BOWLING

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 13 November 1926, Page 13

BOWLING

RULES v. ETIQUETTE. An incident in a Labour Day tournament- is worth recording (writes ■*Tnmdler” in the Auckland Star). A ] layer delivered his bowl so wide that, when it was right out in the next 'iinr it struck a bowl belonging to the latter. It was played again, so well this time that it picked up the-jack, and instead of being two down the bowler was two up. His opponent remarked: Tu’ely you are not going (o count those. No doubt he intended it jocularly, tor the same remark has been made hundreds of times under somewnat similar circumstances, such as where, a really bad bowl has rubbed off one equally bad, and rolled into shot. But as the observation has been taken serio is-ly, it would be as- well to point, out _that th© player was not onlv within h’s 'lglits, but he had no option. The rule is quite clear, that under these conditions the bowl “shall be replayed.” There aie no beg pardons about that, although some comments are apparently based on the assumtpion that the rule provides that the bowl “may be replayed, unless the opponent thinks that it was a bad one.” A pretty state of affairs would be introduced if any such principle was allowed. This is only .another instance of the rule clashing with supposed etiquette, in which case the rule should be followed every time. The rule is in black and white, the studied decision of the highest authorities in power, while etiquette is .so fickle that what one may think is etiquette another equally well informed may think absurd. Practically the same principle was involved in the last Easter fours, where the rule said the bye had to go one way, whereas the committee thought it would be fairer to run it another way. Possibly it would, and it is understood that the rule lias since been altered, but that is not the point. The position is that as long as a rule is- in existence it must be followed, and no committee has any more right to change a rule, because they think it fairer, than the Labour Day" competitor had in challenging the action of an opponent who was carrying out tile rule to the very letter.

The new rules, as finally settled by the annual meeting of the Dominion Council, are now being printed by the rule revising committee set up in Dunedin last vear, andv copies will very shortly be'available to all who want them. In the meantime carded copies have arrived, which will be distributed to all the clubs to hang up in their pavilions for easy reference. It may be remarked, however, that the rules will not be much good unless they are used, and used regularly. Probably nobody will ever learn them off by heart, but the most practical way is to refer to them when occasion suggests, foi* if that is done, with an incident to impress it, hardly anyone could forget the rule again. The trouble usually is that interested people do not consult fclie rules. For instance, in Isoth the cases cited above, for ©very one who took the trouble to look up' the rule, which would settle the matter in one act, a couple of dozen have argued about it, airing their views on a point in which there is really nothing to argue about, lor it is all settled in black and white aliciuly. .[ The rules as amended will be found ) to have disposed oi' most) of the old contradictions and uncertainties which have caused so much trouble in the past. They are not- perfect-, however, for thev are still vague on some points, "which must inevitably lead to further misunderstandings. By perfection it is not meant that they should be perfect in the opinion of everv bowler, for opinions will always differ, but thev ought to be perfect m the sense that two people of ordinary intelligence ought not to he able- to disagree as to what- they mean. However, perhaps that is just as well, or else there would be nothing to argue about. Probably more immediate interest will be attracted by the new conditions than by the new rules, for the Dominion‘Council accepted the suggestion to draw no a model set of tournament conditions? These are published with the rules, presumably to hold good except where modified by locally framed special conditions. What will no doubt attract the most- criticism is the reversion to the old rule of giving two-lifers the preference in byes, for this seems to be contrary to public opinion. It was certainly condemned as a most unfair condition in Dunedin last Januarv where the 16 two-lifers all get a bve in the fifth round of the singles; sitting on the bank to watch the o 4 one-lifers kill each other, like Kilkenny cats, just as they did in Wellington a vear earlier. However, that iniquity will not he repeated in Auckland, for the committee have acceptd the suggestion to play only 7 four rounds on the first day, and therefore the twolifers will meet each other in the fifth ronud next morning. Besides imnnnisino- bves in this way in the singles, it is "understood that much of the heartburning of the intersection play of the rinks will also be removed by the draw beino- worked automatically from the start” Another important change has been to revert to the old system of keeping players on the same green on both davs in the pairs, whereas at Wellington and Dunedin they played on a different green the second day. However, what promises to mark the coining tournament as a- milestone in the historv of New Zealand bowling is the probable participation of a few Australian bowlers, for although most people will feel more assured when they actually step off the Sydney steamer, there seems at present- to be quite a reasonable probability 7 of a few rinks coming over. When they come thev will get a great reception.

TilK DRIVING SHOT. The bowl in.tl season for this year lias now started, but bowlers will nevertheless be interested to read . what “Boomerang” lifts to say in the Sydney -Rofcree on the question of driving. There are two distinct camps in bowls, just as distinct as the Tory and the Communist in politics. says “Boomerang.” On the one band there is the man who abhors driving in bowls, and on the other the man who takes the opposite view. Young plavers will learn much liv a careful study of these opposite camps. The man who doesn’t believe in diivipg is invariably the man who has either never practised it. or who finds himself incapable of SlinfOO ding at, the art. He is the fox without a tail. • The croucher. the kno°lor. the squatter, would take driving out of the game because they began wrongly themselves. Nothing disgusts them more than to see. their well-drawn bowls scattered .in all directions “Skittles, not bowls!” thev say. Rut we can only regard those who held those views with Tf ib c >v bad sOnrfod oi't o.u”i'oc‘tb —that is )to S!V. hod t.bev adopter] a proper •>*id dolive'ov tbov would *'o eu- + h..si'<)sfin ahou+ the di ,; '’« in howls. U't,; v rvhe’-n fbo new »h>ver nmst get o«id le''"n his first. lessen “Which do vou f.o belong to?” I nrl' I,l* O V»c* nri tiller No howlc" cap sneccod to the highest point of efficiency without the drive.

The drive consists of a variety of firm shots, from moderate strength to very fast. The art of finding out when to use your skill in driving, and when to leave it alone, enters largely into the ouestion. It, comes instinctively to the John Ixne type of hitter. When they have two howls left and a. drive is the tranie. it's a shade ol odds on that, there’s going to he an alteration not dwavs. of course, do they succeed.

Any legislation that aims to restrict driving in howls would he fatal to the game." It would then develop into an old woman’s pastime. To all young Havers T would savs: “Practise this branch of the game. It is a great and valuable asset. The dead draw shot man in SI mi has to waste. 20 to 30 'owls as hack wood if he is heating Ids man. How does he fare if he is not heating him on the draw? On the other hand, the driver can keep up his draw shots with the knowledge that the other man won’t or can't hit.”