BOWLING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 154, 16 November 1912, Page 7

BOWLING.

All three local eluba have now held their opening day. That of the New Plymouth Club on Thursday last was successful in every sense. The greeiis were crowded, and the attendance of visitors was particularly large. The greens are, considering the earliness of the season, in excellent form. In his opening speech, the president (Mi-. A. Goklwater) struck a happy note when he remarked that there was no doubt that howls rejuvenated, our old men. Their association with younger players on the greens, stimulated with the keen interest in the game itself, made them feel young again. Touching on another < point, he said that bowlers all knew the benefits that accrued from participation in the pastime. For one thing, all knew that "we men"\got on better (at this there was an audible smile among the ladies present) in bowls than in playing any other sport. If bowlers got hard knocks, metaphorically speaking, in a game they were not put out, and were, always ready to applaud an opponent.

The Banner match will commence on Thursday week, and meanwhile there is nothing doing locally in the matter of matches. The propected friendly game between rinks from the New Plymouth Social Club and all-comers is apparently "off," and all the clubs will'fill in the time between now and the start of the championship with practice games. All three local greens are playing well, and at West End the new winter green is coming on splendidly, the grass being now through. The decision of the Taranaki Bowling Association that in connection with the banner competition "clubs may enter as .many rinks as they desire, the scores of the three highest rinks to count," is a welcome improvement on the conditions prevailing last year. Last season clubs had to nominate a minimum of three rinks, and no matter how many others of its rinks might participate in a match, the "banner-match was decided on the scores of the three rinks named before the match, whether their scores were the highest or lowest. A Club's three crack rinks might go all to pieces in a match, but if the remaining rinks put up good scores, they might possibly defeat the opposing club. One has only to glance at the scores in some of the friendly matches played this season to illustrate this point. Below is appended an extract from the Scottish souvenir for 1912. From Scotland much may be learned as to how to play the game, and, the extract is worthy of reproduction:— "It has often been said that the only way to build a rink is to pick men who play often together; but this, in practice, has been found to be a delusion. We have only to instance international matches, where players, drawn from all parts of Scotland, playing on greens some long and some short, and of varying qualities of turf, have won many a game that, on paper, looked lost. The duties of each player are many and various, but the lead who understands the play that 'never up, never in' has done more to defeat his opponents than he may imagine. He should always endeavor to have one at the jack and the other hehind. Critics of the game say that a skip with a good lead and third has all the forces at his command he could de- < sire. While these are most essential in a well-built rink, given a 'saft second' who is always up, and able to chap or lie as desired, the best of skips need have no fear of a 'big kill' against him. Indeed, it is now being more fully realised that the 'saft second' plays a greater part in the formation of a head and the general excellence of the game than his cognomen suggests. It is most essential, however, in rink play, that these two players should be up. for the jack, as a rule, is altered by the first eight bowls. To attain this perfection the skip must encourage his players, and if he docs so he will find them play enthusiastically, ably, unselfishly and harmoniously to win the game. Where there is no harmony there can be no success looked for. The. third player must be able to draw, trail or strike as his skip may desire: but with a heavy counting head against him it is piny to draw and save, unless he. can, by striking, open up the head of his skip. ' A third who is unable to do that handicaps his skip in a close-built head. I remember a few years ago seeing two eights in succession lost by the failure of a third to strike, when a draw would Lave paid his side better. The skip, of course!, is the autocrat, but he should not be too unbending or selfimportant to obey his third on occasion. There are games where, no risks can be taken, but there, are others where only risks will bring 'big kills' and success to his side. I once heard that doyen of players. Tom Frame, of Carluke, say that skips lost more games than they ought by changing the hand of play of their leads or seconds so often, as often the howl is lost when a hand is changed. Always play the hand with most chances, and never 'lose sight of a howl after it has come to rest. If there is a difficulty in getting the first shot he should be content with the second. It is often easier to get the second, while to get the first is quite impossible.. Lastly, and in a word, as the preacher says, never give in or give up; play your best all the while—'it is dogged as does it.' Never mind the 'bankers,' nor take advice from .'.them,' but ~always^^w^.Qp]);.^:,,.jpg>