ROUND THE BOWLING GREENS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 38, 15 February 1939, Page 5

ROUND THE BOWLING GREENS

CENTRE CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS WEEK (By “THE SKIP.’’)

This week the Wanganui Bowling J Centre's singles and pairs champion- ; ships are being decided. The pairs I will be finalised to-day, and a start ■ will be made with the singles to-mor- | row morning. From a numerical point j of view the entries are rather disap- ■ pointing, but there is some good | material engaged and competition l should be keen. It is a pity that these annual Centre ! tournaments are not better supported | by the various clubs, for they supply 1 keen competition and are educational | in a bowls sense. A noticeable fea-I ture is that some of Wanganui’s best I exponents of the four-bowls game are | among the missing. Taihape is the only outside club that i is competing in the tourney, being! represented by A. M. Rvan and W. R. Fleming. This pair were successful in the pairs last year, while Fleming was runner-up in the singles to T. Fletcher. Owing to indisposition Fletcher is not defending his title. Of all the clubs affiliated to the Wanganui Centre Taihape is the only one that takes a keen interest in Centre activities. They are in every competition that is going, but they do not get much encouragement from the Centre. Other outside clubs are visited every year by teams from the Centre, but Taihape is omitted. Why? None of the other clubs ever return the Centre’s visits, but Taihape members assured the writer that if only the Centre would condescend to pay them a visit they would return the compliment at the earliest possible moment.

AIl-Day Tourney. Next Saturday, commencing at 9 a.m., the Wanganui East green will be the venue of an all-day tournament, conducted by the Public Servants’ Association. Gonville Competitions. Members of the Gonville Bowling Club are reminded that the draw for the handicap singles is now on the notice board and the first round is to be finalised by February 18. Rapanui Entertain Marton. During the past week-end Rapanui, the popular Wanganui seaside bowling club, entertained seven rinks from the Marton Bowling Club in friendly competition. The day was perfect and the green in first-class order. There were some keen contests, and all enjoyed themselves to the full A Nove! .Shower-bath. An amusing incident occurred at the Rapanui green during the week-end. One well-known player, renowned for his joviality, could not get in quick enough for his cup of afternoon tea. Securing same he looked for a cool spot to park himself. Seeing what looked like a cushion at the shady side of the pavilion, he flopped down on same. Imagine his surprise and consternation when he bounced up in the air again, depositing the cup of scalding tea on his head. The “cushion” was one of those air-in-flated gadgets used in the surf.

Windfall for Matamata. There is no bowling club in New Zealand which would not welcome a substantial sum from an unexpected source to allow it to make extensions and improvements. The Matamata Club, under the will of the late Mr. Edward Bowler, a pioneer settler in the Te Aroha and Matamata districts, who died in December, has inherited a sum of ’£2so. There is little likelihood that the Matamata Club will not know what to do with their welcome windfall. Centenary Tournament in 1940. Although the Dominion tournament for 1939 has just concluded, bowlers in the Wanganui district are already discussing the prospects for the centenary tournament to be held at Wellington in 1940, and several rinks have already announced their intention of attending. As the capital city will be the centre of attraction for thousands of visitors during the centenary exhibition and accommodation will be at a premium those who intend attending the tournament should arrange hotel accommodation without delay. The exact dates on which the tournament will be held will not be announced till after the annual mee.ing of the New Zealand Bowling Association, but taking previous years as a guide the 1940 fixture should be held on approximately the following dates: Singles championship, January 8 and 9; pairs, January 10 and 11; rinks events, January 12 and following days. Tribute to Dominion Player. Professor Maxwell Walker, one of the best-known bowlers in Auckland, has earned a tribute from the wellknown Australian bowling writer, Mr. R. T. Harrison. No personality could compare with Maxwell Walker from the bowler's angle, states Mr. Harrison. In addition to one of the greatest players of all time, he mixes his sense of humour with that of dignity, takes the bad with .the good, and fills every role the bowling green or the platform calls for to a split measurement. He knows other people’s weaknesses, but never plays upon them, and his opinions are respected to a degree that makes him the Dr. Grace of the pastime.

Australian Opinion. The following comment on the New Zealand championships is from an Australian exchange.—“ New Zealand can learn something when we tell her that the Victorian State singles championship began this week with round about 400 entries, and that beginning at 2 p.m. three rounds are played, 21 up, without a time limit. These unrestricted games take place on 32 greens, and once beaten a player goes to the bank. Though we confess a liking for the two-life system, New Zealand, does not find the real champion. Rather is the Dominion singles event a tournament, in which physical fitness to see out about 14 to 16 games, beginning with five a day, is essential.

