BOWLING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13301, 6 October 1906, Page 10

BOWLING.

. The Rocky Nook Club leads the way this season, the committee having decided to commence play this afternoon. ' Mr.' Hales, who has had charge of the ground for some little f time, now has the green in capital order, and with fine ' weather '</. members should have a pleasant afternoon - on* the Kingsland green. As usual, the sister clubs havo been invited to send representatives to the opening function, and play will be commenced promptly at half-past two p.m., the committee having adopted the commendable course of drawing the teams ? beforehand. This is a step in the right direction, and tho authorities of other clubs might with advantage take a leaf from the Rocky Nook book - Ponsonby green will bo opened for play on Saturday next, and the Mount Eden, Devonport, and Onehunga greens on October 20. Carlton propose making a start for tho season on October 27, > and -Auckland and Remuera on November 3. Bowlers everywhere will regret- to hear of the death of Mr. Raul, of New (Plymouth, one of tho best and most enthusiastic of bowlers. Twenty years ago Mr. Paul played his first game on the Auckland Club's green, and went back to New Plymouth an ardent bowler. Ho became a first-rate bowler, and was always j a popular man on tho green. The Auckland Club telegraphed yesterday giving instructions for a wreath to bo plaee-d on tho coffin. The flag at the clubhouse also was flown at half-mast. Tho handsome and commodious pavilion being erected on the Remuera Club's ground, at a cost of s-omethiug liko £900, is being rapidly pushed forward, and should bo ready for occupation on the date fixed for the , opening. During the present season the bowling area will provide ten rink?, but by season 1907-8 provision will be made for six or seven more rinks. . Tho Auckland Club's pavilion is being renovated, and clothed with an additional coat or two of paint. The main green, which during tho close season has been carefully attended to by the superintendent, Mr. Handcock,- is in perfect order and as level as a billiard-table., Quito a number of new members are on the nomination list, and everything points to a most successful sea-' son on the parent club's green. The enthusiasts who took in hand the establishment of a club in the Epsom district • aro losing no time. Tho section secured consists ot three-quarters of an acre, cen- ' trally situated (The Drive Road), and already a tender has been accepted for the erection of a pavilion and fence, at a cost of about £200. An early start will be made with tho preparation of tho green, which will bo ready for clay next, season. I should be giad to hear from secretaries of clubs not mentioned above the dates fixed for the opening of the season, and during the season will always be pleased to publisii in Saturday's bowling column any items of interest secretaries may see fit to supply. Those notes should bo short and crisp, and must reach the. office, addressed to the " Bowling Editor," not later than Thursday of each week. Wednesday bowlers appear to bo rapidly increasing in numbers, and I am pleased to hoar that tho committee of tho Ponsonby Club contemplate taking steps to lend addi- ' tional interest to the game among those who play in the middle of the week. The suggestion is that inter-club contests, bo arranged, and I see no reason why this should, not be given effect to, as tho majority of the ; greens about Auckland are well patronised on Wednesdays, and the players would I feel sure welcome any feasible scheme in the direction indicated. At tho annual meeting of members ol the Mount Eden Club the green superintendent, Mr. S.-'G. Burns, promised players one of the most enjoyable seasons ever experienced on tho suburban green, and with pardonable pride said that at no time since he had held office as superintendent had turf and surroundings generally been in better order. I had a look over tho green a day or two afterwards, and came to the conclusion that Mr. Burns was quite justified in making this statement; the green certainly never looked better than it does this season, thanks to the superintendent and caretaker (Mr. G. Williamson). Tho club . has already elected twelve new members, and I am told there are others already on the list awaiting election. •.The New South Wales Bowling Association has selected eight teams to take part, in an inter-State match with the New Zealand bowlers during the latter's Australian tour. . ' Mr. R. Rankin, of the Mount Eden Club, and one of tho Auckland members of the New Zealand touring contingent,"contemplates taking part in the singles championship of Australia, which is open to bowlers from any part of the world. Messrs. »*. 11. Mercer and G. Tutt, who played; em various English bowling greens ; during tlieir tour, are on their way back, and will, I hear, be in Auckland again in a few days. Messrs. Irvine and Stevenson, of Auckland, have presented the Mount Albert . Bowling Club with a gold badge for singles competitions, to bo known as the St. George Challenge Badge. The badge takes the from of the club's initials, mounted on a baton which are engraved the words St. George Challenge Badge. ' Ribbons in the club's colours, black and red, are attached. There will doubtless be keen competition for the possession of this handsome trophy among the members of the club. .j Mrs. Nicholson, wife of the president of the Mount Eden Club, has presented 1 the club with a set of challenge badges for competition in a fours match. The badges are of handsome design, taking the form of Prince of Wales' feathers (three in number), with a gold bowl as a centrepiece. The. president's good lady takes a lively interest in the clubs welfare, and needless to say, the announcement that she had donated the: badges was received ,with cheers by the members present, at the club's annual meeting. . ' At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Bowling Association Mr. F. J. Barlow, of Christchurch, was elected president for tho year. In tho matter of burnt heads an amendment was carried referring the whole matter to the executive to make full inquiries as to the English and Scottish custom in this matter, and that of the limit of rinks. The Hamilton Bowling Club open their green on the 17th inst. NEW ZEALAND BOWLERS AT HOME. Our London correspondent, writing on September 1, says:—The New Zealand rink's itinerary has been.marked by several new developments. Mr. James Ilorsburgli (formerly of Dunedin), a past president of tho New Zealand Bowling Association (at the time that Mr. G. Butts was hon. sec). is heartily takinc un the subieet of a ron-

