BOWLING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19019, 15 November 1923, Page 4

BOWLING.

By Jack.

Ideal weather and the greens in their very finest condition gave bowlers an opportunity to give of their best on Saturday, and when failure was their portion they could only attribute it to one of two causes —their own faulty play or the superiority of their opponents. Dunedin lias not started too promisingly this season, having scored one point onlyout of a possible four in the two matches played. It is herd to account for Dunedin’s comparative failure, for although the club is playing six sections, it still has a much bigger reserve of players than any other olub taking part in the competition. I am quite sure that the results to date are ■ not a true indication of Dunedin’s real srength. Against North-Dust Valley, Dunedin won three sections and lost one, and went down to Kaikocai in two sections. Bentley and Tonkin had a keen fight for supremacy, victory going to the Dunedin skip by live points. The scoring was higher t](inn it should have been under such favourable conditions, a total of 49 points being registered. Strang (N.E.V.) fell a fairly easy victim to Gillies (Dunedin), the latter scoring 26 points to the Valley skip’s 12. Thomson (Dunedin) had a runaway win against Sneeston, the scores being 35 to 16, in the Dunedin rink’s favour. In the second section Dunedin monopolised the scoring, the totals being: Dunedin 87, Valley 43. Bardsley’s men were in, scoring vein, and totalled 31 to Rhodes's 16. The game between Dow (Dunedin) and Lawson (N.E.V.) was onesided the former winning by 54 to 9, but Black (Dunedin) and Easton (N.E.V.) had a, keen fight, the former winning by- a margin' of fou- points. The third section totals were much closer, Dunedin winning by 69 to 61. Rigby (N.E.V.) defeated MT’nddcn bv 24 to 19 and ,T. Hutchison and Dryden played a drawn game—2o points each;" but Rawlinson Rimed the scale in Dunedin’s 'avour by defeating Dunn by 30 to 17. North-East were more successful in he fourth section, winning by 60 to si. 'he play was much keener in this section, and the scoring " was comparatively low Robertson (N.E.V.) Nelson by 22 to 14, Owen aM Hogg finished with honours ■asy—l9 points each, and. Muir (N.E.V.) beat Harrawav by 19 to 18. ‘ . Against Kaikqrai Dunedin crashed heavily in one section, the former winning by .81 to 42. The Dunedin players went down in each rink. Tyrrell defeating Stewart by 23 to 14. Lindsay defeating Pietcrsen by 26 to island Weir scoring 32 to Neill’s 13, . Clair added another two points to its total, winning in each of the four sections—two against. Green Island and - two against Otago. In the first section against Green Island St. Clair got home by the narrow margin of one point, and in tn» second section finished with 10 points r» spare, Piddington’s defeat of Sloan by 24 *[> 12,.being the" deciding factor. In the St. Ciair-Otago match. only three points separated the players in the first section, which was won by Dunedin, but the second section, went.!to. St. Clair by 16 points. Lock (St. Clair) scored 31 to Crawford’s 16. Caledonian Club has done well to dale having won 10 sections out of 10. Caledonian has already won the infor-club banner for iour years in succession, and it is evident, that it is still able to place a powerful combination on the green. It must not lie forgotten that the opposition up to the present hoe Heen comparatively ■ weak, hut in the majority of instances Caledonian has. won in tho most convincing fashion. Against Cavorsham the Caledonian section won by 66 to 49, Emslie (Caledonian) defeating Brown by 23 to IS, and Tillie defeating Blackwood by 25 to 14. while Isaac lost to Mitchell by two points. Against Balmacewen Caledonian amassed some big totals, one section winning by 80 points to 37. On the Balmacewcn green Dcy scored 36 to F. Jones’s 13, Hutchison 20 to Glover’s 13, and Smith 24 to , Ferguson’s 11, - In the other section ion the: Balmacewen green, which by the way Was in splendid order, the total was much closer—62 to 57 in Caledonian’s favour. ■ Wright (Balmacewen) and hl» men were, in good form, om! ran up a total of 29 against M'Donald, whose response amounted to 14 points. Honoyman and Anderson, the two remaining Caledonian skips, however, each finished with a margin of 1C points to his credit, and thus. Nullified Wrjglit’s fine effort. Kaituua. after failing badly in the opening match, struck form on Saturday, winning one each, of the four sections —one against: Outrun; otic against Kaikorni, and two against Port Chalmers. All the Outrarn rinks failed badly, Moir (Kaitunnl winning by 26 to 16. Hallignn 24 to 16, and Stevenson 27 to 15. Against Kaikorai Shepherd (Kaituna) was the highest scorer, 32 against MastertonV 17, while Shortt totalled 25 against Heenan’s 16. Roslyn Club, through various causes, principally the loss of players who have left Dunedin, is much weaker this season, and on Saturday went down rather easily to Si. .Kikla, . St. Kilda also defeated Anderson’s Bay in one section, and thus won in alh.four sections. Fairfield, though only playing one section, can always bo relied on to put, up a stiff fight. Fairfield met Cavorsham on Saturday, and a ding-dong contest resulted in . which the former got home by two points. Mornington and Taieri met in three sections, and tho latter secured the coveted two points, but there was very little difference between the two teams on the day’s play. The following is the result of Saturday’s inter-club matches with the total points scored to date Banner

