BOWLS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2847, 11 August 1916, Page 3

BOWLS

WELLINGTON CENTRE MEETS

A meeting of the Wellington Bowling Centre was held in tho Wellington Bowling Club's pavilion last evening. There were present Messrs. F. Meadowcroft (chairman), S. Underwood B. 'J. Hill, V. Dimock, Wylie, A. Coles, G. Hendry, W. Crawford, W. H. Morrah, G. Allport, J. Keith, W. R. Plimmor, and J, J. Boberts_ (secretary). One of tho most important items for consideration was a motion put forward by Mr J. J. Roberts, which vitally affects the numerical representation of clubs in club 'matches. The motion (which had been considered by the clubs) was as follows:— "That inter-club matches be arranged by the centre, each club to play each •club. The number of rinks a club shall enter and the number of finks a club shall play to be decided by the centre, with' a proviso that as near as practicable tho nulnber entered shall bo in proportion to membership, while the number played shall as near as possible' be the number entered."

11l a tabulated report as to how the scheme would w.ork out as regards the number of Saturdays each club would require to play pennant games, it was sot. out that the Wellington Club would require to play on seven days and the smallest clubs on thirteen.

•Tho idea, Mr. Roberts said, was that a club with a large membership will on the same Saturday play two or more clubs who have a smaller membership. Consequently the playing strength 6f each club was brought on a level, while the larger clubs were cble to givo a greater number of their members an opportunity of playing in inter-olub matclies. The approximate number of rinks clubs would enter wculd be as follows :—Eastbourne and Upper Hutt, two rinks each; Jolmronvillo, Kclburn, Karori, Khandallah, and Seatoun, four rinks each; Hataitai, Lower Hutt, Lyall Bay, Newtown. Petone, * Thornton and Victoria, eight rinks each; Wellington, twelve rinks. Presuming all the clubs mentioned were entered, each would play its stated number of rinks each Saturday when engaged in interclub matches, with the exception of Wellington, wlio on Saturdays ■would play ten rinks only.

Various Jound-the-tablo opinions were expressed on the now idea, hut tho general view was . taken tint the proportion figured out was a fair one. . Mr. W. It. Plimmer (Khandallah) expressed l doubts as to whether his club would be able to put in four rinks every Saturday. Mr. S. Underwood (Ivewtown) said his club was opposed to tho scheme. Ho asked if the drawings would be by ballot or otherwise.

It seemed to Mr. Roberts that tho Khaiidallah club, wiih a membership of 43, would bo showing a very, poor spirit if it could not put sixteen,'players on tho green each Saturday. He did not understand the attitude of the Newtown Club, in view o£ tho number of matches that club had played last season. ' ' ''

Oil tho motion being put it was carried, Mir. S. Underwood (Newtown) alone dissenting. Tho election of members of tho council of the Dominion Bovling Cluli (ill which all centres in New Zealand are conccrncil) was taken in committee. Another debatable matter thai, cropped up was tho question of appointing a postponement committeo to decide whether or not club.matches should be played. Mr. Roberts took tho view that whether a green was fit to be played on or.not was a club's own concern. It was not the same as the annual tournament, when, for the time being, tho greens wero under the control of the centre. At all other times the. clubs wero the best, judges as to whether their grqens wero fit to play on or not. ° Mr. Hill took tho view that when 0110 green in Wellington was fit to play on all the others wore.

Mr. S. Underwood explained the situation of the Newtown Club in regard to its postponement, of the final pennant match with Wellington last year, stating that the action of the club in postponing the match was taken in all good faith. The question of ascertaining whether soino workable plan conld not ho evolved- regarding the. postponement of clnb\ matclies, other than leaving it to the iudgment of individual clubs, was deferred until the next meeting of the centre. .