Bowling.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 27, 1 February 1908, Page 14

Bowling.

(By '-Jack. l')

Bowling gieens, as e\ery player knows, ha\o their characteristics strongly marked, and these are moro noticeable to visitors ihan to those who play on them season after seaeou. Ca\eniham Green, for instance, ih (according to a Dunedin paper) doFcribed as "tricky," St. Kilda as "keen," and St. Clair as. < "reliable." Roslyn "takes getting to,' 1 and almctt requires the soaring bpectaele of Flagstaff to assure tho prospective bowler that ho is not yet on the roof of the world. The pleasure of playing on this green, however, is said to repay the toil of getting there, even if you mits the car. Kaituna ia accessible, and >o spick and span as to seem almost too good to play on. This, it is said, is likely to wear off. Thc'three following paragraphs are .from Dunedin papers: — That dear old moss-grown misstatement, so long accepted as truth in the Homeland, that it takes 100 yeais to make a lawn, finds flat and comincing contradiction in the bowling greens that during the laet few years have appeared with tho Fiiddenne&s of mufhrooms in every part of New Zealand. Many lawns in England havo taken hundreds of years in tho 'making; and even the close-cropped turf in tho quadrangle, which is the pride of many v an Oxford don, would aftord the average bowler but poor sport. An eminent authority questioned on the subject yesterday scouted the hundred-years theory, and raid that all that was required to make a lawn was plenty of water and a little common Eense The soil of New Zealand might be trusted to do the rest. A travelled player during the recent tournament has been relating how they play bowk in Rome. Tho bowls aro stones, and eometimes they are nearly, round. For a green they use tho street or tho pavement, and as it requires great muscular exertion to propel the "bowlfc" as far as the kittj-, flagons' of Falernian wine tako tho place of tea "thoughtfully provided by the ladies." The adage saith : "When in Rome, do as Rome does," but it stops there and says nothing about doing it in Dunedin. Thooo who have heard this statement and marvelled have expressed a hope that this style of bowling will not bo imported. In cities like Dunedin ono could never tell where tho missiles would stop rolling. Bowling is a game- in which mankind may take his pleasures placidly. There are no scorchings or scrums or risk to neck and limb. To watch a number of amiable gentlemen blissfully trundling bowls, it seemed f-trango that' Omar Khayyam, had not made the ar.cient game the subject of a Rubaiyat fketoh. Tho line: "A loaf of bread, a game of bowls, and Thou" would havo sounded remarkably well. Perhaps the game was out of fashion in Persia in those days, or tho technical parlance thereof too obscure. ('A • toucher ' and "in the ditch" are certainly suggestive, and Jack and Kitty carry with them a_ possible savour of romance. If this omission is not an oversight, it seems the old Persian poet was too placid oven to play bowls. >>ewtown and Knrori played for tho junior penhaHU on Saturday last and tho former proved superior on tho day. Tho Newtown rink that played away was commanded by Kerr, and put up a big performance, being 20 up at "tha finish. On the, Newtown green play on both Eides was very ragged. The green- was"exceptionally keen, and a bowl put down lightly often, aided by tho; wina, went.'away 'to. tho ditch. Bailey,' Newtown's i skip,- was tho only player on his side that, showed anythiug liko true form. , \ ' , ' Wellington and Thorndon had a closo contect 'in the pennant game, Wellington winning by 7 points on the aggregate. At home Wellington was 14 up, but tho away I team finished «even down. i At tho X.Z.B.A. tourney, in tho singles a curious game took place between Brackenridge (Wellington) and Saxton (Canterbury) in tho filth round. Brackenridgewon b> no less jthan 23—1. ,Tho Cantcrbaryito only scored in tho' ninth head, and then only a single. Saxton- put in' some good ehots, but his opponent was too many for him. ' * ■ <■ Thus "Nemo" in the Dunedin Stac-.