j.i uvariviij iiuvuig iqi mo suujeci oi a rendezvous for bowlers on a visit to this country. So far as the New Zealand section of this now movement is concerned, Mr. Horsburgh states that it might well-como within tlie province of the New Zealand Association in London by putting' in touch therewith any known bowlers arriving from the colouy. Owing to absence from town, Mr. Horsburgh was unable to meet the Auckland rink when Messrs. Mercer and Tutt were here, but hi? has made arrangements for Mr. Lyons' reconstituted team to play over his own rinks, tho Bounds Green Club, when they will be opposed by a rink skipped by the redoubtable Mr. John Shaw, ono of the best-known and keenest players in tho kingdom. Mr. Lyons concludes his Scottish-Irish tour to-morrow. From crossing the border into Caledonia" to the end pf his itinerary in Ireland, he reports having been "treated like a king." Ho is looking forward to opening the renewed campaign on Monday, in far better fettle than ho was in during some of the previous games. Mr. W. 0. Upton, of Sydney, who usually plays third to Mr. John Young, president of the New South Wales Association, is at present making a tour of the London greens, and he offers to act as a substitute in the New Zealand rink in case of necessity. Mr. Lyons' is. however, desirous, if possible, of keeping his team entirely confined to the representatives of New Zealand. Mr. Upton appears to be the only Australian touring the London greens this season, while last season the Commonwealth was represented in a similar way by a single player, Mr. L. Alexander, president of the West Australian Bowling Association. New Zealand bowlers will doubtless learn with interest that in the event of the colony being represented here next year in anything like a similar way to this season there will be no difficulty in arranging a match, New Zealand versus Allcomers, tho latter being chosen from the players taking part in Dr. W. G. Grace's great single-handed tournament open to the world, which annually takes- place at the Crystal Palace in June. Tho palace green is a classic spot to the colony. There New Zealand, through Dingle, won the only bowling trophy that has ever crossed the sea l :, won at the fir«t tournament ever taken part ; in -by bowlers from England, .Scotland, Ireland, Wales, New Zealand, and Australia.' Auckland bowlers will note that it was greatly through the interest in the "rendezvous" idea on the part of one of their fellow-sportsmen that this new movement found consideration. • This was Mr. Albert Robins, of tho Mount Eden Club, who, though able through pressure of time to pay only a very few visits to the greens here, '.certainly laid the '"foundations of belief" of what should prove an ever-increasing object for tho good of the pastime, especially by a closer bond of bowling. union between the Englishman and the colonist. The Motherland team which has been-on tour in Canada for a month will leave on its return to England to-morrow. Of the 23 games played the invaders won 21,' while their points totalled 3663 to 2603,. <

"Tho Maori" was tiro horn de plume under '. which a competitor played in a great open Scottish tournament last week. In many of 3 these Caledonian contests the bowlers take J titles, some of which are exceedingly odd. , " The Maori, 1 ' whoso identity does not ap--5 pear to have been .disclosed, went well to l near the finish, and his play excited the i, greater interest from the fact of the success 3 of the Auckland' rink. The only New Zeai land bowler known to have been in Scotland > at the, time was Mr. Lyons. '.' -•' In (he event of any New Zealand bowlers } arriving here during the winter they will 1 have an opportunity of playing over a novel innovation —tho rink of the Crystal Palace * Indoor Bowling Club: and they will cer--1 tainly find the "green'"' a perfect substitute <■ for a keen, true ground. •