BOWLING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 22227, 3 January 1936, Page 4

BOWLING NOTES

[By Draw.]

Club secretaries, or those in charge Of the social activities of their clubs, are invited to send along notices in reference to any club events. Inquiries relating' to the rules of the game wil be welcomed.. Correspondence addressed to “ Draw ** must reach this office not later than noon on Tuesday each week Fixtures. January 6.—Dominion tournament. January 18.—Club day and appeal for contributions to Crippled Chil dren’s Fund. February 15. ; —Final of four-rink championship, elderly bowlers’ day, and South Otago tournament. March 7.—Otago v. North Otago. March 7 and 9.—Champion of champions. March 14.—Otago v. Southland, at Invercargill; shield matches to be played the same day. March 21.—Otago v. South Otago, March 21 ana 23.—Adess Shield matches and leads and seconds tournament. March 28.—Otago v. Canterbury, at Dunedin. ■April 10, 11, 13/ 14.—Easter tournament.

Christmas Tournament. Weather conditions were ideal on the first and third days, on the second day » light rain for a short period caused a slight inconvenience to some of the players, but did not interfere with the progress of the play. In the majority of the sections there was competition and in only three out of the 16 sections were the winners able-to claim the who|e five games, and at the Caversham green J. Hamilton and L. J. IrelancT (Mornington) and R. Preston and N., M'Gorlick (Bluff), each having won their section outright, were tho only pair to play off for their green. M'Gorlick proved the’winner by 20-14. None of tho ' sections were won with less than four games. - ; At the Otago green a Port Chalmers pair were, owing to unforseen circumstances, compelled to withdraw, but their place was filled by two young players from the Otago Club, E. Olsen and J.. Ironside. The system of play adopted for this tourney appeared to give satisfaction to all taking part, and it is sure to be used in future pairs tournaments, lu the post-sectional play on tho Friday, 14 section winners and one green ° winner took part, and after the first game there were left eight section win- '• tiers. In the second round H. Gardiner (Dunedin) appeared to have the game 1 won against Lloyd (Caledonian). It , was difficult to understand why Gardiner did not play at least one’ of his last two bowls through the head. He, however, decided to draw, and as be fell short with each bowl and Lloyd having added two to his leads two shots won the game by a single point after a measure, scoring 4 points in the last head. Abbott (Caledonian) just headed off the Valley pair skipped by Kirkwood, the score being 14-13. Huntley (Otago) beat a strong Kaituna pair, Seelyo and Davis 17-11, and the Bluff ' pair Preston and M'Gorlick accounted for the Awamon pair, Jenkins aud Buist, ■ 21-14. The Bluff skip played very pretty bowls, bis all-round play being greatly admired. In the semi-final Huntley, playing good bowls, beat Abbott, 14-11, but not without the" Caledonian pair putting up a great fight. Scott and Lloyd beat Preston and M'Gorlick, 23-9. The Bluff pair did, not: produce the fine play they snowed in their earlier games, and consequently the big crowd of onlookers Were disappointed with the display. In this game there seemed to be a tendency to show a little feeling, duo probably to at least one of the players showing a desire to waste time. The final, between J. Scott and IV. Lloyd (Caledonian) and E, Olsen and H. W. Huntley .(Otago), was won by the former pair, 27-19, and at no period during' the . game could it ho said that the play was of a high standard, though the two leads played fairly good bowls. A word of praise must be given to Olsen for his work in all his ga,mes on Friday. This player only took up the game 12 months ago, and his displays stamp as likely to go far. He has youth on his side, a good style of delivery,, and a very, pleasant manner. His action, after being spoken to by the umpire in connection; with foot fault, of apologising for having been so forgetful, showed a fine sense of sportsmanship. One usually finds that a person corrected seems to take umbrage, and in many cases shows some feeling. “ Draw ” congratulates young Olsen on his fine showing. At the conclusion of the final game the president of the Dunedin Centre, Mr J. Read, 'presented the prizes to the winners and runners-up, and also congratulated the plkyers on their success. Mr Lloyd, in replying, said he ■ was .very pleased' to have won the first prize, as it meant he would now have a certificate to adorn his home with. Mr Huntley also offered his congratulations to the winning pair, and stated that he had yet to win a certificate. Mr Read also took, the opportunity of thanking the umpires who had given their time in looking after the various . games, the ladies who had assisted in dispensing afternoon tea, 'the greenkeepers of the clubs whose greens were used in the tourneys and to the Press for fully reporting the results.

