Bowling Tournament at Auckland.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 185, 16 January 1904, Page 14

Bowling Tournament at Auckland.

Auckland, Tuesday night. THE Bowling Tournament opened in ideal weather on Monday, at 9 a.m. There was no wind, but plenty of sunshine) — in fact, upwards of 90 degrees in the sun. It was a bit too sultry for Southern complexions, most of which have been completely wrecked, still their owners pegged away steadily at kitty, while their manly beauty w ent to smithereens. • # ♦ People who scoff at bowls as being an old man's game opened their eyes when they saw a fifteen-year-old nippei playing for Stratford. The Te Rau Maori Club, from Gisborne, also formed quite a rare show. One rink, composed of pakehas, and skipped by Ferris, wasn't nearly equal to the other rink of young; Maoris, skipped by Harris, an elderly half-caste, whose drawing was a perfect treat. His youn^ Maori mates played some lovely shots, and freely used, cant terms of the game. The only wonder is that they didn't express themselves in broad Scotch. The players were of all sorts, conditions, shapes, and sizes, and the variety oi get-ups in blazers, lawn hats, and slippers not to be matched outside of a circus show. As for attitudes they were too excruciating for description. Percy Dix ought to copy them if he wants to double people up with laughter. Bowls seems to wipe out sectarian distinctions. Presbyterian Minister Munro and Roman Catholic Bishop Lenihan were playing quite genially cheek by jowl ud at Ponsonby on the first day of the Pairs Match, and' they didn't even glare at each other. • * • In the inter-club matches, on the first day's play Victoria w as the most successful Wellington club. They beat GisT)orne by 66 to 27, and then Greenmeadows bv 48 to 31, Brackenndge's rink putting on 31 to Crowley's 8. In the third round, Victoria just escaped by the skm of their teeth from defeat by Petone, which is no longer a despised team of country chawbacons as the town cracks used to regard it. Brackenndge was again Victoria's saviour. Johnstone passed Bary out at 18 to 12, and Laurie was six behind Brackenndge, but lying the shot, and therefore the game, on the aggregate score when Brackenndge had one l>owl to co. With that last bowl veteran James wrested the shot, and won the game amid applause- — 41 to 40. • • • Petone's record was next best. In their first match they beat Newtown by 39 to 35. It was a sensational finish. Newtown was lying 4 when Laurie, with Ms last bowl, put in the winning shot. In the second match, Petone whipped Devonport by 47 to 36, and in the third match lost to Victoria by one point. • *■ * The Wellington Club had a nice little picnic on for the best part of the day at Mount Eden, and its ei^ht champions felt no small pumpkins as they belted out the Pahiatua rustics by 38 to 24, and bowled over Remuera by 54 to 31 , Tiut they struck a snag in Hastings, where they looked for a soft thing. Neil McLean got to windward of veteran Beatson by 23 to 14, but Maddison chipped corners off Lockie, scoring 30 to 12. Luck seemed to forsake Lockie, and his partners — Drummond ?nd Hamilton. — were both off. Bell's drives did no good, and Lockie, when lying two, trailed kitty, and gave his opponents 5. Everything went wrong, and Hastings triumphed. • * * Thorndon played pluckily, but with hard luck. They lost to Palmerston by a point, Sievwnght going up 5 against Mowlem, and Davy Ross going down 6 to Bunting. They also lost their match against Rocky Nook by a single point, just in the same way, Sievwnght going up 5. and Ross going down 6. The,, next tackled Carlton (formerly known as Newmarket when it won the 1900 Tournament against Wellington), and lost by only two points, this time Ross going up 3 against Kilgour, and Sievwright going down 5 against Wilson. * * * Newtown lost all three games, but Dunedin only beat them by 4, and Auckland by 3. The Dunedin men sar Newtown gave them their best game on the da^'s play. * * ♦ Dunedin, A 7 ictoria, and Palmerston North won all their games. * * * Wellington's only important match on Tuesday was against Palmerston, who went under in both rinks by 43 to 29. It was Palmerston's first defeat.

Wellington beat Stiatford and Rocky Nook comfortably, but. the change from the Grafton to the Mount Eden green proved disastrous to Victoria, who lost to Dunedin bv one point, and was more heavily beaten by Auckland and Ponsonby. Thorndon beat Patea easily, and tied with Te Rau, the Maoris winning on the play off. Thorndon also had a bye. Newtown lost to Ponsonby, beat Masterton and had a bye. Pet one lost to Fciidin 1 ? by 4b to 37, and they were also beaten by Haw-era and New Plymouth. Devonport and Feildmg both beat Auckland, and Dunedin beat Feildmg. Mr. F. Y. Lethbndge, M.H.R., came up as guide, philosopher, and friend for Feildmg, but Greenmeadows nobbled him as substitute to help them over the stile.