BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 10, 13 January 1926, Page 9

BOWLING.

THE SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP. SUCCESSES AT DUNEDIN. (By TRUNDLER.) Ten rounds have again demonstrated the partiality of Otago players for the game of singles, there being three Otago bowlers among the four survivors of the first two days, and the fourth is not very far away, being Edwards, of Temuka, just over the Canterbury border, who will be remembered for his remarkable play in the last two rounds of the pairs championship in Auckland three years ago. The Auckland competitors did very well, no less than six surviving into the seventh round, viz., C. G. Maher, PI. C. Clarke, W Bremner, M. Walker, A. C. Mclntyre, arid H. Wright. The first five are old campaigners, and this was quite expected of them, but hearty congratulations will be showered upon Harry Wright, last year's president of St. Helier's, for his great success in getting into the ninth round. He plays a fine game, but always give the impression that he is too modest about his capabilities. It cannot be said when the finals will be played. The rinks start this morning, and will take all the rest of the week. Next Monday and Tuesday will be devoted to the pairs, and inter-section play will then commence. As preference will be given to the rinks, it will depend on who are left in, so the singles may be played on Wednesday, or may be delayed till quite late in the week. The British Bowlers. The fiasco in connection with the booking of berths for the British bowlers, for their voyage from Wellington to Lyttelton on Friday night, will hardly surprise those who have noted the lack of knowledge and organising capacity on the part of the present headquarters, of the. Dominion Bowling Association, the Dunedin executive. It is now all ancient history about their desire to rush them up to' Auckland for Christmas, when it was first thought that they would be landing in Wellington, regardess of the fact that Christmas is. the worst week in the whole year to accommodate a lot more visitors in Auckand, where 40,000 people attended the races on Boxing Day. Unfortunately they were encouraged in their persistence by the Press of Wellington, articles which were apparently inspired describing as "childish" the "outburst" which came from dismayed Auckland when it was proposed that they should come here during a period when the only .extra Bleeping accommodation • was under the , hedges, metaphorically speaking. These absurd articles were, unfortunately reproduced in the Dunedin, Press and it was only when the itinerary was altered- in Sydney, and they came to Auckland direct, that the local executive were saved the humiliation of not.being able to accommodate their distinguished visitors. But there was worse to follow. The Auckland Executivo were informed that no accommodation was booked at Rotorua, and they were asked to arrange this, although-it was understood all along that each bowling centre should make its own "arrangements. , ; : " ■ ■' ': '?■ Hazy Geographical Knowledge. Perhaps the Dunedin executive did not know that Rotorua is not in the Auckland bowling centre, again taking , their cue from the Wellington scribe, who included in his ill-advised attack on Auckland a complaint that this centre is too large and unwieldy, and that there is no community of interest between Auckland and Opotiki, so that a fresh centre, should be formed between Opotiki, Tauranga, Te Puke, Whakatane and Rotorua. Perhaps the beet answer to that suggestion is that these clubs were separated from Auckland about twelve years ago, when the South Auckland centre was formed, which has since grown into the second largest in the Dominion. As for the community of interest between the city and the Bay of Plentyi it must be a little stronger than is thought in Wellington, for Tauranga applied to come back-again last year, and they are now in the Auckland centre again. It is difficult to know what useful purpose vyas served by stirring up mischief between Auckland and the capital by such foolish misrepresentation, during the very week ""when twenty members of the Carlton Club were in Wellington taking part in the annual competition for the Thomson Shield, which was instituted for the express purpose of cementing the good feeling between the bowlers in the two cities. Any of them could have given the Wellington writer the true position before he rushed into print on a matter which is absolutely no concern of Wellington, and they could have corrected him in another inaccuracy which was advanced in order to support the argument for another centre. It was stated that there are only two centres in the Auckland Province, and seven in the rest of the island. As a matter of fact there are three in the Auckland Province, and six in -the remaining three provinces. Two more centres will undoubtedly be formed in the Auckland Province before long, but when that is to be done is surely the. concern of Auckland, and it has nothing whatever to do with Wellington. The Christmas tournament in Wellington was favoured with fine weather, the final giving a splendid game, playecr under ideal conditions, a warm sun and no wind. Wells, Moston, McCune, R. Rameay (Hataitai) 24, v. Liddle, Robson, Hill, J. J. Roberts (Wellington) 17. • The first match of the season between the wholesale and retail grocers will take place on the Mount Albert green next Wednesday. A drastic alteration has been made in the rules this year. This competition counts for the X Cup, the most valuable trophy in the possession of Auckland bowlers, and hitherto it has been limited to four rinks, but for the future all who are on the green by two o'clock will compete for the cup. Next Wednesday all the competitors will be the guests of the president of the association, Mr. A. W. Page, and Mrs. Page, who always entertain them on the opening day. , .