Te Aroha Bowling Club.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42754, 29 July 1905, Page 2

Te Aroha Bowling Club.

The annual meeting of the Te Aroha Bowling Club was held last evening in the Public Hall. A fair number of the members, including the patron, Dr Kenny, and the president, Mr Pavitt, were in attendance. The chair was taken by the President. On behalf of the retiring Committee the following report was read by the Secretary :

In presenting the second annual report of the To Aroha Bowling Club your committee again has to record a busy and prosperous season. Ia the beginning of the season play was retarded by the inclemenoy of the weather; but after the opening on Ist December the green was well patronised until the day for closing. During the autumn of 1904 the drainage of the grean was greatly improved, and although the original faults in eonStruotion cannot be removed, they were thereby considerably reduced. The topdressing done in the autumn just concluded was more than usually successful and it would appear probable that for next season’s play Mr Dalton will have the green in better order than since the first season.

The excellent relations existing between the Club and the Tourist Department have been maintained, and the hearty thanbe of the Club are due both to the local officers, Dr Kenny and his staff, and to the heads of the Department, Sir Joseph Ward and the Acting Superintendent, Mr Bobieson, for the consideration shown in its behalf. At the two important tournaments held during the season the liberty of using the greea free of charge was granted to visiting competitors, and thus the Club was spared a heavy item of expenditure. Lockers ha /e been provided for the use of members, who, however, have nbt used these as freely as they might have done. Possibly if the fee for use of lockers were fixed at, say, 2s 6d instead of 3s 6d, a better re • turn upon their cost would be earned. Two important tournaments have been held on the Te Aroha Green during the season. The first, promoted by the Club was held at New Year, and promised to be a most successful affair. No less than 18 rinks, against 8 in the preceding year, were entered, the following clubs being represented: --Devonport l rink; Auckland 1; Thames 3; Rotorua 2; Karangahake 3; Paeroa 1; Rocky Nook l; Onehunga 1; Mt Albert 1; Cambridge 1; Te Aroha 3. Unfortunately the beginning of play was delayed for a day and a half by inclement weather. Paeroa and Thames No. 3 withdrew, and the remaining teams, playing gam39 of 11 beads on a sodden green, completed section play in half a day. The winners of sections were. Devonport, Mt Albert and Rocky Nook. In the semi-final Devonport beat Mt Albert, and in the final, played on the Mt Eden) green, Rocky Nook beat Devonport. A pairs competition was also held, and with fine weather and a drying green the play was very enjoyable. The final in this competition, between Messrs Wright and Ussher, of Ponsonby. and Dalton and Power, of T® Aroha, has not yet been played. The Ponsonby players having failed to keep an appointment to meet the local men, your committee decided that Messrs Dalton and Power should be declared the winners. These gentlemen, however, have arranged to play off the game in the early part of next season—a very sportsmanlike action on their part. The second tournament, though held on the Te Aroha green, waa under the control, not of the To Aroha club, hut of the South Auckland Bowling Association This association, ip the formation of which your committee bad the honour to take the initiative was established early in the season, and com rises at present the Thames, Paeroa, Karangahake, Hamilton and To Aroha Clubs. It is expected that next season the Cambridge Club also will affiliate, and as greens are in coarse of formation at Waihi and Te Awamutu there s every hope of the inclusion of the •clubs at these aentres. For the Association tournament, held at Easter—which by the way is too lale—»3 teams were entered by our club, and strange to say, the semi final and final were fought out between these three teams. Whether the result was strange or not, it is perhaps hardly safe <o say; but the fact remains thatTe Aroha No was beaten by Te Aroha No 2, whilst Te Aroha No 2 had to surrender to Te Aroha No 8. In any case, we are proud to know that the pennant of the Association will to-night be presented to the Te Aroha Club to be held until the next tournament—longer if possible—and we congratulate the members of the winning team, Messrs Stanley, F C Pavitt, White, and Pavitt (skip) who receive the gold medals of the Association.

The club wm ably represented at the Rotorua tournament in February by Messrs Barbour, Wallace, Dalton and Somers (skip), who, though failing to bring home the medals, scored well in their section. They report a Tory hospitable reception by our frieuds at Rotorua. During the season several most enjoyable inter-club matches were played. Very close and keen play was shown in the matches with the Thames Club. In the iirotof these, three rinks aside played on the Thames green, Te Aroha won by 2 points ; in the seoond. four rinks aside, on the Te Aroha green, the Thames men won by six points. Two matches were played against the Cambridge Club, whose representatives, both on their own green and on theTe Aroha green, asserted their superiority. The match against Paoroa, played on the Te Aroha green, was won by the home team. Perhaps during next season, if possible more of these inter-club matches might bo arranged. If so, less time would have to be devoted to ordinary club competitions. Several competitions hare been held during the season. A sealed handicap Sartly played during the season before as been completed and won by Mr H. W. Dalton, one of the scratch meu, who receives the marble clock presented by A. Holden, Esq., Auckland Thu champion four turned up in Messrs Mulndoo, Hetherington, F C Pnvitt, and Power (skip), who take the club medals. To encourage tho less experienced players, competitions for novices and for the B class players woro held. Tho first of those was won by Mr E O Nash, the secoud by Mr F C Povitt, who each receive a pair of bowls. The club obampionship, for which tho prze is Dr Kenny's cup, was won by your secretary. Several matches wero played for the possession of the Gi’christ challenge badges, which during the season have boeu held iu turn by Messrs Farmer and Power, Puvitt and Robson, J Maingay and Burton, MoInmun and White, and F 0 Pavitt and Dalton, tho presont holders. The club is at, presont a niombor of no loss than three Associations—tlio Northern Bowling Association, tho Auckland Bowling’ Association and tbo South

