BOWLING NOTES

Gisborne Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5539, 22 July 1920, Page 3

BOWLING NOTES

By Toucher

Kahutia’s Annual Meeting. The Ivahntia Bowling Club held its annual meeting last Thursday evening, when there was a large attendance of its members. The meeting was enthusiastic right throughout. The report and balance-sheet were submitted and met with hearty approval. It. is a puzzle to me how members of any club can understand a report or a balance-sheet when it is merely read out to them. I hold there are but few men who can grasp the intricacies of a balance-sheet by merely having it read over to them. The reports and balance-sheet should be printed and each member furnished with a copy previous to the annual meeting. This was a point argued at an annual meeting of this club held some seasons back, and it was decided that in future the. reports and balance-sheets should be printed and supplied to each member before the meeting. Why this was not. done is for the members themselves to ascertain.

The Club’s Finances. I must, congratulate the club on the present financial position to which it lias attained. It is not many years ago that this club was showing a deficit on its year’s working, and that it now shows a substantial surplus on the year’s business is a feather in the cap of its treasurer. It lias liquidated the old mortgage of £SOO which it has carried for the past ten years or so. and I understand the bank overdraft. is the only "monkey” there is now on the premises. - This has been brought about by the sale of the club’s old property in Childers road and increased revenue from other sources. Without doubt tile past year financially has been the best in the history of the club. ! The Membership Roll. The Club deserves hearty congratulation on the state of it's membership roll. It lias made a gain of forty members on the year, a position which must be highly satisfactory to the Club. It. is the second largest club in the East Coast centre and must bq coming nigh unto the membership of the'Gisborne Club. A peculiar thing about bowling clubs is their fluctuating membership, and members are sometimes kept on the lists when they should be written off for arrears. If the Ivahntia Club has 140 members who owe nothing then I say the club is to be most highly complimented, for up to the present I have heard of no club in the Dominion but which lias about a third of its members in arrears. I expect, however, there are some of Ivahntia members in arrears, and this through no fault of the officers concerned.

The Year’s Resume. In a recent issue I dealt with a resume of the year’s bowling in the course of which I covered the work of the Ivahntia Club, so it is unnecessary fcTcover the same ground again. I am glad to see that the members at the annual meeting came to light and subscribed the club’s portion of the Peace Shield contribution. The matter had been banging fire during the season and it needed only the mention as made at the annual meeting to get the members going and liquidate the club’s portion of the expenses. It. was only fitting that, the report should contain reference to the enthusiastic work of Sir James Carroll and Mr A. Sawyer. It was a pleasing compliment that the club paid Sir James by altering its designation of patron to that, of “ariki.” Sir James has done a lot in divers ways to advance the club and the compliment is not misplaced. Mr Sawyer, the enthusiastic caretaker, has worked hard in the club’s interest for many years past, and to him the club must, attribute a great, deal of its success. As stated at the meeting. Mr Sawyer was their caretaker, phlosoyher and friend, and no man can say better of an officer.

Encourage Young Players. The club, in carrying a recommendation to tlie incoming committee that every encouragement and attention be given tlie younger players, have made a step in the right direction. How niton are the young players taken in bond and shown the narrow path they should tread if they wish to achieve honors in the bowl.ng world. Too many of the budding bowlers are allowed to get into any old habit and permitted to deliver in any old fashion, the while trusting to luck that, they will improve and eventually get. sornewhere in the region of the “k tty. The young should be taken in hand, shown how to stand on the mat. how to grasp and deliver a bowl, and what all toe etiquette of the game means. When a young bowler is thus educated m the knowledge of the fundamentals of the game, he lias entered on the right track and as he follows the path pointed out to him he will improve in the knowledge of the pastime and in tlie end reach the pinnacle which should be the aid of all bowlers —-o be classed as one of the club’s best.

