NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 225, 22 September 1924, Page 9

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

illy TRU.VDLER.I After the sweeping victories gained by 1' Elk-rsll* in their last thr*p matches for the Denison scarf-pins, there was some justifira- , tion for ih-ir high hopes last Saturday. , when th.v went to Carlton to try conclu- 1 si.vis witli Hi.- four skips in that club who, hold the Edwin Stars. But lt was not to . be. Hi- holders retained the trophies • after ihe closest match they have had since they took them away from Mount Eden.; the score being: Carlton—C. F. Warren., .1. A. Sneddon. F. Lawrenson. G. Hosking , _.'_!. v. Ellerslle .1. A. Godfrey, .1. Taylor, W. Gordon. F. Osborne 15. Although Carlton led all the way. except. I on th- .second head, when the challengers got .. three Ellerslle were always within . striking distance, and it was fortunate for. the holders that th* whole learn v.*re play- 1 i-i- well, for they could not tak* any j liberties. Probably the score Indicated about the difference b*rw**n th* teams on ' the dv}. for the holders were beating the; forward division, man for man. leaving; their skip very little to do. That little he, .lid well, his most spectacular work being . to draw the ..hot twice on the very edge j ~f tip. ditch. Dn the first occasion Osborne pushed it the extra few Inches, j recovering the shot, and on the second occasion he drew the absolute, only ro he j picked our by Ilnsklng's lasr bowl. A , decided le.ll.ire of the irainc was th* good driving. There was not much of lr. hut ihere was nanny .. m,>, all the afternoon. I.iiurenson and osbnrn* got it every time and this was very important when rbey wer- playing with a tricky wind on th* quarter, a sharp gust often ruining a careful draw. Mr. 1 . 11. Ingram, or rhe Wellingron Bowling Club, ih.; Dominion singles champy.n of lb 17. is on a visit to Auckland, ami was playing on the Carlton Green last Si turday. Mr. i. Cart »t, presid*nr of the N*w Plymouth Cluh. was also at Carlton, where he played in the president's rink. The annual meeting ot th* Dominion of New Zealand Bowling Association was held ill the Grand Hotel. Wellington, on Wedii—iluv. sepr.-mber ID. The president. Mr. X M.'.-idowcrofr. was in the chair, every m.'nih.-r being present from le.rh islands, which had only occurred one* before Mr. K. W. . .mllrrass was elected secretary, and Mr. I.i.ldle auditor. As th* full list ot the officers has not been published in Auckland, howlers will he glad tn know th* personnel of the Council which is controlling rh.- iraine of bowls this year. In addition to those mentioned above :—Past-president, j Mr. J. Brown, Christchurch: vice-president. Mr. 11. F. M. Mercer. Dunedin; treasurer, I.Mr. .1. Kershaw. Wellington: councillors I (North Island). Messrs. J. M. Thomson and :M. M. McCallum, Auckland: A. K. Smart. Tnninaki; .1. U. Jack. Wanganui; M. .1. Hod-ins and S. Potter. Wellington. Sourh Island,. J. I). Colville and F. Sreans. . Christchurch: C. E. Torlesse. South Canterj bury: J. .1. Marlow and D. M. Fastler, I Dun-din : ..nd .1. H. Loudon. Southland. I The most important notice of motion was th* remit from Wellington : "That th* one and only test for rhe Dominion should !be rhe table resr." This was losr. and the Impression ereared by rh* bri*f r*l*graphic I report was that the gr**n tpst had the igr*at*-r number of supportors. It would appear, however, that this was far from I being the ens*. The tabl* i*st received I full support, but lt was found that if the remit were carried, as submitted by Wellington, ir might lead to undue centralisai position to furnish themselves with th*. facilities for tabl*-testing. however much ] rhe orhers may prefer it on principle The defeat of the. remit merely leaves the posi- | tion in statu quo. In fact, it might ev*n •b* claimed that the position In Auckland land Wellington, where the table gets its chief support, is even stronger than it was hpforp. for aftpr all the arguments that have be,-n advanced in favour of the green t.-sr it failed to improve its official position. Wp have probably heard the last of thp attempt to make green-testing compulsory, as desired by the official bowl-tester at Dunedin. and it is very suggestive of a loss of prestige thar whereas he went so I far as to couple with it the appointment of only one tester for th* whole Dominion, I the remit wa i only thrown out because it j Would partly tend in that direction. Th* i way is now open for A.lckiand to perfpet I th*ir arrangements for table-testing, and this will probably be done at an early I date Apparently, however, we ar* not j yet out of th* wood, for the Dunedin t*st*r was authorised by th* Dominion ! Council last January to alter all the test ■ bowls, and make them uniform. When the .Auckland tester received his back again. :he wn.s surprised to tind how much tbey drew, so the Auckland members of the I Council took one of them to Wellington. • just to see what they could find out about j it. An exhaustive test showed that It ; drew three inches more than the Wellingj ton tesr bowl that was suppospd to be Its I exact duplicate, which is equivalPnt to j a differpnee of nparly two fppt on the grpen. This amply confirms th* impression rhat was gathered when the bowl was first received, that if it is to he accepted as the standard, half th* howls in Auckland will have to be disqualified. Here is a beautiful problem for the Auckland Centre to deal with i For the furure ail bowls thar are fpsrpd are ro be stamped with the year of testinc. It is satisfactory to know that th* Council mad* short work of the remit askin- for the word "wholly" to be omitted from th* mar rule, for this is merely a I quibble, an alteration which does not in I any way influence the effectiveness of the ' rule. If ir is desired to make the rule j inor* explicit, there should b» two alt*ra--1 lions, for unless this is dun* there is bound .to he trouble some day. The first is that ir should stat* definitely whether the j umpire has the power to stop a bowl. As it rends now. tber* s*ems very little rjnegI tion that rh* umpire has not that power, I the whole procedure being on the assumpj tion that th* bowl is nor touched "previI ous to ir._ coming ro resr." There are five ' rules providing for a bowl being stopped. j and if lr is Intended that rhe umpire should ; penalise both fp»t off the mat hv stopping ; rh* bowl, th- nil* should say so. Th*n the ; rule is ~ieli_fhrfully vagu* ov*r "th* flrsr ' breach of rhis rill*." This is capable of rhree ilisrlnct Interpretations, rh* first I t.ren.-h tn rhnr particular match, the first lon thar particular day. or th* first in that ; tournament. On the only recent occasion on which th* rnle camp into thp limelight. , rh* umpires int*rpr*t*d it the second way. whereas the victim maintained that It ; should I,* the first way. and th*r* ar* equally strong arguments: in favour of the ! rhird way. Here is a distinct loophol* ro invlr* further trouble. unl*ss tb* nil* is ! made *xpllcit. And ver. whil* rhere ar* rwo Imporrnnr derails that want alrerlng. a remir was put hpforp th* Council which I would nor hay* mad* a particle of difference. No wonder rh* Council rhr*w ir out. Th* orh*r business fr.insacrpd by th* Council will b* dealt wirh larer.