ON THE GREEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 192, 3 November 1927, Page 8

ON THE GREEN

Bowls and Bowlers

By

JACK HIGH

If the mystic shades of those illustrious bowlers of days gone by, who in their own hey-day so ably excelled in the ancient and noble game on the green, and so indelibly left the traditional policy as a legacy, that bowling should be primarily a social pastime, were present in their dim shadowy forms on Saturday last, they must have been irrestibly filled with an overwhelming desire to be “in the draw” that day. For the teeming thousands of players in the numerous clubs of Auckland indulged for the most part in a friendly “roll-up” among themselves. Tournaments and competitions were for the nonce cast to the “four winds.” The members thoroughly enjoyed themselves in games where results did not count so much as close companionship, and the consequent healthy fun per medium of the age-old game of bowls. There was no rude attempt of the present to callously trample upon the glowing past. The past was present in all its erstwhile and famous glory. For bowling did due homage then to the ever-present past. And a fine first was made of it, too. THE SOCIAL SIDE During last season, Mr. James Pascoe made frequent reference to the necessity for the maintenace and encouragement of social bowling equally with the competitive side. He deplored then the tendency for players to rush away into competitive play of the more aggressive character, thereby neglecting the traditional social side of the game.

It is good to see that some measure of attention has been given to these studied remarks of the Auckland centre’s president. The ready mixing of club members with the game as a medium, without the ever-watchful eye on final results, will appeal to a large number of players, as a welcome deviation to be whole-heartedly enjoyed, occasionally at least. On the other hand, the substantial list of competitions provided should amply satisfy the more aggressive players and provide a real excuse for all club members to indulge frequently in a real day at home as on Saturday last. LABOUR DAY TOURNAMENT FINALS Duncan Fraser, of Mount Eden, seems to be having quite a big run in victories at the present time. Pie played right through his club’s Labour Day tournament without a loss. The team comprised Delamare, Dignan, Vivian, Fraser, incidentally, a team that will compete in the next Christmas tournament. The runners-up were Burleigh, Fulton, Gattenby, Surman, with four wins out of five to their credit. That famous old skip, E. B. Wright, of Onehunga, was successful in winning his club’s Labour Day tournament. The final game in the Carlton’s tournament was also played, between Barter, Gladding, W. Coltman, A. Coltman and Bates, Buxton, O’Sullivan, H. C. Clarke, with an easy win to the latter. The holders of the Denison pins, Epsom, are to meet a challenge from a Mount Albert .team, including Hill, Maxwell, Gariick, George Clarke, this week. One of the new members of the Auckland Club this season is no less than Dave Harvey of the Devonport Club. Plis long association with that marine club is at last broken. What is Devonport’s loss on this occasion is surely Auckland’s great gain. KEENNESS AT TE PAPAPA The Te Papapa Club opened its summer season on Saturday last. Mr. R. G. Speight, president of the club, welcomed quite a number of visitors including the president and vice-presid-ent of the Auckland Bowling Centre, Mr. Janies Pascoe and Mr. S. Goldicutt, the vice-president of the Auckland Club, Mr. E. A. Craig, and the Mayor and councillors of Onehunga. The club is in a very prosperous condition and the season has every prospect of being a record one. Members are very keen. The Remuera Club is making provision for that innovation in its list of club fixtures, the Sidey Fours. Mr. E. E. Daniels announced on Saturday last that the closing time in future for names to be in, was 1.45. This would give jthe additional time required to play that, competition. A TWO-BOWLS PAIRS GAME Attention is being directed to an attempt in Britain to initiate a twobowl singles competition. From the New Zealand point of view, there does not seem to be much gain in such an innovation. But a four-bowl pairs competition played, as in Australia on the two-bowl principle, should commend itself at once for trial during the season.

The disadvantages of the present pairs system now played in New Zealand are so apparent and numerous that it calls for little elaboration here. Commentators have more than frequently been loud in their denunciations of a game that permits splendid drawing on a head to be displayed by leads only to result too often in a scattering to the four corners of the green by the skips when the change over takes place. TWO BOWLS AND A CHANGEOVER The method adopted in Australia is to plav two bowls and changeover until all the bowls are played. This certainly has the disadvantage of doubling the walking on the green, but at the same time it has the great compensating advantage of preventing the

head from being made the target for indiscriminate driving, and turning the game immediately into a splendid twobowl game with all its outstanding clairfis on brilliant skill. It is said, with a large degree of truth, that if a player cannot get a fair measure of accuracy in length and green with four successive bowls, he is a very indifferent player. In fact, the accuracy usually displayed by the average player is very pronounced, and probably that is the greatest weakness of the present pairs game. Hence by turning it into a two-bowl game, by changing ends every two bowls, as in rink play, it is immediately elevated on to a much higher standard of skill altogether. For this reason it should at once commend itself to New Zealanders for trial this season. AUSTRALIAN NEWS Some idea of the immensity of the preparations for the Australian bowling carnival can be gathered from the news that between 800 and 1,000 motorcars will be requisitioned for a pleasure trip which is incidental to the carnival. The secretary of the carnival writes: “We hope to take all the visitors for a trip to Fern Tree Gully, over the Dandenong. “The reception will be held at the Melbourne Town Hall, and, as all bowlers will be welcomed, it is hoped that the hall which holds over 3,000 will be well filled. w “All arrangements are being made to entertain the ladies, and those who play bowls, croquet or golf, will be well looked after.” AN ERRATIC “BOOMERANG” “Boomerang,” in the “Sydney Referee’,’ is most persistent in his anxiety to use the concession kindly granted New Zealand players by the Australian Bowling Council re the one foot on the mat question, as a chopping block to get the Australian rules amended, and get our ruling adopted there. He states that “New Zealanders will be tickled to death to kick off with. For the more trouble we create among ourselves over the mat question, the better chances there will be of uniformity.” It is quite certain that “Boomerang” is entirely mistaken as to the opinion of New Zealanders. Moreover, it might be advanced as prevailing opinion here that his action on this question is rank bad taste. This- trouble-maker, to justify his contention, further adds, “there has been a war in progress between the Maorilander and the Australian for all time over this vexed question of stepping off the mat.” This also is quite contrary to fact. New Zealanders have always found Australians most gracious in recognising that the difference in delivery adopted in the two countries required the lifting of the rule to allow New Zealand visitors to play their own particular style when in the Commonwealth States.