BOWLS Without BIAS

New Zealand Times, Volume LIV, Issue 12660, 21 January 1927, Page 9

BOWLS Without BIAS

Amongst the visitors to Wellington this week have been Mr Gostling, president of the Graeeville Howling Club, Brisbane, Queensland, and Mr Boland, of Cairns Bowling Club, Queensland. Mr Gostling, who is accompanied bv his wife, has completed a tour of the South Island .and Js now on his way through the North Island. - • • • * Captain Pearce, a representative of tlie Port of London, and a member of the Stratford Bowline Club, Sydney, and also of the Ancient Mariners 1 Bowling Combination, Sydney, has been visiting New Zealand. He has left Wellington for Sydney, via Auckland. Bowlers throughout Australia and New Zealand will regret to learn of the death of Tom Williams, the doyen of Australian bowlers, who passed away after a severe illness at the age of 57. He won the Australian singles championship in Adelaide, South Australia, four years ago, and followed this up by a great achievement in the Commonwealth event two years later. When the Ballarat Bowling Association was formed 30 years ago he became its first secretary, and held the office until his death. With a membership dating back 40 years, Mr A. P. Bedford is still one of the sturdiest bowlers of the City Bowling Club, Sydney, and has an interesting photograph of an 1882 bowling team. The players comprise Edward Fostery (for many years N.S. Wales Police Commissioner), A. P. Bedford, J. R. Street (father of the present Chief Justice, N.S.W.), and G. O'Malley Clarke, S.M. • • • » The sympathy of bowlers will go out to Mr C. E. Godber, well-known WeL lington bowleT, in the death of his brother, which occurred a few days ago. * o • * The genial, countenance of Captain Holdsworth will be missed on the Wellington green. He was one of the old school who derived considerable pleasure from his membership of the club, and was always interested in its welfare. Wellington representatives in the Dominion bowling tournament have not succeeded in bringing any great honours to the capital city this year. Last year Tom Gray’s rink had the rink championship almost in their grasp. Naylor, of Thorndon, who put up such a fine record in section play, had a hard spin in the next three rounds and went out, as did Doherty, of Kelhurn. Several of the*Wellington players who have been taking part m the Dominion bowlfhg tournament, returned to Wellington on Wednesday. e • • •: Tomorrow morning will see the oper> hig of a pleasant annual contest between four rinks from each of the Eastbourne and Lower Hutt clubs on Eaatbourno green. It is one of the particularly enjoyable games of the year, and is of a very sociable nature. • * * • There are other interesting games yet to be played on the other side of the harbour, one of which is the trio of matches between the Arthurs and Toms, in event which is a particularly interring one, and one in which mascots ire conspicuous There arc also the games for the stard to bo played.

r The Victoria rink, holding the Edwin feathers, survived the challenge from Seatoun, winning the game by a oqmfortable margin. It will take a strong rink to lift them. • • 4 • Hr C. Bary, of Wellington Club, ig ai S regent on a holiday trj?> to Rotorua. Lr_ H. A. Shepherd, Hataitai, returns n’om Rotorua ©eat week-end, ' «► * * a Mr J. 4. Doherty, Kelhurn, returned on Tuesday, and Mr T. Gray on Wednesday. The latter was well audbunied after his holiday. Wellington is not the only windy city on the map. The wind interfered considerably with the tournament play at times. • • * - * Doherty's rink had one of the most exciting fights of' the tournament. They had drawn on the 21st head and extra heads bad O; r» n’.ayed to decide the issue. The first extra head was in favour of Doherty when Truscott drove and killed the head. The second extra head swayed one way and then the other, and finally Doherty killed the head, as Truscott had a shot resting on the jack. Again the head was pla'yed, and after changing fortunes Doherty had a hard head to fight. The forehand was blocked, and there were two blocks on the backhand. Doherty partially opened the head with the first, and with his second tried to run the kitty out, but just failed, the Carlton team winning by one point. It is worth while recalling that the Carlton rink was the one which won the Auckland Centre championship the previous week. There is also the fact that the Carlton rink was playing on its own green, which gave it a big advantage over the Kelburn quartette.. « • * • A good many bowlers would like to follow the system on the Wellington tournament. When the section play is over, the winners of six games—if sixes go through—play pff on the sudden death principle. The losers go out and the sevens come in, another play off, and so on until the wins are the same. Then, bowsers think, the two-life system should {£gaih come in, as a good rink might go out on one game witn just a little bad luck. However, there it is, and no doubt some lessons have been learned with a view to improving the methods of running the annual tournament. The trouble is that a new council comes in every year, owing to the venue being changed. A Kelb urn rfnk, Forgie, <?aughley, Lomas and Stephenson, was still in the rink event when the rinks resumed on Wednesday. Good inek to them. . . m e The Bowlinp; Centre meets on Tuesday to select the eight rinks which will meet the Christchurch visitors in the Barnett tiki in Wellington on January 89th. The Marlborough Centre is sending a team to Wellington 0 n February lltli and 12th The next pennant games are on February sth. These ore the last notes whioh will appear in the “Times" under this heading. The writer has spent many pleaenut hours on the various greens amongst thq howlers, by whom he has always been cordially welcomed, and ha appreciates that fact, and also the courtesy of the officials of the clubs and centres in supplying information, which have given added pleasure.