BOWLING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 25700, 25 January 1946, Page 7

BOWLING NOTES

[By Duaw.]

Bawling Dress. " Bayite " writes: "Members of bowling clubs are supplied with a copy of the laws of the game, and the latest issue was 1938. Since then several alterations have been made, yet, as far as I can ascertain, players have not been supplied with a copy of the amendments. This has already caused friction between player and umpire. Recently a player wearing a very light coloured hat was prohibited by the umpire from continuing to wear it during the game. According to my book of rules the player's dress was in order, and no doubt tho player thought so, too. Sooner or later serious friction is going to happen between players and umpires if the players are kept in ignorance of alterations. It is surely not too much to ask that players be kept up to date. I would appreciate your help in this matter." " Draw " understands that at the last annual meeting it was decided to print the amendments for distribution to all players in the Dominion. I would suggest that you approach the secretary of your club or Mr Sinclair (centre secretary), A.M.P. Building, Princes street. The .amended law now has this paragraph added: '■' Head covering (if ivorn), white or cream hat or cap." :

Saturday Interclub Matches. This competition started agfiin after the holiday break, and from the large number of defaults which were made it appears as if it would have been wise to have delayed these games another week. The bowling championships at Christchurch and the races at Forbury would have much to do with the defaults, and a number of bowlers being on holiday would not help the poor selectors. Next week .an up-to-date list of positions will be published in the column. Otago Players at Chrmpionships. Ofcago players, both individually and as teams, did very well indeed in L the qualifying stages. Jim Smith (Caledonian) was outstanding in the singles. McKay and Tyrrell did well in tho pairs, and Tyrrell's fours team won all eight games in section play, but by Saturday Charlie was out of everything. W. J. McKay was, however, holding a life in the singles. The Caledonian Club had still two teams, each with a life _ left, in the fours, and with Jim Smith with two ln-es in the singles, the old club was on the map again. (Vaughan and Edwards are the skips in the fours for the ' Caledonian). Ravenswood (North-east Valley), with R. Aitchison as third, also stayed until Saturday before elimination. Dr 11. E. Austin's Cromwell four did very well, losing second life to Livingstone's strong Onehunga team. Sid Smith, of North End, Invercargill, the pairs'winner, has been prominent in bowling for quite a while, and his success will be pleasing to Dunedin followers of the game. Prior to going to the big tournament, Sid had considerable practice at Queenstown during the holiday period. Mount Eden Club, Auckland. This club is holding a series of games during this and next month to celebrate its jubilee, with a special past members' day on February 5. Contained in the club's jubilee book are the following definitions of the game:— "Bowk is a science,, the study of a lifetime, in which you may exhaust yourself, but not your subject. " It is a contest, a duel, calling for courage, skill, strategy, and self-con-trol. . " It is a test of temper, a trial of honour, a revealer of character. " It affords the chance to play the man and act the gentleman. "It is the cure for care-, an antidote for worry. "It includes companionship with friends, social intercourse and opportunities for courtesy, kindliness and generosity to' an opponent. " It provides not only physical health but moral force." "If this is not of the highest and best kind —what is it? " The above paragraphs describe the popular game of bowls more faithfully than any other series I have ever read.

Umpires' Association, According to news received from Christchurch during the tournament period, it appears likely that there willbe an attempt made to form a New Zealand Umpires' Association. In the writer's opinion there is no necessity for this body, as the question of arranging umpires for centre tournaments and association gatherings is met by the local body of umpires.. There are already attempts by some of the members 'of some of the present umpires' associations to read into the laws things that are not there, and thus try to administer the law as thev think it should be and not as it reaily exists. Our game of bowls is a sociable game and we should not have too much of the " school master " 'control enforced upon us, at the same time causing unnecessary bad feeling. " Leave well alone " is a motto that could be adopted in this case, without hurting the player or the game. Triple Championships (N.Z.). The late Professor Maxwell Walker won the singles in 1915, 1919, and 1923, the pairs in 1927 with A. Brakebush as lead, and in 1932 with K. S. Macky, L. J. Keys, C. H. de Launey, he won from a Duuedin Club rink skipped by George Deare, who had won this important event the previous year. " Max " won his three singles under the colours of the Ponsonby Club, but the pairs and fours as a member of the Auckland Club. The late Ernie Harraway won the pairs in 1914 with the late Jack Johnson, and in 1918 he won again with the late W. M. Hogg as his lead. He won the singles in 1920 at Christchurch, and with J. D. Best, H. G. Siedeberg, and F. McCullough, he won the fours in 192(5. in the writer's estimation, one of Ernie's greatest feats was to get what was generally considered a weak team into the final of the fours in 1934, when a Lin wood team with Harry Wilson as skip, won, Ernie also won titles under the old association, and must be reckoned as one of the Dominion's greatest players, even though he had only two shots—• the dead draw and the fast drive. But how he could use them ! Ernie always played for the Dunedin Club. J. M. Brackenridge won the singles title in 1921, and with J-. Brackenridge won the pairs from Daubney and Smith by plaving an extra head in 1922 at Dunedin. In both of these he represented the Newtown Club, of Wellington. In 1933 lie was a member of a Lyall Bay team which won the fours. Ho played third for L. M. Naylor. These three players are the only ones who have won the three honours in the records of Now Zealand championships since the nmahiamation of the old New Zealand A-w --it'"' :>'i<] the Association in 1913. (As far as

" Draw " knows, there are no complete records of New Zealand championships prior to the amalgamation. That is a pity, as such a list would be of great value to bowling history.) Fours Championship a Farce. Truly the New Zealand Association's tournament is a very popular gathering, and it.gives bowlers a great opportunity of having a " busman's " holiday, at which they can renew old friendships and make new ones,- but as a championship test the fours competition, which is looked upon as the blue riband event, is in its present form "a farcical affair. The present arrangement of playing two games each 5f 25 ends for four days as a means of qualifying, ami then playing off the post-section by three games per day with a time limit seems wrong. Why not the shorter, games for the qualifying rounds, and then, after the " rabbits " have been eliminated, have a proper championship by playing off a sudden death principle, with games of 25 ends without a time limit. One has only had to follow the draw of the post-section play to see how frequently teams have met twice, with the possibility of a further meeting before the event concludes It is imperative that something be done in the near future to improve the method' of playing the fours championships, or else there will be little value attached to winning it.