The four-rink championship competition will ]-,o started on Saturday. In previous seasons this competition has been played in the evening, and so it remains to be seen whether the innovation will work satisfactorily. The Dunedin .Club is the latest to admit lady members. They will bo allowed to use the club's small green on each day of the week except Saturday. Mr D. Scolt. tbe well-known member of the Caledonian Club, who has been on a holiday visit to the Old Country, is d ie to arrive in Dunedin in a few days. He left Sydney for Auckland by the Ulimarou on Saturday. When is a‘‘ skip? asks “Number 5,” the writer of howling notes in the Dominion. It is rather a mystic .process by which a howler becomes a skip. Initially ho must ho a pretty good man, with a variety of shots, but there are any number of such players on every green, many of whom never become acknowledged skips. I have come to the conclusion that a skip becomes such by good play, plus a more or less aggressive character, am! a penchant for orders. To he successful he must not only be a good all-round player and a. free talker, but be must be quick to lake in the lay of the head, take in the danger points on each hand, and appreciate chances of bringing off a bag. The skip who does not worry much about such things and from whom it is difficult to extract an instruction, should not accept the job. lie is a nuisance to his rink, who want to play a keen game. The skip must also be ready when playing his own howl to give due consideration to the advice of his No. 3, if the head is altered after the skips change ends. Some skips I know seem p;«rposelv to ignore the advice of their No. 3. That is the style of skip whom few wish to piny with. The styles and mannerisms of the Australian howlers in England have evidently created much amusement among “the old folks at Home" (writes “Blue Disc” in the Sydney Daily Telegraph). One writer, after describing the Australians as the bowlers from the backwoods, goes on to say: “These visitor? are very melodramatic people, and especially the skippers. The wave and sweep of the hand to indicate the course which should be taken hv the next attempt is an exquisite and artistic little performance. I am sure it must inspire the players, who watch with pathetic interest, and then, setting their teeth, and sometimes twitching their moustaches, throw, roll, push, or drop ihe hall according to their individual styles. I think the soul of a good bowler must be temporarily transferred to the ‘wood.’ Their whole being is centred in it. They stand transfixed, not infrequently in a Pavlova attitude, on one leg—almost one toe—with

the other stretched out and the arms in graceful postures. It was amazing that there was no applause for some of these delightful effects. It has been said that bowls is a dull game, but wi.fh such artists performing it was anything but that. There were some who darted with sprightly steps after the wood, and then crouched down in a froggie posture to wu(c» the result. Others gambolled after it. and others seemed to be coaxing it to go on. One gentleman advanced a few steps, and then stood in a dignified statuesque pose, leaning a little forward, his hands clasped behind him, irV both ‘thumbs up.’ Alost of tho players have their mannerisms. Some men go through a sort of physical jerks movement as thev follow the wood. I saw one player actually suck his thumb— an involuntary reaction to the cradle ago. of which he was quite unconscious. Auoiher held out his hand, as if imploring alms, until the wood reached its destiny. Few men would care to be ‘filmed’ when playing bowls. I fancy.”

f'iilfflnnian Wins. Loppps. * Points. u Points. 4 FoirfioM ... 1 0 3 4 Kiiiknrai ... If 1 3 4 St. Clnir ... 4 0 *1 4 St. Kilila ... 4 (1 2 4 Wont Harbour ... 2 1) U 4 Ealmncf’ won ... U 4 0 o Cnvorsliain ... 1 •J 0 o Knitunn ... 4 0 7 0 1.1 orningloi. ... 1 2 0 2 Outvnm ... 0 0 o Tniori ... 2 1 2 2 Andr-rwin’s Bny 0 *J 0 i Dunedin ... S ft • 1 Croon Wand ... 0 •J 0 1 N.F. Tailor ... T .1 0 0 Otago ... 0 4 0 0 Port Chclmors ... 0 •J n 0 Hoslyn ... 0 a 0 0