BOWLING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 263, 29 March 1913, Page 7

BOWLING.

I BANNER MATCHES. j The following is the result of the banner matches at the conclusion of the fixtures:— Wins. Losses. New Plymouth 7 3 West End 7 3 Waitara 5 5 Fitzroy 4 0 ■Stratford 4 6 Inglewood 3 7 Last week saw the conclusion of the banner fixtures as already arranged. Jn matches that affected the result Waitara defeated West End, but the junior club defeated New Plymouth, and thus are bracketed equal with New Plymouth at the top of the list, A final' match will be necessary to decide who is to have the honor of playing off with the southern champions for the right to hold the banner for the season. A feature of the match was the defeat of A. K. Smart's rink by J. D. Sole's rink by the narrow margin of a point (•26 to 25). This is the first game the New Plymouth skip has lost this season in banner matches. His totals read: Played 10, won 9, lost 1; points for 28S, against 167. . Easter time was a veritable bowlers' carnival in New Plymouth, and all the local clubs had engagements either with visiting bowlers or in inter-club matches. The weather, on the whole, behaved well, and as a result a most enjoyable time was spent on the various greens. The two visiting teams, Wanganui and St. John's, -thoroughly enjoyed themselves, even though defeat, came their way more often than victory. Wanganui plaved four match, winning one ;ind losing three: points for 250, against 302. St. John's played two. winning one and losing one; points for 153. against ISO. The number of bowlers who are deficient in a knowledge of the rules of the game which they play is writes "Jack" in the Ot'ago Daily Times. Skips should certainly have more than a nodding acquaintance with the rules, and it is perhaps not too much to suggest that committees of clubs should see to it that skips appointed have a knowledge of these sufficient to prevent their making themselves conspicuous by arguing about points that are not arguable. In a game last Saturday a "toucher" rebounded from the bank on to the green, and one of the skips contended that the "'toucher'' should be removed. The rule is very explicit: "Should'a 'toucher' in its original course or subsequently bv the effects of the play be run against the bank and rebound on to the green or into the ditch, within the limits of a rink, it must remain where it rrsts." Not only that,, hut if such a "toucher" displaces the jack or nny howl in play, such jack o'v bowl must remain where knocked to unless driven outside the rink. It has h-rn suggested that although the law which prohibited the \we of howls that have been tampered with was inadvertently omitted from the amended rules and regulations and l".ws of the game, such eases are met with in the constitution in the clause referring to misconduct. That is somewhat doubtful, the rule providing for dealing with phi vers found guiltv of unfair play, or wilfully altering a bowl after it is stamped bv a:i association officer as being tested. etc. In the case to which reference was made there was not even a suggestion nf unfair play or wilful alteration after testing.