BOWLING.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16959, 7 October 1920, Page 8

BOWLING.

(NOTES BY "SKIP.")

Tho bowling season ■will commence on Saturday afternoon, when Christchurch, Canterbury, Beckenham, Linwood, Sydenham, and several other clubs will declare their greens open for play.

Green superintendents and greenkeepers were having rather an anxious time last week, when we had go much wet weather, and it was problematical whether a postponement of openings would take place or not. However, with the fine weather which we are now enjoying, there is every likelihood of the greens being ready in time for Saturday.

Linwood green is again looking well, and from all accounts it will take a lot of beating. Last year the Tournament Committee adjudged this green the best in Canterbury. A tremendous amount of work has been put into the Canterbury green during the off-season, and it is looking better than it has done for many years. If it plays as well as it looks there will be no cause for complaint. For the first time in the history of this club, tho membership has topped the century, and the president and executive are to he congratulated on their efforts in raising it to this high mark.

The Christchurch Club haß lost two verv good members this year, in Messrs E. *E. I>aniels and H. P. Wyatt, both of whom have gone to Auckland. As a skip, Daniels has been in the forefront of Christchurch players for many years, and his services will be greatly missed when the club competitions are being played. Wyatt has always been considered one of the best leads in the province, and 110 will be a decided acquisition to whatever club he joins up with in the northern city^

There have been several other transfers of members of different clubs. Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M., has left Linwood and joined up with Christchurch. T. Knox, also a member of the Linwood Club, has gone oyer to Sydenham. J. Woodham, tho well-known Opawa player, has gone over to Linwood, and Gordon Blackwell, who has now bocome a resident of Beckenham, has joined the club of that name, thus severing his connexion with the Kaiapoi Club. Sumner has also lost two valuable members in Fred Barlow and J. S. Neville, both of whom are to play for Canterbury this year.

Tho council of the New Zealand Bowling Association has made considerable alterations in the .rink play for the next big tournament,' which will be held in Wellington this season. Instead of playing tho usual three games a day, of twenty heads each, they are now "going to play two games a day of twenty-*fivo heads. This, I consider, is a step in the right direction, because it will at least solve tho catering problem. Last year the executive incurred an expense of over £500 for catering, but now. with only two games a day, it will enable bowlers to get back to their hotel ab midday and enjoy their lunch, as they should do.

Mr Jas. Nash brought forward a motion regarding substitutes which will be much appreciated by the bowlers of New Zealand. His motion was: "That in no case shall a substitute bo allowed to play as skip in rinks or pairs games, and that a clause to that effect be inserted in the tournament programme.' Ihiring last tournament there was a considerable amount of dissatisfaction regarding substitutes, both in the rinks and pairs, and the motion comes as a very welcome one. Needless to say, it was adopted.

The Christchurch Centre have reverted to games regarding the weekly club competitions. Some few years ago the competition—Red, White, and Blue pennants —was decided on the points system, but this apparently did not give satisfaction. It then went back to games wins, but last year it was altered to points, and now it again goes back to wins. As each year conies along delegates seem to want to alter things, and usually the first they start in en is the club competitions. Whether this is a wise move or not, and whether it! will meet with the approval of the various clubs is hard to say, but my opinion is that the system is wrong. The points decision is the most satisfactory one, and practically every centre in New Zealand adopted the points system years ago.

A very good suggestion lias been made by the Duuedin Centre that an interprovincial match, should take place between Canterbury and the southern city members. It is splendid, and should be fostered by the players here. A proposal has been made that the first match should bo played in Christchurch, and I sincerely hope this will come off in due course.

A suggestion talked over by the Dominion Council which will commend itself to many, and on which a further report is to be made, was that a gathering'might be held some time in, say, M)arch, when chaimpion of champion events should be decided. Clubs would be asked to find their champion rink, pair, and single players; centres would bring these together and discover the best of them; the survivors would then clash and find the champions of the Dominion. The idea is not exactly new, but has many good points.