BOWLING.

Evening Star, Issue 14526, 30 November 1910, Page 3

BOWLING.

j [By Measuber.] ’ Next Saturday’s Champion Matches. ; —Section A.— . Fairfield v. Dunedin, r Taieri v. Kaituna. * Green Island v. St. Hilda. 1 —Section B.—■ i Balmacewen v. Iloslyn. North-east .Valley v. Caledonian. Otago v. Caversham. The interclab matches were resumed last Saturday, on greens made a trifle heavy ’ by the "previous night’s raiu. Several of the games were very interesting. ! Valley and Wakari ntet, and the younger club had to be content with second place. It is their usual experience so far, but they are persistent, and their time will surely come. They deserve better luck, for no club is more faithful in fulfilling engagements. Two of their eight rinks (Walker’s and Murphy’s) headed their opponents, and Johnston lied with Alloo. So the Wakari men found some compensation. The young ones are coining on. Taieri the formidable defeated Otago by 1 point only. And in a degree they were lucky, for Tail managed to get a lead by 28 to 12 against Don. Had the Taieri skip been satisfied with a 14-point win. the victory would have been Otago’s. It is evident that an improved green is resulting in improved play by the Arthur street men. Two old opponents (and friends) tested their skill when Dunedin and Iloslyn crossed swords (or should it be swards?). And the Iloslyn men were most decidedly there. They were up in no less than six of the eight'rinks—in some cases severely so. The ex-Roslyn skip Allnutt, playing against his erstwhile companions, softened the blow consideiably for Dunedin by leading Miller by 36 'to 16, and Bentley did his share by scoring 27 to I). Scott's 15. Still Iloslyn won fiy 165 to 149, and some of Dunedin's members are asking whether their selection committee are not going too much on past form and not fully recognising the coming generation. I’eruaus so; hut it is very early in the season yet. Besides, Iloslyn is no snap. In a 'three-rinks go St. Clair beat Fairfield by 75 to 51, and for this result the seaside* club owe thanks to Maddox and his men, who scored 55 to H. L. Christie’s 11. Their other two teams were down. But it is the total that tells, and St. Clair beat Fairfield. Balmacewen sent out four rinks to Outram in search of scalps, and each team returned with one at its girdle. This is metaphor, and is equivalent to saying that each rink was up. The leads for Balmacewen varied from Lockhart’s 17 to Jones’s 1, and the total difference was: Balmacewen 100, Outram 70. Caledonian .and Green Island played an interesting match. Both teams of strength, the odds were even on paper before the game started, and the result might have been closer had no races taken place on the day of the match. All suburbanites seem to be great sports. At about the fifteenth head it appeared as though the Caledonian contingent on their own green were going to have a lead of 50 or so, but in the latter part of the game Green Island spurted, and the deficit was only half a dozen. For Green Island Skipper McDonald played a great game—anyone who downs W. Weir with such a rink must reeds do so to finish 52 to 22. For some reason or other the green did not play too well. At Green Island J. Scott’s Gale, rink (from which there were no great expectations) settled things. They scored 52 to Robertson's 11, and Collins just more that held his own against M’Mullen. Koast went down to Miller by 22 to 17. Weir’s and Heast’s rinks were the same as played in the champion match the previous Saturday, and they were the two teams who went down. In the match Kaituna v. Mornington, while the senior club was up in every rink, two Mornington .teams (those skipped by Coull and Kennedy) were only 2 points behind in each case. Two curious features are noticeable in tho scores: the Mornington men at Kaituna Green scored 7, 14, 21, two of them against much bigger totals, while on the Mornington Green every one of the Kaituna rinks finished the game with 19 points as their total. The scoring on tho suburban green was slow and dose. At the eighteenth head Kerr (Mornington) managed to get level with his opponent, the score card showing but 12 points for each side. Caversham and Port Chalmers had a ding-deng go. It was a sLx-riuk game, and three on each side upheld their ends. The final result was : Caversham 97, Port Chalmers 96. Nothing could be doser, and opinions are still divided as to which is tho stronger club. Several of next Saturday’s four-rink championship matches should provide good games. Several dubs have already entered rinks for the local Christmas toiirnament. Tho Committee have their arrangements well in hand, and as there is a probability that the entries will be confined to thirty-two rinks and sixty-four doubles (though this is not definitely decided) it is as well to get in early. Last Wednesday afternoon tho annual match Sargood’s v. George Street Retail Drapers was played on the Dunedin Green. Of five contests held. George Street Inis been victorious in four. The game was a very pleasant one, and at its conclusion the wholesale representatives provided a capital spread at the Bowling Green Hotel, after which an hour or two was spent with songs and music. The score was as fellows;—Sorgood’s : J. Kiddie, T. Rallcnshaw, H. Hellyer, F. Peake (s), 11. Retail : S. Richards. W. Glasse, T. Howard, A. Barnett (s), 32. A movement is afoot to inaugurate a bowling competition amongst the various public bodies in and around Dunedin. A challenge cup will, I understand, bo presented by a few of our public men. Kaitangata Club sent in three rinks to town last week, and they tried conclusions with teams from Dnnedm and Caledonian Clubs. The country men were defeated on each occasion, but put up a good fight. It is a pleasant feature of the game—a visit from "our outlying friends —and it is also a question whether greater effort should not be made by the town bowlers to invade the distant territories. They are always made very welcome Mr W. A. Scott was busy indeed last week. Bowls by tlie hundred passed through his hands, the fine weather enabling him to make full time. In the meanlime tho southern districts are anxiously awaiting a visit from Mr Scott and his machine. A great amount of interest is taken in the doings of the official bowl-tester, and there is no disguising the fact that the financial side of the business is a matter of much comment. This is natural—we are a Scotch community. Rumors are about that tho tester made fabulous sums on his Northern trip. This aspect of the question war,, considered by the Council in committee at their last meeting, and therefore particulars cannot be printed. But it is permissible to give a few figures, from which bowlers may draw their own conclusions. On a trip lasting some five weeks Mr Scott tested and altered bowls as under (charges 9cl a bowl for testing, 9d a bowl for alteration): —445 sets at Christchurch, 45 per cent, of which had to be altered; 115 sets at Timaru, of which 72 per cent, had to be altered; 98 sets at Oamaru, of which 67 per cent, did not stand the test. This gives a total of 656 sets of bowls tested during the tour North. It will be noticed that the Centre have decided that only Stamped bowls are to be used in next Saturday’s championship engagements. And the Centre propose to be thorough in the matter. A meeting is called to appoint special umpires for greens where championships are played to see that rules are observed. South Otago Centre’s meeting commences on January 2, and is to he continued on the two following days. A Rinks contest (first prize £2 2s 6d each, second prize £1 10s each, third prize £1 eachl itod

IQs each, two at £1 each, and two at 10s each) are proposed, and entries close on December 27. The fees are £1 a rink and 10a a pair. - Kaitangata, Stirling, and Balclutha Greens may be used.