Lawn bowls at the 1950 British Empire Games
| Lawn bowls at the 1950 British Empire Games | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Carlton Green Bowling Club & Remuera Bowling Club |
| Location | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Dates | 4 February – 11 February 1950 |
| Competitors | 29 from 5 nations |
Lawn bowls at the 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth appearance of the Lawn bowls at the Commonwealth Games.[1]
Competition at the 1950 British Empire Games took place in Auckland, New Zealand, from 4 to 11 February 1950.[2][3][4]
The events took place at two locations; the Carlton Green Bowling Club in Epsom (which was located on Alpers Avenue at the time)[5][6][7] and the Remuera Bowling Club on Market Road.[8]
New Zealand topped the medal table by winning two of the three gold medals available.[9]
Medal table
* Host nation (New Zealand)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand* | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Australia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Fiji | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Totals (4 entries) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | |
Medallists
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singles | James Pirret | Albert Newton | Lionel Garnett |
| Pairs | Phil Exelby and Robert Henry |
W. Gibb and H. J. van Zyl |
Leslie Brown and James Poulton |
| Fours | Alfred Blumberg Herbert Currer Harry Atkinson Norman Snowy Walker |
Charles Cordaiy James Cobley John Cobley Len Knight |
Fred Russell Arthur Engebretsen Noel Jolly Pete Skoglund |
Results
Men's singles – round robin
| Round | Date | Tie 1 | Tie 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Feb 6 | Aus 25 SAf 18 | Nzl 25 Fij 20 |
| Round 2 | Feb 6 | Fij 26 Can 21 | N/A |
| Round 3 | Feb 7 | Aus 26 Fij 18 | Can 26 SAf 19 |
| Round 4 | Feb 7 | Nzl 25 Can 22 | N/A |
| Round 5 | Feb 8 | Nzl 26 Aus 16 | Fij 26 SAf 17 |
| Round 6 | Feb 8 | Nzl 25 SAf 10 | Aus 25 Can 18 |
| Pos | Player | P | W | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Pirret Jr. | 4 | 4 | 0 | 101 | 68 | 8 |
| 2 | Albert Newton | 4 | 3 | 1 | 92 | 80 | 6 |
| 3 | Lionel Garnett | 4 | 2 | 2 | 89 | 89 | 4 |
| 4 | Dr Weston Krupp | 4 | 1 | 3 | 87 | 94 | 2 |
| 5 | G Jacobs | 4 | 0 | 4 | 64 | 102 | 0 |
Men's pairs – round robin
| Round | Date | Tie 1 | Tie 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Feb 6 | Nzl 23 SAf 16 | Fij 23 Aus 21 |
| Round 2 | Feb 7 | SAf 15 Fij 14 | Nzl 23 Aus 22 |
| Round 3 | Feb 8 | SAf 19 Aus 17 | Nzl 47 Fij 14 |
| Pos | Player | P | W | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Henry & Phil Exelby | 3 | 3 | 0 | 93 | 42 | 6 |
| 2 | W. Gibb & H. J. van Zyl | 3 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 54 | 4 |
| 3 | Leslie Brown & James Poulton | 3 | 1 | 2 | 41 | 83 | 2 |
| 4 | Bert Palm & Robert Lewis | 3 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 65 | 0 |
Men's fours – round robin
| Round | Date | Tie 1 | Tie 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Feb 6 | Aus 44 Fij 8 | Nzl 19 SAf 11 |
| Round 2 | Feb 7 | Aus 23 Nzl 14 | SAf bt Fiji |
| Round 3 | Feb 8 | Nzl 41 Fij 6 | SAf 25 Aus 15 |
| Pos | Player | P | W | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norman Snowy Walker (skip), Herbert Currer, Harry Atkinson, Alfred Blumberg | 3 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 48 | 4+ |
| 2 | James Cobley (skip), John Cobley, Len Knight, Charles Cordaiy | 3 | 2 | 1 | 82 | 46 | 4 |
| 3 | Pete Skoglund (skip), Noel Jolly, Fred Russell, Arthur Engebretsen | 3 | 2 | 1 | 74 | 40 | 4 |
| 4 | Patrick Costello (skip), Nathaniel Stuart Chalmers, Harold Brockett Gibson, Eric Hastings McIlwain | 3 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 100 | 0 |
+ Play Offs
Eliminator - South Africa beat New Zealand 22-17
Final - South Africa beat Australia 23-14
References
- ^ "Medal Standings Auckland 1950". Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ "Times Archives". The Times.
- ^ Hawkes/Lindley, Ken/Gerard (1974). the Encyclopaedia of Bowls. Robert Hale and Company. ISBN 0-7091-3658-7.
- ^ Bolsover, Godfrey (1959). Who's Who and Encyclopaedia of Bowls. Rowland Publishers Ltd (Pre isbn).
- ^ https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/maps/id/735/rec/1
- ^ https://www.carltoncornwallbowls.co.nz/history/
- ^ https://www.stuff.co.nz/home-property/360601195/why-huge-plot-auckland-land-worth-62m-has-sat-empty-20-years
- ^ "The Fourth British Empire Games". Ireland's Saturday Night. 9 July 1949. Retrieved 12 September 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games Medallists - Bowls". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ^ The complete book of the Commonwealth Games. Lulu.com. 2013. ISBN 9781291576382.