ONE FOOT ON THE MAT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 14, 11 October 1917, Page 9

ONE FOOT ON THE MAT

NEW RULE ■ DISCUSSED. tßy "Jack.") That tardy perennial among bowling problems, the- two-feet-ou-the-mat rule, cropped , up at the meeting of the Wellington. Bowling Centre on Tuesday evening in the.'form of a report of the proceedings of the last'meeting of the Dominion Association held in Dunodin. At that meeting the never-respected rule was thrown out in favour of a one-foot-bn-the-mat rule, the toe of.the foot iu question to be placed not nearer theouter or front edge of the mat than three inches. This .will necessitate every mat having a white line painted across it three inches from one or both ends (the latter for convenience).. Mr. J. «T. Roberts said that the i>uie was not the best that could Ixs devised, as _ tho?e bowlers who took, oft' from the side of a mat instead of the front would still be stepping with both feet off the mat. He claimed that his idea- of having a equnre outlined in the centre of the mat would be the most affective method of keeping one foot on the mat. In that case one could .see both before and after the shot whether a player was obacrvtiifr the rule. A[r. Jtoborts's idea is a sound one. 11

is useless having any rule of. the- kind ,tliat can bo (and will be) easily broken. His square ide-a is' so obviously practicable and 'effective that one could bo forgiven for being astonished at it being turneu down in favour of the three-inch

mark. If it is considered essential in the interests of the.-greens.- that tho player should bo asked to keep at least one foot on the mat, then the business of the governing body should be to adopt the most effective means of making players toe the mark.. To nie the three-inch mark is only paltering -with tho situation —the square is a "square deal" for all. One delegate said that- -there were many players who would never object to a' man* method of stepping ofl' tho mnt in delivering his bowl on ,lho grounds that his action might be considered unsportsmanlike , . That "idea is sentiment rim mad. The unsportsmanlike action iif any (fame is. breaking tin] laws of the game, and it is the duty of every true sport to. eep that the law 3 of the' game are maintained. It is ,r.o more unsportsmanlike to draw attention to a bowler's incorrect "take off" than it is for footballers to appeal when a player is off-side. More may be made, of the matter of a bowler's take-off than it deserves, but if there is to be a H'W the association should make it as effective as possible, -and the one who breaks it should be pulled up by every sports, manlike bowler who .notes the breach.