BOWLING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 20995, 8 January 1932, Page 4

BOWLING NOTES

[By Msaiubik.]

FIXTURES. January 11 to 26.—Dominion tournament at Christchurch. January 23 or February 27.—Dunedin Centre t. South Otago Centre. February 13.—Elderly Bowlers’ Day. February 13.—South Otago Centre rink tournament. Entries February 9. March 12 and 14,—Champion of champions. March 19 and 23.—Adess Shield, Easter, 1932.—Dunedin Centre tournament.

M.H.—You are quite right. The new rule 42 states that if the jack be driven by a bowl in play against the bank or against a bowl in play, and rebound on to the green within the limits, of the rink, it is alive and shall remain where it rests, unless it is less than 20ft from the front of the mat. in which case it shall be dead.

The Logan Park Club’s green, now looking all the better for the spell and the expert treatment it has received, will be reopened for play to-morrow. Eaituna Club is still kindly remembered by ex-President C. H. Hughes, now of Sydney, who sends the season’s greetings to the secretary and members of the club.

The Christchurch greens are all improving rapidly, and- the tournament committee will have no easy task when it comes to choosing the best green on which to play the finals of the Dominion tournament, which commences on Monday with the singles. The pairs will be commenced on Wednesday, and on Friday the rinks championship is to be started. The social round includes the president’s (Mr H. B. Oakey) evening on Tuesday, 19th and a motor tour on Sunday, 17th. Visiting ladies are also provided with entertainment to their liking. Amongst those who will be missing from the tournament are Norrie Bell, jun., present singles champion, and A. Parsons, a former champion. Reviewing the prospects of competitors in the tournament. “ Jack ” (bowls writer in the ‘ Press ’) says the issue appears to rest between the Otago and Auckland representatives, with a leaning to the former. The southern contingent will offer stout opposition in all three championships. Foster (1918, 1926), Rigby (1922), Carswell (1924), Best (1925), and Scott (1928) are all previous holders of the singles title, and should hold the fort between them. Carswell is the veteran of the group, and is showing such good form that a win for him is more than a mere possibility. The blue ribbon event, the rinks, promises to be as difficult to win as ever. Last year’s champion four will again compete, except that Best will be replaced by K. Morrison, and it is unlikely that Deare would have selected him unless he had the right qualifications. Foster, who skipped the winning rink in 1928, will make another bid for the honour, and Carswell, who skipped the Taieri rink when it won in 1922, brings a strong team on this occasion, included in which is Best, who was in the 1926 and 1931 winning rinks. If the other two are up to the calibre of Carswell and Best this quartet should go far. Local players will certainly join with me in congratulating J. Veitch on winning a meritorious double at Invercargill in the New Year tournament. The rinks prize was won by J. MTherson, J. French, A. Silver, J. Veitch, and M'Pherson and Veitch landed the doubles trophies. The pairs final was won comfortably, 5 up, but in the final of the rinks'the last three heads were exciting. On the last head, with the score 16 all, Veitch’s men failed badly, and Shaw (Te Rangi) lay 4 up, but amid enthusiasm Veitch with his last bowl burnt the head. In the extra head the West Harbour skip, with One bowl to spare, led his men to victory by one point. Owing to changeable weather the tournament was prolonged till Tuesday morning, but the tourists report having spent a most enjoyable holiday. Naturally they received a typical welcome when they arrived at the West Harbour green on Tuesday evening.

Caversham Club spent last Saturday afternoon in progressive doubles, and at the conclusion of four games there were three skips with n 6 Jesses, and four leads with one loss. The play-off resulted in Forster winning the skip prize, and Critchfield and Mercier divided the prize for leads. There were twenty-eight entries. The Alexandra tournament, voted by one of the Dunedin players to be the best yet held, concluded with a mixed pairs competition. The section winners were Mrs Lister and R. Jack and Mrs Seddon and Lister, the latter pair winning the final. The third tournament of the holiday season was played at Queenstown on New Year’s Day. The weather conditions were unfavourable at times, but the tournament _ was finished in the evening. Five rinks won three' games each, arid in the play-off the rink skipped by Adess won. The annual match for the Gardiner Cup between rinks representing Otago and Southland resulted in the third successive win for Otago by 29 points. The result was unexpected, as Southland looked much the stronger team. THANK YOU, MRS WARNER. “What! Bowls again 1” remarked ma, as George got up from the breakfast table and said, quite ordinarily, that he would take a walk to the green. “ Well, you and the girls are going down to the waterfront, aren’t you? No harm in my wandering along to the green, is there?” , Ma looked at her bowling husband with much contempt. “Bowls! Green! Aren’t we on our holidays?” One of the daughters looked up. “Can’t understand what you see in bowls, dad, day after day.” “Like a schoolboy,” said ma, “following a little white ball about. More like marbles, I think.” “Ah!” said George, “you can’t see the science of our game. Now, you imagine the jack here, and ” “Come on, you girls,” said ma. Wo’d better be out of your father’s way; Fancy calling the salt cellar a jack!”

“ Why didn’t you try the eggshell, dad ?” said the younger daughter.

But dad didn’t trouble to say any more. He thought himself lucky that ma hadn’t made it more awkward for him to get away with it. If only he could go this afternoon as well! But there, he’d have to think of something later. His whole nature changed when trotting along to the green. The thought of meeting all the lads gave him that glorious feeling, and with one or two sword-dancing steps to emphasise his jubilance, he entered the green at Queenstown. Greeted by the lads as quietly and refined as only bowlers know, George thought: “Well, this is life!” Fancy changing this for sitting

on the waterfront—getting one in the eye from a ball—answering silly questions, and all that sort of thing! On a holiday, too! This was his holiday—worth living for, this was. So selfish of women expecting bowlers to waste their time. No; given the sun and the old woods and the lads—what more could a man want? Selfish! Why did ma call him selfish ?

“Here y’are, George. What is it?” “ Heads,” said George, coming back to earth.

And so the game commenced. What mattered who won? Leg-pulling and chaffing was what George liked—-what they all liked. Women couldn’t understand that. Shops, beach, lounging about, feeding the never satisfied trout—what was the use of going on liko that ? • Why couldn’t they understand that bowls was the greatest Good lor’, he’d almost forgotten! Now, what could he say to ma about this afternoon ? He’d told her so many times before that she looked tired and that a rest would do her good. It must be something new this time. Wonder how all the lads manage it, he thought. What could they say every day? Perhaps their wives were different. Ma was a hard nut, A good sort, mind you, but wanted a bit of getting over. Some women came to the domain with their husbands and knitted and chatted —but ma couldn’t adapt herself. Too slow, she always said. Still, perhaps he was a bit selfish. Every day it had been bowls. Suppose ma did think he ought to spend some time with her and tho girls. Wasn’t altogether playing the game. Yes, he thought, he’d give it up this afternoon. He’d take them out somewhere—a trip in a launch to Frankton. They’d like that—a change. Yes, that’s what he’d do. On his return George ate a hearty lunch, and, picking up a crumb after the meal was ended, exploded his bomb. “What about a trip to Frankton this afternoon, ma?” Ma was stupefied, and the girls couldn’t believe their ears. The younger one said: “But we can’t, dad. We met Mrs Warner and the girls this morning, and we’re meeting them on the beach this afternoon.” “Well,” raid George, wonderingly, “what about Mr Warner?” “Oh,” said ma. “he said he’d see you on the green!” —‘ Bowls News.’