The Club’s Officers. The Kahntia bowlers think a lot of their new president. Mr P. J. Howard, and all Poverty Bay bowlers share those sentiments to the full. I am reminded of a conversation I had with a well-known Kahntia player, who sa d : “Do you know our worthy Vico (Mr Howard) is a dear chap; lie’s as kindhearted as a baby, and hates to see men disagree over bowls. He never takes sides, and is all for peace.” To my idea Mr Howard will make ail excellent president and the club should continue to prosper while he holds the reigns of office. The Vice-President for the coming season is Mr O. Prince. He has served one term on the -Chib's committee and is full of enthusiasm for the chib's welfare, being at all times willing to assist in any direction. As ho stated at the annual meeting he would endeavour to make, up with vim and ginger what, he lacked in experience. No man can do more.

The secretary is again Mr J. A. Eaton. He is the right man in. the right place, and his knowledge of the work of the secretary for a howling club is rapidly enlarging. Ho knows that, the work of a secretary is not merely attending to minutes and correspondence and the records of match games, hut that in addition there is the business of the club to be attended to which is practically work behind the scenes. Th s work the members generally know nothing about, and'it is this endless round of weary detail of which the members are unacquainted that worries .secretaries. It is the attention to these details that make clubs run smoothly. Mr Eaton knows what the work is and lie puts his best, endeavours into his duties. That the members were satisfied is proof positive when ~he was re-elect ed unopposed.

Another gentleman who has put in a lot of work for the club in the past year or two is Mr A. W. Mason, the treasurer. He has brought the citid out of the wilderness, and its financial trials and tribulations have now been left belli lid. This has been due in large measure to the work put ill by Mr Mason. He has done yeoman service for the club and though he desired to be relieved of office this season the members would not hear of it. as be has proved hinisolf almost indispensable to the club. The club should lighten liis ..work, this season, and n they do so I do not doubt but that Mr Mason will continue in his duties as treasurer for some years to come. I come now to the Committee. Mr C. M. Taylor has, served for many years now and is always keen on work, willing to do his best for the club as far as lies in his power. Mr J. Colley, the retiring President, was persuaded to continue office as a committeeman, and all bowlers are pleased to see one or

THE PASTIME AND ITS PLAYERS

the club’s foundation members still in office and_willing to do his beet for the club. Mr E. T. Doddrell is seeing his second year in. office as a committeeman of the Kuhutia Club. He is full of energy and is keen on the membership roll knowing that without members a club would cease to exist. Mr B. Hud field is a new man on the committee, and from his remarks at the annual meeting be will make a useful man on the committee. A man with a lot. of experience in other clubs to guide him is Mr ,T. Rothwell, who has also been placed on the committee. I am relying, on this gentleman to assist me next season with a movement having for its object the inauguration of an annual match among the veterans of the district. He will tell you that such a match in Dunedin is one of the features of the season in that Scottish city, and I can tell you that in Sydney such a game is looked forward 1 to with keeness and zest each year. Anyhow you will hear more about this proposition when the season comes round.

A Few Thoughts. There was quite a strong assemblage of bowlers at the Kahutia Club’s meeting, and the fact was favorably commented upon. And quite right, too. Some men, however, go to club meetings because there is nowhere else to* go. Some-to learn and listen, some to smoke and say nothing, and some — well. what, do they go there for at all P Judging from the newspaper report of the meeting, everything went off smoothly; everything in the garden was lovely. This is very different from an account of a meeting of the Victorian Bowling Association held in Melbourne recently. One report of Ihe meeting has it,; “President Kelly was as near reading the Riot Act as was possible at-the last “usual” meeting of the Association. It turned nut to be quite an • “unusual” meeting, and the pace got very hot in the last lap. You’ve heard of that historic expression, thus: “and all the world wondered.” Well, it would wonder some if one of these recording machines could have.“taken in” the “responses” of that gathering. One delegate informs the writer that it got so thick that the gas lights went out. for want of oxygen. There was not nearly sufficient for all purposes.”

