N.Z. BOWLERS AT HOME

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 23, 21 October 1921, Page 7

N.Z. BOWLERS AT HOME

A REVIEW OF THE TOUR BY MR. J. D. SIEVWRIGHT The prospect of having a comprehensive'review of tho tour of the New Zealand bowling tour through Great Britain by Mi - . J. D. Sievwright, the secretary of the team, attracted a large attendance of bowlers and their friends to the pavilion of tho Wellington Bowling Club last evening. Mr. F. Meadowcroft, a member of the Dominion. Council, presided. , An Enjoyable Trip Over. The. New Zealand bowlers, it will be remembered, said Mr. Sievwright in opening, constituted a party when they left New Zealand of It all iold. With, tho addition of four others in London, thero were 32 bowlers and 13 ladies of tho party. After some changes had been made in the executive on the way Homo and subsequently, tho following were tho officers of ihe party:—Messrs. M. F. Barnett (president), G. S. Gordon (vice-president), A. P. London (captain), T. M. Stewart (vice-captain), T. J. Hill (treasurer), and the speaker as hou. secretary. The party left on February 17, and after an enjoyable tour along the coast of Australia from Sydney, and on by tho s.s. Narkunda by way of Colombo, Bombay, Aden, tho Suez Canal, through the Straits of Messina, and the north of Sardinia to Marseilles, through tho Straits of Gibraltar, calling at Plymouth, the party arrived at Tilbury Docks on April IG. A Hearty Welcome.

They found that a programme had been arranged for them of 56 matches, covering about eleven weeks, beginning on April 30 at Northampton. During the fortnight in London several functions had been arranged for the New Zealanders. Through the good offices of tho English Bowling Association a reception was given by tho Lord Mayor of London, Sir James Roll, at which, besides the Sheriff of London, aldermen, and councillors, there were present Sir Janies and- L-idy Allen. Two days before the party left London the High Commissioner for New Zealand gave the party nn evening reception at the Victoria Hotel, Northumberland Avenue, when between 460 and 500 people, mostly New Zealanders, were present. This was a splendid affair, and Sir James and Lady Allen, said Mr. Sievwright, de-’ served the utmost praise for the way they interested themselves ’u the welfare of the New Zealand touring team of liowlers Received With Open Arms.

With such a send-off in London, it was natural to suppose that the receptions by the ‘various county howling associations would be cordial and hospitable. They were distinctly so. All over England, in Wales, in Ireland, and in Scotland, the New Zealand bowlers were received, so to speak, with open arms, and it was patent from tho encomiums that wore showoi’ed upon the Now Zealand soldiers that tho bowlers were basking in the sunshine of the reflected glory of the men who at the call of King and country wont io the help of the Motherland in the cause of civilisation and freedom.

While the party were not bowlingtliat is, in the forenoons—they wore touring from one place to another by char-a-banc, or they were being shown tho. most important end impressive sights of the localities they happened to be in. The Home of Bowling and Bowlera. After reviewing the many places in England, Wales, and Ireland which the party visited, Mr. Sievwright proceeded to the Scottish tour. Scotland is regarded in the Old Country as the home of bowling and bowlers, and here he mentioned incidentally that the Ney Zealand bowlers were able to hold their own and win more matches in Scotland than they lost. But, he declared, bowling was not tho only object of the tour. First, it could be said to be a holiday) but, as was observed by one of the Lord Provosts of Scotland, the New Zealanders were ambassadors of Empire; but putting it upon a lower and more practical plane, the bowling party were a good ailvertisement for New Zealand. There were many inquiries for particulars of file Dominion, and the speaker told of how he visited the home of a gentleman in Cardiff, who, after discussing with him the prospects in New Zealand. • determined to migrate. On his arrived in Auckland that gentleman met Mr. Sievwright on the Niagara on its arrival, nnd he took tea with the whole of the family nt their flat in Auckland. That was evidence, declared the speaker, of the utility of the bowling four, and if nothing more had come out of it then tliat Hie visit would have been a profitable thing for New Zealand. Links With Scotland. It was worth mentioning that in proposing Uno toast of “The City and Corporation of Aberdeen,” Mr. - Sievwright noted the close association of Scotsmen with this country. Although it was often, made a gibe against Aberdonians, yet it was the characteristics of the people of Hie northern city —thrift, industry, enterprise, and pyobtty —that were really at the foundation of individual prosperity and national greatness. Ho also noted fhaf- according to Professor Bain, of Marshall College, who wrote “Logic,” one of the most brilliant students that had passed through that college was the late Dr. Macgregor, of Wellington, a late Inspector of Hospitals for New Zealand, and one of the original founders of tho A Vol ling ton Bowling Club. In nearly every town in Scotland similar connections or associations could bo made which showed, of course, tho wcfosonoss of tho relationship between tho Motherland and her outlying possessions. A Word Aibout the Play.

