BEST IN THE WORLD

Hokitika Guardian, 27 January 1926, Page 3

BEST IN THE WORLD

NEW ZEALAND BOWLERS. BRITISH PI.AYHUS’ OPINIONS. Fresh from their oxj>erienoes at the Dominion championship howling tournament at Dunedin, the members of the British howling party who arrived in Christchurch on .Monday night, says the “ Lytclton Times.” were practically unanimous in expressing the opinion that the Xew Zealand howlers were the iiuest they had met, but in all cases they fpmlilied their praise with the observation that the Xew Zealanders appeared to take the game too seriously. One member of the team, went so far as to declare that the Xew Zealand bowlers were the I Hist in the world.

" I think your howlers are very ‘ good.” said.Mr George Wright, of Ket-. , tering; England, who is president of • the English Bowling Association and ] captain of the team. Mr Wright ’ added, what others had also said, that • the New Zealanders seemed tremen- ‘ clov.sly keen, hut he did not think they got the same enjoyment out of the game that the Britishers did.” ” I.IFF. AND DEATH STRUGGLE.” ‘‘They fake the game too seriously,” I Mr Wright said. “We found at Dune-

din that play in Hie tournament was almost a life and death struggle. It seems that they make more of a business of the game than a pleasure. The game in the Old Country is played more from the sociable standpoint than the desire to win, although I wouldn’t give a pin for the man who won’t try to win. But we don’t make it so much a matter of life and death, (some of tile Xew Zealand players seemed as though they would rather do anything than lose.” The greens in Now Zealand, said Mr Wright, wore faster than those of

the Old Country, which wore made of seaside turf laid on sand and ashes, with no soil at all. Therefore there was always a hit of "bite” in the greens; they were not so keen as the greens in Xew Zealand. “ When the grass is worn off the New Zealand greens it is like playing on concrete.” A number of our players refused to play in the Dominion tournament after the second day. because it was too strenuous for them,” In' said. 11 One member of the team, Mr Robert Willson, is 78 years of age. and several others are over seventy.” TWO LIFE VERSES SUDDEN DEATH.

“Wo expected the games to he played on the sudden death principle,” Mr Wright added. ‘‘Wo never play on the section or two-life principle at Home. T’ersonaliy 1 think the sudden death principle the better of the two, hut 1 was told that the Xew Zealanders have such long distances to travel to attend their tournaments that they would not take part in them if they ran the risk of being knocked out in the first game. M.y idea is that the two-life or sectional principle of playing makes the championships a bigger coriiiintv for the liesl players, hut if cuts out the sporting element, such as when two good players met early in the tournament and the one beaten is pul mil altogether.” Speaking o» the Exhibition Mr Wright said that- some of tl'.e members of the party visited il fpiitc a lot. hnl he went I here once only. ITc was very pleased with il and considered that for the sum of the Dominion and the sine of the town it was a very line show. “ KEPT OX THE GO.” The reporter remarked that the British players were probably glad when they were knocked out id the tournament play. "Rut we were never knocked out.” rejoined Mr Wright. "We were on the go all the time and we are not used to it. especially as the average age of the team is about fifty-live voars.”

Air Wrielii said that the members' of the team came to New Zealand to play the game of Imwls, and the arrangements for their itinerary were in the hands of the various centres. They wanted to play their own links against their hosts, not to mix the teams. But they did not claim, to represent the bowling strength of the British Isles. Out of eighty players who took part in international games between England. Scotland. Wales and Ireland last season only three were members of the party. The tour had been most enjoyable in spfto of being' so strenuous, said Mr Wright. It was just what they had expected it to be. Being the first team to visit Australia and New Zealand it was tmly to lie expected that the bowlers in all towns they visited should want to play against them. Then the socials and drives all added to the strenuous nature ol the tour, especially for those who were on in years.

SCOTTISH PLAYER’S YIEAYS. AD Robert Husband. K.C., of Dunfermline, Scotland, the captain ol the .Scottish section of the team, was quite definite regarding his opinions of the New Zealand bowlers. “ f have already staled publicly.” said Air Husband, “ tnat I ((insider the- New Zealand bowlers the best in the world, and 1 speak with bowling experience both at Home and in South Africa, which I toured as a member of the British team four years ago.

" The members of the British team.” Mr Husband added, "consider that the New Zealand bowlers take the game too seriously, and that they don’t get the same amount of enjoyment out of the game as we do in the Old Country.”