Bowling

Grey River Argus, 14 January 1928, Page 2 (Supplement)

Bowling

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Entries for the West Coast Tournament close with the Secretary, Mr T Brebuer on Saturday next, the 14th inst. The Now Year’s Day Progress ? Pairs Tournament played on the local green was won by Carey (skip) and Arthur Kilgour (lead,’. Twenty players took part. ' '• . The f(flowing is the draw for the third round of the post selection play in the local Club Competitions:— Championship Singles.—Mercer, a bye; Wise plays Steele, Whibley plays Fletcher, 'Crooks plays Moss, Blair plays Peek and Mackay plays Millar Championship Pairs.—Kyle and Whibley play Moss and Mercer, W. Kyle and Millar play Brebuer and Carey ami Ross and Graham play Reynolds and Blair. A New Zealand enthusiast stated that liie had adduced some remarkable “facts” on the amount of energy displayed when playing a game of 25 ends. lie calculates that in a rink game the members of each team walked 4 miles and 352 yards, an ! heaved up and down the green a dead weight of half a ton. (What these bowlers would say if their wives asked them to lug from the wood heap their share of half a ton of fire fuel on a Saturday afternoon and stock it ready for the ensuing week is something that we can only express as “X,” or the unknown quantity). In a pairs game a player is estimated to cover, 2 miles 156 yards and propels a 1 cwt. of wood while playing the game whilst in a singles game a player; would average 1 mile 89 yards, ami thrust up and down the green swat J 4 cwt. 3qr, 141 b. of bowls. I have taken no pains to verify these figures, but am inclined to the opinion, that, one cause and another, a player covers ton miles from the time he leaves home for the green until ho returns, and these figures apply to the player who goes home for tea instead of staying at his club, to play the game over again. TEST MATCHES. The poor scores of the New Zealand rinks in the test matches against Aus tralia at Melbourne emphasise the fact that under the system of only sending away teams which pay their own expenses it is imposible to secure a verv strong combination. In some quarters there has been a good deal of adverse criticism of the council for agreeing to the test match proposals, and this appears Io have been justified by the results. As there is no “gate” from bowling matches, and the only income that the governing bodies obtain is from levies, it does not appear likely that the New Zealand Council will be in a position to pay the expenses of representative teams. 'The custom of teams visiting other countries taking part in friendly games only seems the hot! er arrangement.—Christchurch “Star.” Auckland “Sun” writer takes a different view. In his comments he says: —“The players representing New Zealand at the Australian bowling carnival now in progress have met with wholesale defeat. They even in their wildest moments, did not expect to do otherwise. Indeed, it must be admitted by all that they have done very well in the circumstances. The calibre of the players is not high. Moreover, it would be safe to say that as good, and even bette” players could be selected from any s-.agl-e club of the larger order (in Auckla-Jid. But, despite this very heavy defeat on the bowling greens, they are doing great work in the interest of the sport by their presence at tin* carnival. For the primary object of their mission is to set in motion the first annual inter-Dominioir bowling contest between Australia and New Zealand. From this point of view they have had an admirable win, and every credit must be given them for so doing. It is for the Dominion Council now that the event has been really initiated — and incidentally without their assistance— to honour the event in the fu tun*. This responsible body of bowlerg can do much now that the actual pioneering work is effectively accomplished. Already a member of the counci 1 hatj intimated his intention to bring forward a remit at the next meeting asking that all bowlers journeying to Australia to fulfil this contest shall be supplied with travelling expenses. This is a fair proposal, and in it rests the whole success of the future.” To the above “ Measurer the Dunedin “Star” adds the following: —“lf ‘the whole success of the future’ depends upon the expenses of the travelling players being supplied from levies imposed on club members in general (and ‘Measurer’ can see uc other source of revenue), then failure must result. It is the desire of rhe Australians to play six rinks a side in test matches, giving them an opportunity of putting in a rink representative of each State. This would mean sending a team of at least twentyfour players to Australia when it was our turn to visit. It is reasonable to suppose that the expenses of such a party would total something in the neighbourhood of £l,OOO. The idea seems to me fantastical. During the course of the Progressive Tournament on the local green on New Y 7 ear’s Day one pair put an eight on their opponents one head. The skip who was eight down on this occasion says he will buy out Jess Steer clear of such a happening in the future whilst his opponent remarked that whilst he wouldn’t bank on doing jt again he w.ouldn<t care he