BOWLING

Evening Post, Issue 154, 1 July 1936, Page 11

BOWLING

N.Z. COUNCIL

ANNUAL MEETING

NEXT TOURNAMENT

The annual meeting of the council of the New Zealand Bowling Association opened today. Mr. F. J. Good (Christchurch) presided. The following delegates were .present:—Messrs. G. S. Gordon (Wanganui), F. A. Hosking and A. E. Whitten (Auckland), H. G, Mayer and S. M. Stone (Wellington), H. Mayo (Hawke's Bay), P. H. Rowe (South Auckland), T. Currie (South Canterbury), W. A. Dee (Nelson), R. Harming and G, A. Nelson CDunedin), H. B. Oakey (Christchurch), S. C. K. Smith (Southland), D. H. Thomson (North Otago), Mr. W. Connor (Dunedin). vice-president, and Mr. J. Kershaw (Wellington), honorary treasurer.

In moving the adoption of the annual report and balance-sheet, Mr. Good remarked that they could congratulate themselves on a total increase of .659 in membership, figures available since the compilation .of the annual report having revealed this total. .

The Hon. W. Perry, M.L.C., seconding the motion, for adoption, said that there need be little fear for the future of the game if the corning season were as good as the last.

The adoption of the report and balance-sheet having been carried, with praise from delegates for the way in which the executive had carried out their duties and for the way in which the tournament in Christchurch had been run, Mr. Good vacated the chair in favour of the newly-elected president, the Hon. W. Perry, M.L.C. Mr. Perry, he said, would be a decided acquisition to the New Zealand Bowling Parliament. '■ He had been very prominent- in another Parliament and his • experience there would be very valuable to the council. "After paying tribute to the work of Mr. W. Connor "our stalwart from Dunedin,"■ Mr. Good presented Mr. Perry with a president's badge, of which he said he had always felt the need. It would be the property of the association and handed on from president to president. Mr. Perry, briefly returned thanks for his elevation to the highest office in the bowling world and said that he would, he was sure," receive abie support from the council." ".'' Mr. L. McNabb was. appointed secretary, delegates being unanimous in their choice. Wellington members were elected as the executive, ■ and the tournament committee-will consist of. the executive, together with such other members as they may appoint ". NEXT YEAR'S TOURNAMENT. The date of the 1937 tournament, which is to be held in Wellington, was fixed'to begin on January 4, the order of play to be the same as that adopted last year. The system of play is to be the same as that of last year,-with the exception that unbeaten sectional winners in the singles will go forward as two-lifers: other sectional winners and ties to go forward as one-lifers, as also all four-wins in- any section. Discussion took place upon the number of games,per day in the singles; it being suggested that-five gMhes were too many, and that some players were tired out. It was pointed, out that it was the losers who made the tournaments and that, comparatively few players were called upon to play five games a day. A. decision ■ to" leave arrangements as they were was come to. ■;■ ■ •

A motion/that in the pairs/four games ..should.; be played on .the. first day,, and .'not ..thr^e,: was .withdrawn. This . proposal .waal.brought 'forward with" a.view to saving "time, but-many delegates were of the opinion that such a move would be detrimental to interest, in the games.

There was no seconder for a motion that post-section play in rinks be on the sudden-death principle, hence it lapsed. A Christchurch remit suggested an increase in the number of prizes from two to four. It was pointed out that such a step would be very difficult under the two-life system. Three prizes, it was suggested by Mr. Good, could be worked, and he proposed three prizes of five, three, and two guineas respectively, and this was agreed to. TESTING OF BOWLS. Mr. Good, on behalf of the Christchurch Centre, moved that in all tournaments conducted by the association, or by centres under the jurisdiction of that body, the penalty for playing unstamped or incorrectly stamped bowls should be. disqualification of the player or team for the game played and' for all previous games. Something drastic needed to be done, said the mover, to prevent a player knowingly playing with-illegal bowls at the expense of other competitors. The position, he saidV was not fully covered by the rules: a player might get as far as the finals or semi-finals without being 'discovered. .

Other speakers said that it would be impossible to adjust the disqualification penalty in; all cases:. the root of the trouble lay in lax umpiring. The remit was lost on the voices.

A remit from the Nelson Centre suggested that in future New Zealand tournaments all competitors should obtain a certificate from their official bowl tester that the bowls as used conform with the-standard, thus obviating the unnecessary delay and annoyance caused to competitors and spectators alike before the commencement of the final games.

Several delegates remarked that such a suggestion as that contained in the remit would be irksome to bowlers. It would not prevent a player using in a tournament a set of bowls different from those officially certificated. The onus, it was suggested, should be put on the clubs themselves to see that their members comply with' the regulations.

The remit was lost by an overwhelming majority.