BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 303, 22 December 1926, Page 14

BOWLING.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING MORE UMPIRES WANTED.

(By TRHNTDLER.) .

Competitors in the Dominion tournament will receive a pleasant surprise to-day or_ to-morrow in the form of a very welcome Christmas box —the programme for . the" great event. It has come out even earlier than it was promised, and even as iar as Dunedin the competitors will receive their copies in time to study and discuss them during the Christmas tournament. Probably to most of them the chief interest will centre in the large number of matches which they feel sure they can win, but there are several features of general interest are well worth noting. The first is the reversion to a smaller size. A size that will conveniently go into the pocket of a blazer is the extreme limit that should ever be adopted in any tournament, but for the last two years a most unwieldy size has been published, which no pocket could hold. It has been suggested that if all the other expenses were on the same ratio as the elaborately decorated programmes of the last two years at Wellington and Dunedin, it is no wonder that those tournaments resulted in a financial loss, whereas previous ones showed a healthy profit. Even this one could have been smaller, for the increase on the orthodox size to which we have .been accustomed in Auckland has" only resulted in a waste of space, with no apparent gain to compensate. The teams are nicely displayed, the committee having followed the system first adopted in Wellington two years ago, in showing the full teams in the sections of the pairs and rinks, instead of only the skips, as was done formerly, and as we always do in local tournaments. This has its advantages in the convenience for reference, even though it loses the display under the separate club headings which was formerly available. Most people would like to see the initials of the competitors inserted, like they did in Christchurch, as this would be more useful than the "skip" sign, which looks so out of date. Everybody knows that the last name is the skip, whether in pairs or rinks. The New Time-table. This tournament will probably go down to history as the one where the old system of three games a day in the rinks was again adopted. Otherwise the rink play is as in' former years. In the pairs the principal change ■ is the adoption of uniform sections of six, so that everybody plays everybody, except in the last section, where there are eight. ' This is in full accordance with the usual opinion, but it has the disadvantage of sending forward 19 green winners to post-section play, thus necessitating a bye. In Dunedin they enlarged the necessary number of sections to produce only 10 green winners, thus running it out evenly by finding the winner in four more rounds. If the number is once increased above 10 green winners, which means 32 section winners, it is just a question whether it would

not do to risk sending forward all' the ties, instead of playing them off, for it would not take any" longer, v i In facty it would be even shorter'if the number of section winners did not exceed 64. In the rinks the principle is recognised that six wins in a hard section are just as creditable as nine in. an easy one, and they all go -forward into postsection play. It will be • interesting : to see if the same principle could be observed in the pairs, without taking any longer. The Automatic Draw. The singles will be notable for the adoption of the automatic draw for the. first time, and as the record entries of 200 have been increased to 272, they will run out evenly on the first day in sections of 16. Four years ago the automatic draw was used on the second day, but on the first day the first two rounds were drawn beforehand, and the next two were a blind draw.. This led to peculiar results. In one section in the second round—the first two rounds were spread out into three, in order that a-third of the competitors could act as markers —no less than seven of the nine matches were winners against losers, whereas this year winners will play winners. Another peculiar result was that on the first day three two-lifers and two one-lifers got a bye, whereas this year there will be no byes at all on the first day, and on the second day the preference will be given to two-lifers. An Dunedin sixteen byes went to the twolifers on the first day, a needless injustice to all the otherg. Umpires and Markers Wanted. A generous response has been made to the call for volunteers, but there are not enough names in yet. Ineompet»nt bowlers need not worry about this, but many competent bowlers could surely spare a day or two. In the singles ft really only means the first morning, for after the first two rounds the competitors begin to drop out, and they can then officiate. Many may think it a hardship to be tied down for a whole, week, but it is only for three days in the rinks, and two in the pairs, while some could no doubt offer to assist even for one day, so that everything can go orderly. Stamping Bowls. ,; Many competitors are alarmed about thu 1925 stamp being required on their bowls, but this only comes into forceafter the present season. For the com-i ing tournament the 1920 and subsequent stamps will be accepted. The Thomson Shield. Competitftrs will regret to learn that Mr. H. G. Mayer, who was president of the Wellington Club last year, and who will be remembered as a very happy member of the team which came here two years ago, is seriously ill in a. private hospital. Mr. J. Porteous will take his splace. Mr. Mayer was also entered to skip a team in the Dominion tournament. Mr. Finnegan, who was also nominated to play in the Thomson Shield, has recently moved to Christchurch, and his place will have to befilled by another member. Ponsonby are opening their electric light green on fine evenings this week. As the accommodation is very limited, intending players would do well to com-

. municate with the secretary or a member of the-mateh. committee. The prospectus of the usual Xew. Year tournament at Waiuku is to hand. Played on Saturday, and Monday, this popular function will no doubt receive a good measure of support fronv the city. The green is in: very nice order this year. Entries close next Monday. Very keen regret will be felt by all the- bowlers of Auckland regarding the death of Mr. David x Crabtree, of "the .Epsom Club. He was champion of his club so often that he almost came to be regarded as a permanent institution, and he will be sorely missed by everyone. Not; only genial in manner, but particularly kindly by nature, he enjoyed to a very high degree the confidence of his fellow members, and a noticeable result of this was his frequent election as a member of the match committee.