Speaking of the play, Mr. Sievwright noted that Professor Calderwood, M.A., of Edinburgh, in proposing a toast to the New Zealand bowling team, said: “This bowling game was the finest and best form of sport Scotland at least possessed. The high tone of conduct on their greens was worthy of respect. They got there many a lesson in selfrestraint and many a lesson in heavy, disappointment.” Throughout the United Kingdom ho found bowlers good sports and high-toned gentlemen. It oug<it to bo noted, ho said, that there were two classes of bowlers in the Old Country. That might ho regrettable. There wore the bowlers who belonged to publie or municipal greens; these the New Zealanders never met:. It was tlio bowlers who belonged to the private greens, and they ycro mostly men of education and in independent positions, whom tho New Zealanders played against. Narrow Bowls. In England bowlers were not nearly so demonstrative in their style of play ns those in Wales, Ireland, and particularly Scotland. Right throughout the United Kingdom they played with narrower bowls than is the standard in Now Zealand. Indeed, after visiting 'Caylor’s factory in London, Mr. Sievwright discovered that the standard bowl in New Zealand was at least from two to throe feet wider than (he standard howl of Client Britain. In support of that, Mr. Sievwright quoted from a criticism offered by the Dundee "Courier” on the Dundee mat'.-h, which, by the way, was won by ihe New Zealanders by 7 points. Tho Dundee “Courier*’ said:—"Balzay green was selected for the match, am* Donald Pigott, the keeper, had the turf in excellent order. The players had to prove themselves on a keen sur-

face. It was a ■ game cf six rinks, and when the match was started one was struck by tho great width of the bowls played by the New Zealanders. They probably “bend" a good yard more than the average bowl used in Scotland. Then the New Zealanders are punctilious about sport etiquette. In Scotland, when men deliver their bowl, they strut up the rink in, happy-go-lucky fashion, but in New Zealand. there is something of a formal procession. When the first, second, and third players have delivered their bowls the six men march up to the rink in a body. There is something to be said for this, for a player is often disconcerted by the movement cf another on tho same rink. Then, while in Scotland the third player stands at the top of the head beside the skip, the skip in Now Zealand is captain in all respects, and there is less consultation. The New Zealanders play a real drawing game, and they seem to be endowed with a wonderful sense of distance and of calculation on a great bias. A feature of Saturday’s result is tho fact that New Zealand had three rinks out of six up. Dundee was up in only one, and thero were two ties. Ono of the rinks that tied was that skipped by Lewd Provost. Spence." Difference in Styles of Play. Tho style of our rink play in New Zealand is very different from that practised in Great Britain, particularly in Scotland, went on Mr. Sievtnight. In Scotland, it is the custom for tho lead to run up the green after his second bowl, and remain at the head advising liis skips, where the third player is also located, advising the ekip. The second player runs up after his first bowl, and sees the head and accepts the -advice of his other three players ns to how he is to play his second bowl. Then the third player ivalks from tho head to tho bowling ond to play, and it is by no means unusual for him to follow up his first bowl and see the effect, if any, it may have had upon tho head. This stylo is in striking contrast to the New Zealand plan. It tends to malto tho game fiom hnlf-an-hour to three-quarters of an hour longer. If the third player makes a good shot it is alto the custom for him to shake hands with all the members of his team. This at first was somewhat embarrassing to the Now Zealanders, who certainly piny the game with much less demonstration. However, until thero was a fusion of ideals among tho governing bodies in bowls variations in customs would continue. During the- course of his review, Mr. Sievwright related many humorous anecdotes of the tour, whicli were keenly enjoyed by those present. The gathering concluded with a vote of thanks to Mr. Sievwright for his interesting lecture. ,