New Zealand Championships. This competition commences at Christchurch on Monday next with the singles, for which there will be 21 greens used. Players, will be divided into sections (mostly of six), playing five games of 21 heads with a time limit of one and a-half hours.

Post-section play will begin on tho following morning for those who have won all five games, and who will go forward with two lives, and for those who have won or tied as winners for their section with one or more losses as one-lifers, and play will continue until completion under the automatic twolife system.

After the first day’s play there will be at least 42 players remaining in the competition, and there may even be about 60.

Since the amalgamation of tho various associations in New Zealand in 1913, the championship has been decided on 22 occasions. The North and South Islands have each won the honour 11 times, and it is remarkable that on the 11 occasions the South Island has won, the winner has always been a member of a club jn the Dunedin centre. Ponsonby Club (Auckland centre) has won it three times (M. Walker three wins), and Caledonian Club (Dunedin centre) four times, W. Foster in 1918 and 1926, and J. Scott in 1928 and 1932. Dunedin Club has also won it on two occasions, E. Harmway in 1920 and J.,D. Best in 1925. The Taieri Club, through W. Carswell, won in 1924 and 1934. The Carlton Club (Auckland centre) has won twice, the late J. S. Kilgour in 1914 and A. 11. Coltmnn in 1929.

In 1916 E. H. Fountain (Kosl.vn), 1922 J. C. Rigby (North-east Valley, and now of Dunedin Club), and 1930 F.

Lambeth, of Balmacewen, complete the list of the 11 Dunedin centre winners. The Auckland centre has produced six winners.

In the pairs championship, which commences on Wednesday, January 8, teams will be divided into sections, each team playing 5 games of 21 heads, with a time limit of two and a-quarier hours. Post-section play with outright winners of sections, or those ticing as winners of sections, will play on the sudden-death principle until completion.

Thirty-eight sections (mostly of six pairs) and employing the uso of 19 greens will necessitate a fair amount of post-section play, and it looks as though the winner will not be found until mbout Saturday, January 18. The Dunedin centre has won this competition on five occasions out of the 22, Wellington, centre four, Auckland centre three, Christchurch centre three, and the South Auckland centre two. For the latter centre, H. G. Loveridge and R. N. Pijkington won in 1931 and 1935. Dunedin centre players to win were: 1914, J. Johnston and E. Harraway • 1916, G. A. Blackwood and A. Smellie (Green Island); 1918, W. M. Hogg i and E. Harraway (Dunedin) ; 1926/ W. R. Todd and E. Tamblyn (St. Kilda); 1934, J. M'Ph'erson .and J. Veitch (West Harbour); North Island 12, South Island 10.

The rink championship is set down for four days’ play, commencing on Friday, January 10. Two games of 25 heads each will be played each day in the section series. Teams to qualify for post-section play shall be as follows :—Any team which wins six or more games in its section. Any team which, though it wins less than six games, is winner of its section.' Any team though it wins less than six games, ties as one of the winners of its section.

The Auckland centre has won the rinks-championship on eight occasions, Dunedin centre six times, Wellington three, and Christchurch once. Tho North Island has won 15 times to 7 by tho South Island. E, Jury (Karnngahake Club) and W. Bremncr (West-end Club, Auckland) have each skipped the winning rink twice, the former in 1919 and 1921, and the latter in 1924 and 1929. Notes. The Grey Lynn Chib (Auckland) won the rink championship last year at Auckland when the team comprised W. E. Mincham, L. Donaldson, W. Liversidge, and H. Whittle (skip). Whittle has the same team with the exception that J, Higginson replaces Liversidge. Higginson is well-known in Dunedin, having played for Dunedin and St. Kilda Clubs, but is now resident in Grey Lynn. Higginson is a very fine player, but most of his success while in Dunedin came in fourbowl games. He won the Dunedin Easter singles twice in succession. This team should do well this time in Christchurch. -

Claridge’s Caledonian rink will have a Dunedin Club man in its ranks. Ira Grant will fill a vacancy which occurred at the' last moment.

