BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 167, 16 July 1924, Page 9

BOWLING.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By TRUXDLER.) A discussion arose the other day on the question as to whether driving with a "magpie" should be allowed, but it is difficult to know how a rule could be framed to deal with it. Who would draw the line between where a wobble ends and a magpie begins? Most people would like wobbles prohibited, but that again is impossible, and it is unlikely to die out until clubs establish the universal custom of appointing a coach, whose duty it will be to teach recruits to put down their bowls on an even keel. Even then the present generation would have to die out before the wobble would disappear entirely, for even some of * the Auckland champions have never yet delivered a bowl without a wobble. This style of delivery was adversely commented upon at the last champion of champions tournament, where it was unfortunately even more noticeable than usual. As for driving with a magpie, the whole spirit of this delivery is repugnant to all who like to see a bowl run clean, and if anyone can suggest a rule that would burn a magpie it would be an advantage to the game. The bowlers of Duuedin are taking time by the forelock in making their plane for the Dominion tournament of 102*5, as it will be of national Importance through taking place while the exhibition is open. At a recent meeting of their central executive, Mr. F. J. Campbell, who has been appointed a delegate on a committee to consider the proposed new. sports ground in connection with the exhibition, reported that the idea was to improve the sports ground, in the first plan, for the purpose of the exhibition, but permanent improvement was also aimed at. An art union was proposed, to raise an amount of £30,000, and f4OOO was to be allotted In prizes. The committee desired the bowlers to appoint a permanent representative to help carry out the object aimed at, and finally Mr. Jacobsen was appointed. With regard to the feat performed by a Canterbury treasurer, mentioned iast week, in providing a credit balance in. a bowling club which boasted only 33 members, in spite of a low annual subscription, it is stated that this is not the only club in the SouLh which survives on a low subscription fee. Somehow they manage to provide all the facilities that Auckland bowlers enjoy, -without the continual increase in the subscription that has been such a feature iv our clubs during recent years. Even the canny Scot, however, who is usually credited with the ability to make sixpence buy as much as anyone else buys for a shilling occasionally finds himself short of cash, and the St. Kilda Club found themselves at their annual meeting faced I with a proposition to increase their sub to £3. But even then a member produced a scheme by which he evidently expected j to save a few shillings, although otherwise the principle would receive a fairly good hearing in those clubs where it is customary to allow the new members to serve an apprenticeship of fifteen to twenty years as lead or number two. "In connection with the proposed increase of subscriptions, may I suggest that if it is necessary to raise more money a more equitable 6ystem would be to grade the subscription according to the players, thereby following up tbe old adage, 'That he i who calls the tune should pay the piper? The following would be a good basis dinary member not chosen for club matches, £3; club matches number twos, £3 5/; ; leads, £3 10/; skips. £4: rink and champion players, £4 .">/." The letter was received with laughter, and no vote was taken on this original and amusing scheme. The Edwin Stars. This provided a good nnYtch last Saturday, when the Ellerslie holders, playing on their own winter green, met a challenge from Devonport. The challengers started off well, and were 14 to 4 on the eighth head, but they then stood still till the holders reached 11 on the thirteenth. From then onwards the scoring was more even, and Devonport ran out winners by two points, the scores being:—Challengers : Martinson, Cox, Elvy, Snoad 19, v. Holders : Godfrey, Dickson, Osborne, Reed 17. The feature of the game was that both teams played so well that usually the skips had very little to do, and neither of them could complain of not getting full support. But in spite of the good drawing of the Devonport team, they let their skip down on three occasions, and each time Snwad found himself live down when he had only 'one bowl left. By a remarkable coincidence he drew second 'shot with his last bowl each time, thus saving twelve with three shots. Still more striking was the last head. This time Ellerslie were lying the three they wanted for a tic. and in a challenge match a tie is just as good as a win for the holders. But again Snoad was equal to the I ask of drawing second shot, and second shot gave him the Edwin Stars by two points. . Next Saturday an Epsom team, consisting of Richmond, Taylor. Crabtrce and George, will go to Devonport to capture the Stars, and the winners will then meet J a challenge from Rocky Nook, in charge of the president and champion of the club, an j ex-champion of champions of Auckland, W. 11. Keatley. There was a good deal of talk about a wonderful head at Rotorua. where a toucher lay on the jack in the ditch, and an opposing wood was so close that the head could not possibly be altered, so the last four bowls were not played. An incident was related the other day. however, which beats even that. In the Dominion pairs championship in Auckland last year, Vie Casey and A. Parsons met XV. Ure and R. Robertson. Robertson put his bowl on the jack, j but Casey put both in the ditch, his own bowl in the middle, and all three touching each other. This is probably a record which will stand for all time, for the head was counted, and yet it was useless to play the remaining fourteen bowls. The sympathy of all the bowlers of Auckland will he extended to Mr. .Tohn Jenkin, (lie veteran member of Rocky Nook, on the occasion of the death of his wife, and his, sons will participate in the regret that will be felt at the loss the family has sustained. For many years Mr. Jonkin has been the official bowl-tester for Auckland, while his sons have made the name equally well known and respected whenever Rocky Xook has been represented in tournaments.

Daylight Saving.

This project is apparently within measurable distance at last. The Sports Protection League are organising a big deputation in support of the bill, and this will meet the Prime Minister to-morrow. The bill itself will conic on for its second reading next week, and if all those who are interested in its success have acquainted their members in Parliament with their wishes there is little doubt that it will go through. If they have not done this already, there is still a week to do anything that thej- think will assist, but it may be pointed out that there is nothing to be gained by adopting an apathetic attitude and leaving any active work to somebody else. In England it has been tried for eight years, and is now a permanent institution. On the morning after the bill passed the House of Commons, definitely fixing the period of summer time from the first Sunday in April to the first Sunday in October, the subject w«» dealt with in a leading article by the "London Daily Telegraph." one of tbe most powerful journals in the world's metropolis. "This spring, everyone knows, is extraordinarily late. As for the other end of summer time, we all remember the outcry when in the midst of charming weather our days were ruthlessly curtailed. There can be no doubt that it is for the greatest happiness of the greater number for summer time to run during the period fixed. That period covers all the days in which the additional evening light can be used to much purpose. It coincides with that chosen by Continental countries. The arguments against it are what they always have been. A part of the agricultural community, dairy farmers and their workpeople*, and some others, find it difficult in the earliest and latest weeks of summer time to fit their work into the artificial schedule. We do not wish to minimise these difficulties. It seems to us that there is a certain amouut of hardship and discomfort. But the numbers of those affected are. so small, and the days on which summer time is inconvenient are so few, that we cannot admit any weight in the case against the bill." • If that is the position in England and Continental countries, where their summer evenings are already an hour to two hours longer than they are in New Zealand, one can imagine -what a boon it will be -when it is introduced here, for we require it far more than they do in England. As for the objections to the scheme which the "Daily Telegraph" mentions, these do not apply here, for the best authorities are agreed that when the scheme is brought in there will not be a single dairy farmer in the Dominion who will get up five minutes earlier than he did -'last summer. Farmers have always fixed their own time, by the season and not by the clock, and'thev always will.