BOWLING

Evening Star, Issue 18502, 8 December 1923, Page 9

BOWLING

[By Measurer.] The results of last Saturday's Jnterdub matches have increased tho interest in the competition, and half a dozen or more clubs are now in tho front rank. _ Caledonian, which had not lost a. section in any of its previous matches, failed against the Dunedin Club players, who showed more of their true form than in any previous came this season. On the aggregate of tho four sections Dunedin had a fend of 253 to 207, so that the element of luck did not prevail. Dunedin rinks skipped by Wyatt, E. Harraway, Thomson, S. Hutchison, Stewart, Hogg, and Nelson did well.

Caversha.m gained a meritorious win over Kaikorni, admittedly » strong combination. One Caversham section was outclassed, but the other two got home by small margins. There was an exciting finish between tho sections on the Cavershnm Green. Two rinks finished early, and tho issue depended on the game between Thomson and Marshall. Gaversham was lup with a head to go, and it seemed all over for them when Marshall lay throe protected shots lust before tho skips changed oyer, but Wilkinson (third) played a brilliant shot, which Marshall failed to disturb, and Thomson drew another with the last howl. By tho way, Knikorai were well up in points in all three sections together, yet failed to scope any banner points. It was their firab loss this season. Carers'll am players won only their final game last season; they are doing much hotter this. Kaituna is showing peculiar form this season. It failed completely against St. Clair, several of tho latter’s team having big leads. St. Clair now heads the list with 7 banner points. Roslyn made a start on tho scoring list with a' win in each section against West Harbor. Port Chalmers also got. cm the list, with a double victory over Anderson Bay. Otago has secured a footing on the score sheet. North-east Valley has yet to start. Fairfield and St. Kilda are in tho first half-dozen

The following table shows the results r>{ last Saturday’s intercluh games, with tho total championship points scored to date by each club : Banner

Entries for tho association tournament at Christchurch in January close on Tuesday next, December 11. North-east Valley Club is deciding its rink tie matches on Monday evening of each week, and close games are resulting. Last week’s results show that this is so. Swan beat Rhodes by IS to 14; Dryden won bv 18 to Robertson's 14; Grace defeated'Hopkins by 18 to 12; Tonkin led Dumi bv 9. 1 to 20; and Sneeston beat Rigby bv 19 to 18. In the case of the Tvkin ‘'Sneeston, and Dryden games there was a tie, necessitating an additional !ie“l I,mug played On tho Gaversham green last night Forster, playing Thorn m a club doubles game, was 4 down with the last head to play. Ho then burnt six auccessive_ heads before he could get position, but failed by one shot to make a tie of it.

Mr Wm. Dali, tho well-known Dunedin Chib player, lias returned from an Australian trip lasting eeveral months. Mr David Scott, just returned from a short visit to tho Homeland, is again doing good work for Caledonian Club. The game, three rinks a side, between players representing the Centre Executive versus the Dunedin Club, on the latter’s green, decided on Wednesday afternoon, was keen, sociable, and thoroughly enjoyable. Members of the executive are practical, ae well as theoretical, bowlers. This they proved by winning against a “no slouch” combination of the club's members. In the early stages things looked dark and gloomy for the legislators, but grim determination and good shots retrieved the position. There were curious changes in the Stewart (Dunedin) and Smeliie (Executive) game. After the fifth head Sniellic was 6 to 2; after the fourteenth Stewart was 13 to 7. Then Smellio came with 1,5, 2,1, 2,3, making him 21 to 18, with a head to go. Superb play by both skips on the laid head resulted in Stewart scoring a single. Half an hour was spent very pleasantly after the match, with Mr W. Thomson (president of Dunedin Club) as host, _ a position for which ho is eminently suited. A abort toast list was honored, and tho proposal and responses were in thodiroction <J advancing the interests of tho game. There is to bo a return match.

I cannot form any idea yet of the extent to which Dunedin will be represented at the association tournament at Christchurch. As usual, there are rinks nearly, but not quite, completed, which may or may not materialise. A Green Island team that is arranged will comprise J. M'Mnllan, H. Mann, W. T. Smellie, and Arch. Smollio.

“No. 3.’ 5 writing in the ‘Dominion,’ expresses a strong opinion as to the unfortunate condition of the playing areas of Wellington Club. Ho _ writes : —“ I suppose there is more criticism to the round hour in this club this season than ; n any other. The greens are worse than they have been for fifteen years. I have never seen the lower green so bad since I have known it. Even in November it has jiatches of bare ground, and envoys of grass stalks which play all sorts of tricks with the bowls. The newly relaid middle green is oven worse. Already it has tho dry, brown, frizzled look of late March, where it should have a rich mantle of nlush-like young grass. There is some irony in tho remark of some members that the best rinks aro now to be found on the old tennis court at tho back of tho properly. These rinks do play reasonably true, though they aro not really good rinks.”

“ j']von un hero we can't pet away from ‘ shop,’ said ono dentist bowler to another on the Wellington Club’s green the other day. “We are always saying: ‘Draw 1 ’ or' 1 Take this out!’ or ‘ Fill up this <rap!'” —‘Dominion. 1 °A correspondent writes to the Wellington ‘Times’ bowling column as follows: I was very pleased to read an article in tho ‘Now'Zealand Times,’ headed “What Ts Wrong with Our Greens? Are They Level?" As a bowler, I quite agree with the writer, for a green must be level to bo satisfactory. We are certainly unfortunate in Wellington with our greens, and, as you say, these faults in tho greens bring play "to a common level, almost the same as trying to play in one of our galea of wind. 'We trust 'your drawing attention to the matter will have the desired effect with tho powers that he. We have numbers of greenkeepers in Not Zealand who are real adepts in tho art of camouflaging a bowling green and making it look exquisite to the eye. It is a very simple process. It is merely done by cross-cutting on the square as on the angle, and' when the green is rolled on a sunny day this gives it tho appearance of a checkboard, with its light and dark shades of green, caused by tho lawn mower. A little dusting with tho ait grass on all the bare spots, and the trick is done. Those on the bank, and the uninitiated, naturally exclaim: “Oh, what a lovely green! If wo only had such a green for our tennis and croquet, wouldn’t it bo splendid?’’ Numbers of bowlers in Wellington, however, know that several greens in the district would make even very poor croquet and tennis lawns, owing to their unevenness. It is only on three greens that skilled bowlers can find pleasure.

Wins. Losses. Points. St. Clair 4 0 7 Caledonian 2 3 6 Cfl.versham 2 1 6 "Fa ii-fiel cl ... ... 1 0 6 Kaikorai 1 2 6 Mornington 2 1 6 St. Kilda 3 1 6 Dunedin 8 1 5 Knituna 0 4 4 Taiori 2 1 i» West Harbor 0 2 4 Anderson Bay 0 2 2 Balmaccwen 1 5 2 Green Island 0 2 2 Outram 0 1 2 Port Chalmers ... 2 0 2 Roslyn 2 1 2 Otago 2 2 1 North-east Talley... 1 3 0