BOWLS

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 123, 22 February 1928, Page 8

BOWLS

(By

No. 3.)

Proof of the popularity of the Marlborough trip for Wellington bowlers was forthcoming when ten rinks ventured across the Strait to try conclusions witu the elect of Marlborough, and the conclusion that most of the visitors came to was that they were hardly "class enough to win against the trundlers across the way. As the whole of the ten rinks could not be accommodated at Picton on the Saturday morning, six rinks were left there, and the other four went to Blenheim, those that remained in Picton following up to the Marlborough centre in the afternoon. Those who played at Picton had a win on the aggregate, but it was bumble pie they had to eat in the afternoon, for not one of the ten Wellington rinks had.a win, the Blenheim players winning by two to one. was the shadow of an excuse for those who played at Riversdale, where the green was quite heavy—a sudden change after the fiery greens of the capital city but there was none for those who played on the Blenheim green, which was in splendid condition, and played like a billiard table. One of the Wellington team said that he thought the Blenheim Club could send over half a dozen rinks that could beat any of the local clubs, with the possible exception of Hataitai—and lie meant it! There was none more convinced of that than the visiting bowleis who played on the Blenheim green. After all the matter of who wins or loses is of small consideration, as such trips are more essentially the means of social intercourse, and from that point of view the outing was an unparalleled success. Mention was made of the fact that it was the largest contingent of bowlers that had ever left Wellington to pay a fraternal visit to another both the Mayors of Picton and Lleiihe in were not unmindful of the benefit of such trips hereafter. The life and soul of t e Wellington party was the president of the Centre (Mr. Marcus Marks), whose powers as a raconteur were drawn upon freely throughout the tour, whilst his impromptu wit and unflagging spi . made the trip one to be remembered long after (as he said himself), "we have forgotten who won or lost the games. Mr. Stanley Stone, vice-president of the Dominion Council, Dlr. James Kershaw, a member of the council, Mr. beo Johnston (president of the dhoindon Club), with Mr. R. W. Shallcrass, th secretary of the centre, were invaluable members of the party. As president or the Dominion Association elect, Mr. Stone reminded the Marlborough bowlers that the big tournament was to be held in Wellington next year, and that he hoped to see a strong contingent from Blenheim and Picton present. In the course of his speech at the dinner tendered to tho visitors at the Criterior Hotel, Mr. Slone gave an interesting resume of the recent Australian bowling carnival held in Melbourne (where ho captained a New Zealand team). He stated that bowls was becoming so popular all over the place that the difficulty of the future might be to accommodate the number who desired to play in these tournaments. In Melbourne there were 1100 entries for the singles, which were played on the sudden-death principle; as were also the rinks and the pairs, and no fewer than 72 rinks were required to accommodate the entrants. As the rinks dropped out of the test they automatically went into the consolation, which at least gave them another chance ot pulling something off. Our tournaments in New Zealand were mostly and firstly rink tournaments, aud the council likeu to give them as much play as possible, but the time may not be so iar <.ll, at the present rate of tho growth of the game in New Zealand, when they would either have to cut out one of the tests (perhaps the pairs) or introduce the sud-den-death principle in order to confine the tournament to a reasonable length of time. At present, on account of the number of greens that had to be found, the Dominion tournaments had to be confined to the four centres, in turn, but that did not say that there were not many able men in the smaller centres who were quite capable of running such tournaments sere the conditions favourable.

Mr. H. C. Tyler, an old Auckland bowler, and now a resident of Sydney, and also a member of Mosman Club there, is ou a visit to Auckland. Two members of the Victorian bowling team now in New Zealand, have brought their own motor-cars, in order, as far as time permits, to enjoy to the full New Zealand’s scenic beauties. Mr. G. Johnston, the president of the Thorndon Bowling Club, is to leave cn a visit to England and the Continent in April. It is not infrequently the case that a player burns a head by driving the jack out of bounds, but it is not often that with the oue bowl two heads are burned, yet this happened in a game in which an Island Bay rink was concerned on Saturday last. One drive caught the jack on the side, drove it into the next rink, where a player was about to measure which was the shot bowl, the flying jack struck the stationary one aud sent it out of the rinks—a real bonfire in the way of “burns.” Wellington is being visited this week by five rinks representing the Victorian Bowling Association of Australia. This team is making a rather hurried dash through the Dominion, from the Bluff to Auckland, and is playing this afternoon on the Eastbourne Club's green across the harbour. To-morrow morning the team will leave for Palmerston North, nlays there, and tnen continues on to Rotorua aud Auckland. It is understood that three or four rinks of South Australian bowlers are to tour Ne.w Zealand next month.