BOWLS WITHOUT BIAS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 70, 15 December 1932, Page 6

BOWLS WITHOUT BIAS

Visitors from Oroua TOURNAMENTS AHEAD (By “Armada.") Thorndon bowlers spent a very happy day last Thursday in friendly competition with a team from the Oroua Club, in.gThe Oroua parti- consisted of six rinks, and included the president, E. Goodbehere, who has been in office seven years and looks like having a “life” sentence. He is onp of the original members of the Feilding Bowling Club founded about 40 years ago, and was president for many years. His life has been an active one and still is. He was secretary to Feilding Racing Club for 36 years, and prior to that was a steward. He landed in ■Wellington with his parents 53 years ago, a very different 'Wellington to that of today. There were steam trams here then, reminding Mr. Goodbehere of his native town of Birmingham. The steam trams were still running in Birmingham when I was there nearly 30 years ago. Mr. Goodbehere’s father was a lawyer, but his son adopted the profession of accountancy, and became the first clerk of Kiwitea County Council. He was one of the first members of the Pohangina County Council. In those days he did a good deal of land valuation for the Government, and also took up the land agency business. A good deal of his business affairs are now carried on by his son, Jeff Goodbehere, who will be remembered for his brilliant athletic .career when a pupil at Wellington College. In one year he won the 100 yards, 220 yards and quarter mile events, and about 1903 beat Duffy, the crack American, in the 50 yards invitation race.

A Couple of AH Blacks. Another popular figure among the party was secretary A. D. McLean, who was a member of the New Zealand Rugby team which played Stoddart’s team at Wanganui in ISSB. Opposite him at lunch sat “Mona” Thomson, a member of the 1905 All Black team. Sandy Stewart is the songster of the team. “The Duke,” as Fowler is known to his team mates, played a beautiful drawing game, but his good work was often undone by his opponent resorting to driving. Skipper Oakley has had a versatile career, for prior to coming to New Zealand he sailed round the Horn before the mast. He then; commenced fanning and retired before the bad times came. The Rev. F. H. Petrie is a popular member of the Oroua Club, and the visit gave him the opportunity of meeting his brother, G. F. Petrie, of Kelburn Bowling Club, who played lead in Shrimpton’s rink.

Never Say Die. H. P. Perry and A. T. Markman, Thorndon, were playing a singles game of 21 up in the Jensen Cup. Perry was 20 to his opponents’ 13. Regarding the position as hopeless Markman was about to resign, holding out his hand to congratulate Perry, when he suddenly said “I’ll play one more head.” He did and scored, and four more after that and won the game, for Perry did not score again. In another Jensen Cup game one of the skips drove and knocked the jack into the ditch, and followed it. But someone had left a mat overhanging the bank and the bowl «»it this before dropping into the ditch. This made the bowl a dead one, otherwise the bowler would have scored four. This practically lost him the;game. Senior Pennant. ;

■ The halfway stage in the senior .pennant competition has been reached, and Lyall Bay, by consistent play, heads the percentage take with 75.00, with Johnsonville 8.33 behind, second, and Karori one decimal behind. Three rounds are played in November and December, and four in the New Year. Of course much may happen in these matches, but if Lyall Bay maintains the form shown to date, the club should secure the pennant. With only six rinks the club is a strong one, and its prospects of winning the event are quite good.

Bowlers are now looking forward to the Centre tournament which opens on Boxing Day, and will be followed by th? Hutt Valley Tournament, which opens on January 2. Then comes the event of the year, the Dominion tournament, which opens in AVellington on January 9. Quite a number of Wellington bowlers are going in for all three events, so will have had a surfeit of bowling by the end of January. They will not get much of a spell, however, for a pennant round is to be played on January 2S, and champion of champions games commence on February 15. A ope-day full rink tournament is to be played at Upper Hutt to-day.

Club and Personal. ATctoria put up a fine performance on Saturday in winning seven out of eight games. Skip Norwood was the only loser, but as he had had a rough trip up from Lyttelton the previous night he was not in his best form.

Greenwood and Mudgway, Upper Hutt, were in great form against Seatoun rink on Saturday. The wind certainly upset the visitor, but the Hutt rink played good bowls.

__ Ixmias, in his ■ last pennant game for Kelburn before leaving for Hawke’s Bay, put up a record pennant score of 43 against Martin, Hataitai, who scored 19, which is a good score for a loser. The total score meant an average of three per head, which is unusually high. Does anyone know of a bigger sc'ore in 21 heads in a pennant or tournaihent game? Here’s a nice even bet” for those who fancy it. Neither Mosely, the Central skip who arrived from Australia a little time ago, nor J. Lowry, who joined up with Petone on retiring on superannuation, leaving Kelburn Club, have won a game in competition with other clubs this season. Who will be the first to secure a win? Both were consistent in the pennant last Saturday. The Hataitai selector was feeling more pleased with himself last Saturday when the club secured 65 per cent. wins. Young was promoted skip last Saturday, and “brought home the bacon.” There’s a hoodoo on one of the other skips. Gibson, Hutton, Hardie and Lambert, Thorndon. have entered for the Dominion rinks, and Hutton and Lambert for the pairs. Horwood is to lead for Casey in the pairs, and the rink will be Horwood, Cullen, Casey. P. Smith. Skip Murphy, of Hutt, had new ivory discs put in his four bowls and two colour distinctive marks put on them. Quite a nice job, and not expensive either. Norrie Bell, of Takapuna, last year’s Dominion singles champion,' last week won the final of the Auckland singles championship on Rcmuera green. He is a man with a match-playing temperament with a variety of shots, and the ability to make the best of difficult conditions. And he has youth on his side. One of the most interesting games played so far on the Seatoun green took place last week in the Jubilee two ball pair competition between Wright and Williams. The game was very even up to the seventeenth head, both being fourteen. On the eighteenth head Williams scored three, and on the nineteenth head Williams again scored three, making the score then, Williams 20. Wright 14. On the twentieth head Wright scored three, leaving him four to win and three to tie. When the skips went down Wright was two up. Williams did not alter this with his first bowl, but Wright drew another. Williams then put a fourth shot in rather a dangerous position. Wright came down and inspected the bead and then said he would just turn Williams’s bowl over for four. .Tie played a perfect shot, doing as he suggested, and winning the game twenty-one—twenty. Hutt Valley Banner Tho following players will represent Upper Hutt in the second round of the Hutt Valley banner on Saturday:— At Upper Hutt: Greenwood, Shannon, Mumby. Lightfoot. Upper Hutt B, against Central F. at Upper Hutt; Lynch, Rodgers. Mudgway, Goodwin. Upper Hutt C against I’etouc I. at l’ctone: Butler, Coker, Browne. Greig. Upper Hutt D against Central J, a* Central: Langdon. Spearman, Johnston, Kobertson- Emergency, Webb.