BOWLING.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 19 May 1923, Page 2

BOWLING.

I DARING INNOVATIONS SUGGESTED.

j During the coming winter a concerted 1 effort vnu proUublv oe- mado in tryingout some Oi the suggested scLcines for .increasing the inteiesfund pleasure of tne general oody of members (writes an ■ Aucn-iand eriticj. in these democratic . uays'it would appear tiiat bowlers are j ; within measurable- distance of the end j of a sysetm that ordains that the same ■ oid skips shall take charge of every i game, while it is the natural duty ot" i ! otiiers to lay the mat, kick the Bowls, ' | uih! numbly minister to the pleasure and.! dignity of the man on top. On© club | has already effectively broken this down iby deliberately reversing the positions of the skips and thirds in their club j tournament that lasts from January to May, an<l the conspicuous success of this innovation has only whetted their appetite for more improvements.. Another club proposes to make a trial of \ throwing overboard the rule that speci- ! fies the order of play. Instead of following Rule VIII, which states that ! "the leads play their two bowls alternately, and each other pair of players !do the same in the order of seconds, 1 thirds, and skips," it is proposed that • the leads play only one bowl each, then ■ the seconds one bowl each, and then the j | thirds one bowl each, repeating this j : order until the twelve bowls are played, v the skips, of course, playing in the or- ( dinary way. Another club proposes to j supersede, in a still more daring fashion, ■ the last clause in this rule, which stipulates that "the order shall not be changed after the first head has been played." They have in mind a project that will completely tear up orthodoxy ; and put all the players on practically ; the same level. Their scheme consists | in altering the order of play during | the game itself.- For the first five j heads the order of play will" be, skips, i loads, seconds and thirds; for the next : five heads they all move up one, mak•j ing the order,' thirds skips, leads, and ; seconds; for the next five heads they , again move up one, and play in this ' order, seconds, thirds, skips, and leads; j for the final six heads it is only necesj sary to again move up one, and they j will find themselves in the time- ; honoured order of leads, seconds, thirds, | and skips. During the winter, when ,no tournaments are on, both these | schemes will get a good hearing, for : they both have the object of giving I added responsibility to the weaker and I. less experienced members of the team; I the former scheme to a limited extent, I the latter scheme to an extent that is : dramatic in its originality. Both should I break down the monotony of play that t limits the interest of the lead to seeing i that the mat is "well and truly laid.7' j and after he has played his two bowls I he wanders round to the adjoining rinks | or answers an urgent invitation to "the ■ telephone," returning in time to ask the usual question, "How many did we make on that head?" The seconds are ■ not likely to do much wandering round j when they know that with the commencement of tha sixth round they will have to skip the team, and the leads j will enjoy foe -<he first time in their : lives' the giory and responsibility of ; giving directions and measuring the : shot, a suitable prelude to reaching the pinnacle of fame in the eleventh head, I when they leave the mat and take i charge of the team! The weakness of : the scheme, the confusion that may

arise, is really its strength; it gives' to each member of the team the experience and sense of responsibility without which it seems impossible for any boAyler to reach top rank.