BOWLING

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 31, 6 February 1901, Page 1

BOWLING

Playing bowls by moonlight is now a common practice among members of the Gisborne Club, and every evening sees one or two rinks at work. A game that attracted a good deal of attention on Monday night, was that between Messrs C. Adair, W. Miller, T. Adair, and C. H. W. Dixon (skip), and J. Ransom, J. A. Harding, J. S. Johnston, and E. Hoyte (skip). Mr Hoyte is well-known to Gisborne bowlers on account of having last year been the means of preventing Gisborne getting into the semi-final for the Stewart Dawson clock competition, he having skipped the Mount Eden team which defeated them upon that occasion. He was not so fortunate on Monday evening, and when the game was abandoned on account of the rain had only 3to his opponents 25. “ Can you.see that cigar?—that is your green,” was the instruction given by the Mount Eden skip to his men, whilst his opponents displayed a white handkerchief as a guide to the Jack. Notwithstanding the disadvantageous circumstages under which the play was carried on, there were some excellent heads, several of the players showing splendid form. Miller especially was dead on the Jack, and has benefited considerably from the practice he obtained in Australia. At the green in the afternoon in the club singles, Coleman and Bright had an exciting game, the former whining by a point, whilst T. Witty was defeated by Massey in the colts competition. Notes by “Toucher.”

The declaration of the bowling handicaps on Friday last were received with a good deal of surprise and wonder by very many of the players, several of whom wero unkind enough to enquire whether the game was for a hundred heads. In no other club in the colony as far as I kno.v, as the limit amounted to more than twelve or fifteen points. In Auckland it. is generally eight, and players who require more than that number arc not allowed to compete. In the South the limit is never more than twelve, and to ask even the redoubtable Ponsford to give 34 points to any opponent is to place too high an opinion on his play. It really reduces the game to a farce, and I anticipate that before the matches are half way through, this will be the general opinion among the players. If the veriest novice resorted to driving throughout, he would with a handicap of 34 points clear the green of a sufficient number of bowls to prevent his opponent gaining a victory. Then again the handicapping of the average players is very much astray. The winner of last year’s championship singles gets ten points from the men he beat last year off scratch, which is not the usual mode of treatment, but he need not complain. There appears to have been a mistake made in reference to the handicap alloted to the genial President who was represented as receiving 18 points, whereas it should have been eight. But even eight points is more than he should on his usual form have received when Ponsford is four points behind scratch. Willock, Pettie, Sidebottom, Kennedy, Humphreys and McGowan are all somewhat favored for the singles, but if any of the new players lay themselves out to practice carefully, it is extremely doubtful if they will be overtaken. C. Adair with eighteen points is fairly thrown in, and if he goes on as he has been playing of late, will take a lot of catching. Harding has twenty-six points, and if in his usual form should run into a place. O’Meara has 18, which is too many for an old player. He will require watching. Price with 12 in the form I have seen him at times display will require to be reckoned with, as also will Buttle with 10 points. The latter should hold all behind him fairly safe, for ho has a good all-round knowledge of the game. . Hookey is generously treated with ten, and C. Rosie is well in it with 12.

Dixon has eight, and on the handicap as it stands is hardly treated. Being quite unaware as by whom the handicap was drawn up, I have freely expressed my opinion without impugning the fairness of adjustment. In the case of the match between Birss and Massey, already decided in favor of Birss, tho handicapper may fairly claim a success, but such victories will be exceptional. Whilst in the case of every sport handicapping is difficult, in bowls it is essentially so, and the adjustment should bo made on the form of the players, whilst tho limit should certainly be kept down to twelve or fifteon points. T. Witty played Massey on Monday evoning, and just when he appeared to have the game well in hand broke down, Massey winning by a small majority. The game bdtween Bright and Coleman was attended with much interest as it was quite on the cards up to the President’s last shot that he would have pulled the game out of the fire. As it was he just missed the shot aimed for and lost by a couple of points. ■