Art of Skipping. The skip is the individual who never loses a game—his team does —and who invariably claims credit for wins, writes "Ritebias” in the New Zealand Sporting and Dramatic Review. Possibly this is the reason why so many young players, without the necessary qualifications, aspire to the position. The losses are easily got, but the wins have usually to be fought for. Suppose we first analyse the composition of a full rink. In addition to the playing capabilities of the other three members of the rink, they should be friends, and perfectly satisfied to play in their respective positions. If one man is off during a game, what does it matter? The other three will try and do his share, somebody else is off the next day, and so it goes, all part and parcel of the game. It may, and does happen sometimes, that the rink as a rink is not going well, or the rub of the game favours the opposition and you lose. Again, what matter? It’s only a game, and if a team cannot take a beating, something is wrong with their make-up. After all the next best thing to winning, is losing well. This all leads up to a point ana that is: Who can possibly be a better judge of his rink than the skip? Very well, a skip should be able to pick the men for the respective positions. If possible keep together and learn your men's best shots and preferences. St. John’s Club Notes. The St. John's Club will run both all-day and afternoon tournaments on Saturday, commencing at 9 a.m. and 1.50 p.m. Punctuality on the part of members will be much appreciated by all. A brief resume of the various club competitions is given for the benefit of members: — In the full rinks competition ten rounds have been played, and probably no more than one more round i will be possible owing to other eni gagements. The leaders in toe various j sections, with their wins and losses, I are: — Skips.—Herd, 6 wins, 1 loss; W. Harris, 6—2; Hutchinson, 5—2; Glover 7 —3; Broadhead, 6—3. Threes. —Dearsley, 8—1; G. Smith, 7—2; Woods, 7—3; A. Pepper, 6—3. Twos. —Pidgeon and S. J. Smith, 7—l; Burns, 6—l; Easton and Gibson, 7—3. Leads.—Engleman, Colmer and McPhail, 7—3; Bird, 5—2. A Pairs.—ln the seventh round Wallace and Kirkwood meet Stringer and Broadhead, each' with 2 lives; W. Brown and Benefield, 1 life, have the bye. A Singles: Seventh Round Draw. — Glover v. Kirkwood; Kidd v. Broadhead; A. Pepper, a bye. Kirkwood and Pepper have 2 lives, but the.r sixth round game is unplayed. The others are one lifers. B Singles: Seventh Round.—Goddard v. A. W. Brown; Dearsley v. j Easton, all one life. I Handicap Singles: Seventh Round I Draw.—W. Harris v. W. Pepper; KirkInood v. F. Pepper; Easton v. Clink■nid; Toop v. Kidd. Glover, a bye. loop and Glover are the 2-lifers. Toop has since lost to Kidd, Harris lost to W. Pepper, and Easton defeated Clinkard. Gordon Pairs.—The third lound is being played. This competition w.-ll require to oe rushed through to en- ! able the club representatives to be found. Supplementary Fairs.—Five sections oi seven pairs have been drawn to contest this popular competition. Hurn Cup. Our representatives Withstood a challenge from a Raetil'i rink. Keesing Cup.—A St. jct.n's enk, skipped by J. Glover, made a good attempt to defeat Gonville, but just failed. Bannerette.—After hav'ng had a v sit macle fruitless by wd weather in January, the same team visi ed Marton on Saiurday, but the holders proved 100 good. The St. John’s A green will l;o monopolised oy the Centre nr ens pairs and singles games all this week. Ii is gratifying to members to know tral the condition of this green warrants its selection.

Use of Composition Bowls. . An interesting fact in connection with the Dominion bowling championships was that the winners in all sections used composition bowls. In a tournament with 1000 entrants many different kinds of bowls may be encountered, and it is seldom that the coincidence of the winners of three separate sections using the same type of bowls would be met with. Just the reverse was the position at the Taranaki tournament and in the final of the rinks contests wooden bowls predominated. The lead in the runnerup team, was the only player using composition bowls. Prescions Heritages. A slogan for directors, measurers, and third men, should be that an added drawn shot is not an "alteration," but an addition, to a head. A wise No. 3 will always record: “That's another,” which is all sufficient, and covers all the ground. More than ever do we learn that the silent rinks mostly succeed. When there is reason to talk, don’t emulate the town bellringer of old, and let the whole town know about it. Directors who keep on saying nothing without being referred to are the precious heritages of gone but not forgotten disciplinarians.

A Lesson in Leading. The pakeha, Maori for European, predominate in New Zealand; but young swarthies are to be seen everywhere. They take to bowls like flappers to lipstick, write “Boomerang," in the Sydney Referee. Some very old, as well as some very young, roll them in New Zealand. One of 82 summers gave a prominent Australian a lesson, in three acts, in leading. The first was how to play the straight hand on a windy day. Second, that it is the lead’s province to draw, and keep drawing. Third, that in a pairs game, or any other, there is only one skip.