BOWLING, CROQUET & TENNIS.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 311, 24 October 1929, Page 8

BOWLING, CROQUET & TENNIS.

OPENING OF CLUB. A Record Attendance. Glorious weather and a record attendance combined to make the opening of the Putaruru Bowling, Croquet and Tennis Club, on Saturday, an auspicous event. Visitors were present from Morlinsville, Matamata, Okoroire, Tirau and the close environs of Putaruru, the attendance easily .constituting a record. Mr. C. H. Clinkard, M.P., at the invitation of the club, made the journey from Wellington, and he •was joined at Putaruru by Mrs. Clinkard. The visitors were early on the scene, and by 2.30 the respective courts were the scenes of great anithe devotees of the three sports exhibiting skill that, considering the fact that the season is in its infancy, augured well for successful seasons. Th 6 tennis courts were especially popular, over 120 players being given a game.

At 2.30, Mr. A. G. Leggatt, chairman of the club trustees, called the gathering to attention, and introduced Mr. Clinkard. In doing so, Mr. Leggett thanked Mr. Clinkard for his attendance.

Mr. Clinkard, who was greeted •with applause, expressed his pleasure at being present, stating that it was not a sacrifice. He could not fail to see the evidence of the forethought of someone in providing for the sport of the three sections. He was present as a friend, not as a politician, and he wished them all, irrespective of party politics, to regard him as such. Despite assertions about “ marking time,” the members of Parliament had and were having a strenuous time. He (the speaker) was' chairman of two committees, the Native Affairs, which had 60 different petitions to report on, and the Transport Bill Committee. He was often up until 4.30 a.m., and had to dash home for a few hoprs’ sleep and be back in the House at 9 o’clock, so that there was plenty of hard work, not that he disliked hard work, but it discounted the marking time suggestion. Speaking in jocular vein, Mr. Clinkard then referred to the various sports run by the club, and concluded by wishing them all a prosperous and happy season. Mr. Leggatt briefly returned thanks, after which Mesdames Francis, Leggatt and Dukeson, junr., opened the croquet, bowling and tennis greens and courts. Play was then resumed, welcome interludes being furnished by the invitations extended to players and non-players to partake of afternoon jtea. The hospitality of the club was very much in evidence, and was greatly appreciated by those who partook of it. The following are the results in the bowling and tennis sections: — r-jsui-w Bowling. I”

Matches between the visitors and Putaruru resulted in a win for Putaruru by 113 to 97. Yandle, Campbell, Palmer Hollard (s), Putaruru, 19 v. Cockhead, Pulling, Green, Stewart (s), Matamata, 27. Hamilton, Berry, Newton, Leggatt (s), Putaruru, v. Bear, Sweeney, Mouldy, Main (s), Tirau, 22. W. Brown, Rolfe, Murphy, Lindsay (s), Putaruru, 24 v. Simpson, Hisk, Bent, Crabb (s), Matamata, 23. Smith, Johnston, McGowan, Weir (s), Putaruru, 27 v. Allen, Nealis, Atkinson, Brown (s), Tirau, 11. Scrimgeour, Sloper, Gilling, Francis (s), Putaruru, 24 v. Wilkinson, Moore, Sands, Wilkinson, senr. (s), Cambridge, 14. Tennis. A progressive tournament, in which over 80 players took part, resulted in a win for Miss Hetherington (Tirau) and Mr. Davies (Matamata). Croquet. No matches were played, the afternoon being devoted to friendly games.