Bowling.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 122, 21 November 1908, Page 14

Bowling.

By "Jack."

There was bowler's weather on Saturday last, and the bowler's heart was glad. He started early, to avoid the crush, and went home late for tea, but with a sense of duty well performed. On all the greens there were large musters and interesting play. On Saturday week Newtown had a field day, and throughout the evening and over Sunday members of that club carried about with them self-complacent faces. Their champions had earned a triple crown of victory, the wearing of which was pleasant. The rinks that played for the senior pennants put up a big performance in lowering the colours of the redoubtable Wellingtonians, the team that sallied forth after the "feathers" made a "bird" of it (the joke suggested itself), whilst the juniors, who left their nest with some trepidation, yet with a slight hope of success, returned with their brows bedecked (figuratively) with laurel and (in reality) sunburn. It is said that in the Feathers game ■on Saturday week, Petone Club team, although vanquished by a substantial margin of points, played with pretty hard luck. An excellent shot made by one of the skips came to naught through the shot bowl passing between two others, the fairway for the passage being the width of the "wood," plus a sheet of paper. That, surely, might be classed "as near as a toucher." But it was only one of several instances where Luck looked cross-eyed at Petone. With the advent of days that aro warmer the several greens are growing faster, and less push is required — a fact that is daily being borne home to the unskilful player. Present writer once attended, as a delegate, a friendly society gathering. At that time he had not taken up bowling as a pastime, but' had seen bowls played, and had listened to the proud talk of victorious skips. Therefore he had heard of bias.. Now, at the gathering referred to, vhere was another delegate, a worthy nvfe and an earnest, who had a pet scheme — a friendly societies' pension fund. He was not a handsome man, but he meant well, and — ideal delegate — could talk. In fact, he talked so much that the writer, 'under the combined influence of a good dinner, a ,hot day, and the eloquence, dozed, 1 and was awakened by vigorous applause, just as the delegate* with the scheme was explaining — so it transpired afterwards — that an actuary had given him an assurance that a workable system -could bo established on a "three per cent, bias." He meant basis, and also meant well, as I said before, but didn't know. Present writer, halfasleep, and thinking for the moment that the old-age pensions advocate was talking of bowls, yawned, and kindly proceeded to put him on the right track. "You mean No. 3 bias, don"t you?" he asked, with a smile. "No, I don't, young man; I means what I says — three per cent. bias. And," ho added, in tones of sarcasm, "if all members of friendly societies were such jumping jackasses as you, I'd be the last to worry my poor old brain in trying to advise (devise) a scheme for purviding for them when they reached the age of discreation. " I was young once — it was during the period I speak of — and I resented the tone in which I had been spoken to, also the laughter of the other delegates. Therefore I made the retort discourteous, was called to order by the chair, and since then have been biased against old men who misuse the King's English on hot days after I have dined well. Mr. George Scott, honorary secretary of the Newtown Club, who has been unwell, has moved along the road lo good health. The visit to Wellington of the enterprising Patea lady bowlers will, I trust, do a little towards increasing the popularity of the game from a feminine standpoint. Most women can do most things well — why should they not excel in bowls? As a general rule, they attend the greens to see their "lords" and masters, in flannels, "kissing kitty," and help to regale him with tea and -scones, while they could, no doubt, beat him at bowls if they tried. Bowling is not a particularly strenuous pastime — there are fat men- bowlers .'--and the weakest woman could indulge in it without in- . jury to her health. I I know 'there are some crusty old bachelor bowlers who would detest the i sight of women on th© green proper, but ' they aro not worth considering. How- ' ever, witli most of the clubs in Wellington, the playing areas are not too largo for present membership, and for that reason the coming of the woman bowler in force is not at hand here. The Patea visitors included, so I hear, some very good players, and they gave the Kelburne ladies an anxious time. In their senior pennant game on Saturday week Thorndon and Karori were pretty evenly matched, the first/named being 15 up at the finish. To return to our muttons, as the French say. I was in error in stating that the leg-of-mutton tourney, under the auspices of a local club, had been brought to a conclusion on the King's Birthday. It was, however, narrowed down to three players. At the New Plymouth green the other day, there was unveiled a new arch and gate entrance to the memory of the late president, Mr. James Paul. In some remarks made at the ceremony, the president of the club (Mr. Cock) said that in the year 1885, nearly 24 years ago, Mr. Paul had called a few of them together for the purpose of founding a bowling club for'' the New Plymouth district. A club was formed at that meeting, and Mr. Paul was elected first president, and the success of the club and the very beautifuLgreen now owned were the out- j come of his efforts. The fact that some boys were observed recently practising intricate shots on on« of the suburban greens has given rise to a feeling of doubt in the mind of a correspondent to the Sydney Telegraph as to the ultimate destiny of the ,game. Women have already invaded several of tho suburban clubs, he says, and when the mystic portals are crossed, there is_ no turning back, the alluring fascination of a game holding the individual spellbound, once ths bowl is rolled down the green. "That women have been allowed admittance to club precincts shows a lamentable lack of prescience on the part of the male members," adds the correspondent, "because it is only a ma;tter of time when they will completely oust legitimate players. Bowls is purely a masculine game, and I enter a protest against women invading a sphere foreign to domestic duties. The evil apparently is not to end here. The feminine element is bad enough, but surely the climax is reached when knickerbockered juveniles are seen hopping across the green chipping a winner or drawing a port!" Innovations are (comments the Telegraph) invariably objected to, but the objections are not always sufficiently strong to prevent the introduction of radical changes when once the outsider has determined to become a bowler. A good deal of invective greeted the attempt made some years ago, and continued at the present 'time by Mr. R. H. Forsyth, secretary of the London Caledonian Curling and Bowling Club, to teach a team of boys the mysteries of the game. The collapse of bowling as a sport for men was foretold, but the prophecy has, not been borne out in fact, and to-day the game is followed with greater keenness than ever before in its history. Many prominent players in the international matches owe their first lesson to the cenerftl secretary,.