BOWLING NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19633, 11 May 1927, Page 16

BOWLING NOTES.

CHANGE OF THE SEASONS.

FINALISING COMPETITIONS. COMMENTS ON THE RESULTS! i:y skip. The closing of some clubs last Saturday made a decided difference in th 3 number of enthusiasts who took part i:iv the game during the summer months. Although a fair quota of players were seeti 011 the various greens, the change-over to winter conditions has had a marked effect. Several clubs are still continuing under the summer regime, but each succeeding Saturday, will seo them drop out and reopen under off-season rules. The various winter sports, especially football, claim a good percentage of bowlers as onlookers. Many keen trundlers keep up old associations with Rugby football with surprising regularity. Most, clubs arc now concluding the club competitions, of which full-rink and pairs form the principal games, since the champion singles was finished in March. Winners of Club Fours. The percentage system is now universally employed in finding the club foui champions of the season. Dominion Road, the pioneer club of the percentage system, has its winner in W. Denison. He and his team had a big win over the consistent Gifford. Apparently one team played well, while the other was overcome by the importance of the occasion, and could not reproduce the good efforts which had carried it so far. The winner is now one of the club s foremost players and is not new to honours in club competitions, having previously won this event and captured the championship in 1925. Somerville is Ponsonby's winner by virtue of his success over Conway iri the final. He played in Parsons' team, which won the Dominion rinks event in 1923. Conway deserves his success as runner-up, as he is one of the stalwarts of the Ponsonby Club. Obviating a Final.

Auckland has a system of lours run on the aggregate wins and points basis. A final is, tlierefore, not necessary. H. G. McC'rea was the winning skip, with P. JVioir second. The Auckland Club strongly favours its system. The elimination ol the final game, which has generally to be played on unfavourable.greens, is a strong point in its favour. The Ell'erslie Club last season reverted to the old style ot club fours with set teams for the season. The competition had tlio usual run of substitutes, which is a big factor against it nowadays. Strange to say, the player who was most prominent in advocating; the system emerged as the winner. The final on Saturday resulted in a runaway victory for J. Taylor, who defeated Wood by 33 to 8. The winning skip is one of the suburban club s most successful members. By reason of his having played in most of the towns from the Bluff to Auckland, ho has had more than the ordinary share of experi-

ence. ~, , , , The final at West End will be played next Saturday between I. Clarke and the ex-Dunedin and Roslyn club player, R. H. Scott. The semi-final games resulted in close contests. Scott won from Bremner on an extra head. Ivirkham made up considerable leeway in the concluding stages against Clarke, but was defeated. Wrightson emerged from the host of Carlton skips as the winner of the percentage fours. He is not altogether unknown to local tournament players. Hitherto his best work has been in No. 3 position, associated with G. Hosking as skip. Auckland Club's Anzac Cup. A very stern contest was seen in the meeting of Walker and Scantlebury to decide the possession of the Auckland Club's Anzac Cup. The former held the trophy from the previous year, and had only to win it again to make it his property. However, as he stayed the hand of his present opponent the previous year and so prevented him from annexing the cup, so did Scantlebury block Walker S progress on this occasion. Ihe two games were keenly, fought and were won by margins of only two points and one point respectively. Good drawing and accurate cutting-out shots were tho chief characteristics of the two games. In the last game, although the green was running fairly freely, there was not one deadhead. The event is a handicap. Scantlebury was one point behind, while Walker was three points behind. Twenty-one points up were played instead of heads. It took 29 heads to finish the deciding game. . Tho winner is also in the final of the Jubiifee Cup, with one life as against Muston's two lives. Considering that he was runner-up to Walker for the championship this season and skip of the runnerup team of the last Christmas centre tournament, Scantlebury can well be reckoned to have had a very success!ul year. Prominent Bowlers' Deaths.

Feeling reference must bo made to t-ie deaths, within a very short space of tune of each other, of two very respected Dominion Road club players in Messrs. W. Simmonds and E. Allsopp. Ihe former will bo greatlv missed on account or rns cheerful disposition. The latter was wellknown throughout the province as a player. Possessed of a cheery and happy disposition, he was popular both on and off the green. He had some success, too. as a bowler, as he carried off the club championship on a number of occasions. . , , . The mid-week Denison pins matches were revived last Wednesday and the challenders. West End, in ch&ige of 1. Clarke defeated the holders, Carlton, skipped by G. Hosking, by a good marBt To°div >1 Itbetbe holders will be opposed by the donor of the trophies, who brings with him the same team with which, he won the final of the percentage fours at Dominion Road last Saturday. Tournament players will look forward tn June 3. when a number of tournaments will be held. So far T have heard of the following clubs taking parttllerslie. Mount. Albert, Rocky Nook, Grey Lynn. Dominion Road and Devonport The Edwin stars' matches will resume on Saturday when Fraser's Mount Eden team will journey to Epsom to play the holders, in charge of do Launay.