BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 234, 3 October 1932, Page 13

BOWLING.

'} FOUR CLUBS OPENED. 1 i " BUSINESS MEN ON THE GREEN. CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE MATCH. (By TRUNDLER.) Even the late Captain Edwin could hardly have arranged more delightful weather conditions for his favourite game than were enjoyed last Saturday, when four clubs in the Auckland Centre opened their summer season. The usual elaborate ceremony was carried out at Pukekohe, Rocky Nook and Hallyburton Johnstone, in the presence of large and representative gatherings, while St. Helier's followed the custom of the last few years in opening informally, a ceremonial "At Home" being fixed for November 5. Further steps will be taken next Saturday in getting the summer season under way, as official openings are planned at Henderson, Papatoetoe, Stanley and Te Papapa. All the clubs that open on the following Saturday will get the benefit of another half-hour for play, as daylight saving commences next Sunday. The largest gathering last Saturday was at Onehunga, where 16 rinks, representing the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, played their second annual match against the Onehunga Chamber of Commerce. Last year the local players won seven games in an eight-rink match, Auckland winning only one, and this year Onehunga again won seven, but Auckland won nine. By a coincidence, the visitors had the same margin in points as in games, two. A noticeable feature in the membership of the metropolitan body is that only about half a dozen bowlers are enrolled in their own names, the custom being to enrol as firms, not as individuals. However, this did not present any difficulty, but rather the reverse, as it induced several firms to enter a whole rink, instead of one player. This was done by Messrs. W. Holdsw-orth and Son, L. D. Nathan and Company, Sargood, Son. and Ewen, and the Unity Press, while a shortage of one man in the Bank of New Zealand and George Walker, Limited, was made good by each house commandeering the assistance of an eligible neighbour. Mr. J. W. White, who officially represented the executive of the Auckland Centre, hit on a happy expedient to make up for_ the deficiency of bowlers among tile officers of the great company with which he is associated, the South British Insurance. He invoked the assistance of two well-known players in the same building, representing Wilsons Portland Cement Company. Other expedients equally effective were adopted in making up rinks, and this principle will doubtless be extended on any future occasions, as it eminently suits the visitors, besides saviug all the trouble of making up the rinks on arrival at the green. Not by design, but purely by individual nomination, it happened that the visitors not only represented the Auckland Chamber' of Commerce, but also the largest local bodies in the city, for there were present Messrs. Leonard Coakley and Grey Campbell for the City Council, Messrs. A. J. Parker and H. R. Mackenzie for the Harbour Board, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, chairman of the Transport Board, and Mr. W. J. Holdsworth, chairman of the Electric Power Board.

The liberal nominations to play against the Onehunga Chamber of Commerce outnumbered the available members of that body, for there are only 41 bowlers in its roll of 126, so it was necessary to include members of the club who are not members of the local chamber, and nobody raised any objection to this course. This was slightly offset by a few Onehiinga" members playing for Auckland, to make up rinks, qualified by being members of both chambers. However, the preponderance of players in the metropolitan body, who could just as easily put in 26 rinks as 16, lends great force to the observation of Mr. I. J. Sutherland, president of the Onehunga Chamber. When invited by the club Mr. E. J. Gatland, to support his weftome to the visitors, Mr. Sutherland suggested that next year it would probably be better for Onehunga to be assisted by all the other suburban and adjacent chambers of commerce, such as Waitemata, Eden, Papatoetoe, Papakura and Pukekohe. This ought not to be very difficult to work up for next year, and if it could be made to synchronise with the triennial conference of the Federated Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire, which is to be held in New Zealand next year for the first time, probably early in October, there would be special significance in a great gathering of all the chambers of commerce in and around Auckland. It could probably be made the biggest thing of its kind ever staged in Auckland, and iis importance would not be overlooked by the 150 delegates visiting the Dominion from all parte of the Empire. The idea was warmly commended by Mr. M. M. McCallum, in responding to the welcome of the local presidents. Mr. Sutherland pointed out, in inviting Mr. McCallum to respond for the visitors, that the latter was not only a past president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, but also a past president of the Auckland Bowling Centre and of the New Zealand Bowling Association. In this connection, it may be pointed out that Mr. Sutherland's rink included the' immediate past president of the Onehunga Chamber. Mr. ,T. E. Green, and his predecessor, Mr. H. J. Da vies. No advice has been received regarding the weekly match for the Edwin Stars, between Grey Lynn- and Otahuhu. Isext Saturday's challengers will be T. Ormerod, P. B. Thomson, W. Chiplin, L. N. Thomson (Rawhiti). After them will come C. A. Elvy (Devonport) and J. Miller (Mount Eden). _ , The Hillsboro' holders of the Jordan Pins found themselves unable to defend the trophies last Saturday, most of the rink having cnterecV'Ov the Mount Eden tournament prior to their win. They expressed their readiness to pass them over to the challengers, and the ist ot fixtures in next Thursday's issue will show if the offer has been accepted. . The Onehunga holders of the Demson Pins had no difficulty in defending them against a Takapuna rink, and next Saturday will meet Mount Albert.