BOWLING

Evening Star, Issue 18159, 27 December 1922, Page 8

BOWLING

[By Measures.] Tho entry of thirty-six rlnka for the local Christmas tournament was only fair, and is not likely to encourage the Centre Executive to repeat tho experiment. The resolution to hold only pairs at Easter time will probably bo reconsidered, many players desiring to have rinks included. For yesterday's play the weather was perfect, and no doubt those who had been frightened off by the previous broken weather felt a tinge of regret to think they had not had moro confidence. Arrangements made to entertain the Queensland bowlers who play here this week seem very complete, and our visitors should enjoy themselves. Prom their performances up North it Is evident that they can give a good account of themselves on the green, and tho local teams chosen to meet them will have to do their best. Three players turned up on Caversham green yesterday with insufliciently stamped bowls. They had to use others. Tho entries for the Dominion tournament, to bo held in Auckland, starting on January 10, have closed. Por the nnks 142 entries have been received, for the pairs 200, and for tho singles 180. This must be regarded as quite satisfactory. In no event has a record number been entered, but all three have boon well patronised. It may be interesting to set out hero the entries received for each tournament since tho inauguration of the Dominion Bowling Association: —Dunedin, 1914—80 rinks, 175 pairs, 192 singles; Auckland, 1915—90 rinks, 136 pairs, 136 singles; Christchurch, 1915—74 rinks, 147" pahs, 139 singles; Wellington. 1917 —136 rinks, 208 pairs, 210 singles; Dunedin, 1918—80 rinks, 169 pairs, 148 singles; Auckland, 1919 —86 rinks, 134 pairs,. 130 singles ; 1920, Christchurch—l 26 rinks, 224 pairs, 183 singles; 1921, Wellington—--160 rinks, 188 pairs, 125 singles; 1922, Dunedin—llo rinks, 208 pairs, 198 singles. Our Queensland visitors nave entered two rinks, three pairs, and four singles. A Dunedin Club rink which should have more wins than losses at tho Auckland tournament will bo composed of Best, Pietorsen, Stewart, and E. Harraway. Children in a garden adjacent to 33almacewen green were exploding crackers last Friday evening and sot fire to the club's hedge. A few yards of it weflo destroyed before the fire brigade men got to work.

Tho broken weather 5s interfering with club tieSj and committees in charge lirid it impossible to adhere to sot dates for finishing different rounds. Some clubs, though, are making a determined effort to keep near time-table. Dunedin Club, for instance, is pushing on determinedly with the champion singles competition (two lives), some games in the third round having been played. TKe result of the first round was as follows : —Barnes beat Rodgers, Bishop beat Wilkinson, Meek beat Forrest, W, Smith beat M'Hugb, Aitchison beat Foster, Steel boat Adams, M'Crao heat (Neill, C. Young heat Siedoberg, Brown beat Morrison, J. D. Smith beat Pattillo, Dow boat Gamble, Harraway beat Wyatt, Bentley beat J. G. Duthio, Nelson beat Bothwell, Hogg beat Hilton, Best beat Lawrie, M’Fadden beat Sanders, J. Hutchison beat Mercer, G. \\. Crawford beat Leith, S. Hutchison beat Flint, A. Black beat Bardslcy, Briggs beat Simpson, Sununerfield boat H. ■ White. Crawshaw beat Pietarsen. In subsequent rounds G. Nelson defeated J. G. Bentley, and J. Dow proved too much for E. Harraway at the last head. St. Hilda, too, are vetting along with tho championship singles. In tho first round Leith heat Ormond, Haig boat O'Sullivan, Hcllyer heat Peacock, Harris boat Summcrell, Pitts beat Cameron, Claridge beat Otto, Tamblyn beat Prebble, Stark bent Himburg, Laurie boat Grant, Leoden beat Woods, J. Nelson beat Carolin, Dowland beat Dawe, Petrie boat Lowry, M‘Gurdie beat. P. Edwards, Jacobsen beat Smcaton. Stuart beat Robertson. Caledonian members have not played many games in the champion singles so far, the following having been decided: Kettle beat Mills, Doy beat Isaac, Todd beat Hungerford, Cowic beat Summcrell, Ross beat Bragg, Anderson beat D. Smith, Murray beat Andre .vs, Hamel beat Qilligan, Cavanagh boat Foster, 11. M'Kenzie beat Farrell.

A defender of tbo drive shot writes to ;i Northern contemporary as follows: “ Commenting on your remarks in reference to indiscriminate driving, your informant is evidently one of the quiet temperament in bowls, and has not got the fighting spirit which is a necessary qualification to produce drivers. As a rule, most drivers do not spend more than ten bowls in a game driving, and even if two of these are fairly successful he has a decidedly better average than the ordinary drawer who never drives and has forty-two bowls to play in a game. Did you ever hear of indiscriminate drawing? Certainly it is not so spectacular to make a had draw as it is to make a bad drive, but the fact remains that .there _is more bad and faulty play in loose drawing than is to bo witnessed in any driver's game. The great trouble with most men driving is that they will never practice it, and only use it when they are in a hole. _ To be a bowler a man must bo fully qualified in all shots. Drawing is only one feature of the game.” For some time past sneak thieves have been visiting bowling greens, and have apparently been reaping a good harvest in the shape of bowls, which are expensive articles to replace (reports the Auckland ‘ Star’). Bowlers are an unsuspecting and hospitable race of people, at all events when on the bowling ■green, and the thieves have exploited this trustful quality. Prom the table of one suburban clubhouse between thirty and forty bowls have disappeared, while from another recently a presentation bag containing a set of bowls was traced to a city pawnshop. Lockers are also being raided and the bowls stolen from them. Trundlcrs are therefore advised to keep a sharp loon r.ut for prowlers, and the prowler 4 n his turn would bo well advised to cease his wicked practices For, next to his wife, there is nothing on the earth that the average bowling enthusiast loves so much as, hi» bowls, and the fate of anyone caught redhanded in a felonious attempt to separate him from them would be difficult to describe in ordinary language. The committee appointed by the Christchurch Centre Executive to go into the finances of the centre reported that for the year ended Juno, 1922, the expenditure exceeded the income by £BB. This was duo to the fact that the Easter tournament profit had decreased from £35 in 1920 to £l9 in 1922, and also to the fact that the" proportion of the levy made on affiliated clubs was too small. The secretary’s honorarium had also been increased from £26 5s in 1920 to £6O in 1922. The last balance-sheet of the centre showed an excess of assets over liabilities of £217, of which some assets were of no value. The committee recommended: (1) That the annual levy on affiliated clubs be so arranged that the net amount of Is per head on club membership be available for the centre j (2) that the entry fee for the Easter tournament be £2 a rink, instead of £1 10s, as at present; (3) that the secretary’s salary be a fixed amount to avoid fluctuation in this figure. The committee recommended that clubs taking part in the pennants competition be asked to contribute Is per head to the expense of entertaining the Queensland bowlers.