BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 211, 7 September 1927, Page 15

BOWLING.

AHOTHER FINE SATURDAY. BOWLERS ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC.

(By TRUNDLER.)

The Ellerslie committee were again lucky last Saturday, completing the section play in their two-day tournament in perfect weather. Both sections were won by local rinks, Waite, Bartlett, Watson and Dickson winning one, after playing off the tie with Gollan, each having 4£ wins. The other was won outright by Lynch, Plunkett (late of St. Heller's and Mount Albert), W. Osborne and F. Osborne. The final between these two rinks will be played on Saturday. The visitors did not fare very well, although they brought strong teams.

A recent expression of opinion from Dunedin, that bowlers should be prepared for a maximum amount of interruptions, does not seem to find favour with Auckland committees, for they always seem to prefer the optimistic outlook, and make their preparations for tournaments in the full assurance that the weather will be fine. Of course, they sometimes fall in, especially in a changeable season like this, but their hopeful attitude seems to receive general commendation here, and it is very rarely that a competitor qualifies his entry by making it contingent on the weather. Thus the Press and the Printers are completing their arrangements for playing against the Epsom Club on Saturday, just as if it is impossible for rain to force a postponement. It is probable that the Edwin Stars match may have to be played at the green of the challengers on Saturday, viz. West End, as it looks as if all the Epsom accommodation will be required for meeting the Press and the Printers. The departure of Sergeant Rowell to Stratford has necessitated tihe election of another member of the Devonport Match Committee. His place has been taken by Mr. H. Martinson, who will act in conjunction with Messrs. F. Snoad and J. Goldsworthy. Hands Across the Sea. Australian bowlers are beginning to show their interest in New Zealand in many ways, and not the least important is their adoption of our two-life system for several championships. Several clubs in Sydney have taken it up;- and this season it was adopted' for the first time by a Brisbane dub, New Farm. They seem to play all their big events in the winter in Queensland, and during August they played* the State championships, singles, pairs and rinks, besides conducting a "country week" carnival and entertaining visitors from New South Wales and Victoria in a series of inter-State Test matches. Consequently it is no surprise to learn that New Farm played their rink championship in the winter, and it was won by Keay, Mordant, Dixon and Burt, who got through without a loss.

An interesting ceremony at the New Farm green recently was the visit of a New Zealand rink to play the Riverview. Ladies' Bowling Club, with the following result:—G. Redmond, J. G. Redmond, Cheel, McGill 15, v. Mesdames Solomon, Myers, Wood, Twardley 10. In conjunction with another visitor, Mr. G. Browne, of Sydney, they presented the ladies with an honour board, on which to record the names of their presidents and champions. Betnraing from Australia. Mr. H. R. Hobday, Remuera, has returned from a trip to Australia, during which he had several opportunities to meet bowlers in the various centres. They all made him welcome, displaying increasing interest in New Zealand bowling. . .

Mr. £. E. Daniels, Remuera, returned last week, after spending ten enjoyable weeks in.Sydney. Unlike London and Auckland, where a fine day has been an exception during the past month or two, Sydney has been basking in brilliant sunshine during the winter, Mr. Daniels having only one wet day while there. This gave ample opportunity for bowling, although residents said that it was the coldest winter for forty years, and Mr. Daniels received a pleasing foretaste of the hospitality which awaits any party of New Zealand bowlers who stay a few days in Sydney while on their way to the Melbourne carnival at Christmas. Finding several New Zealander* spending the winter there, he joined up- with Messrs. V. Casey (Auckland), Harry Mack (Palmerston North), end Leo Cohen (Wellington), and they accepted numerous invitations to visit cluba as a New Zealand ring. Particularly enjoyable, however, was a visit which Mr. Daniels paid to the official opening of the Beeeroft Club, where he was invited to play in the president's official team, and the same compliment was paid to the Aucklander at a gala afternoon on the Strathfield green, to say farewell to all the Australians who were going to Fiji for the carnival. A noticeable feature at all these functions wae the Australian partiality for rubber bowls, and at the State championship meeting all the finalsts in the singles and rinks had abandoned their woods, in favour of rubber. Mr. Daniels ■ found abundant' evidence that Sydney -. bowlers - are, keenly anticipating a New Zealand team to play at the Melbourne carnival,'and they are ak» looking- forward to the conference they propose to hold, with a view to arriving at some uniformity in methods and rules. One method that is very popular on the other side is to pat a spare jack on the edge of the green when the jack is put in the ditch, and they will probably advocate this among other -compromises.