BOWLING

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 5, 7 January 1928, Page 19

BOWLING

BY "NUMBER TWO" TOURNAMENT TIME GREAT AUSTRALIAN CARNIVAL PLAY OF TOURING TEAM During the past week quite a few of what may bo styled minor tournaments —every bit as important as the first rank of tournament as far as enjoyment goes—were played. Locally there was the Hutt Valley tournament, the final of which is being decided this afternoon oil the Hutt green between rinks skipped by Levestam (Newtown) and Doneghue (Petone). Masterton, Napier,'and Te Aroha also held their tournaments during the week. The next fixture is the Dominion tourney at Christchurch, commencing with the singles next week. The number of entries, 120, is considerably below what was generally expected, and 50 below the figure for last year, when the tournament was held at Auckland. Of the entries 58 are from rinks outside Christchurch. The Eotorua tournaments, always vastly popular, partly because it is Eotorua, with any amount of holiday interest as well as bowling interest, and largely because the Rotorua people have been told more than once that they understand the fine points of hospitality and arc determined to excel even reputation, will commence on 2nd and 20th February. The "Tiki" match, Wellington v. Christchurch, has been postponed to a date yet to be fixed, as so far there has been difficulty in getting together the eight local rinks for the competition. Evidently this is the busy season for bowlers. The Victorian Gathering. It is a great carnival (writes "Torehand" in "Tho Australasian" of the Christmas tournament at Melbourne). To those who can recognise its signs the fact is self-evident. The man in.the street may see and know little of it, but to the great multitude of bowlers who pursue their beloved game in comparative unobtrusiveness and lack of advertisement, Melbourne simply teems with indications of the size and importance of the present gathering. It is easily the largest that Australia has seen. Probably tho largest the world has seen. And, unless something unforeseen happens, it will be at least 10 (or more likely 12) years before its like will be known in Australia again. About 1200 men have congregated in Melbourne to take part in the full programme of events arranged by the bowling authorities for this Christmas season. Primarily their objective is personal success in their chosen pastime. Incidentally they seek, and will obtain, tho pleasure of rest from ordinary toil, recreation, and agreeable companionship. Travel also appeals to many. But the 1200, more or less, are actual participants, and nearly every one of them, in his heart of hearts, believes that with the smallest share of the smiles of Dame Fortune ho might easily make his way well up to, and possibly into, the final rounds. Prom Brisbane —and even north of that city ■ —on Australia's north-eastern shore line to Fremantle on its extreme southwestern corner, all of tho capital cities and many of the inland towns have furnished their quota of entrants. Tasmania, of course, has contributed, and our sister Dominion' of New Zealand has sent us her share. .No other sport that occurs to me at this moment could gather so many participants from so widespread an area. The game of bowls has a large and steadily increasing number of playing followers. It has no inactive ones. The Touring Players. The result of the three "lest" matches, New Zealand v. Australia, was as anticipated—three decided defeats for the Dominion players. A cable message from Melbourne says that 'the New Zealand performance was considered creditable in view of the representation,' and it. is hoped that the tour will be the forerunner of biennial fixtures. Hot weather made the greens very keen, which militated against New Zealand's prospects. In a preliminary note the Sydney "Sun" writer remarked:—The Now Zealand team, in a five-rink match at Marrickvillc against the New South Wales team which recently toured New Zealand, was well beaten in every rink. It will have to show a decided improvement on this form to have any chance at all in the test matches. Of course, some allowanco can be made for the visitors, seeing that this was their first game, and tho green would be heavier than they are accustomed to. At the same time, Marriekvillc is a beautifullygrassed green, and though, perhaps, inclined to hold a tittle at present, a good player should quickly got used to the pace. The sides the New Zealandors "will meet in the test matches will be infinitely stronger than those opposed to them on Wednesday, so let us hope that the score of 141 to 76 against them is not a true reflection of their form. Mr. S. M. Stone, president-elect of the Now Zealand Bowling Association, in his remarks, regarded his team as pioneering tho way for future tests between Australia and the Dominion. He said ho did not expect the team to win a test match. It is not very encouraging to bring a team so far" and not have a fighting chance. Another Australian writer remarks: It is regrettable that New Zealand could not have been better represented, but her own arrangements are such that a larger number of bowlers and a team worthy of the Dominion's best traditions, wore not obtainable at this juncture. One thing stood out prominently during tho New Zealandcrs' play. Too much fuss ha,s been mado here about their practice of stepping off the mat when delivering. It probably is not too much to say that if they were to take their stand behind the centre line instead of right aftho front of our 4-Jft mats, they would deliver very much tho same as Australians do, and in 49 out of 50 of their deliveries no material difference would bo noticeable. All that they gain is about 15 or IS inches in the length of each head, and I have yet to learn that the samo number of: feet less in the run of the bowls makes it easier for men to bowl accurately. The number of bowlers in Australia who favour and practise short-end play is negligible. If the New Zealand'ere' minimisation of length led to greater success, wo would see moro short than long ends. The opposite is the case. Even our visitors did not shorten ends materially when they cast the jack. Another salient feature about them was their adherence to wooden bowls; and bowls of the olden type. Their timber and tho manner of! their play recalled to me those of the English team that visited us. Probably tlic heavier greens are responsible for tho manner of play. Heavy greens call and give opportunity for more aggressive methods than do tho fast slow running surfaces witty which we in Victoria avo familiar. The team which leaves hero in February next for a tour in New Zealand is likely to realise this fact. Also it is very probable that their other experiences in Mnorilnud will remind them of those borne by the New Zcalanders hero iast week. Knotty Problems. Problems will arise every now and again <in the game for which nn set oi1 rules, however carefully drawn up, fully ami satisfactorily provides. Sometimes

