BOWLING

Evening Star, Issue 19456, 14 January 1927, Page 13

BOWLING

[By Measurer.]

The tournament at Auckland has started under tho best of conditions, the weather being favorable for the first four days at any rate. It may bo taken for granted that tho arrangements are well in hand, and no doubt the many players engaged are enjoying themselves. , During Monday and Tuesday many interesting singles games were decided. Prominent local players who fell early by tho wayside wore Best and Rigby (ex-champions). On the second day Harraway, Bentley, and all Dunedin contestants with the exception of A. Smellie went out. The latter is in the last six, with one life. MTntyre, erstwhile of Taieri. now of Hamilton, is the only player left with two lives. It has been truly said that to win in the singles, pairs, or rinks at a big bowling tournament the victors, besides playing well, must have fortune with them. An instance of this is the fact that Maxwell Walker is still surviving in tho singles. After being well and handsomely beaten by MTntyre on the first day he had four to get agdinst Fastier on tho last head to save his second life. Those who know Fastier’s play would not like his opponent’s chance in such a situation, hut Walker was allowed to win with nothing nearer than sft against liim. In a later game J. Hutchison (Dunedin) ran Walker to a point. The Auckland player deserves his position, however, and should ho win the singles for a fourth time be will have enhanced his great reputation. Naturally down this way there aro heartfelt wishes for the success of Arch. Smellie, a really good howler and one of tho host of fellows. Tho rinks competition started on Wednesday, and wo will not know till after to-day how many of tho Dunedin teams have qualified to take part in the post-section play. At time of writing several of them seem to have a chance.

The pairs competition starts on Monday next. The Dunedin Bowling Club has issued its usual invitation for veteran bowlers to gather on its green on Saturday, February 13, the thirteenth anniversary of Elderly Bowlers’ Day. All communications regarding this fixture should be addressed to_ Mr IT. F. M. Mercer, Dunedin Bowling Club, Dunedin. The conditions are as in previous years, and all those interested will find (or should find) a copy of tho circular' giving full details hung up in their pavilion. Mr Mercer is continuing his interest in this function so dear to his heart, and will supply any information necessary. Twenty-nine definite and three doubtful nominations have been received up to date from local players willing to make the Central Otago trip. A Dunedin player who lias taken part in several of tho recent Now Year tournaments at Invercargill tells me that the Invercargill greens were disappointing this year. Though one or two good rinks might he found on any green, there was not a. fully satisfactory green anywhere. Even Northern! had a few rinks which were disappointing. Southland Centre should look to this if the growing popularity of the New Year tournament is to bo maintained. Tho State Governor of New South Wales, Sir Dudley de Chair, has been inveigled into the game, and recently played as No. 2 at tho opening of Chatswood green. A report says; “ His first bowl found a resting-place in tbo ditch, but with the second one -he rested his opponent’s bowl and lay the .shot. Sir Dudley evidently means -to take an interest in the game, and with a little more practice will bo able to take his place in any team.” In tho recent interstate matches between Victoria and New South Wales, four rinks a side, the former had easy victories in two of the three contests. Good progress is being made in most of the clubs with their tie games. The favorable weather this week has given club committees reasonable grounds for insisting that tics should bo played up to time-table. The greenkcepcrs’ award in Sydney has been fixed at £4 12s where only one greeukceper is kept. Casuals are to bo paid at the rate of 16s per day for a fnrty-four-hour week, and to receive time and a-half for hours in excess. The total income of tbo English Bowling Association for 1026 was £1,153. The expenditure, side showed that the. annual dinner (which is considered of more importance than the championship) cost £l4B. Other refreshments cost £lB6. Tho excellent year book only cost £lB6 and returned £258. The statement showed an accumulated credit of £I.OOO.

Tinder the heading of 'A Horrible Tale ’ the Christchurch ‘ Sun ’ sports edition prints thislt happened in the days when I was very new to Christchurch, and I was looking for the house of a friend in Worcester street. I wandered down the street, and went into a gate. ''You lie!” I jumped a little skittishly. It wasn’t very good form to hail n gentle stranger like that. My friends didn’t have that awkward habit, so I must have dropped into the wrong place. However, 1 wasn’t to be treated like that by any man, and 1 strode past the hedge, prepared for the worst. “Put Kitty in the ditch!” By Jove, I must bo in a rough house! Those were coarse words. I was ready now for fight in earnest, and loosened my sleeve-links. This--thing must be scon through. Then I neared the gate, and the worst words of all smote my cars. “ Y'ou’ro shot!” I had hoard no shot, hut murder surely wasn’t past this gang. 'Anyhow, the age of silence in guns had arrived, and so murder was fairly easy. I .sprinted for the gate, and, opening it, dashed into a crowd of earnest old gentlemen—playing bowls! It was the Christchurch Bowling Club. Mr Fred Gould, a prominent Brisbane player, has strong ideas on the subject of bowling attire. He writes: —“ Correct dressing is half the charm of the game. One is positive that no players could got the maximum amount of pleasure out of a gamo of bowls dressed in hob-nailed shoes, ordinary tweed pants, with braces down at sido, and wearing a ‘ bowler ’ hat. But if lie walks on to tbo green with proper bowling shoes, newly blankoed, and wearing a nicely creased pair of cream gaberdine or flannel pants, fresh from his wife’s laundering, with, orthodox shirt and headgear, he feels as though ho is treading on air, and fit, not only to get the most out of the game, but to boat tho world. And this feeling is added to if be happens to possess a docent sort of blazer—not one of your dead body colored tWngs, with a bit of white or yellow piping round the edges, but a nice bright, parti-colored

one, with some ‘life’ behind it.” What a pity there are not more students of psychology in bowls! How many games do wc see emasculated for the reason that the man skipping the nnk does not bother to think how to mould his team into harmony. We hare seen good players so upset by the manner and directions of the skip that they become peevish and useless. To know your men’s strength and weakness is" everything. Regulate the play accordingly. Do not unduly interfere; do not fret and fume; do not appear indifferent; do not take all the credit. Bo prompt and definite. Be happy and bright,—-Sydney ‘ Bowling Life,-