Auckland Bowling Association. The j membership of the first was forced on us to secure thejaffixing of the official stamp to ti e bowls supplied at the gieen by the Tourist Department, and may now b j resigned. The membership of the Auckland Bowling Association should bo retained, since it keeps us in touch with the Auckland clubs, whose greens are prac- i tically free to all our members. That we should continue to support our country association goes without saying. Several new members, all of whom promise to become good bowlers, were elected in the beginning of the season. On the other haud we lost some of our members, and the net result is an increase of one member. The number of financial members is 32 as against 31 last season.

At our last annual meeting the annual club subscription was raised to 10s 6d, but owing to increased expenditure in connection with tournaments, inter-dub matches, association fees and club prizes, we end the season with a small debit balance. By reduction in the amount expended in prizes, and by resignation of *ur membership of the N.B.A our expenditure might next season be reduced. The thanks of the club are due to Dr Kenny, patron, who pres nted a silver cup, to be competed for in accordance with such rules as the committee should approve. It has been arranged that, before becoming theproperty of any competitor, the cup shall be won t .vice in succession or thr°e times at intervals. Thanks ate due also to Messrs Pavitt and Gallagher, President and Vice-President respectively, who have made donations to the club.

Messrs J Carlaw and W Coleman have very kindly acted as the representatives of the club on the Auckland Bowling Association. Mr Carlaw has helped us in many ways—receiving entries tor our new year tournament, presenting on our behalf the medals won at that tournament by the Rocky Nook Club. etc. We have again to acknowledge our indebtedness to the ladies. Early in the season they presented to the club a set of crockery for use at afternoon teas, over which, on several occasions, they have graciously presided. Acknowledgments are due to the editor of the News, in the columns of which the doings of the club have been faithfully chronicled.

Thanks are due to Messrs Somers, Pilling and f-fiiaw, who at the Easter tournament ptevi led refreshraeats free of charge. Whilst leaving it to the members to pass judgment upon the results of its efforts, the committee would say that it has striven to conserve the best interests of the club. There can be no doubt that a majority of the members have derived a great amount of pleasure from their association with the club, and there is every reason to hope that they may look forward with confidence to renewed pleasure from that association. The balance-sheet, audited by Mr P. Gilchrist, was read by the Treasurer. Beceipts amounted to £34 12s, expenditure to £32 12s Id, and oash in hand to £1 19s Id. Aooounts amounting to £6 12s 3d had still to be met, so that there was a deficiency of £4 17s 4d. To meet this it was decided to make a levy on the members of the club.

It was decided to resign membership of the JNorthern Bowling Association, thus relieving the olub of the payment of an annual fee of £1 10s. Membership of the Auckland Bowling Association and the South Auokland Bowling Association will be continued.

The following officers were elected:—Patron, Dr Kenny ; President, Mr Pavitt; Vice-Pre-sidents, Messrs Robson and Somers ; Secretary and Treasurer, Mr Burton; Auditor, Mr Gilchrist ; Committee, Messrs Hill, Mclnman, Power, Wallace, Dalton, and F. C. Pavitt. The President and the Secretary were appointed to represent the Club on the Council of the South Auckland Bowling Association; Messrs Carlaw and Coleman on that of the Auckland Bowling Association. Votes of thanks were passed to the Patron, the President, the Vice-Pre-sidents, the Club’s representatives on the Association Councils, the ladies, and others who had assisted the Club.

It was decided to again hold a tournament pimilar to that held last New Year, the choice of date being left to the incoming Committee. A motion by Dr Kenny that before tha opening of the next atasona bowling club ball be held was carried, and the following committee was appointed to make the necessary arrangements:— Dr Kenny, Messrs F. C. Pavitt, Power Dalton, Somers and Burton. The presentation of the prizes described in the report was made. Those won in the ordinary dub competitions were presented by Mr Pavitt in appropriate terms. The Association prizes wero presented by Dr Kenny, who made suitable reference to the success of the club’s representatives at the Easter tournament. Mr Pavitt, who received the pennant on behalf of the Club, acknowledged the Doctor’s felicitations.

After the spending of an hour or so in good fellowship the meeting concluded with the singing of “ Auld Lang Syne.”