ON THE BOWLING GREENS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7026, 14 January 1910, Page 7

ON THE BOWLING GREENS

The devotees of Sir Walter Raleigh s, game were fortunate in having a,' fine day yesterday, and tho greens wore all well attended. Lookers on in this fascinating* pastime arc not considered to see- most of tho game, but they ce-i----tainly see most of the, humour of it. There is the deadly-in-eannest bowler, wta picks up;: tho wood on sphere as if it were some precious stone and polishes it assiduously till, it is his turn to bowl. At last! Ho carefully balances the bowl and finally sends it revolving along tho green, {Walking ■sedately after it as though to-give .it courage. Then there is the jovial bowler. Ho waits till it is his pturn and then grabs frantically • at any and every bowl in reach. A few 1 directions from the skip, and; our gonial friend Sends his contribution along merrily, and waltzes estjatjcally after it with arms wa-ving ancjl cheeks aglow with pleasure and sunburn. He scorns a hat, or, if he does happen to woar it, the baok ,of the hetvd. is its resting place. Tho, attitudes,! of tho individual members jrf tho rmk jwhen a particularly good or had shot |bakes place are decidedly interesting, and ono player would frequently ejaculate "tho 'ope" which, on inquiry, was found to mean the shot- was: "the hope of tho side." Respectable, ' middleaged men are for tho time transformed into sunburnt sports, and what good sports they are. Even when they art, playing a losing game they smile. In fact half tho charm of the bowler is his smile. It is infectious and, like noxious weeds, it spreads. The full beauty of it must he seen to bs'appreciated. It is not an ordinary smile; far from it. The bowlei-'s,,smile is 'Christm-asy—a sort of peace-on-earth (good-will-towards - bowlers - and-their-ifriends smile. One wonders -if the smiles lasts, or if it is only the influence of tha green which induces it. How .splendid ; to have a roan'about (tho houso who has such a benign expression ! But, 'alas, that is much to expect, i. ' ■ . .. Yesterday, too, the ladies.: were 'bowling on' the . Kelburae jgreen. Though only a friendly same it was apparent that they took ; their pleasure a great deal 'more seriously, to judge by their faces. • _ ' ' , Afternoon tea was provided.' at all the greens, and bowlers and ; their friends were duly grateful;- for it. (Stondrng, or sitting, looking;,ott is dry -work, but playing in the sun is.! dryer, and tho tea and dainty ca'kes provided were very refreshinc It is ardently toped by all that' the finer weather now timidly making its appearance will continue until the tournament is over. '''.■ i '