Gisborne Club’s Meeting. I The annual meeting of the Gisborne Club takes place next Wednesday evening. when a large attendance of members is expected. The club has had a good year, I understand, not only from a membership and financial point of view, but also from a playing and social point of view. The report and balance-sheet for the past year will be presented, and officers elected for the coming season.

Nothing Doing. Anstruther, bold his report takes. And chases through its pages, His hand with expectation shakes. Anticipation rages Within tlie splendid, bowler’s heart. Avoiding the long list of members, He comes to that important part. Which deals with play and players. He rakes the pars that vaunt the .fame Of bowler men nncouther, In quest of the inspiring name Of Hellingswell Anstruther. Alack! although he searches well. No item long and solemn, The splendid play of Hellingswell 1 Explains in half a column. He seeks again inside the sheet It. tells of how the club will prosper. And facts and figures and clubs that meet. But nothing of Anstruther! He sought the official, dour and black, He cut an angry caper, “I want,” lie . cried, “my subscription i back, j There’s nothing on the paper!”

j What Does He Do? I A new player was worrying an old ! hand about, tlie duties of the club officials. “And what does that pompous player do?” the novice' asked, indicating a well-known skip. Tlie old hand winked to another of his kidney, and in answer to the novice said. “Oh. we keep him about the premises to use on rising players who think they are better than they , are. When their heads begin to swell we put them, in bis rink. His mission in life is to keep anyone below the rank of skip as humble as possible.”

Words Not Minced. A writer in a. southern publicat’on does not mince matters when pursuing a subject. When writing of the Wellington Bowling Club's middle green he says:—“The less said about this green laid down last season the better, it is not fit to play on. As one player put it,: ‘lt is like playing mi galvanised iron.' Before the green was laid down a sub-committee of men who knew what greens were, should have been appointed to obtain the best, information, and the best soil procured, even if from -a distance —say Otaki. Unless the best soil is used it is absolutely impossible to get the best green. The three hundred pounds or thereabouts spent laying it down last season was wasted, and the cheapest wav in the end even now is to have it relaid. It will never be any good by tinkering with it as is being done at present. The Club should writ" to West End, Auckland, they' will doubtless obtain some valuable information —that is a green.”

Sydney Metropolitan Final. Though the New South Wales' bowling season, proper, has terminated insofar as the bowling- season can be said to end in that most favored, meteorologically, of all States of the Commonwealth, there are important events, Twhich have lagged superfluous,' yet to be completed. Still another stage of the rink championship has to become history—the final. The battle for the distinction of champion pair of the State is well under way. Its termination will bring along the battle for single-handed supremacy. The final match to determine Hie metropolitan representation in the contest against the best country rink for the championship of New South Wales was played on Saturday afternoon at Bandwick. The teams were skippered by IVI. Hove (Burwood) and C. \ Thorne (Vic. Park). Burwood was the first to score, but the Victorian Park men, despite good work by Love took the next six ends, and led at the conclusion of the seventh end 10-_. Burwood won the following four heads, reaching 11-10 before Victorian Park moved again. Victoria Park led to ilie 17th end, " where Bin-wood notched making the score 15-14 in their favor. Victoria Park immediately recovered the lead, and held an advantage of U to 15 at the conclusion of the 18th stage. Burwood caught their opponents on the • 19th arid going on, held a margin on the ■’ last end, winning by 8 points. Scores: —. Gibson, -A. I-iirrall. E. IT,ill. M. Love, Burwood 23; P. Skillen G. Bell, D. James, G. A. Thorne (Victoria Park) 17.

Public Grcuncfs for Bowls. In no town in the Nottingham district is the'game of bowls more popular than at Long Eaton, which this year supplies the president of the Nottingham association, and has three nourishing clubs. One of these is West Park, formerly known as the Derbyroad Brotherhood. This club, with a membership of about 50, has entered upon an ambitious scheme. It is stated that the members have raised overrule hundred guineas towards the erection of a pavilion, which was expected would be opened, together with the hew bowling green, on June 20. -the club will present the pavilion to the Urban Council on the conditions that they have the use of it, as West Park is a Public recreation ground.