BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 190, 13 August 1928, Page 13

BOWLING.

PERFECT WINTER CONDITIONS POPULAR PENNANT MATCHES. (By TRUNDLER.) Ideal weather conditions favoured bowlers on Saturday, and the winter greens were well filled. It will be seen by the returns in another column that Kemuera again retained the Denison Pins, although the Takapuna visitors did eo well at first that it looked as if they were going to win easily. The next challengers are C. E. Hlirdley (West End) and T. R. George (Epsom). The sportsmanlike action of the Oneliunga holders of the Jordan Pins, in handing the trophies to an official rink, after winning five times, resulted in quite a good game on Saturday, when Ellerslie won bv two j>oiuts. Very little separated the two teams all the way, although the visitors were usually in the lead, but the Onehunga skip reduced his overdraft with his last bowl, trailing the jack with a beautiful shot for two, when he was two or three down. Challengers (Ellerslie), McNiece, Christmas, Chapman, Plunkett 16, v. holders (Onehunga), Whitmore, Munro, Flowerday, G. H. Bray 14. As the Ellerslie green is still closed, the new holders will defend their trophies on the Onehunga green next Saturday, the challenge 'being from Mount Wellington.

Mr. Plunkett is to be commended for including in his rink tWo first-year players who' competed in the Eafcter tournament, and this makes the Ellerslie win all the more creditable. A Runaway in the Stars. The Edwin Stars match resulted in a hollow victory for Hillsboro', by the remarkable score of 35 to 11. The Rocky Nook visitors had no difficulty in finding the green, for it was running keen and true, and they scored three on the first head. The local team then came to light, and scored on six heads in succession, obtaining a substantial lead, which they steadily increased. Holders (Hillsboro'), Farland, Waters, Stringer, Thompson 33, v. challengers (Rocky Nook), Loram, Kayes, Roy-

lance, Jury 11. Next Saturday's challenge is from Onehunga, the team being G. S. Kennedy, J. Harlock, A. A. Kenny, T. S. Bassctt. After them will come F. A. Audley (Takapuna) and W. Bremner (West End). There will be considerable surprise tit the pronounced win for Hillsboro' on Saturday, the margin of points being even greater than in the previous match, when they took the trophies from Rawhiti. Such a pronounced victory over a Dominion champion skip, well supported by some of the veterans of Rocky Nook, even though some of theai have had no play during the winter, requires some explanation, seeing that very few members of the new club at Hillsboro' have had much experience in first-class company. It is probably found in the well-worn saying that good greens make good players, for the Hillsboro' members may well be envied their splendid green. Whether it is the soil or the grass, or the time it was planted, or Mr. J. D. Whitniore's excellent survey, or subsequent careful management, or a combination of these favourable conditions, somebody else will have to explain, but the fact remains that it has a wonderful surface, and players have only themselves to blame if they do not correct with their second bowl any fault they notice in their first delivery. Mangere has had much the same experience, although there Mr. W. R. Knight is usually singled out as the man who has done wonders in his capacity of green superintendent for this young club. Nobody was surprised when they were runners-up in the first-year championship at Easter last year, with such a green to practise on, and this winter one rink is making a round of the clubs, apparently just to show what a good green will do. Last Saturday they made no race of it against one of the champion rinks of Oneliunga, even though E. B. Wright was in his usual form, playing a superb shot with his last bowl, when he nominated a trial for three. On the previous Saturday Mangere cleaned up one of the crack rinks at Carlton, but this was largely owing to an eight on the twentieth head, apparently while the local team were not looking. Even champions are caught napping sometimes, and this lot will watch the head better next time they are playing a keenly fought game. Record Entries for the Pennant.

The steadily increasing popularity in the Auckland system of pennant play is demonstrated by another record in the number of clubs wishing to compete during the coming summer. Last summer 29 clubs played, and they are to be increased by three —Howick, Helensville and Hallyburton Johnstone. The draw will be out in a few days, but in the meantime it may be mentioned that four rounds are to be played before Christmas, and the remaining round after the Rotorua tournament.. After all the criticisms nobody seems to be able to invent a better way to play for the pennants, and the same thing is happening elsewhere. Wellington and Sydney both adopted our system for last summer, both declared it a failure, if we are to judge by the furious Press notices, and yet both are taking it on again for the coming season, in each case with more rounds than we play in Auckland. Not only so, but there are now other inquiries coining along from Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart and Napier. If they all make such a "failure" of it as Wellington and Sydney did, it looks as if it will be almost universal before long. An interesting coincidence in each place is that all the opponents seem to want to smash it up by making all sorts of misrepresentations, whereas in Auckland we try to improve it, and we shall probably get it perfect some day. One slight improvement this year is that a few clubs asked for more rinks, and these increases were arranged where it was possible to fit them in. With a larger number of small clubs entered, it will be possible to avoid the heavy handicaps incurred last season by some clubs, when they were grouped with a weak club and had to meet one or more clubs without that handicap. As for the other mistake of last year, we shall have to await the draw in order to see whether the committee have avoided the undue splitting up of several clubs' forces, instead of concentrating them on' OTje club whenever this was possible. TAUMARUNUI CLUB.

TAUMARUXUI, Saturday. Iff meeting of the Taumarunui Bowling Club was held, with Mr. T. Lawler presiding over a large attendance. The election of officers resulted as follows: President.Mr. X Todd: vice-presidents. Messrs. M. Mattar F Smith and W. Forbes; secretary. Mr. S. Sarah; committee, Messrs. E. Reed, T. M. Peters. \Y. Glrviu", D, Doughty and W. Gill; selection committee. Messrs. fc. fiarah, N. Todd and T. M. Peters.