D. H. Thomson (Phoenix, Oamaru) is skipping a good, sound rink, comprising A. G. Robertson, A. C. Forrest, J. T. Adams, and it should do well at the championships. The Onehunag rink—J. Macklow, H. A’. Robertson, J. Kerr, F. Livingston (s.) is a very likely combination, and should make its presence felt. J. Duncan, G. R. Wynyard, C. E. Hardley, and W. Bremner (West End. Auckland) is a strong rink. Bremner has on two previous occasions skipped the winning champion rink, and his experience and all-round play should make this rink a warm favourite for a position in the final. During the play of the sections of the Dunedin Christmas pairs tourney an t incident occurred on one of tile greens that caused a little friction. It really came, about by one of our prominent players passing a remark in reference to the scoi'e of the rink playing next to him. This particular player should have known better than to give an opinion on a matter in which he really was unable to judge correctly. More may yet be heard of the incident. Greenkeepers and Supervisors. Mr Miller, hon. adviser to the Dunedin Centre, has sent me a copy of a special article, and for the benefit of those who are in charge of bowling greens, we reproduce it. This article is well worthy of mature consideration by all bowlers. THREE FUNGI CAUSING “ BROWN PATCH” OF LAWNS IN NEW ZEALAND [R. M. Beien, Mycological Laboratory, Plant Research Station, Palmerston North.] For a number of years a disease known as “ brown patch ” has been prevalent in bowling and. golf greens and lawns in various parts of New Zealand. jThe object of this article is to record that the following fungi have been isolated from diseased turfs forwarded from the various centres;— (1) Sclerotinia trifoliorum Erikss. —This fungus is the cause of stem and root rot of clovers and lucerne, and is prevalent in Europe (i.) England, and the United States of America, both on these and other members of the Legutninosic, S. trifoliorum was first isolated from playing greens in New Zealand in 1932. Since then infected turfs have been obtained from putting greens at Rotorua and Pukekohc (these consisting mainly of Hydrocotyle sp.), from bowling greens at Wellington and Auckland, and from a crocpiet lawn at Masterton. This last-mentioned green had been sown down mainly with suckling clover (Trifolium dubium). The disease appears as small circular patches from Gin to Sin in diameter, in whicli the turf first turns yellow, then brown, and finally dies out. These patches generally occur irregularly over the whole surface of the green. (2) Corticium vagum Berk et Curt.; Synonym—Rhizoctonia solani, Kuhn—A disease of lawns and playing greens due to a strain of Corticium vagum, and known as “ large brown patch,” has been prevalent in the United States of America for a number of years. It was first recorded in 1919 by Piper and Coe (ii.). In New Zealand during the past three years a strain of this fungus has been associated with similar symptoms. Cultures have been obtained from specimens of infected turfs from bowling and golf greens at Hamilton, Auckland, Gisborne, and Dunedin. The disease appears firstly as small circular brown areas (2in to Sin in diameter), which gradually increase in

size, often attaining a diameter of approximately 3ft. These patches arc scattered 'throughout the green, and sometimes coalesce, forming diseased areas up to 6ft in diameter. The grass on these areas turns brown and eventually dies, leaving bare places over the green. (3) Corticium fuciforme (Berk.) Wakef.; Synonym—Hypochnus fuciforme (Berk.) M'Alp.—The disease known as “ red thread,” caused by the fungus Corticium fuciforme, has been present for some years both in Australia and New r Zealand. In New Zealand the fungus was first collected in 1920 on Lolium multiflorum growing in the Hawke’s Bay district. Since then 0. fuciforme has been isolated from diseased patches on lawns, bowling, and golf greens in the Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Manawatu, and Nelson districts. The “ red thread ” disease first appears as small, irregularly-shaped, light brown patches measuring approximately 2in to Sin across. A characteristic feature of this disease . is the red thread-like growth of the fructifications of the fungus, which project from the foliage of the sw’ard. These fructifications are usually present on grasses attacked by C. fruciformc. The fungus spreads ranidly through the green. leaving patches varying in size from Gin to lOin across, in which the turf dies out. The throe fungi recorded above overwinter in the soil, and. when warm, humid atmosphere conditions prevail, attack the lawn grasses, producing symptoms "as described above. REMEDIAL MEASURES. Where greens have become infected with any of the above fungi, further spread of the disease may he checked by the application of mercuric chloride solution. 3oz to SOgal of water, this being sufficient to treat 2.000 square feet of lawn. This treatment has been successfully applied to bowling greens at Hamilton and also to putting greens and plots on the Greens Research Area, Palmerston North. Treatments on the Greens Research Area were carried out in conjunction with Mr E. A. Madden, of the Department of Agriculture. —Literature Cited.— (i.) Nilsson, —•; Leissner, G.; and Sylven, N.; Studier over Kloverrotan (Sclerotinia trifoliorum). Sveriges Utsadesforenings Tidskr., Vol. XXXIX., pp. 130-158; 1929. (ii.) Piper, C. V., and Coe, H. S.; Rhizoctonia in lawns and pastures. Phvtopathologv, Vol. 9, pp. 89-92; 1919.