—r-,j "In former doys, the game of bowls was a very favourito paetime, and few country seats wero without thoir bowling green'; , nowadays these greens are> rarely to be seen except in 'thb'^Fcllb\vS > ' )JGiidens at 1, the-■universities.^' ,• Spt'uuriß ja ,i'ofo X° a •'passage in onte of the' Sir Roger'de Cover- ,' icy' Papers, in en edition' published only • three years ago by Messrs TMaCmillan.-Tho annotator ought to bo. in DnnetW' this week.' Ho^would gain new light.'concerning the''BuppoEfecT v Pcarcity of bowling greens and "bowler'?. The gamt obsplote or confined 'to'antiquated university dons? '—why, bicES' 'you, here, in the King's latest over.-ca- 'Dominion,' a whole city— and no mean^ity attthai 3t —i 3 alive, palpitating, overflowing with bowlers. One meets them everywhere ; ayo, and hears them cvpr.ywb.crc, for they arc onthusiafts to a mair; bowlers ancient, bowlers middle-aged—and bowleVs young; sinco it k no longer a game peculiarly sacred to Old Euliers. Lusty youth is taking to it; a phenomenon of which, it spoms, moro is to bo hsard anon, the seniors not relishing tiie juvenile incursion. My own view is thot bowls is no gamo for athletic youu^ men. who ought to be playing cricket. Leo them bowl by all means —but affer the fashion of Dcwnes and Fisher. Still, Tsow Zealand U a free country (within limits), and cricket* is not compulsory —as it was when I was at eehool. Moreover, it may be thot I am not free from sentimental prejudice respecting come matters. To hark back, however, : this is the bowlets' week, and mc^t heartily do I wish thorn joy of it, with a , thought • lerg heat and wind, and lashins of good fellowship, and all tho general success' which might bo expected to attend a carnival that war graced — or, at least, honoured —by tho presence of throe Cabinet Ministers on the opening day. A conference was held at Dunedin of representative--! from the various centres of the New Zealand Bowljng Association and members of the council. tt was resolved, after disouspicn, to appoint a committee to saiggest- amendments in tho constitution and the method of conducting the annual tournament, and submit such Etigge-tions to the various centres with the object of obtaining 1 an expression of opinion thereon. During the progref? of the bowling tourney at Dunedin details were completed for the visit of a team of thirty Dominion bowlers to tho Commonwealth. The trip will extend over six week?. Lea\ing tho Bluff on 30th March, the bowlers will play ;igain?t Hobart and Lannwfton. In Victoria ten days will be 1 spent. Three matches will be played against the Slate, in addition to gnmes with the Melbourne, Ballarat, and Bcndigo clubs. Tho visit to Sydney will extend over a fortnight. In addition to club games, there will be threo matches again«t New South Wales and three against Australia. At the lime tho Npw Zealandert. aro in Sydney xifeitinjr , teams from 'Queensland, . South Auttrslm, and "Virlonn t»i11 «Ib,o Tpc there, . co thot there will bo fivo Stote» represented, and it will be the greatest gathering of bowlers over 6eon in Auttialatia. Tho tour _will be under tho auspices of both tho New Zealand and the Northernl Bowling Associations, and one object of it is to bring tho Australasian bowling ashes to New Zealand. Tlia Commonwealth team will bo picked from the four States mentioned. The following are the probable members of the Dominion team: — Pntoa.—J. Gibson. Wellington.—Norrie Bell, E. Moult, E. Bruuskill, — Blake, F. Laurenson. Christchurch.—L. B. Wood, A. V. , Bishop, W. Bunting, W. Gee, Chegwin, MaVnard, F. W. Johnson. Waimate.--C. J. Goldstone, W. Coltman. Oamaru. —W. Waddell (president of the Now Zealand BowHng Asiociation), W. Bee. Dunedin.—W. C. Allnuft,' J. Scoullar, W. M'llwrick, W. F. bastings. ftorr. —A. Martin luvorcarprill—A. E. Smith, J. Findlay, T A. Wallace, J. Haiii, W. Martin, P. L. Gilkieon. C. J Broad In addition to tho above there are three names on the emergency list It is hoped that tho Hon. J. A. Millar and the Hon. J. Carroll will be in Sydney for the tourney there, i

H. H. Daweon's performance in winning four events out of fivo startb at tho fc!catoun Carnival was an excellent one. He is a veritable champion on the Eand, and I doubt if HenderEon even could give liijn a stajt.