ATHLETIC SPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2262, 23 September 1914, Page 3

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

BOWLS THE "TAVO-FEET-ON-THE-MAT" RULE. , Mr. Thos. Bush, one of Wellington's representatives on the council of the Dominion Bowling Association, has returned to Wellington from the annual meeting, which was held at Auckland. In the course of a chat Mr. Bush says that two very important matters wero decided at the annual meeting. Ono decision affects a matter of grave contention among bowlers. That is the decision that when the bowl is delivered both of the player's feet must be on tho mat. From time immemorial bowlers have been content, with a. email 2ft. 6in. mat on which they took their stand when about to deliver the bowl. In , tho act of delivery, however, it has been customary to step forward with tho left foot, which there and then left the mat. When tho last Australian teani visited Wellington they raised tho point -as to whether it would not be advisablo for Now Zealand bowlers to adopt the two-feet-on-thc-niat rule, but tho opinions expressed were by no means favourable. It was pointed out by tho one-footers that the Australian "crouch" stylo of delivery was entirely different from' the New Zealand "lunge" style. That is to say, tho. Australian crouched down on the mat, and delivered his bowl without shifting either foot, depending wholly and solely on the swing of his bowl arm. The average New Zealand-, er, when about to deliver the bowl, stands straight up .with his two feet together, and then at the same time as his bowl arm x (right) swings back, he stops forward with his left, and so brings a, body action into play. Mr. Bush thinks that with a big four-foot mat, tho decision to-play with two feet on the mat will not bo' found to be a handicap. Others are very doubtful, as they maintain that the mat-end gets into focus of the eye just at the crucial moment of delivery. : The other decision of tho council was to do _ away with the time-limit that is sometimes (always, in tho south), placed on tournament games. As tho result of such a rulo a player, if ] ho gets a littlo ahead, is liable to play in iuch a manner as to deliberately delay the gam«, and so win more by favour of tho time restriction than by skill. This decision should be hailed with joj- by all bowlers. At the big tournament to be held in Auckland _in January next there will bo championship rinks, pairs nnd siiiglos. A committ-ee was set up to select the official sis rinks to visit Sydney next Easter. Their duties should not begin to engage them until the New Year.