BOWLING TOURNAMENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19377, 12 July 1926, Page 12

BOWLING TOURNAMENTS

ARRANGEMENT OF DATES. SOUTH AUCKLAND DECISION. CENTRE'S CLAIM TO PREFERENCE. Mr. R. Pilkington, a member of the council of the Dominion Bowling Association, writes " I see by a report published in Tuesday's Herald that a certain club and bowlers have taken strong exception to the action of the South Auckland Centre in moving that the centre's tournament be held on holiday dates, Easter for preference. In my opinion the council has in the past allowed too much latitude to individual clubs in this respect, and it has savoured of the clubs running the centre, instead of the centre running the clubs. " There can be no doubt that the council has been dilatory in not tackling sooner this important question, such as the >nallocation of dates granted to clubs within its jurisdiction. To my mind, the South Auckland Centre in the past has not been the progressive body it should have been and" has not adopted those progressive ideas with which to bring its council into line with' the rest of the centre councils throughout New Zealand. " One can only assume that, if it had, Cambridge or any other club would not have been granted permission to iun tournaments on holiday dates for so Ici'g a period. Every bowler who has the welfare of his centre at heart will readily admit that the tournament controlled by the centre should be paramount' to anything else, and without doubt should have preference of dates to enable the controlling body to make the pennant tournament the premier one played within its centre. "Centre First and Foremost." "Now that the allocation of tournament dates is in the melting pot, certain clubs will naturally feel aggrieved should their old dates which are granted annually by the centre be the ones chosen for the more important centre tournament. Why Surely all clubs and bowlers will agree that the centre's interest must be first and foremost .and that the slogan, 'Service before self,' is as much applicable to bowling as to anything else. The individual club may not approve, but what harm is done to that club if it has to forfeit its usual dates, so long as the centra is bestowing benefit on the remaining 30 odd clubs by holding the annual tournament on dates suitable for the rank ami file of every bowling club, rich and poor alike ? " What is wanted is that which will give the greatest benefit to the greater numbers and that which j will best serve the interests of the whole centre. Judging by the reports of certain speakers, dates are of no consequence toward the making of successful" tournaments. Could anything be wider of the mark than statements of such a nature? Pennant Tourney Chief Event. " If dates ar° of. nc consequence why are the individual clubs so much concerned, or why do they live in fear of the parent body using the dates they have been privileged to have in the past 1 Again, if dates do not add to the success of tournaments, why worry, but if they do spell success, as no doubt they do, why should one or two clubs be favoured at the expense of the batance of clubs in the centre'! > "Comparisons such as these can only tend to strengthen the opinion that the South Auckland Centre is to be congratulated and complimented by every club and every bowler and supported by all in their honest endeavour to do what is best for the centre as a whole, and make, the tournament what it really should be, ; the blue ribbon' of the year and the most important fixture, held within its boundary. "Clubs must not. think that there is any desire on the part of their centre officials other than to promote the welfare of bowling generally and make the pennant tournament the most important event of the season. For this reason the associa- | tion was formed and it is the council's duty to the clubs as-a whole to see that i same is carried out."