ON THE GREEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 239, 29 December 1927, Page 7

ON THE GREEN

Bowls and Bowlers

By JACK HIGH The orders by the city’s bowling clubs that the watering of bowling greens must cease has fortunately been neutralised by the welcome dowipour which began last night. The request was clearly reasonable. On the subject of artificially watering bowling greens there is much controversy. Expert opinion seems to favour leaving the grass without much water, thereby allowing the roots to grow deeper in their search after the moisture of the subsoil, by this means developing an additional thickness of turf. However, some day it is hoped that the vision of bowlers will extend far enough to call in expert opinion upon the whole question of upkeep of greens. AUSTRALIA V. NEW ZEALAND The players representing New Zealand at the Australian bowling carnival now in progress have met with wholesale defeat. They themselves, even in their wildest moments, did not expect to do otherwise. Indeed, it must be admitted by all that they have done very well in the circumstances. The calibre of the players is not high. Moreover, it would be safe to say that as good and even better players could be selected from any single club of the larger order in Auckland. But, despite this very heavy defeat on the bowling greens, they are doing great work in the interest of the sport by their presence at the carnival. For the primary object of their mission is to set in motion the first annual interDominion bowling contest between Australia and New Zealand. From this point of View they have had an admirable win and every credit must be given them for so doing. It is for the Dominion Council, now that the event has been really initiated —and incidentally without their assistance—to honour the event in the future. This responsible body of bowlers can do much now the actual pioneering work is effectively accomplished. Already a member of that council has intimated his intention to bring forward a remit at the next meeting asking that all bowlers journeying to Australia to fulfil this contest will be supplied with travelling expenses. This is a fair proposal and in it rests the whole success of the future.

It will be seen that the Australians play their rinks as representing the individual States. This is a splendid precedent and was not thought of on this side of the Tasman. This suggestion would localise the whole interest in the event if every province were to have a separate rink. At the same time it might be advanced that any respective province in New Zealand would be poor in bowling enthusiasts if it could not pay the costs of travelling for one team to represent it in such a great trial of bowling strength. THE CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT The weather came in ideal for the opening of the Christmas tournament. Monday was a perfect bowling day, with the greens running fast and true. However the “mild cyclonic disturbance” that was located over the Tasman Sea by the Government meteorologist made its unwelcome presence felt in Auckland, for a gale swept the. greens on Tuesday and Wednesday, making the concluding days of the section play most difficult and trying. But these conditions presented had to be overcome to establish the victors and some bowling truly typical of the best play ever seen in New Zealand was witnessed, despite the trying winds. All eyes were turned particularly to the A section on account of its singular strength. The last season’s winners, Clarkson, Coutts, Ball, Truscott, lost their chance of being in the intersection play on the first day by meeting with three losses. Gill (Mount Eden), a previous winner of this event, lost one game on Monday and two on Tuesday, ending just out of inclusion in the inter-section play. The outstanding performance was certainly that of the Carlton team, Bates, Deare, Kilgour, H. C. Clarke—incidentally this team includes the three front rankers who did so well in the Edwin Stars competition a few months ago. The team was particularly brilliant and went through without a loss until the final game, when it met Gill, who was in top form. This game was a fine exhibition. The Mount Eden men got clean away by 22 to 5. The Carlton team rallied and scored o.'i six heads in succession, but the lead was too much to overtake; they could not rake the game out of the fire. The surprise of the tournament up to this stage was the great success of the Epsom team Harrison, Wheelan, Greening, Taylor. The outstanding players were Wheelan as number* two and Taylor as skip. In both these players Epsom has found players of undoubted tournament ability. Taylor’s play was well known in Rotorua, but he has not shown form in Auckland until this event. They met with two defeats at the hand£ of Keatley and Kissling. The Auckland team, Campbell, Mackay, Caple, Scantlebury, who were runners-up for the champion banner last year, just failed to qualify for the inter-section play this year, with six wins to their credit. They met defeats at the hands of Taylor, Mountain and Elvey. The Carlton team, Frost, Rowe, Wrightson, Hoskings, also qualified with eight wins, meeting the only defeat at the hands of Scott (West End). Sidler, Buckle, Pearce, Randell also did well with seven wins. The West End team, Anderson, Wise, Maher, G. Hoskings and Munro, Bilkey’ Keith, Armstrong (Pukekohe) were the qualifying teams for the D section. Their wins were not unexpected, but Walker’s defeat was noteworthy, es-

pecially with such an excellent team in front of him. Again a Carlton team qualified for the E section, in Brittain, G. Gladding, W. Coltman, Lamb. Prominence can be given that the secretary of the centre should show his ability on the green as well as in the office' The wins of the two teams—Kennedy, Green, Macklow, E. B. Wright (Oneliunga) and Clark, Roberts, Hawken, Ramsay (Dominion Road) —were not unexpected. Wright is an old, experienced player, while Ramsay is one of the strongest players of his club, having won the championship singles last year. With such a brilliant array of players in the inter-section play it would be difficult to nominate the chances of any particular team, but one thing is cerbiin that there will be brilliant play at Remuera, where these concluding matches will take place to-day.

SOUTH AUCKLAND TOURNEY END OF SECTION PLAY (From Our Own Correspondent) HAMILTON, Wednesday. h ollowmg- are the positions of the teams in the South Auckland Bowling Centre’s tournament at the end of section play: Section A. —Chapman, 6 wins, 3 losses; Loveridge, b wins, 3 losses; Coombes, 6 wins, o losses; Bell, 5 wins, 4 losses; Going, d wins, 4 losses; Yeoman, 5 wins, 4 losses; James, 3 wins, 6 losses; McEwan, 3 wins, 6 losses; Frost, 2 wins, 7 losses. Section B. —Adamson, 9 wins; Bilking- I ton, 8 wins, 1 loss; Jackson, 7 wins, 2 losses; Joll, 4 wins, 5 losses; Low, 4 wins, 5 losses. (One game not played.) Noonan, 4 wins, 4 losses (one game not played); Jordan, 2 wins, 7 losses; Condon, 2 wins, 7 losses; Hall, 2 wins, 7 losses; Newman, 2 wins, 7 losses. Section C. —Lymburn, 8 wins, 1 loss; Wycherley, 6 wins, 3 losses; Dix, 5 wins, 4 losses; Martin, 5 wins, 4 losses; Cordes, 4 wins, 5 losses; Bennett, 4 wins, 5 losses; Masters, 3 wins, 6 losses; Wight, 9 losses. Seven-head games will be played tomorrow to determine the winner of section A.. The finals will also be played to-morrow. PAPATOETOE BOWLING CLUB COMPETITIONS Following are the results of the third round of the Papatoetoe Bowling Club’s competitions, which concluded this week: A Grade Championship. —Hall beat Bygrave, Hill beat Waters, Cowling beat Andrew, Tidmarsh beat Civil, Crawford beat Smytheman, W. Brown beat Walker, Franklin beat Rawnsley, Hosking beat Buckton, Willcox beat Thomas, Daisley beat MeCallum, Mclvor beat Lucena. B Grade Championship. —O’Loughlin beat Ernest, Booth beat H. Bryant, C. Ritchie beat J. Browne, Dawson beat Runciman, McConkey beat Wills, Foster beat Gillard. Morgan Cup. —A. Ritchie beat Willcox, Hill beat Crawford, Mclvor beat Rawnsley, Cowling beat Nettlingham, Wilson beat S. McCullough, Smytheman beat Trimble, Lucena beat MeCallum, Franklin beat Gillard, Bygrave beat Walker, Buckton beat Daisley, Hosking beat Andrew.