BOWLING NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 119, 22 April 1925, Page 9

BOWLING NOTES.

(By “Trundler.”) For tho second year in succession u Palmerston North Club link has been runner-up in tire Easter tourney of t lie Manawatu Bowling Centre. Last year Jones’s rink failed against, Pickers ley (Manawatu) and this year Munro (Island Bay) won fitom Fraser. Tho final of the tournament was not a good exhibition of the game, generally speaking, and it is an interesting fact that, several tournaments this year have been won very easily in tho final match. Cases in point which occur to tho writer are the Cambridge Piaster tourney, Tauranga summer tournament, No. 2 Rotorua and, if memory is not at fault, the Dominion rinks. In tho post-section play of the Mahawatu tournament,, no team played better bowls than Fraser’s rink, who easily beat Bell (Hamilton)—in justice to tho latter it must bo stated that the whole team were off their game that morning— Britland (Pahiatua) and Reid ‘Lyall Bay). It was generally felt that the Palmerston North four had a royal chance of adding the second tournament victory to, the club’s record this year, but tho high hopes were dashed to the ground on tho sixteenth and seventeenth heads when drives which failed left Palmerston North 10 points down in a game in which their opponents were playing the better bowls. At the end of the 15th head tho score stood 14 —13 in favour of Island Bay; at the end of tho 17th the card read 23 —13 and Palmerston North were a defeated team. In fairness to the winners it must he stated that they had been playing better bowls —to use a wellknown bowling expression, the local team had been “scratching.” The Palmerston North skip has been severely criticised for driving on the 16th head and in wasting four bowls in an effort to “burn” the 17th, but it must be remembered that ho was receiving little help from his team at the time. On tho other hand, he had drawn several good shots and the chances of his winning were not lost at the end of the 16th head, when he was five down. But it was in electing to drive four times on tlie 17th head when there was a good drawing shot playable that definitely lost him the game. Those whio are unfamiliar with the Palmerston North green were amazed at the failure of the local team, hut the reason was not far to seek. At the smoke concert on Saturday night. Mr Norris Bell, the Hamilton skip, severely criticised the club for having on its green a rink which failed to draw on one hand at all, tho bowls going straight. He was perfectly justified in his comments; the rink was also criticised by many others who played on it. To the astonishment of several this was the rink selected for the final match, and to say that it battled most of the contestants is not exaggeration. Even the winners could not but otherwise adversely criticise it, and their remarks were not inaudible. It was a' stupid blunder to have selected it for tho final match, and it is satisfactory to note that the green superintendent did not have tho choice. A middle rink would have resulted in a much better exhibition with more satisfaction to all concerned. An incident occurred at St, Helier’s that, is worth recording (says an Auckland paper). A perfectly played bowl was coining right on the jack, which was lying on the scrim, about a yard behind tlie front edge. Just as the howl reached the scrim, a puff of wind lifted it, and the bowl rolled underneath, stopping as soon as the scrim fell again. Fortunately the match did not depend on the shot, so it did not matter, but there seems to be no rule bearing on it, and those who saw the incident are curious to know what would happen it if had been the last bowl in the match. Scrim is very useful protection to a green, but it has lost a match before now. It lost Waiuku their recent match against Epsom. Epsom were lying two, with Waiuku a close third, lying flat. Barriball played to turn it over, and it rose on its edge shot, leaned against the scrim, and then fell back again out of the count, the edge of tho scrim thus making a difference of three. Nobody would suggest the necessity for a rule dealing with that contingency, as it. is one of the chances of a green, like a hole or a worm-east, but when a bowl gets right under the scrim it looks us if equity demands that it should bo replayed.

The final of the Cambridge Bowling Club’s Easter tourney between Hamilton (Wernham, Wilson, Mclntyre, Pilkington)

and Hamilton East (Curling, Scanlon, Lynburn, Carter), resulted in a win for the former by 24 points Jo 16. During the season which closed on Saturday tho Hatnitui Club has tried out a new system of playing club rink competitions (.-ays the Dominion). Hitherto tho system generally adopted bus been nomination rinks, in which four players got together and reinuined together ilvougliout the competition.- Under the now qualifying system, which is very popular in Auckland, these ‘‘watertight" compartment, rinks (by some held to encourage eliquism und which works out rather badly for new players) are done away with. Under this system the whole of the players in the club are classified as loads, twos, threes, or skips, and ovJrv day on which a round is played, discs bearing tho number of each player ure drawn from a lint, and teams are formed up as drawn, assuring a varying personnel for each game. A win counts a point and a draw half a point. The competition goes on until nearly tho end of (lie season, when the sixteen leads, twos, throes and skips on the Judder are drawn (on the same system) to play the semifinal, and the survivors play in the final. On the whole the system worked out very well und gave every member of the club a live interest in at least one competition. The final game was played on Saturday afternoon, and resulted as follows: Taylor, Strangemuir, Renner, A. Clariclge (s.), 22; Murrell, Ponder, Grant, Feilding (s.), 21. BOWLING GREENS RAIDED.

“Whatever enthusiasm was raised and whatever ardour was germinated in the breasts of certain loeul bowling devotees on Easter Monday by the glorious weather, which made conditions for enjoyment on the greens so sublime, the end of a perfect day’s bowling was, in so far as the Napier and Port Clubs wore concerned, considerably marred by foqr bolts from the blue in the persons of Sergeant Quayle and» Constables Hodge, Staniland and Coddinglon, who (relates the Napier Telegraph) raided the clubs in question and there discovered things that will, in all probability, lead to much difficulty.

The raids were carried out simultaneously at 3.30 p.in., Sergeant Quayle and Constable Coddingtori attending to the Napier Bowling Club and Constables Hodge and Staniland bestirring themselves with a little matter at the Port. At the later club-house a subterfuge was adopted. The persons on the premises who'were supplied with liquor were, it is said, watched until payment was made by the dropping of money into a box, which had a slot at the top and a glass face. A bar tender was present, and the liquor was supplied without question. From this club the police commandeered eight bottles of whisky and two crates containing a total of 135 bottles of beer. A GOODLY STORE. The possible thirst of the Port Club members, however, was far below that of their, Napier Club contemporaries, it would seem, for from the latter club the police took away a 36-gallon eusk containing a aquuntity of alleged unbroken down whisky, seven bottles of whisky, one bottle of gin. one bottle of wine, three twogallon tubs of beer and another small cask containing beer. It is alleged by the police that no questions were asked, that liquor was supplied and payment was received, and that a straight-out sale of liquor was made to two police officials in plain clothes and in the opinion of the authorities, the whole thing is nothing more nor less than a matter of sly-grog selling.

A TIME-HONOURED PRACTICE. According to a statement made by a very prominent member of tho Port Club, the practice of supplying liquor at clubs lias been in vogue for years and is Do-minion-wide, but, the police say that they do not credit the statement. It is understood that prosecutions arising out of the whole affair arc pending. It is stated by the police that a raid was also carried out at the bowling club at Hastings, but there the minions of the law drew a blank, as tho members there are evidently wise in their day and generation. Asked by a Daily Telegraph reporter if the Wairere Bo.v.'ing Club was visited, Sergeunt Quayle stated that it was a wellknown fact that that club used only “Adam’s ale” for quenching thirst.