SUMMER BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 45, 23 February 1937, Page 16

SUMMER BOWLING.

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK. HEAVY PROGRAMME AHEAD. FINDING THE CHAMPIONS. (By TRUXDLER.) Glorious weather on Saturday rounded off another active week in bowling, a very loituuate condition for the annu.il uiatch between the Auckland and South Auckland Centres, played at Hamilton, whereas bad weather has more than once marred this popular gathering. „ It is to be hoped that nothing will delay the pahs at Kotorua this week, for all the illy players are wanted on Saturday to play in the remaining round of the pennant competition, the position in which will be described on Thursday. The final between the two section winners will be played a week later, concurrently with the leinaining rounds in the Christmas tournament. During the same week there will also be the pairs tournament, the visit to Taranuki during the second week in March, the champion of champions in the third week, and Easter begins in the fourth week. It is a most unusual honour for a club to get into three finals in one "week, but that success was achieved by Onehunga last week, two being in events of almost tirst importance. The largest was the annual tournament of the North Auckland Centre, twenty rinks competing, and the final was won by W. Brown, S. W. Brown, L. Bray and W. A. Gosling, who defeated Lambess, Haigh, Everett, Coote (Whangarei). Then there was the annual invitation tournament at Tauranga, won by N. SI. Bradanovich, H. J. Sumner, F. A. Hosking, S. Bish (Pukekohe), the skip playing what one spectator described as a miraculous shot, although it. ■was nominated, to beat S. McMaster, A. R. Gatland, F. Livingstone, H. A. Robertson (Onehunga) by one point.

The third final would not have called for comment if it had not been the third in a trio played simultaneously by members of the same club. It 'was at Buckland, and the final went to J. Skinner, E. J. Higgins, T. S. Stokes, E. B. Wright (Onehunga), when they defeated £. E. Faulkner, Buckley, C. Smeed, W. A. Smeed (Tuakau). Wright has won a good many tournaments during his 35 years in the club, but this one is notable for the fact that it-is the first win that Stokes has ever had, although he has been' in a dozen finals. Travelling to Tournaments. There are often regrets, expressed in Wellington regarding the reluctance of their bowlers to travel for social games, although at this distance one is inclined to commend them for their numerous journeys to Christchurch and Blenheim, and their still more numerous one-day visits to their nearest three neighbouring centres, Wanganui, Manawatu and Wairarapa. It was no surprise, therefore, to find that Manawatu returned their visit in force last Wednesday, no-less than sixteen rinks spending the day in the capital. In the morning they played purely social games jit the Thorndon, Victoria, Wellington and Island Bay greens, but the afternoon games at the Wellington greens were more formal, as they -were matched against representative players of the local centre. The results, were, seven wins, seven losses and two ties, Wellington having the greater aggregate score, 362 to 349. Nobody can say that Auckland players are backward in coming forward when there is a game on hand, and a recent calculation showed that in the purely competitive visits overseas, 73 of the 88 players from New Zealand were from the Auckland Centre. It is to be hoped that other centres will come to light for the Australian carnival in Sydney next January, and the Empire Games to follow on the first Saturday in February, but a strong team is already assured from Auckland alone, my list of those who intend to go, all being well, having grown to 24. twenty of whom will nominate for the Empire Games.

Local Visiting. When it comes to competitions or social Tints nearer home' there is the same tale < to tell, for the eight rinks required to meet the South Auckland Centre last Saturday were over-subscribed, and a record number have also volunteered to spend next week in Taranaki. This will suit the neighbouring centre admirably, for two years ago the Auckland party was not large enough to accept all the invitations from the clubs who wished to meet a few rinks. The morning games at Hamilton gave an equal number of wine to the two centres, but in the afternoon Auckland had the majority, so the Hardley Shield was retained without troubling to count the aggregate scores. Ncit summer South Auckland will visit the city. As _ for competitive visiting, the records of this month speak volumes for the readiness to travel, for the North Auckland Centre tournament last week was again supported, and three rinks went to the Whangarei Club's tournament earlier in the month, while Rotorua and Tauranga should be well pleased with the city representation, whicn predominated in each town. This week there is the pairs tournament at Rotorua, and again the city is represented in full force, as will be seen by the results. With regard lb the Tauranga result, although everybody likes to win, it is very unlikely that many will regret the victory to the credit of Pukekohe. Bradanovich, Hosking and Bish have been most consistent in supporting tournaments in their own district, and also in the city, their play being equally consistent, while Sumner has also been a fairly familiar figure in recent years, so they fully deserve an occasional win. Gtak . Championships. Auckland.—The remaining game mentioncd last week resulted in E. B. Bennet defeating W. Robertson. In the next round I. Clarke, the only two-lifer, beat E. I. Lyell, Bennet beat J. R. McPhail and J. Hardie Neil beat D.'Campbell. All three survivors have had a bye, so Clarke now gets the second bye, while Bennet meets Hardie Neil. Balmoral.—ln the last round played the bye went to the title-holder, Walter Franks, the winning skip in the last Christmas tournament. The only twolifer, Walter Denison, four times club champion, beat S. E. Chappell, who was in Franks' rink on that memorable occasion, J. H. W. Barber, runner-up last year, beat H. F, Gibson, probably best known as a member of Wilson's rink when they Won the Dominion championship three years ago, and A. McKeggie, formerly of Mount Albert, beat B. Ramsey, the club champion of ten years ago, and champion of Onehunga just before the war. Playing on the automatic draw Denison now meets Franks, and Barber meets McKeggie. Carlton.—Tne system of dividing the long list of competitors into afternoon and evening players has again been a great success, progress . being , proportionately rapid. With only two two-lifers left, J. Torrance, the champion of two years ago, defeated W. A. Lancaster, the champion of the previous year, and George Taylor beat J. W. Hodd. Torrance then got the bye, while Taylor beat Lancaster, and this leaves Torrance with two lives to meet Taylor with one. In referring to players who have won j. the championship of three clubs it was purely an accidental omission to recall jam was mmftaoned a few years ago, that Torrmace is also qi this very select comipjmrjihaving won at Tiuranga, Ponsonby v *»O|«Hon. It recently transpired, how•wrflfcat,there m 'still a tbttrth. J. Kerr, for h«: won at EkeUhuna. at Masterton! several times, including the champion of champions, at Onehunga twice, in ;. :M3l and W3&- besides being runner-up to the present title-holder, J. Macklow t Stanley.—The sixth round, for which the draw wae given last week, resulted in the .only two-lifer, R. McMaster, defeating H Hitchen, while F. Baker beat J. a'. Donaldson. In the round of the handicap! tingles just completed Hitchen had th* ! bye, as the only two-lifer, C. Undrill beat fL_aaa*ie and P. C. Blenkarne beat' J. '■/■""T#:-,-Papane.-—ln the current round the

of 1934, and he has just beaten T. H. Sissons, twice champion and three times runner-up. The bye went to T. Pilkington, the title-holder and winner on two previous occasions, while A.. Legge beat W. Allcock. As the three survivors have each bad a bye the remaining bye reverts to Moon, not because he is a two-lifer, but because he is "the top player" on the chart. See clause 15 in tournament conditions.