BOWLING

Evening Star, Issue 16348, 14 February 1917, Page 7

BOWLING

[By Measurer.] For tho first time this season rain prevented all play in Dune-din last Saturday afternoon. It was a pity, as there 'Vero several interesting games arranged. West Harbor and Port Chalmers managed to settle their fixture, however, and the Harbor men gained a victory by more than two to one. When the full scores in Hie Otago v. Caledonian match came to hand it turned out that Otago won two of their ecntes j3, not lost two as stated last week. They were victorious in the Association and District games and lost the Centre contest. Another reminder is given that clubs must hurry up with their champion singles games, as the champion of champions contest starts on Saturday, 24th inst. Mr Louis Waxman," of Melboumo, solitor, who died on January 27 after an operation, was probably tho best-known bowler in Australia. He was an authority on the game theoretically, and a most skilful player. He was always connected with Armadale Club, for whom he won numerous trophies. At the first carnival organised by the Australian Bowling Council, held in Brisbane, 1914, he not only won the singles championship, but skipped the team who won the rinks—a great performance. He wroto interesting bowling notes under the pen-name of " Bolero," and was a man of many parts. His brother has made himself famous on the stage as Mr Albert Whelan. Further advance has been made bv St. Kilda Club in tho matter of their club ties. Considerable interest was taken in the rmks final, played last Thursday evening, the teams being W. Thompson, L. Curtis, A. Pitts, H. Smeaton (s) and M. J. Hade, .1. lvelleher, C. Summerell, R, E. Tavlor is). It was generally expected that 'the game would bo close and exciting, but it was not so. Smeaton and his men had the better of it all the way through, and won comfortably. In the doubles G. Trott and A. C. Pitts beat R. H, Ledlie and F. Pea-

cock, and thus qualified for the final. In the junior championship J. Elvidge beat K. E. Ledlie, D. C. Cameron sen. bent F. J. Campbell, and the final rests with Elvidge and Cameron. • In the handicap singles W. Cole qualified for the final bv defeating J. Rothwell. This result w'as a "boil over," as Rothwell was strongly fancied. In recent notes it was remarked that a local score of 45 to 3 was approaching record. It would be very difficult to get the actual record. A few weeks ai*o a Mosman rink scored 54 to North Sydney's B, and the ' Arrow' writer asked 'if this

was a record. He received two replies, as follows:—"I remember a better one. A Manly rink 61 beat Hunters Hill 7. At ' one stage of the game the score was 39 to nil. This took placß on the Manly Green on the 14th March, 1914. It was a fourrink match. The grand totals were: Manly, 154; Hunter's Hill, 56. My information is through a- clipping from" one of the daily papers of the 16th March, 1914." Another correspondent wrote : '' I was reminded of a game at Parramatta last vear. when Wickham's rink defeated a Victoria Park four by 51 to 3. The latter only scored once. Deeming it a curiosity, I kept the card and enclose a copv." The card reads:—Scores to tho 10th'head inclusive were : Parramatta 1323153211. At tho 11th head Victoria Park chipped in with 3, and was never afterwards heard from in a scoring way. Parramatta went on with 2452312561. An Australian bowler, referring to his first experience under fire, says he has often felt more nervous while waiting for the opposingskip to trundle his last wood than he did in the trenches in France. The following extract from the Wellington ' Times ' will interest manv old Dunedin bowlers :—The birthdav "of Robert Burns is the birthday of the Wellington

Bowling Club. It was about the Xew Year of 1887 that a few social Scots, led by Dr Macgregor and Captain Hume, earned round the Government Buildings an invitation to join in forming a club to play the game they liked in their native Scotland, and which they had enjoyed in her offspring, Dunedin. The company gathered until they numbered 78, and on the 25th Df-January, 1887, a bonnio summer's day, the first game was played on the lawn at Sir Julius VogePs residence in Tinakori road. Later for a time the Hon. Walter Johnstone gave the use of his tennis court, and finally the lease of Mr Joe Dransfield's paddock in Wordsworth street was acquired, and a green formed. There are itili a few survivors of that first game, md of the roll of 1887-88 there are ■ vet leven __who are members, but 52 can "no more play the game terrestrial. The democratic feeling which the Scots of the early years brought with them into this, as into their other convivial societies, was probably responsible for some of the club's most endearing characteristics. It has taken three decades and the care of many directors to build up the club to its present form. Still, not a few who played in the 'Bo's look back on those rears with » sigh for the old days, the old hindly, natural manners. There wero Maskell, the ' authority on the laws of bowls ; Macgregor, the driver; Scoullar, chasing his bowl halfway up the rink; M'Glashan, the raucous poet; Kenneth Wilson, glowering through his specs, indignant at an erring bowl;_ Tom Fergus, stripped to his braces, towering over all. In the ranks have been leaders in the Church, Legislature, Civil Service, lay, engineering, commerce, navigation, teaching, a French representative of our Ally, two future Moderators of the Presbyterian General Assembly, a future archbishop, a future Chief justice. In recent years the game has been taken up by men whose haffets are still covered in tneir first color and whose forms are yet supple,, and with them have come some"of the new commercial spirit and manner, so that to the older players the atmosphere is keener. There, are many genial souls still In the club. Who among us does not know William Adams, James Lockie, Thos. Bush, the Blundells (John and Louis), Peter Drummond, William Muir, C. a! Knapp, W. Simm, James Russell. James Mowat, Charles Stewart. A lick Lawson George Evans. Alfred Lindsaw Thomas Ballinger? Long may they ' feel fit to touch the " jack, ' and when \.hev can no longer send a bowl up the green may they enjoy a quiet game inside until thev join their partners on a better green. With a membership of over 200 and a property which in 1887 was rated at £BOO. now represented by assets worth over £5.000, the good company feel able to entertain those who visit their fine greens and the elegant clubhouse as becomes tho Canital City.

Blind men outnumber blind women two to one. The new visitor marched into the Grand Slam Hotel and made- his entrv in the register. ''Beg pardon, .sir," called out the hotel clerk alter him, "but what's vour name.-' The new visitor strode, back indignantly. "My name?" he roaivd. "Didn't I write my name for vou this very monie-it in tho hotel register " "You did," answered tho hotel- clerk calmly. "That's what aroused my curiosity."