BOWLS NOTES

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21363, 4 January 1935, Page 15

BOWLS NOTES

(By JACK.) Almost perfect weather favoured the local clubs for their tournaments during the holidays, the shower of rain on New Year's Day bringing the greens into splendid playing condition for the afternoon rounds. Competitors at Linwood adjourned to the Olympia Indoor Rink for the second and third rounds —an unnecessary precaution, as it happened. The indoor green, however, is likely to prove a great boon to clubs running tournaments under adverse conditions.

Gagliardi (Edgeware) had excellent support from his rinks when he captured the major honours at Linwood, and excellent team work won the day. The final against Kearney (Linwood) held the interest of the gallery until the last bowl was rolled down, for on the twentieth head the board read 18 all. At ho stage of the game (apart from the first three heads, which were won by Edgeware) was there a disparity in the scores of more than two points.

It is gratifying to any club to know that competitors leave the green well satisfied with the conduct of a tournament and the attention to their material comfort, but it only too frequently happens that players go away without giving expression to their satisfaction. There was a pleasant exception at Linwood, when the Sumner skip, J. Thomas, complimented J. Petrie (chairman of the match committee) and W. Brown (tournament secretary and umpire) on the manner in which the club had looked after the welfare of the visiting players. The tribute was all the more noticeable in that it was delivered on behalf of a rink that fared only indifferently in its games.

The success of Cashmere in the Canterbury Club's tournament was popularly received, and it marked perhaps the most important achievement to date of the skip, Christie. He is a model of consistency, and his name should figure as the winner of many more events in the future. His supports, Laver, Anderson, and Dobbs, played soundly throughout, and their win was well earned.

The runners-up at Canterbury, Elsom, Piper, Raphael, and Haworth, were a very good combination, and should not have been beaten in the fourth round by an obviously weaker team. Confidence is a great asset in tournament games, but it can be overdone.

In the semi-final between Haworth and Hayes, the Southbridge number three gave a splendid demonstration of what a player should not do when the shot is against him—he was short with nearly every bowl. Short timber has very little chance of scoring, whereas back bowls are always possibilities.

Which is the better, a good lead or a good number three? This was a topic discussed by a group of players a few days ago, and the consensus of opinion favoured a good lead. A bowl on or near the jack is a great temptation to the opposing rink, and usually several bowls are wasted in attempts to remove it. A good lead is worth many points /to his team.

At different times in these columns attention to measuring has been drawn, and once again mention is made of the unsatisfactory attitude of certain players. In a recent doubles game the lead asked the skip to "draw another for five." The opposing lead had signalled four down, and the last bowl was a good measure for five. The "down" lead rapidly kicked out three bowls with the remark "That's the lot." His opponent, of a retiring disposition, did not feel disposed to point out that the kicked timber had disturbed what was a certain counter for four, probably for the reason that he felt in a hopeless position—nine down and only two heads to go. He should, nevertheless, have claimed his five shots, and thus indicated to his bustling opponent that his tactics were not approved. The player who disturbsthe head before his opponent is satisfied must pay the penalty. • • •

In measuring it is advisable to run the string from the jack to the bowl, for the latter is less easily disturbed, on account of its weight, and extreme care should be exercised that the pointer does not slip under the belly of the bowl.

The steamer express will carry north to-night the main body of South Island bowlers en route to the Dominion tournament, and they will take away with them the best wishes of supporters from this part.

Some jacks that are in use should be relegated to the scrap heap—they are egg-shaped, and are liable to run right out of the rink. Clubs should give attention to this before next season opens, particularly as the Dominion championships will be held here. •,

"Jack" has received the following letter from a correspondent who wishes to remain anonymous. He is a player whose experience is not confined to the Dominion. At almost every small tournament certain games can be viewed with suspicion and on occasions players can be heard suggesting unabashed that their opponents let them win. "In your bowling notes on Friday last you refer to a practice which is becoming all too prevalent, I write in reference to teams who have no chance of winning allowing a favoured opposing team a deliberate win, in many cases so obviously intentional to any looker on. This Is a bad principle, but I am afraid no condemnation will stamp it out. I will give you a case in which I was skipping an Easter rink. I lost my first six games and in the last two games I met teams that, had I not played the game, would have been in the post section play. However, I managed to beat them both, and I am sorry to say I was mildly criticised by both opposing skips. I was told I had no chance and why should I set out to beat them. However, I won. and was quite pleased to get two games out of eight. No team will ever get a win from me intentionally, as I consider it is bad sportsmanship."

NEW YEAR TOURNAMENT RESULTS All NELSON (SPECIAL TO THE PRESS.) NELSON, January 3. The New Year tournament of the Nelson Bowling Centre was won by Vitetta (Nelson), who beat Stringer (Maitai) 19 to 17, after an intensely interesting final game. The following rinks qualified for the semi-finals by winning four games of seven:—Smith McComish, Stringer, Steele, Masefield, Johnson, Piper, Field, Vitetta, Eden, Dee, Capiello. Semi-finals resulted:— First Round —Johnson 13, Masefield 10; Piper 18, Field 11; Vitetta 24, Eden 12; Dee 20, Capiello 8. Smith, McComish, Stringer, and Steele drew byes. Second Round—Vitetta 18, Dee 8; Stringer 20, McComish 15; Piper 14, Smith 9; Johnson 15, Steele 6. Stringer 20, Piper (Maitai) 15; Vitetta 15, Johnson (Maitai) 10. The winning rink was J. J. Russell, J. Vitetta, V. Vitetta, and Jos. Vitetta (s). The runners-up were W. Herbert, P. Aydon, C. Wright, A. Stringer (s).