BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 30, 6 February 1928, Page 13

BOWLING.

GOSSIP ON THE GAME.

the rotorua tournament,

ECHOES FROM CHRISTCHURCH

(By THUNDLtK.)

Whangarri and Mntainata liavp prnyided the usual curtain-raiscis for the big event at Rotorua, which ronunences to-dav, the largest annual gatlicrinpr of competitive howlers ever assembled at any one place in the Dominion. It is also probably the most popular tournament in the Dominion, the list always being filled several months beforehand. The overflow will competc in the second tonrnament, commencing a fortnight later, the intervening week taking the annual tournament at Tauranga. When all these tournaments arc over, the pennant matches will he resumed, the fourth round taking place on February 25. Winter Bowling in Fiji. The Suva Bowling Club are out very early with the posters for their fourth annual winter carnival, timed to commence on July 7, a date which conveniently fits in with the sailing of the Niagara, leaving Auckland on July 3. In addition to the rink championship and singles championship, there is the Pacific Pennant, open to two rinks from each association competing. Last year the pennant was won by Victoria, New South Wales coming second, South Australia third, New Zealand fourth and Fiji fifth, but New Zealand has never yet sent two rinks which really represent local bowling strength. Judging by the calibre of some of the winners, as they passed through Auckland on their way back to Australia, it would not be a very difficult feat to win the pennant, if some of our good players could make it convenient to spare the thirteen days that they would have to be away. A Dunedin Critic. "Jack," the well-known bowling critic of the "Otago Daily Times," has been questioning the procedure at the recent Dominion tournament, when the three rinks with six wins in section G came into the intersection play on exactly equal terms vjjth those in other sections who had won seven, eight or nine wins, although the printed programme stated most distinctly that in such a case tliey had to play off the tie. He new publishes an explanation from Mr. D. M. Tastier, president of the Dunedin Centre, and one of the six South Island members of the Dominion Council, who states that the rule in flic book was superseded by a decision at the annual meeting, which provided that ties with six wins should go forward. Mr. Fastier is a little out in his chronology, for the annual meeting was held in September, and therefore could not very well supersede a rule which made its appearance for tie first time tlrree months afterwards. In previous years the rule related to those with live wins, not six, so that the new rule was clearly framed after the annual meeting, with the intention of superseding the same. The only other possible explanation is that the Christchurch executive of the Dominion Council did not know where they stood, and if one is to judge br other happenings during the tournament this is not the only instance in which thev sadly went astray in the procedure during the tournament.

Reference has already been made to tlib fact that two Auckland plavers met each other in the third and fourth rounds on the second day of the singles, an unpardonable fault in the draw, but it now transpires that there was even a worse mistake made, in that one competitor played on the same rink in three rounds in succession. This gives a player such a great advantage that a protest should have been entered at once v* man who had to meet him, and this would have been supported by every bowler in the Dominion. Then" again, two-lifers were continually meeting onelifers, quite needlessly, it is true that the committee expressly retained power to do this when they considered it advisable," whatever that may mean, but by no stretch of imagination could they have deemed it advisable to do this so often, contrary to the distinct policy for years. In the rink intersection play the automatic draw was used, and this at once disposed of all these objectionable irregularities, for as soon as the 25 names were once put in the hat the whole thing went by machinery, and could not pos--B,bly go wrong, whether the tournament committee thought it advisable or not. An Unprecedented Occurrence. A most remarkable feature in the final of the rink championship, which has not happened before, anrl which may not happen again in a century, is that when they got to the end there were, none left but two two-lifers. One would naturally think this was impossible, for under the automatic draw the one-lifer 3 almost invariably predominate, sometimes to the extent of four to one, and nearly always by at least two to one. Those who have a fancy for the automatic draw might work at it for hours without succeeding in making the draw run out for two two-lifers to meet in the final, and probably only those who followed it carefully at Christchurch will be convinced that such a thin? is possible.

The opportunity may he taken to point out that the experience at Christchurch proves that there is not much gained by limiting the number to qualify for intersection play. It has been shown that, all other things being equal, double the number take only one more round, ®nd not one or two more days, as some People think. Last year 59 teams qualified at Auckland, and they took eleven rounds, a one-lifer winning. This year 25 teams took nine rounds, a two-lifer winning, so the difference would have ®een only one round if both tournaments had been won under the same conditions.

TEAMS FOR SATURDAY,

INTERCLUB COMPETITIONS

WaitemaU v. Takapuna.—At Waitemata: "CKlnstne, Rozers, Aspden. Lilhurn. At Corrin, Stewart, Davidson,

MARINE PENNANT. v " Takapuna.—At Waitemata : C„.if" y 1 Osborne. Boles. Delaney ; Lvon, Evils' \n,n Wellj S' nubble; Campbell, "*vies. Mullon. Brennan: Burrows WatEon H p a , Ue "' At Takapurm : John■Oß B?irk n ge A- Birch > w »kins ; WilliamHav Sri ? e i ' badness, Swanson; Wilson Dent, Fisher! Flavell; Glover - Lethbridge,