Bowling.

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 80, 11 January 1902, Page 19

Bowling.

Ted Hill feels grateful to Berry for removing him from temptation's way. If Berry had not bumped him out of the contest for the Whisky Bowls last week, and Ted had won them — well, of course, "whisky" bowls suggest bowls of whisky, don't they ? Wellington Club's Match Committee didn't get the picking of the tournament rinks. The directors took the job into their own hands Why ? Ask the Match Committee. Hare is the result of the picking, anyhow Neil McLeans rink stands intact, viz., Dnimmond, W. Gray, Lockie. Neil McLean (skip). McGlashan's rink has been brushed aside, and two players each picked from the other two competing rinks, thus Churchward, Sample, Bell, and Ballanger. The order in which they shall play is left to the men themselves. Opinions will vary as to the representative strength of the team. First point that strikes one about it is that it is strong in driving and weak and illbalanced in leading talent. Probably, Dnimmond or Gray will be put into the other team in exchange for Bell. And which of the other three is to skip, eh mon? Haud yer whist 1 Very little prospect., so they say. of Christohuroh being represented at all at the Northern Association's tournament. And yet tthe North Island made a brave show at the South Island tournament in Christen urch last year There is- talk, however of several Dunedin ranks coming up. If they do. the Dunedin practice of following up your bowl and holding an inquest upon it, is bound to lead to ourso r > Northern remarks. Gibb, one of the Christchurch Club-, repiesentatives for the Dunedin tournu, ment, at the end of this month, turned up on the Newtown green on Saturday, and put Bary through his facings m a full rink match. Bary gave up the ghost at 21 to 28 Neil McLean and Jolumy Blundell have each got another gold medal to hang on their watch-chains This is the result of the Pairs Match, which took place on the Wellington Club's green on New Year's Day Some 16 pairs engaged in a seven-head tourney, and Blundell and McLean tied with Hodd and Sample for seven wins each. But in the play-off Johnny and Neil carried too many guns for Hodd and Sample. E. W. Petherick presented one of the gold medals , the club the other. There is a kind of fitness about the winning partnership if you'll just take time to think it out In his various wharf contracts Neil McLean has planted a good many posts on a solid foundation. John Blundell has also been busied in pushing "Posts" from his youth upw arcl Once more a Wellington Club team has grabbed for those Edwin Feathers, and come an awful cropper on tJ'e Thorndon gieen. This time it is Beir^ Harry Smith. Bell, and Balbnger who are hois de combat. Wright, McMauaway, Webb, and Longton banged th >m about for 32 to 18. 'Every shot a cokernut '" Sooth to sa> , Ballmgei had a bit ot bad luck Was lying one in first head when, in the effort to touch out Thorndon, he traded the kitt> , and gave the other side three Next headthey got four more, and by the time Wellington was seven, Thorndon was 21 And even after that Thomdon got a six head On the other hand, they say up at Thorndon Ballmger was rather too sweet on the drive, and driving is a kind of investment that does not pay a divvy overs' time The annual match between the "Rags" — wholesale and retail varieties — came off on the Wordsworth-street green on Friday afternoon last. Arthur Dixon, McEldownev, Hueston, and Churchward Cskip) were the wholesale lot, and Chris. Smith, E. J. Hill, A Veitch, and Tom Bush (skip) bore that banner with the strange device — "Wonderful Bargains'"

It was a very willing "go," and the retailers only lost the match by letting their opponents go first. In the first five heads wholesale got nine to retail's one • 10th head, wholesale 10, retail 9 , 20th head, wholesale 23, retail 10 25th head. 25 all . 30th head, 29 all. Tie on last head. Play-off Wholesale, 31 , retail, 29. I haven't yet heard whether the usual suits of clothes change hands over the event. I have heard, however, that the win is attributed to two of the wholesalers being "Prohibition" for the day. Cigars, cigarettes, and Presbyterian oordiaJ were all provided, but they would neither smoke nor absorb. McManaway played a real good game for Longton at second place m the Feathers Match on. Saturday. And it is only his second season, too. The lightning ierker has come on like a flash of his own lightning. Webb plays better than ever at No. 3 — which is sayin^ a very great deal. As for 'Geordies" leading — well, it's real good. Parsons, of Thorndon, is once more on his "am kailyard," and fast regaaning his old form. He says the English greens are no good. Post Office Rose is playing splendidly this season. Ask Reeves and Gould, and the veteran McKerrow. They have all a song to sing in the minor key The Petone Ferns are in brisk circulation. Just changed hands once more. Henry, Kirk, Castle, and Austin, b\ 24 to 18, once more oblige Fraser, Carter, Gilmour, and Johnston to make a transfer. Seems to be a game of seesaw. Newmarket, the champion club of the North Island, has finally decided to play its representatives for the tournament as follows Laurie, Fletcher, Eagleton, H. W. Brookes (skip) , Cahill, Haselden Wilson, Kilgour (skip). They are said to be just as nice a lot as the Auckland district will send. Haselden is a one-armed player, nephew of Wellington's S.M , and wellknown both here and in Palmerston and New Plymouth. Wilson and Kilgour will join hands in the pairs contest. Neil McLean, the Wellington Club skip played for the Mount Albert Club while up in Auckland lately. A North, crn paper ssays — "Neil is full of Wellington tricks, and Mount Albert ought to retain his services at a salary."