WINTER BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 173, 24 July 1934, Page 13

WINTER BOWLING.

NO PLAY ON SATURDAY. . GREENS IN HOSPITAL. PREPARING FOR JANUARY. ' (By TRUNDLER.) . Another wet Saturday was a great disappointment .to bowlers, especially to those who are wondering if there will be enough Saturdays during the rest of the winter for their turn .to come in the challenge match for which they have entered. These all stand adjourned for a week, in the order announced last Tuesday, but the Devonport holders of the Denison Pine will defend their trophies on the Auckland green, as their own green is being broken up for treatment during the rest of the winter, in the hope that it will again be ready for use before the summer season has advanced very far. If the weather is favourable, the postponed Rawhiti tournament will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The Onehunga committee has let a contract for renovations and improvements to the pavilion, to be completed before the summer season commences. The Auckland rink to play Grey Lynn next Saturday for the Diggers' Badges will comprise H. F. Wright (Otago Infantry), W. Ure (Otago Infantry), J. Hardie Neil (No. 3 N.Z. Field Ambulance), K. S. Macky (Medical Corps). There will be general regret that W. A. Loram (Rocky Nook) will be unable to take up his challenge for the Edwin Stars next; week, as he has suffered a serious relapse, an unfortunate legacy from the war. W. H. Tongue, who was to play in his rink, is also seriously indisposed, and the necessary substitutes are being arranged by W. H. Keatley. H. R. Hobday (Carlton) has returned to Auckland after an absence of several months, recuperating at Rotorua and elsewhere.

As intimated in this column last week, a small party of Australian bowlers arrived by the Niagara yesterday, going on to Fiji to-day to play in the .annual tournament at Suva. They were met at the _ wharf by several of the Auckland officials., but they expressed a preference for spending the day in sightseeing, rather than having a game on one of the city greens. ■ ■Mr? G. T. Burrows, a most prolific writer on bowls in English papers, rarely miases an opening to make some disparaging remarks on the Dominions. At the beginning of the English season he returned to forecast the early arrival of the usual contingent from down under, ."ready to inflict on him and other sufferers the "sentimental slobbery" of the Dominion visitors to the .English greene, and their childish references to"Home." How little they know England who only England_ know, but perhaps G.T;B. thinks that he is in good company in adopting the attitude of G.B.S. in this respect, whereas probably neither of them-knows enough to realise that in the case of 09 per cent of those from the Dominion who visit' the Homeland, they are at last realising a dream that they have cherished from their earliest years. Reference has already beeii made to the speculations of Mr. Burrows as to whether the Carlton rink to play in the Empire Games next month would use bowk shaped on the model of the Maori stone bowls, which the late Mr. Samadeni discovered at Tauranga, but his latest is a discourteous and patronising reference to a recent article by Mr.' W. M. Horton, the well-known green expert, of Hamilton, on grass culture, Aa this is the time of the year when most greens in New Zealand are in hoepital, every committee studying most anxiously for the best possible greene for next summer, the criticism of Mr. Horton's article and the latter's reply, will be of general interest, and the first instalment will appear in the Sports Edition next Saturday. The New Zealand Bowling Centre, at its recent annual meeting, paid a very neat compliment to Auckland in bo • readily adopting the proposal to play the singles championship in sections, but it has yet to be proved that a wise alteration was made in regard to qualifying for further play after the five rounds of the first day. The Auckland scheme was to let the unbeaten section winners go forward as twolifers, and the section ties with one or more losses to go forward as one-lifers. This is just a shade better for the latter than under the former two-life throughout, and experience suggested that it would take no longer. That is to say, there would. probably be the usual five or six surviving to the third day, to run out in three more rounds, and these could easily meet by the second Friday, as it is exceedingly unlikely that any of them would' then be still "alive" in the rmks. However, the council, decided to send forward the section ties as two-lifers also, just like the -unbeaten winners, and therein lies the danger that so many \yill survive the second -day's play that this feature will discredit the whole scheme. It is impossible to forecast exactly what will happen* but the following is quite likely. Assuming that the more attractive prospect, getting five games assured instead of only two, will result in an increase of 20 per cent on the entries of four years ago, this would make three times as jnany. competing as there were iii the Auckland open singles last December. Of the ,108 entered, 29 qualified, 6 unbeaten and 53 as ties.. The Auckland proposal,, assuming,-that the'same results will occur next' January, with three times the number playing, would send forward 18 two-lifers-and 69 one-lifers, and at the end of the second day there would be five surviving, or possibly six. Under the council's amended decision, the whole 87 will'enter the second day as two-lifers, and at the end of that day there may be 17 survivors, and possibly 18. If any of these are m the pairs also, it will.not matter in the slightest, provided the .pairs are not held up by the rinke, but if some of them are in the rinks also, which ia quite possible with such a large number . going - forward, it niay hang up the title till Saturday, or even into the following week. It is easy to be wise after the «event, and if the possibility described should' happen there will be plenty of .people. ready to discredit the innovation,.,' It .is only brought up in advance," therefore, so that if it does happen it must be clearly understood that the possibility was fully appreciated when the scheme was'first proposed, including the provision that the ties should rank as one-lifers, and not two-lifers. To put it in another way, is. to be hoped that the qualifying singles will not clash with the , rinks, and with good luck this may be avcided, but if they do, and the tournament is thereby unduly prolonged, the council will. vhaye to reflect that this will be due tp'their alteration to the Auckland proposal^ , and not to the proposal itself, -• • ■ • ■■, Of" more urgent importance, so far as 'Auckland.is'concerned, will be the provision of the necessary umpires and markers for-the increased number of players that may be exp'ected. There is not usually a scarcity of umpires, and itis very pleasing to recall that the umpires in Auckland • have shown . a higher standard of efficiency than in - some other places, although they._would do still better, if .they would' make -themselves acquainted, with their duties, 'as described in the first three paragraphs on page 20 of the book of rules. Far too many act upon the assumption that their only duties are described in the fourth paragraph. As for the markers, there will be six required on each green,, and twelve at the clubs where four sections are to Le played, but it seems too good to hone that this large number will be obtainable unless the club umpires give .some of thejr non-playing members a little tuition during -their own, club'championship and handicap singles. HALLYBTOTON JOHNSTOWE CLUB. Skips to enter teams for the two-Satur-day tournament at the ,Hallyburton Johnstone bowling green on July 28 and August .4: McKlnstEy^XPqusonby)',. Casley O "est. End),' Srounett (Edentfale)', Corrine -(Wnl-.| temata), Beaton (Avondale), Taplih', Hoi--j lows, Boeg, Taylaft Dyson (Tlail.vburtou Johnstona), Thompson (New Lynn), Muir and Hawk (Mount Albert), Fisher, and BTrtlT (Glen. Edet).. ~,.,.: .4