WINTER BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 140, 15 June 1937, Page 15

WINTER BOWLING.

SATURDAY'S GAMES.

TOURNEYS AND CHALLENGES.

REUNION OP SOLDIERS.

(By TRUNDLER.)

Keen interest is being taken in the interclub challenge matches, but it is becoming even more difficult than last year to run them otf in their proper order, on account of three distinct delays; several clubs have been dkceptionally late in releasing certain members from the final stages of their club matches, there are more club tournaments than usual, in which challenges entered in good faith, expecting to be free when they were required, and finally the returned soldiers' tournament must take precedence over all challenge engagements, according to a reasonable interpretation of rule 6. The two-dav tournament at Balmoral was completed, except for a few heads in the final, and another will commence, next Saturday.

The Edwin Stars match, interrupted byheavy rain the previous Saturday, was played all over again, in accordance with rule 7, and had a most unusual result, although the final score was nothing out of the ordinary: H. Cash, J. Boag, F. Jackson, F. W. Breckon (Hallyburton Johnstone), holders, 24, v. L. L. Joll, C. J. Moon, li. Joll, J. Findlay (Mount Eden), challengers, 21. Getting an early start, for which all visitors will find the holders ready during these short afternoons, thirteen heads were played before it was time to adjourn, with the <Bcore 18 to 10 in favour of the holders, but on resuming the visitors did all the scoring, and ran up to 21 with one head to play. Twice Breckon burned the twenty-first head, when they could not see a three for a tie, which is just as good as a win in a challenge match, and at the third attempt they were lying two. Findlay saw that there was every possibility for Breckon to get the third counter that he wanted, with his last bowl, bo he went for a trail, to make the position safe. It came off, but his toucher went dead, and the jack went the WTong way, leaving the holders six! The next challenger is E. T. Richmond. (Epsom). History Repeats Itself. Jit is hard to remember the exact details of a shot played 14% years ago, but Findlay's last bowl on Saturday seems to recall the last bowl he played on the St. Helier'B green, in the Dominion tonrnament of 1923. It went a certain way, and all with six -wins qualified for post-section play, 59 rinks in all, whereas if his bowl had acted as a well-behaved bowl should, only 30 rinks would have gone forward.

The bowling council promptly acted on a slight variation of the famous advertisement: "Last year all with three losses went forward, since when we have had no other." The Auckland Centre, however, still retains the old condition at Christmas, that if any section is won with three looses, then all with three losses in all the other sections will qualify. The personnel of the Epsom rink holding the Denison Pins had to be radically changed when meeting Hillsboro on Saturday, but the result was probably a surprise to both sidies, for the visitors played an inspired game, and simply left their opponents standing: A. Hamlin, H. C. Barnes, R. Buckle, J. Clarke (Hillsboro) challengers 25, t. W. C. Contts, W. Foubister, M. J. Hooper, T. R. George (Epsom) holders 9.

The next challenger is R. Thomas (Mount Albert), followed by J. W. Hodd (Carlton), E. Hunt (Auckland), J. H. Colthurst (West End) and F. Firth (Glen Eden), and there seems to be a reasonable chance that these will all be playing in their proper order.

The Jordan Pins gave & very good game, the Otahuhu green being in nice order: T. C.- Turnbull, C. O. West, E. J. Gatland, L„ f (Onehunga) challengers 21, v. X>, J. Williams, J. T. Ogilvie, A. J. Carson, H. Sykes (Otahuhu) holders 16. _ The winners give the credit to their skip, for the local rink led all the way until the eighteenth head, when Bray drew two beauties for » tie at 16 aIL -and secured five on the remaining three brads. Soldiers on the Green. Two rounds of ten heads were easily finished before dark. The remaining two, and any section ties, will be played next Saturday. The competitors were welcomed by the club president, Mr. Frank Livingstone, who then passed over the control to Mr. F. A. Hosking, chairman of the committee elected last year. Mr. Hosking remarked ok their good fortune in' being granted the use of three greens, for he doubted if any club had ever been in a position to afford this facility in the depth of winter. He eulogised the action of the local members in again standing out, in order that the ex-service-men could all gather in one place for their reunion, and he called for three cheers for the club.

At the afternoon tea adjournment Mr. S. Vella, deputy-chairman of the committee, endorsed the welcome of the club president, and invited Mr. John Park. Mayor of Onehunga, to speak for the residents of the borough. Mr. Park expressed his pleasure that the club was able to entertain such a large assembly of returned soldiers, and assured them that? the residents would be further delighted if more of them would "come and live among us." As for their proved valour in the Great War, he hoped that none of them would ever again have to fight in a harder battle than the one that engaged.tliem that afternoon.

Sir George Richardson replied for the visiting "Diggers." It was just a few weeks over 22 years since their historic feat at Gallipoli, but he thought that since that day no finer sporting gesture had been extended towards them -than that the Onehunga members had again _fltood out so that they could all play together. He hoped that these reunions yfpuld be recognised as a permanent institution, and that they "would continue until there is only one of us left."