NOTES ON THE PLAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1334, 11 January 1912, Page 2

NOTES ON THE PLAY.

Dall (Wellington) had to give up pla.ving yesterday morning owing to indisposition. His place as skip was taken by his No. 3, Hamilton. One rule of bowls reads—"A player, having delivered his bowl, must not follow it a distance exceeding ten feet from the mar." This rule, which shoulil.be exercised, is perhaps t the one that is most frequently broken, and broken by players who should know better. One player on.the 'Wellington green on Tuesday was swii to follow his bowl right up the green, so closo to it that ho nearly kicked it. The officials of the association should not permit such a breach of the rules. If Hint rule is permitted to be broken so frequently, why not other rules? Barnes deserved credit for his good win against Baildon, Grey Lynn's crack skip. The. Jfowiown skip has played good bowls throughout tko tournament. 'Much interest attached to the game between Walker (L'onsonby) and Saywell (Foilding) on Thorndou green (.Section V) yesterday afternoon. Saywell had cone through the tiro of Monday and Tuesday's play unscotched,.bnt had gone down yesterday morning, which put him on a level with Walker. The Ponsonby skip played a rattling pood game throughout and displayed a line facility for driving and drawing. Veteran Maurice Casey, who plays a splendid leading game, was in capital form and with other members of the team gave Walker valuable assistance. Walker won 21—16. At the conclusion of tho eighth round yesterday afternoon Craig (Gisbornc) was the only skip who had gone through without" a loss. The seventh round played the first thins yesterday morning provided on unusual number of 'surprises, boll (Wellington) who hii<l sailed proudly through his adversaries without a loss, met his Waterloo in Baildon (Grey Lynn), who hail not been doing so well as his Auckland admirers expscted. Ballingor, an other of Wellington Club's leading skips, who had scored six wins went do\ni before Kerr (Thermion) who had previously only had tlireo wins ou! of six frames. The "rot" of chain pious did not end at this. The redoubtable Say well (Feildinc) got a severe bmm) from Tlarraway (liniiedin) in this round, ami Xush (Pnlmerston North) gave Tom Lock (Te lliwi) a salutary l«s----son in how lo win at bowls when theli;wk seems a;i impossible one. Lock, who had not lost, a game up till thon, could uuly score 9 to his ouinnctil's 21. M'Jntosh, the skip of last year's champion rink, sadly misses Clark, his old Xo. -2, who had a swcial facility in taking up his lodijrings very close to the jack. At the last minute Clark> found it impossible to get away, and a substitute had to Ire secured.. The lop wore put up yesterday was Hint made by Stephens when playiiig against Pollock, lie piled up no fewer than 42 points ocuinst his opponent's 9. "Positive cruolty," somebody oalled it. Great interest was taken in the eighth round game between Craig (Gisborne) and M'lntosh (Onehnnga), owing to the fact (hat if tho G sb.rno rink had qone down tht'v would have tied for (ho head of Section J with Webb, of Wellington, who had only had one loss. Craig wont away with tho load, and at one slago was IS (o his opponents' 9. Then M'lntosh began to pull up gradually until he was 17 on tht! eighteenth head (o Craig's On the next head M'lntosh get in three, and repeated the performance on the twentieth head, leaving the.m tie. Then came the tug of war.' When the skips went down on llic Inst head, Gisborne's No. ;i lay one shot about a foot to the lido of Uio iack. With, his first shot

M'liilnsh was a little top stroii(», and ran through the bowls nearest tl.e jack. Craig went wide witli his. Then jt'lntosh, adopting a IIOM policy, drove hard, ami cut Uislwrne's shot out with Die assistance of n • wick off a front howl. There was a shout of exultation, but it was 100 Mrly—Craig had another bowl to plr.y. . With it lie drew carefully on ' (lie buck hand, and lay n I;e:nitv sir inches from the jack. Hard hick for Welib, but i<. magnificent win for a link which has played splendidly throughout the tournament. "Monty" Craig, of Gisborne, and Gordon, of'tho juvenile St. John's (Wanganui) Club, wire the only two skips to go right through the nine section gamea . without ii loss.