussex bowls, will doubtless put up a stout fight against Pickering for the £100 gold cup held by the singles champion for a year, and which carries with it a voucher for £15 and a £5.5s replica of the gold cup.
A report of the Singles final has not yet been located but it was won by P.J. Foster. It will be added to this report if found.
Pairs’ Final Play
The pairs’ final on Saturday morning was a source of genuine interest and excitement for the very large gallery of spectators who lined three sides of the Redoubt green. The finalists of section ‘A’ were G. Wright (Eastleigh), E.B.A. champion in 1928, and R. Walker (Southampton), whilst those of section ‘B’ were W.F. Baker (High Wycombe) and A.A. Warren (Brighton). The result was a comfortable victory for the former pair by 27 shots to 18, but the large winning margin was only accumulated on the last five ends, when the losers’ play fell to pieces.
In the early stages of the game Baker and Warren made a brilliant recovery after being four shots in arrear at the 4th end (5-1). At the 5th they picked up a brilliant seven and increased their lead to 10-5 with a two on the following exchange. Making the most of their run of luck, at the next time of asking they took their total to 13-5 and appeared to have the game well in hand.
Wright and Walker came back into the picture at this stage, however, and picked up a single on each of the next two ends, the second of which was a sheer gift owing to an unlucky wood by Warren. Just before the last wood of the 10th end the losing pair lay five and Warren’s final effort with a ‘skittling’ shot did nothing better than put the wood in the ditch and the revised score read 13-12 in Warren and Baker’s favour. They were able to increase this slight advantage with a single on the next end, but Wright and Walker’s next effort produced three shots and gave them the lead (15-14) for the first time in the game. There was still plenty of fight left in Baker and Warren, who drew level on the next exchange and it was a very lucky wood indeed that gave Wright and Walker the lead again ((17-15). Scoring singles on two successive ends the losing pair again made level pegging but at this, the 16th end, they had shot their bolt, with the exception of a single on the 20th end, and Wright and Walker’s consistent sequence of 2-2-3-0-3 for the last five ends gave them the game by a decisive margin.
Ancient and Honourable game
An excellent lunch was subsequently served in the large marquee, Councillor L. MacLachlan (chairman of the Tournament Committee) presiding. Following the loyal toast, that of the Tournament was submitted by Mr. E. Marjoribanks, M.P., who after humorous references to the conditions of play in the tournament and the fact that he had promised the Mayor not to refer to their joint matrimonial prospects, said the game of bowls was both ancient and honourable in the days when football was a mere scrimmage and cricket a game for barbarians. Bowls, right back to the days of Drake, had been played by the nobles and gentlemen of England and it was interesting to note that the only things that ladies could not do today was to sit in the House of Lords and enter for that tournament (Laughter.) He thought the tournament was a splendid and valuable thing for the town.
Councillor MacLachlan, in reply, noted that most of their visitors had been coming to the tournament year after year, and it was a great pleasure to welcome them once again. He thought that they would agree that the committee had put in a great deal of hard work to make it a success, and having regard to all that had to be done he doubted whether it was feasible at present to extend the tournament to enable it to include ladies. They tried to make the ladies feel at home during tournament week by arranging a special match for them. They would have to look to the ladies to start a tournament during some other week in the year and then they would be able to bring their husbands back to Eastbourne for a further holiday. (Laughter and applause.) He wished to thank all who had been connected with him in the tournament. He publicly acknowledged the splendid services of Mr. Walter Gardiner, the secretary, and the assistant secretaries, Councillor Llewellyn and Mr. A. J. Carter. Special thanks were also due to Mr. Fox, the scorer, and Mr. Barton who very unselfishly stayed in the tent all the week, answering questions and giving advice.
They did their best to make the tournament a social event, continued the Chairman, and whilst they liked to see the best man win, their main object was to foster that sporting spirit which could only be for the good of the country generally. In Sussex alone they had 5,000 bowlers, many of whom were from working men’s clubs and they would like to welcome many more. (Hear, hear.)
After acknowledging the services of Messrs. Matthews, Coombes and Allen at the Saffrons green, and Messrs. Sole, Hennings and Richards at the Cavendish, the speaker said Councillor West in his capacity as chairman of the County Bowling Association, would have some work to do in telling the E.B.A. how they spoilt the climax of the tournament by recalling their men to London for the test match. They had desired to do things in a regular way and had released the players involved, but he hoped the E.B.A. would look into the matter, because other tournaments might be placed in the same awkward position.