BOWLS WITHOUT BIAS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 138, 6 March 1936, Page 17

BOWLS WITHOUT BIAS

Discouraging Season MANY POSTPONEMENTS (By Auiiada.) That objectionable word “postpone” has been too common in connection with ’Wellington bowls this season. This and the wettest February on record, several extraordinarily cold spells and an autumnal ehill and dampness in the evening air in the first days of March, has given the enthusiasm of Wellington bowlers some- I thing of a test this summer. Actually the sport has not been interfered with by ruin as much as in many other summers, but, toning after the ideal previous summer, and with sudden furious gales and deluges, the weather lias been unseftiing. This is in spite of its most objectionable days being sandwiched between acceptable periods of blue skies and ealm air. Nevertheless, it. appeal’s that the centre's fixtures will be played off satisfactorily. Three more matches, to be played , on two Saturdays, will finish the pennant competition, so it would be hard | luck were that to be interferid with seri- | cusly. The junior pennant is to conclude to-morrow, and one round oi’ the country pennant remains to be played. The situation of the country competition is as follows:—Otaki, 7 points; iTnnmerton, 6 points; I’aekakariki, 5 points; Paraparauinu, 2 points, Ou Sunday ten rinks from the Wnirarapa centre are to visit Wellington. They will meet the Wellington centre on the Hutt green. The visit of the Wellington centre to Blenheim, originally set down for a weekend several weeks ago, is now to take place next week-end. The party will leave Wellington next Friday, and will return on the following Sunday. Next Wednesday and Thursday are the days set aside for the centre’s rinks championship. New Zealanders’ Tournament. An indoor bowling tournament which promises to be of unusual interest is being organised by the New Zealanders’ Association. The idea of the association is to find the champion New Zealand-born rink in the Wellington district. The contest, which promises to be a great success, is to be played on the Winter Show greens during the winter months on one evening each week. The trophies for the event are to be a gold tiki and miniature cup for each member of the champion rink, and a silver fern for the runners-up. The New Zealanders’ Association is determined’to make this competition not only the most, enjoyable but the keenest-fought-out competition of the year. Players must be native-born New Zeaiamlers and rinks made up from members of their own elubs, and are expected to play in their club colours. Nominations close on March 21, and may be lodged with the secretaries of the clubs of which tlie rinks are members. Hataitai will be represented by at least four rinks, and it is expected that all clubs will be represented. South Africa and New Zealand. That South Africa should invite a New Zealand team to visit the union ha» been mooted by a writer in the “Johannesburg Star.” A tour of South Africa was to have been made by xVustralians toward the end of this year, and upon its cancellation the South Africa Bowling Association looked toward Great Britain. It was this that caused the writer in the “Star” to mention New Zealand. “It is only within the last tew days that this country has had very friendly greetings from New Zealand, and it seems rather disappointing that our executive committee has forgotten the two islands in tlie Tasman Sea.” he wrote. "Of course," nb such omission was ever intended. and it would be very unfair to criticise the executive on that account. The suggestion is made merely in passing, but it is one which the executive would do well to boar- in mind. In the very uear future our Rugby Springboks will be trying conclusions with the New Zeaiamlers, and it would be a fine state of affairs were the Bowling Springboks to be having a tilt at their New Zealand prototypes. Hence the suggestion, ‘Why not the New Zealanders?’ ” Payment of Expenses. The payment of the expenses of overseas touring teams which has recently become a bone of contention in New Zealand, has been before the bowlers of South Africa also, and the Jiowls writer in the “Johannesburg Star” has something fo say about that subject also. Thus: ... - “The executive of the South Atnca Bowling Association, aided and abetted by enthusiastic helpers from the northern provinces, has managed to introduce a levy for the purpose of paying the expenses of players chosen to go overseas to uphold tjie honour of South Africa on the greens of Great Britain and elsewhere. . “It. is one thing to enact the principle of a levy, and it is quite another to collect that levy, and I am periectly certain that the executive will ere long regret their action in sponsoring the principle. ■There can be no question about the position. and it were well to restate it with nil possible emphasis. The difficulty with overseas tours does not lie in the ques-

tion of pounds, shillings and pence. It lies in the question of time." ThoHidon Chib. Smith and Berry have to play off for the rinks championship of the Thorndon ■club. In the “Roses,” the principal competition among the members of the Thorndon'Hub, Naylor’s rink is two games ahead of any other rink, and they have five games to play.