BOWLING

Grey River Argus, 26 February 1927, Page 1 (Supplement)

BOWLING

(By “Straight Wood.”) The following is the draw for tho fourth round of the Championship Pairs Competition:—Two lives—Scott and McKay (s), play W. Kyle and Mercer s), J. Kyle and Whibley (s) play Holmes and Ring (s). One life.—Kibble and Carey (s) play Truscott and Chalk (s), Peck and Blair (s) play Wild and Brislanc (s), Pascoe and Steele (s) play McNaughton and Steer (s). This round must be completed by Wednesday next. The draw for the second round of the post section play in the Singles for heads and seconds is as follows:—Two lives.—Leitch plays Brislanc, Moss a bye. One life—Crooks plays A. E. Kilgour, Seddon plays Steele, Lawn plays J. S. Ross. These games must be played by Wednesday next. The simplest ways are often the best. Two New Zealand “Kiwis” who visited Strathfield (N.S.W.) recently were much taken with the me.thod in vogue there or running a chalked line some 20 feet in length outwards from the number disc. This enables the mat to be laid properly without hesitation and for the kitty to be straightened quickly. The use of the chalked line saves something like 15 minutes in an afternoon’s game—a big consideration. Tt is remarkable how many people (they run into thousands) want to cut very much more skilful. In recounting his experiences, a welldriving out of bowls (writes Boomerang in the Sydney Refeiee). Harry Moses is reported to have remarked: “The player who can’t, drive is the player who wants to cut it out.” I have certainly met a great many players (not necessarily opponents) who would do away entirely with driving, for there is no halfway house or compromise.

The question that naturally arises is* “Why do any players want to cut t’’» forcing shot out of bowls?” A number who have spoken to me put it this way: “I draw four good shots round the kitty, and you put up three bad ones, and with your last, skittle the end, or drive the jack out of bounds or into the ditch." Another savs: *'lt is not howls. atlmro is no skill in hitting a bunch howls gathered round kitty.” Well is up tn ns to . r th-' or to a ’r: ! ‘ thnt *' r'ght I venture t" se t’. ' rot only not right, but never had an argument. As the famous advertisement says, nothing to argue about. You may as well erv for the moon as agitate for driving to be cut out of bowls. The strongest reason aeainst it is that every man ha« a different spews of drive in h’s W ’ this department f ■* about five divine* • as distinct as tho r’ will take almost a 1 fating taking all the bias o' . n bringing it off. Another (very few, in fact, attempt it) would fail that way. and must have room for a “bend” in transit.

A third requires still more Lend, while a fourth would term his drive a firm shot. If driving was cut out, all these species, from the “lightnin” to the yard-and-a-half bend, would have to go, and then the game would really and truly become a pastime for men in their dotage, and effeminate degenerates. And there are other aspects. It is all very well for the non-driver to tell us that when they draw a number of bowls round the kitty, we simply knocK them out. How many accurate drivers are there? Not an average of two in a club. Accurate driving is as skilful as accurate bowling at cricket; indeed, known Scot remarked:

“I mind the games that drives hae lost, and games that dra’s hae won. ’ ’ M hich, interpreted, means that it does not play to drive as a rule. The niau who complains forgets that the driver takes all the risk, and if he misses (and no drive is an even-money chance), he has to pay a heavy tax on the scores. hen he misses, everything is all right, ami is quite all right as long as the man who would not have you drive is accumulating points; but as soon as the pendulum swings the other way, and an ' pponent is gathering in the reward for his skill, driving becomes something that must not be allowed. I would say to all young players: Learn to drive. No man without the combination (it is one of them) ever won anything really big. The driver compels the dead drawer to respect him and go to the rear for safety. You can walk on to any green and pick out players who should never attempt driving, from the fact that they have neglected Ihe shot, early, ami will never make good. Profit by their mistake. Another injustice is about to be done tn the South Island, and this time the Tourist Department cannot be blamed. At the last meeting of the council of lhe Dominion Bowling Association the president (Mr J. Hardley) reported having received a letter from Mr Scott (president of the New South Wales Association) relative to a tour of New Zealand. The date of arrival was .stated to be March 1. and it was also specially requested that the tour should be confined to the North Island, the tour to be of three weeks’ duration. A letter was also received from tlie South Australian Association approv ing of tho suggested ’date (March 1928), for a visit to New Zealand. lr was decided to L ave the matter to the next council to arrange the itinerary, but to point out to the S.A. Association (hat ;i. lour «*f one month, \«l< , la’d , ‘ to Adelaide, did not Iravr inmffi linir H be spent New Zealand Two games in the fourth round of the Championship Pairs Competition wore played this week, Scott and McKay defeating W. Kyle and Mercer and Kibble and Carev beating Truxeott and