WINTER BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 104, 4 May 1936, Page 13

WINTER BOWLING.

TOURNAMENTS AND MATCHES, BUSINESS OF DELEGATES. SOLDIERS ON THE GREEN. -

(By TRUNDLER.)

Memory would haVe to be stretched a long way to recall the introduction of the winter season of bowling in Auckland in such a howlng gale as was experienced last Saturday. Naturally play was impossible, and even an optimist could find only one mitigating feature: that it took only one day to deliver the goods, rain, hail and wind, whereas exactly three months earlier it spoiled two days, one for almost a record rain and the second for quite a record gale. Fortunately the Mount Eden committee made an early decision to notify compe•titors that the opening of their twoSaturday tournament was postponed for a week, and it will now be held on May 9 and 16, the same dates as Hillsboro'. Devonport dates are 16 and 23 and Hallyburton Johnstone 23 and 30. The challenge matches will also start next Saturday if the weather permits. The holders of the Edwin Stars are G. JBuchan, J. Waterworth, J. Rolfe, A. Parsons (Ponsonby) and they will meet W. E. Oughtoii, J. Yeo, W. H. Keatley,- W. A. Lorain (Rocky Nook), followed by J. lTodd (Carlton), E. Neale (Oneliunga), R. Thomas (Mount Albert), and Theo Walker (Henderson). The Denison Pins are at Grey Lynn, held by T. Mayson, W. McMurchy, R. C. Caddy, E. E. Buckley, and they wiil meet T. D. Anderson, W. Gladstone, H. R. Goldsmith, S. E. Chappell (Balmoral), followed by 11. J. Bray (Remuera), J. R. Lundon (Devonport) and J. A. Robertson (Waitemata). The other tAVO challenge matches controlled by the centre, the Diggers' Badges and the Jordan Pins, will start a week later provided the weather is fine enough next Saturday for the interested players to complete their club competitions for the summer season. The Meeting of Delegates.

Several features of special interest are worth recording in regard to the meeting of delegates on Thursday evening. 111 the first place, in spite of the resolution carried last year, the calling of the roll met with 110 response whatever in some cases, neither an answer nor an apology, and nobody can regard this as a compliment to the centre nor to the clubs that the absentees were supposed to represent. Against this, however, there were several non-members present, apparently anxious to find out how the affairs of the centre were managed. The most striking and the most unusual feature was the decision to refer back to the clubs 110 less than three of the matters discussed. Following fairly closely to Parliamentary procedure, the centre executive, corresponding with the Cabinet, did not care to take the responsibility of changing the post-section play in the Christmas tournament from the two-life system to the one-life, so it referred it back to the centre, corresponding with Parliament. The latter in turn were equally diffident, and claimed the opportunity to consult their clubs at the forthcoming annual meetings, corresponding almost exactly with the hustings, where the members address their constituents and then are either re-elected or not.

A similar procedure was followed in regard to paying the expenses of the seven players who will represent the Dominion at the next Empire Games, and also 011 a-scheme for including more of the country clubs in the pennant matches next season. On the latter question a very practical addition was made in asking the delegates to indicate at. the annual meeting of the centre what support.;their own. clubs would be prepared to give to the scheme if.adopted. With this exception the debates were notable for their lack of -constructive policy. They amounted virtually, when not merely straight-out opposition, to a continuous setting of one man's opinion against that of another, with very few statements of fact, whereas one -would have expected that in 6tich a company, presumably composed of the elite of all. the clubs, it would have been more in keeping with the

; representative nature of the meeting il \ tlie speakers had largely confined them- ! selves to the fasts, paying the others the i compliment of allowing them to draw their | own conclusions from those facts. Playing on Good Friday. Quite a different reception was given to a proposal whereby players could enter for the Easter tournament without necessarily jjlaying on Good Friday, So far as is known in Auckland, only two schemes in this direction have been discussed in the Dominion, one involving the maximum inconvenience to everybody, which was rejected, and the otherrequiring a very small sacrifice, which was adopted. The scheme proposed on Thursday, however, involved 110 inconvenience to anyone, whether competitor or official, so nobody could find any objection to it, especially when the motion did not call for a vote on the scheme itself, but merely that the delegates should come prepared to discuss it at the next meeting. It was summarily rejected with a bang, hopelessly, if one may judge by the volume of sound when the negative was called for, as nobody demanded a show of hands. It must bo assumed, therefore, so far as Auckland is concerned, that on the question of altering the present method of conducting the Easter tournament the door is banged, barred and bolted, or, as others may say, it is as dead as Julius Caesar. Another Soldiers' Tournament. The committee appointed at the returned soldiers' tournament last year met on Thursday evening just before the meeting of delegates, Mr. F. A. Hosking presiding. It was decided to again hold a two-Saturday tournament at Onehunga, as all three greens will be available, on June 27 and July 4. Any returned soldier may compete, whether he served in the Army, the Navy or the Air Force, and competitors may give their names to Mr. S. Vella, president of the club, who is himself a returned soldier, cither by letter or to telephone J2-639. Entries may be cither in rinks or by single entry, but clubs whose returned soldiers do not number a multiple of four are specially ! requested to see that the 'odd men are j assured of a game. Selectors were appointed and they will make up all the latter into suitable rinks. There will be 110 entry fee, beyond the usual winter green fee, as the prizes will be again donated. It was also decided to hold a general meeting during the afternoon tea adjournment on the second day, to elect a committee for the ensuing year. They held a returned soldiers tournament "in Wellington a couple of months ago, forty rinks competing, ; including players from as far away as Masterton and Pahiatua. Nearly all entered as club rinks, the chief exceptions being two composite links of South African veterans, and it is hoped that those with the latter qualification will also compete here.

I Death of Dr. Macky. The whole bowling community has been stirred by the untimely death of Keith Macky, for he gave promise of being a tower of strength to the game for many years. His most notable success was in the Dominion rink championship of 1932, as a member of Maxwell Walker's team, and a few weeks later he won the singles championship of his club, besides being runner-up last year. This is a great record when it is recalled that it was only in 1027 that lie skipped the club's first-year rink at Easter, getting six wins. That was the year when Frater (Devonport) beat Massey (Mangere) in •the final, but it was remarkable for t!v? number of subsequent club champions who were playing in their first centre tournament. Besides Keith Macky there tvere H. L. Richards (Devonnort), <r. Greenwood and W. A. Hill (Edendale). R. S. Higginbotham (Henderson). S. W. Thompson (Hillsboro'). H. A. Farland CEpsom), R. Sheath (Rom u era)

TE PUKE FINAL. In tlio Te Fuke Bowling Club's championship singles (inn! on Saturdny M. Grnfas bent Cuiumings b.v 14 points to 13. GREY LYNN CLUB. Skips to enter for full-rink tournament to be hold at Grey Lynn green on Wednesday at !) a.m. : —Livingstone. Mackenzie (Onebuifga), McCullough (Papatoeto'e). Russell, Sampson (Carlton). Gibson (Balmoral), Firtli (Glen Eden), Butcher (Buekland), Bishop (Hallyburton Johnstone), Howard (Epsom), Darby (West Knd), Donaldson, ' Macintosh, Garland. Dougan and Scott- (Grey Lynn).