BOWLING

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 19 December 1925, Page 12

BOWLING

New bowling clubs are continuallv being mooted, andi the prospects are that within the next yea/o? two quite a number will be definitely formed The expense of forming a green is a pretty considerable item, but it seems to be no serious drawback where there G v tlms^ asni t 0 get a club staited. Bowling already ranks as one ot the. most popular pastimes in the Dominion, and its popularity is increasing each year. Christchurch is already well supplied, with greens, but there, is always room for more, especially m the suburban areas. Someone is goi'ng to fall in one of these fine days (says a Melbourne writer), and the verdict will be serve right. The source of the trouble will be that of a player turning his own or one of his rink bowls over to identify.it, owing to the lack of a distinguishing mark. When some courageous skipper demands that the “touched]” bowl shall be removed from the green a verbal tornado will follow, and. players will as a consequence get their bowls marked.. Tom Smith, of the Richmond Union Bowling Club (Victoria), is a remarkable personality (says an Australian paper). He is in his S7th- year, and Australian-born. He is the father of 16 children, has 49 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren. “Everybody calls me father,” is a familiar expression of this wonderful, once-famous athlete, and certainly everybody knows him as Tom. He still plays bowls > and a few seasons ago he> formed one’of a rink with our bowls contributor, which won the open champion rink competition of Tasmania. In his earlier days', Tom Smith had few equals as a runner, and he tells me liow he won four maiden races before he discovered that he was not qualified to .run in those events. In all, he won 120 foot races, many of them against the best in the land. Cricket, football, rowing, and almost every athletic■ sport knew him. His descendants are worthily upholding liis traditions. ,