trouble arises over these unusual happenings. Especially is this so when one of tho parlies concerned is not of the "true sport" breed, and is not particular as to how ho obtains a win. Tho Sydney "Sun" writer ("Backwood") had tho following remarks to pass on some recent Australian happenings:— Mr. John Scott, president of the New South Wales Bowling Association, has been asked by another State to act as arbitrator in decidedly knotty . points which have arisen in the playing of throe different games. - In the first instance a singles game was in progress, and one player had run to his points (31) with one bowl in hand and his opponent's four bowls all played. Congratulations were extended to the player who was lying game by his opponent. The former then carelessly rolled his bowl up the green and altered the head by displacing his lying shot. Play was then resumed, and two moro heads resulted in the game going to the other man. Mr. Scott ruled that the game should be awarded to the player who had reached his 31 points first and still had a bowl to go. In his opinion there is nothing in the laws of the game to compel a man to play his last bowl, and the game was over when he had scored 31. I agree with *he president's ruling, as, obviously, the player did not put up his bowl with the idea of scoring, and I cannot understand his opponent's action in continuing the game after having shaken hands with his conqueror. Of course, one meets players occationally who will attempt to draw another shot in the circumstances referred to. A player who does this deserves all he gets if he alters the position against himself. I recall an incident which occurred in the Australian carnival held in Brisbane in 1914. George Colledge, of Queensland, was playing Cornish, the Victorian, in the deini-seini-firial of the Australian singles. The score was 30 all. Cornish had_played his four bowls and Colledgo was lying game, with one bowl to go. Tho latter was in the act of "throwing his ball away" when his opponent advanced to shake his hand. In hia hurry to do two things at once Colledge sent his bowl up into the head, and promoted a short bowl belonging to his opponent, making Cornish tho winner. Tho matter at that time came before the Carnival Match Committee, and that body transferred the onus to Cornish, leaving it to the latter to retire in Colledge 'a favour. This, however, lie declined to do, and the committee awarded him the game. Ho then got through the semi-final, but was defeated by the late Lou Waxman in the- final. The Brisbane ruling is tho opposite to Mr. Scott's, but tho latter's contains the moro common-sense. Now that the laws of the game are to come up for revision at the next meeting of the Australian Bowling Council it would be a good thing to make provision for this question. The second point upon which Mr. Scott was asked to adjudicate was also somewhat complex. During a rink game the jack had been driven, and it rebounded to within 20ft of the mat. He was asked whether the remaining bowls should be played to the jack as it lay. He ruled that the end was dead, as any bowl delivered less than 40ft from the mat is a dead bowl, and is to bo removed from the green. The third question that Mr. Scott was asked to settle was in connection with a game played on a ditch rink where the side ditch was the boundary. A toucher had rolled into the side- ditch on a long end, and continued its course round the corner into the end ditch. If (his toucher had gone direct into j the end ditch it would, of: course, have been a "live bowl." Mr. Scott ruled that, having first gone over the rink boundary, tho bowl was-"dead."