ROUND THE WORLD WITH THE N.Z. BOWLERS.

Shannon News, 14 December 1928, Page 2

ROUND THE WORLD WITH THE N.Z. BOWLERS.

MR M. J. SUHAN’S IMPRESSIONS. (Continued). On arrival at the French metropolis at 11.30 p.m.. on Sunday, April 15th, it was found that, all the cafes were gaily lighted and that they were busy although heavy rain was falling. Next evening a- production ot ‘ ‘ Rose Marie was seen at the Grand Opera House, and the following day was spent in sight-seeing, visits being made lo tly~Scliool of Art, the Troeadero, the -Arc de Triomphe, and; the Tomb of Napoleon. Wednesday was spent in viewing the beauties and wonders of the Palace of Versailles, and on Thursday the Eiffel Tower was ascended and a trip was taken to the Baton Rouge aero'drome, where planes from England make their landings, two with full loads of passengers arriving _ during the party’s visit. -On Friday, April 20th, the team bade farewell to Paris and proceeded by train to Boulogne, whence they crossed the Channel to Folkstone. ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND. The first players met in England were the president and representatives of the Kent Bowling Association, who gave the New Zealanders a great reception at F.olkstone. On arrival at Victoria Station, London, the party were met by the president and th| secretary of the British Bowling Association and notable bowlers. A thoughtful act on the part of the Dominion team was to lay a wreath...on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They visited New Zealand House and had tea with Sir James and Lady Parr, and afterwards a reoeption wa3 held in their honour. Among those present were the Maoriland boxer, Tom Heeney, and Miss Nellie Scanlan, a journalist who hailed from Palmerston North. On Saturday evening, April 21st, the party were given a reception by the 8.8. A., and on the following Tuesday the first match of the tour was played. It was an unofficial match arranged by Mr Melbourne Orchard, at the Crystal Palace, against, the Indoor Bowling Club. Eight rinks were engaged, and the game proved a very interesting one, the tourists being beaten by two shots. A reception at the Mansion House took place on the Thursday, when the party were welcome by the Lord Mayor, after which guides showed them over the Guildhall. VISIT TO ISLE OF WIGHT. A departure was made on April 23th for the Isle of Wight and a stirring scene occurred on the green at Ryde, where the visitors gave a haka- and songs of welcome, and where the first official match of the British tour was played.- The day was the first really fine one that Ryde had experienced for about a month. The green rvas very heavy, and the New- Zealanders were defeated byi 30 points. .Next day, Sunday, they were taken, for a motor trip around the Island, in the course of which they visited Osborne House, the last residence of Queen Victoria. Sir Guy Moore, Governor of" the Island, met the party, and he was accompanied by Viscount Jellicoe, who lives on the Isle of Wight, and who, on hearing of the visit of the team; came along to extend a welcome to the representatives of the Dominion of which he was formerly Governor-General. Lor.! Jellicoe (joined tfye party land went with them through Osborne House. THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES. Leaving the Isle on the Monday, the'team made a journey to Portsmouth, where they were shown over the Victory, and in contrast tc the “wooden walls” of Nelson's day they inspected the latest battleship, which is named after the great Admiral and is the largest in the world. Bournemouth was reached by train, and the party weie met by a number of bowlers, including Mr Geo. Wright, manager of the 1925-2 G British team that visiied New Zealand.’ In the. evening they were entertained at the Winter Gardens by the city’s band, which is one of. the most famous in England and is conducted by Sir Dan Godfrey, Bournemouth has a notable bawling "green, but at the time of the New Zealanders' visit it was exceedingly heavy and they had difficulty in rolling-up a bowl;, consequently they were well beaten. The next stage of the tour took the party through Dorsetshire to Wc-ymouth, where they were given an official lunch, and the leception was attended by six Mayors and four Mayoresses from various towns in Dorset. The condition of the green was more to the visiting bowlers' liking than that of Bournemouth, and they secured a win by seven points. SLING CAMP.

On reaching the ancient city of Salisbury, in Wiltshire, the New Zealanders were entertained at a civic welcome in the Guildhall, followed by an elaborate luncheon. The match played at Salisbury ended in. a draw —126 all. Next" day the party visited-Stonehenge, and from there they went to Sling Gamp, of which many returned soldiers -cherish (memories —pleasant and otherwise. Quite a unique tribute came to the bowlers at Sling, the manager of the Kiwi Polish Companypresenting each of them with a lifesize model of ai kiwi. At the camp the Diggers have left the design of a kiwi cut in the side of the hill, and the company employ two men constantly to keep it in order. The emblem thus left to commemorate the transplanting of the Dominion’s youth to English soil deserves to rank with the famous prehistoric chalk carvings, for it covers two acres of ground Camps are still stationed at Sling, and hangars aie dotted about over a wide area of Salisbury Plain LAVISH' HOSPITALITY.

