WINTER BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 106, 8 May 1933, Page 14

WINTER BOWLING.

A WET SATURDAY AT LAST. ALL MATCHES POSTPONED. ■ PROSPECTS OP BRITISH VISITORS. i- .(By" TRUNDLER.) : Bowling was interrupted on Saturday for the first time since September 24, a record season having thus given seven months in which the bowling programme was carried out on every Saturday afternoon. Play would really have been quite possible on the volcanic greens last Saturday, as there was no rain after one o'clock, but a cold wind made the conditions very unattractive, and there were no important engagements except on the Auckland gre.en, where the local members were intending to play the Press and the Printers. The necessary postponement is very awkward, for the coming two Saturdays are taken up with a 32-rink tournament at Mount Eden, and next Saturday there is albo ' the delegates' match at Hillsboro', both of which will engage a good many who want to play for the Press and the Printers. In the meantime, therefore, the latter had better keep themselves free for May 27, while watching the papers for a definite announcement. Following the meeting of delegates last Monday, at which nominations were received for officer's and members of the council for the coming year, it may be noted that all these nominations from the 21 centres have to be in the hands of the secretary of the association by to-day. The position so far as Auckland is concerned is that if more than seven councillors are nominated by the ten North Island centres a meeting of the centre will have | to be held during the last week in this ( month, at which the delegates will vote . by ballot' for the seven councillors pre- > ferred, and a similar meeting is supposed I to be held by the other nine centres, > although they do not always exercise their I privilege. Similarly, an entirely separate ballot will be taken by the eleven South . Island centres for their seven members, . if more than seven are nominated. It is. exceedingly unlikely that anyone will be nominated as vice-president of the association in opposition to Mr. Raymond Sheath, but definite information on all three points will probably arrive from Wellington in a day or two, as the secretary of the association deals with these nominations himself, 'without calling a special meeting of the council executive. The only challenge match planned for last Saturday was for the Denison Pins, the first match of the season, and it was naturally postponed for a week. A paragraph in the "Weekly Times" of London, in the issue of March 16, states that a British bowling team will probably commence a tour of Australia and New Zealand next October. No official confirmation of this proposal is to hand, the latest correspondence suggesting that it had proved impossible to make up a party as intended last year. However, although the larger scheme was apparently abandoned, it will be remembered that during last February and March a rink of English bowlers toured New Zealand, headed by Mr. L. A. Detchon, president of the Northumberland County Bowling Association, and including Mr. W. M. Elliott, a past president and champion of two clubs in Newcastle-on-Tyne, who was president of the comity association when the New Zealand bowlers visited that city in 1928. The other two players were Messrs. P. Leslie and R. C. Carmichael, and during the round trip of the Akaroa they played nine games in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington. From what they said about the interest in New Zealand on the part of British bowlers, it seems more than likely that those who were disappointed at the failure to make up a large party like that of 1925-26 will get three or fours rinks together, and let that number suffice to return the visits of the New Zealand party to Britain in 1928, and the Australian party in 1930. Whatever scheme of this nature is contemplated, it would ; not be out of place for the executive of ; the New Zealand Bowling Council to ' remind our representatives on the Inter- ' national Bowling Board, Messrs. E. George ' (Huntly) and Ivor Thomas (Cardiff) that ' there is a standing invitation from the ; council for a British party to visit the ! Dominion, and they could then press it ' officially at the annual meeting of the I board in July, and also privately amongst r the large gathering of champion bowlers ; from all parts of the United Kingdom ! who will assemble in whatever part of ' Wales that meeting is held, in order to | compete in the international games that 1 are held every year during the same week [ as the meeting. A Wairarapa competitor in the last Rotorua tournament writes to the "New Zealand Bowler" in.praise of that function, but adds this suggestion: "There is, I think, a point that wants watching. Full capacity entries are very nice to have,, but at the same time it is imperative that every rink should be worthy of the occasion, and one I played on (the end rink on number one green under the trees), was on one hand quite unplayable. Would it not be better to limit the entry, and make everyone happy?" This criticism supports the comments of some Auckland competitors _ at the time, which were ventilated in this column on March 4, that it is a questionable policy for the Rotorua committee to squeeze in every team for which they can get an entry, regardless of whether all the necessary rinli are in reasonably good condition. And then on top of this failure to keep all of the three greens in good order there is actually a proposal to construct a fourth, although this would probably make the position worse. It is not like Carlton and Remuera, where the large membership virtually forced the construction of a fourth green for each club, in order to give one or two of them a rest at various times of the year for topdressing, for the three Rotorua greens are only full for four days in each year, and the usual impression is that they get too little work during the rest of the season, not too much. i PAPATOETOE GREEN. The week-end saw several matches of the Papatoetoe Bowling Club's championship and handicap pairs competitions completed. Results: — Championship Pairs.—Boyce and Ritchie 4, v. McFarland and Walker 24; England and Willcox 10, v. Waters and Smytheman 20. Handicap Pairs.—S. McCullough and Walker 20, v. McFarland and Crawford 21. REMUERA GREEN. Results of competitions played on the Remuera Bowling Club's greens for the season:— Club Singles Champion.—H. J. Bray; runner-up, R. G. Norton. Junior Champion.—C. Mahony ; runnerup, B. Keys. Hart Cup.—R. Allen; runner-up, A. B. Lawrence. Murdoch Pairs.—P. Belton, F. Short; runners-up, C. J. Ellerbeck, R. G. Norton. Champion Pairs.—J.' Wooller, R. Allen; runners-up, Norton, J. H. Mingins. Veteran Singles.—J. D. Ridings; runnerup, F. J. Sanderson. Jobson Fours.—F. Penty, W. Sutherland, 5. Dransfield, P. A. Acheson; runners-up, J. H. Johnston, P. Jackson, W. T. Bell, E. E. Daniels. Finlayson Badges.—S. Somerfield, A. E. Smith, j. H. Mingins, H. Hobday. Clark Buttons.—W. Hessell, P. Bolton, W. Wallace, H. J. Bray.. Summer Badges.—C. Hertslet, F. Penty, W. Walker, F. Aannandale.