BOWLING

Dunstan Times, Issue 3513, 16 March 1931, Page 3

BOWLING

A bowling pavilion has been put to various uses in the matter of evening meetings and entertainments, but the Waiiere Bowling Club, at Napier, has received what is probably a unique honour, one which it is hoped will never ho required again. The pavilion was appropriated for the Post Office Savings Hank, apparently having to serve for the whole of the cash transactions in Napier until the six trading banks were able to resume business this week in temporary premises erected over the ashes left by the earthquake. The keenness of the bowler for his favourite pastime is proverbial, but a new standard of enthusiasm was set when the annual carnival incidental to the official opening of the Armidale (N.S.W.) season not only ran through the whole of the day. but did not conclude until 2 o'clock next morning. At the 7 o'clock adjournment the rinks competition had been decided, but the pairs contest was still a long way from completion. Ten o'clock came and the struggle for victory was still going strong; 11 o'clock struck, and interest was unabated. At midnight the third round was proceeding merrily, and at 1 o'clock, though dew and desperation were marked features of play, there was still plenty of enthusiasm, and when " lights out " came shortly after 2 o'clock it was almost with a sigh of regret that most of the disciples of Drake wended their way homewards Last Friday His Excellency the Gov-ernor-General. Lord Bledisloe, was an interested spectator of a game on the Rotorua green between Newtown and Rotorua. The latter team won by one point on the last head. The interest taken by the players led His Excellency to believe that the game was for a trophy. After the game had been decided His Excellency accosted one of the Newiown players and remarked upon the interest the teams evinced ,n the play ot each other. The iutricaces of the game were explamd to him and a demonstration given of the action of the bias on the course of the bowl. At the first attempt His Excellency naturally found the ditch, hut after a few more attempts " got the green " very well, and remarked that he was very interested in the game, and that if lie had some spare time would "take the game on." An old member of the Port Ahuriri Howling Club > (Napier) says that the club's green is like the waves of the sea. it is terribly shattered, and will have to be relaid. but this cannot be done without financial help Here 's certainly.a case for the consideration of the New Zealand Bowling Council, which could doubtless advance the money at a low rate of interest. There are to-day an extraordinary number of bowlers advocating the standard or minimum bias on bowls, and, as there is a great amount of controversy amongst bowlers as to the advantages and disadvantages of the narrow or standard bowl as against the bigger drawing bowls, it is interesting to study the results obtainable, as well as the reasons why the champions of the game in most cases adhere to the standard bias bowl (writes 'Bowling Life'). It is generally admitted that the standard bowl has an advantage under almost all conditions of play. On fast greens less draw is necessary to obtain a given result, particularly in draw shot play. On heavy greens less draw and pull is necessary to obtain " dead " strength, less ground having to be travelled over in each instance. To take a bowl out with a firm shot, the bias is less, and the tendency for a bowl to pull across is obviated. Under almost any conditions of play the good " length " bowler has the advantage of being able to gauge his green with greater accuracy, while the bowler who has not mastered the correct method of putting down each bowl to obtain a similar result has the advantage all the time of having his inaccuracies checked by the less amount of draw obtainable. An incident worth comment occurred last Saturday, when a toucher was driven into the ditch and removed another toucher. The skip replaced the toucher to its original position, which was wrong. The rule is quite clear on the point—Rule 60 states: "If a lonelier in the ditch is displaced by a toucher it shall remain wrierc it comes to rest. If displaced by a dead bowl it shall be replaced." Another point which is not generally known is this: "Should a bowl fall over and touch the jack after another bowl aas been delivered it shall not be accounted a toucher."—' Post.'