At Bude, in Cornwall, a great crowd was waiting on the platform to see the touring bowlers. Just as the train arrived, a thunderstorm, accompanied Ijy vivid lightning, broke over the town, and the period of waiting on the platform was filled in wdth speech-

— ; —i 1 — c-s by various ' members of the team. An official luncheon was given at Budc* by Sir Edward Niehol, president of the Cornwall Bowling Association and formerly a member of Parliament, who came down from London on purpose to meet the bowlers. He expects to tour New Zealand in February, and lie can be assured of a hearty welcome on the greens of this country. liis treatment of the visitors was hospitable to a degree. They were taken for a weekend trip to his house by the Thames, where he has a miniature railway running for five miles on his grounds, and the party of 50. .were carried on the train, drawn 1-y an engi-.e weighing tw r o tons. The bowling green at Bude was opened in the presence of the visitors by a centenarian bowler, 'who watched the play with much interest. OLD-WORLD SCENES, The Devonshire towns in their lovely old-world settings ivere greatly admired by the visitors, who drove through a number of them. They called at the quaint fishing village of Clovellv, situated at the side of a cliff, and ac cess to which has to be . gained from the shoreward side on foot. At Barnstaple a civic luncheon was provided. The green was found to be heavy, but the bowls ran well; the match, however, ujsts lost. A quiet evening was spent, and such a rfcst was really oveidue. In Somerset, a stop was made at the Taunton station, where an express for Plymouth passed through at a speed stated to be 80 miles an hour, one effect of which was to lift newspapers and cigarette-ends clean off the platform. Continuing their journey, tin party reached Weston-super-Mare, which is a beautiful report ion the west coast, where Mr Walter Wake and Mr Quick, of the British team of 192526, have their homes. Mr Butt, a retired merchant, was lavish in his generosity, entertaining the ladies and making a present to each of them, ami taking the whole party to the theatre, where a special show was produced for tbeni. A match was played at Weston, with honours to the visitors. A journey into Gloucestershire brought tfie party to 'Cheltenham, where there was a civic luncheon, presided over by Sir J. Agg-Gardner, now deceased, who was at one time the oldest member of the House of Commons. The visiting bowlers played on a good green, but the margin of poiiifs went against them. A brilliant dinner was given them in the, evening, by.file Gloucestershire Bowling Association. TRAVELS IN WALES-

Arriving at Cardiff on Thuisday, May 10th, the New Zealanders were aecorded a reception in the Town Hall, by the* Lord Mayor. A match was played against Cardiff, in the afternoon, qnd was won by the visitors. At night the male members of the party went to witness tin-hare race), and quite enjoyed the novfelty. On the following day they played Glamorgan, a St. Fagan’s, the seat- of the Duke of Plymouth, who had luncheon provided for them. His Grace played with a rink,, against cue skipped by Mr Suhan. and won fairly easily, having a strong team. The New JSealanders left next day for Swansea, where they were entertained at lunch, at the Hotel Metropole. Mr Ivor Thomas, president of the Swansea Bowling Club and of the Welsh Bowling Association, and a member of the British team that visited New Zealand, was the chairman, and he made a fine speech, which was replied to by Mr J. W. llardley. A match was played, which Swansea won fairly easily. The New Zealand team were travelling in and out of Cardiff for ten days, returning to the city by train, or charabanc each night. After their Swansea match, they played Newport, and at that place they inspected the Great Western railway docks—stated to bo the largest in Eng-

land. Trips were made to the mining town of Pontypridd and to Llandidrod Wells, a pretty health resort in midWales, with wenderful gardens and a very nice bowling green. It was a long drive to this latter town by ehara banc, the return trip totalling 180 miles, and as the weather was bitterly cold the journey will be long remembered. A visit'was made to Brig End, where the Dominion team won their game. • A icorldial reception was accorded them, and they Were treated to a concert in the evening.’ The first test match was played on Saturday, May 19th, at Dennis Powys, and was lost on the measure, the scores being 116—115.