BOWLING NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 113, 9 April 1930, Page 12

BOWLING NOTES

CENTRE CHAMPIONSHIPS. (By “Trundler.”) The Manawatu Bowling Centre’s annual championship events were finalised on Saturday afternoon when the pairs and rinks tourneys were concluded. The Terrace hind rinK, as predicted, proved too strong for the Takaro Club four, and the victory of the former club is a fitting reward for plaoing its strongest four in the competition. Nevertheless, the game was not without interest, some very good bowling being witnessed. The Woodville pair, Pickering and Mules (skip), proved successful in the pairs, beatiiig Hook and Whibley (skip), Shannon, after an exoiting contest by a margin of five points. .The keenness of the. play may be judged from the fact that on no head were more than two points scored, on fifteen singles only resulting. Duo to the fine wdather in the past four weeks the greens were very keen on Saturday and considerable judgment was necessary in delivering the bowls. The following are the holders of the centre championships for this year:— Singles.—Simpson (Oroua). Pairs. —Pickering and Mules (Woodville). . ♦ • Kin lm.---Christiansen, Smith, Grant .and Johnson (Ten-ace End). OTHER MATCHES.

The Palmerston North Club brought the Manson and Barr Cup to town on Saturday. It was.won six weeks ago from l’eilding by’ Monk’s rink, since when he had successfully stayed off various challengers. The Levin green is somewhat bare of grass, due. to the dry-spell, while there are also evidences of the grass grub. Under these circumstances it was not in as good order as in other seasons. The match was characterised by heavy scoring, no less than fifty-two points being registered. Palmerston North got three fives before the afternoon tea adjournment and this enabled them to lead by 16 points to 13 at that stage. Finding the green on resumption, they forged ahead by putting on ten points. Levin were far from a—beaten team, their number three, G. Brown, formerly of the Wellington Club and a very well-known bowler in years gone by, being a thorn in the side of the challengers. Levin took four heads in succession and only sterling play on the part of the Palmerston North skip saved the day for the challengers. Levin were eleven points down with two heads to go and got three points. It is interesting to recall that 20 years ago Mr Brown was a member of the Wellington team that won the Northern Bowling Association’s tournament. Inter-club matches were also played on- Saturday, Woodville visiting Palmerston North, Northern and Terrace End exchanging rinks, while Northern also made an unsuccessful attempt to wrest the Fletcher Shield from Manawatu. These inter-club visits are a source of keen pleasure to clubs in this district and it wbuld add greater pleasure if they could be extended to clubs across the range. The. Harris Stars provided another match between Palmerston North and Takaro, the former winning rather easily. EASTER TOURNAMENT. Entries are still coming in steadily for the Easter tourney and when they, close on Friday evening a' goodly number is expected. Already they exceed last year’s total. The rain that has fallen should make a wonderful improvement to the greens. NOTES. The next Dixon Cup match will be played on Saturday, when a rink from Feilding Club will be the challengers. Kennedy (Manawatu Club) has the next challenge in for the Manson and Barr Cup and the match will be played on the Palmerston North green on Saturday. 1 Shannon made a big effort to take the Takaro Cup from Palmerston North Club on Wednesday but failed by a narrow margin. To-day’s match saw Northern challenging. The use of sulphate of ammonia for stimulating grass is being more and more advocated on bowling greens, more especially as it kills out clover and weeds. Autumn and spring are the best times to use it, and a mixture of it in powder form with the top-dress-ing would do no harm; in fact, is beneficialj provided it is not put in too heavily. The top-dressing should be turned two or three times to allow a good mixture to be made, says an exchange “1 love the big drawing woods,” said a skipper to his opponent, whose bowls were down to the minimum draw. “So do I,’.’ said the latter; “but I always like to see my opponent “using them, because, while he is trying hie hardest to guess the green, 1 can sneak my woods up to the kitty with ease.” • The following is from Queensland: — A well-known bowler visited the rooms of the Sydney official tester, and, while complaining about many things, he did not forget to tell Mr Vaughan about So-and-So, who played with woods that were almost “straights.” “How many did he beat you by?-” asked the tester. “What!” said the bowler. “Did you hear about it?” “Well, didn’t you just tell me. when you complained about that fellow’s

straight woods?” was Mr Vaughan’s reply. BOWLERS’ EXPENSES. RECOMPENSING PLAYERS WHEN ON OFFICIAL TOURS. An agitation is still in train fp r lhe ment of New South Wales bowlere, to the extent of meeting their expenses, wh.lie tour ing in a representative capacity. Mr Jonn Scott, president of the State Bowling Association, thinks that bowlers should pay their expenses on & 11 .fowling.;tours. Some disagree with him. Mr Frank Doherty, a former vice-president, considers that _b°wl ers who go on tour should have -their ex pens* pafr in the same way as cricketers, tennis players, footballers, £°*?«L rs ’ n . “There are many men, .said Mr Doherty, “who play bowls and arc not wealthy, anu these men should not he -deprived of the privilege 6f representing the State., is the only gome in which the State representatives, playing away from home, receive nothing in the way of expenses, but the time is approaching when a moie democratic view will be taken and roasonab expenses will be forthcoming for selected players. It is only, a question of how the money is to be raised, but 1 tav our a small capitation fee from every member of affiliated clubs. I will welcome the day when the man who cannot-attora to make inter-State trips will get his chance. This applies to some of our best players.