BOWLING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20156, 21 July 1927, Page 5

BOWLING.

By Jack. One of the greatest worries of club committees generally is the difficulty in running club ties so that too many games are not left to the end of the season, and. incidentally, so that there are no grievances among the players. 1 ostponoments as a rule are the cause ot most or the trouble, and in some cases it might almost be said, too much latitude is allowed players in the direction ot arranging dates for games. The difficulty is one that has caused the Roslyn Club some concern, and at the annual meeting on Monday night the question was attached with vigour. Various proposals were discussed from all angles, and eventually the meeting came to the following decision:“That the committee be empowered to tix the date by which each round of club ties shall be played. Any player or players who do not complete games before that date shall be struck off unless reasonable excuse can bo furnished to the committee.” Consideration was also given to the question of substitutes, one memberremarking that there was “more fighting over substitutes than enough. A suggestion that the committee should appoint substitutes met with the entire approval of members. Bowlers generally will regret that the lloslyn Club is experiencing difficulty in making ends meet —that is, as far as the club’s finances are concerned, but according to indications at the annual meeting on Monday night the next 12 months should bring about a substantial improvement. It was mentioned that the retiring president had a scheme in view which, if carried out, would place the club s finances on a sounder footing. It is very strange how little attention is given to singles umpiring, which is usually most carelessly undertaken. Many a good match is lost through bad umpiring, and yet there is usually so httlo thought given to it that the first man seen on the bank doing nothing is asked to umpire. It is considered bad form to object to an umpire, and yet the position is so important, or ought to be, that .no competitor should ask a man to umpire without first consulting his opponent, just the same as ho would if uu arbitrator "ere being appointed. Manv a man is utterly unsuitable for the job, and yet a competitor who knows this, and could easily find a competent umpire, has to acquiesce in the appointment rather than make a fuss. There arc no rules defining the duties ot a singles umpire, and the only duty absolutely agreed upon is that he has to straighten the jack. All the rest is pot luck. Some keep the score card, and also chalk the score on the board, while others do neither. Some pick up the mat, while others leave it to the competitors. Some indicate the position after every head, while others neither do this nor give the score when the head is finished. And His on this point that most of the damage is done, for it really does not matter very much who picks up the mat or keeps the score, although it is difficult to say why in singles there should be any exceptions to the rule requiring the last player to pick up the mat. But in the matter of indicating the score, there is all the difference in the world. In the first place the umpire should bo a reasonably good judge as to which bowl is shot, aun iu tho second place he should at once give that information to tho competitors. It is idlo to say ho should wait till ho is asked, for both competitors want it, and they should not have to ask for it at all 'any more than a skip should have to ask if ho has drawn the shot, when his third starts off to give mm a lot of directions before he oven knows whether ho is up or down. The first duty of a third when his skip plays is to indicate the result of tho play, and not to give directions. The latter may bo gnen if asked for. But in singles no direction may be given by tho umpire. Information, however, ho may give at once, even if not asked for. Tho first essential is which is shot. Other points are a matter ot opinion, but there can hardly bo two opinions on such an obvious duty as indicating how far a bowl is in front of tho jack when it is hiding it, for neither competitor would dream of playing until he knows. Such matters as to whether a bowl is jack-high, how far behind tho jack, whether it is touching another bowl, and similar queries are better not given until asked for. Reverting to the important noint as to who is shot, last season a very fine match was lost through an umpire 'indicating four up, when it was only two ud The opponent naturally drew to save, when he thought he was four down, and wasted his last bowl in drawing third shot, when he already .lay. third. The obvious duty of the umpire is to indicate the position when he is absolutely certain. When he is not sure he should always give it a measure and throw the responsibility on the compi titors themselves. As regards the methed of indicating the score, there is no necessity to be constantly calling out, for no system is equal to the manner that is customary amongst bowlers—holding fingers up or down, and indicating it for the last player, and not under any circumstances for the one who is on the mat. By this way there is no confusion whatever, for even new players drop to it after a few- heads, while old players ought to know it by this time. .. , . Two important remedies arc obvious In all club singles the competitors should first agree on the umpire, and not allow it to be understood that cither one of them can call in any man he cares to ask, while in the champion of champions the management should call in only competent umpires. ... - ~ I quite agree with the writer or the above that no person should be asked to umpire who is not thoroughly competent to do so. I also agree that it is the umpire’s duty to straighten the jack. But with the contention that the umpire should at once-indicate which is the “shot” bow-I without being asked to do so I totally disagree. I think that the umpire should give no information whatever in regard to a head until requested by one of tho players to do eo —he should merely answer questions. A shrewd singles player will keep himself well posted with everything he wishes to know about a head, and if he is in doubt about anything he will examine the head for himself. A game of singles not only calls for skill in bowline, but the player who is going to achieve any measure of success must have a “headpiece.” Any deficiency in respect of the latter should not be supplied by tho umpire. With regard to the statement that “it is the obvious duty of the umpire to indicate the position when he is absolutely certain, but when he is not sure he should always give it a measure and throw the responsibility on the players themselves,” if the writer means that the umpire should measure the bowls before the head is completed, I think he will find few to agree with him. I am quite confident that no head should be measured until the last bowl has been played. Mr E. B. Tenuent’s lecture on bowling greens on Monday night was a most valuable contribution to the knowledge of bowlers. The lecturer knew his audience and put himself in a strong position when he started out by remarking that he admitted at once that every bowling club possessed many experts on tho make-up and upkeep of bowling greens. “Do not use fertilisers in your top-dressing this season,” was one piece of advice tendered by Mr Tenncnt to bis audience, and it made some of them gasp. “The reason I make that statement is on account of bowlers not recognising the fact that the chief grasses growing on bowling greens have a low-fertility standard, and the tendency on all greens is to over-fertilise, and so get away from the standard of fertility necessary for tho successful growing of brown top and Chewing’s fescue.” There arc 34 clubs affiliated to the Canterbury Bowling Centre, with a membership of 1562 —an increase of 86 over last year. The St. Albans Club, with 104, has the highest membership; then follow Canterbury with 94, Edgeware 84, Sydenham 83, Christchurch 80, and so on. The Christchurch Bowling Centro is being invited to establish an entertainment fund. Notice of motion has been given by Mr 11. B. Oakey as follows: “That for a period of three years a sum of one shilling he levied on all members of clubs aflilatcd to the Christchurch Centre, the money to bo used for (he purpose of entertaining visiting bowling teams and the special levy to be collected by the chibs and remitted to tho treasurer of the centre.”