Summer Bowling.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 237, 7 October 1933, Page 5 (Supplement)

Summer Bowling.

Official Openings To-day.—Plans For the Season.—Percentage

Fours or Set Rinks,

(By TRUNDLER.)

Several requests have come to hand, mostly verbal, but some in writing, suggesting that a few comments on the competition known as "Percentage Fours" would be appreciated, and probably at no time would these be more appropriate than 011 the day when 10 of the-4-t clubs in tho Auckland Centre are opening their summer season, in addition to a few clubs in the three neighbouring centres. Before the end of the month the entries will have closed, but those match committees who have been authorised to draw up the conditions will want to do this at once, if they have not framed them already. As in most competitions of this nature, the conditions arc still a long way oil being standardised, for tho whole thing has just '"growod up," like Topsy, each dub framing conditions that appeared likely to eliminate tho difficulties in carrying out the "Club Fours" competition formerly conducted by most clubs under various titles, and still carried out by some. The principal diflieulty has been in regard to substitutes where sot rinks are fixed at tho beginning of the season, cases having been known where ono member of ti.io season's winning rink was in hospital for more than half the time ; while in another case ono member died before three rounds were played. The newer method gets over this entirely,

each player getting full credit for his own win, and not that of somebody else.

While details differ in various clubs more or less materially, the main principle is followed universally, that the club members arc classified into four groups for this special competition— leads, seconds, thirds, skips —and an

occasional absence involves no advantage or disadvantage, as it is the percentage of wins to games played that counts, and not the actual number of wins,* while ties are usually made all the less likely by counting them half a win, instead of playing an extra head. Each Saturday the match committee sort out the names into groups, and if the four groups are not equal in number they ballot for the requisite number in 'each group to be moved up or down. Selectors who are very precise may make a register of those so moved, in order to keep their names out of future ballots. When the groups arc thus made equal in number, the rinks may be made up by a blind draw, but usually the committee build up the rinks by selection, with the exception of the skips, in order to make them of equal strength. They then ballot for the skips who are to have these arranged teams, so theoretically the win or loss depends on the calibre of the respective skips. Usually, but not

always, the committee make a register of the skips drawn, so that none shall meet each other twice, and one committee has gone even further by making similar provision for no skip playing with the same third twice. Xo precautions of this kind are taken in regard to the leads and seconds; it is pure luck whether the selectors happen to put any two together again, or against each other again.

In working the percentage of wins, it is only natural to specify that a man must play a certain number of games for his percentage to qualify, for it has been suggested that if a man started off with six wins it might not take a very serious indisposition to keep him away when ■subsequent rounds were (o be played. The usual condition specified is that no player's results are to lie counted at all unless he has played in at least 7o per cent of the rounds. One club even stipulated that at least one of such rounds had to be in the last three, but, this has been found unnecessary, as public opinion and the wellknown sportsmanship of bowlers combine to prevent anyone taking advantage of having an assured position as soon as he has qualified by playing 75 per cent of the rounds.

In the limited number of rounds played, usually ten or twelve, there are generally ties for the leading positions, but these are not as frequent as might be hastily concluded, for, as an example, two losses to a man who has played ten rounds would put him on a slightly higher percentage than the man with two losses in only nine rounds. However, as a safeguard, the general custom is to keep a register of the points scored by the rink in which every man has played, entering it to the credit of each of the four men, and then the tie in the percentage of wins is decided by the average points. This seems to be*effective, for there are no reports of any two players having tied in percentage of wins and also average of points. Usually it would make no difference if they did, for it is customary to send forward for the semi-finals and finals the highest four in each grAdc, on exactly equal terms, so the only difficulty could j arise if in any grade the fourth man I tied with the fifth. I

The ultimate decision is worked in a variety of ways, but it is usual to take the highest four in each grade and ballot for the rinks, ignoring the theoretical risk that the actual leaders in the four grades may happen to meet those who were only the fourth highest. Other clubs take only the highest two, and then play the final only, but in the case of one club whore both ways have been tried it lias been decided to dispense with a final altogether and settle the absolute winner of each grade on the mere percentage of wins, or the highest average score in case of a tie. It will be interesting to learn at the end of the season if this gives more satisfaction than allowing the highest four or the highest two to go forward. It certainly lias one distinct advantage—the two days previously devoted to the semifinals and final will now allow two more games to every member of the club, and if there is one tiling more than another that bowlers dislike it is playing in the ordinary draw while others are still "alive" in club competitions. In fact, it is this important consideration which condemns the two-life system in club link competitions, as these are played during the Saturday afternoon, whereas it is eminently satisfactory for singles and other contests played after the draw or during the week.

Those club.) who contemplate instituting- "percentage fours" for the first time this season need not be discouraged if the competition does not give complete satisfaction, for there are so many possible variations th ~.'i> : ?ter the experience of a season they will doubtless find that slight adjustments will suit one club which are not considered advisable b 1 " another.