BOWLING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21264, 19 February 1931, Page 5

BOWLING

By Jack. FIXTURES. 3)tago ▼. Southland. —February 28. Otago v. Canterbury.—March 5. Otago v. South Otago.—March 7. Dunedin Centre’s Easter tourney. A collection will be taken up on all greens on February 21 for the Earthquake Fund. All moneys collected to be paid in to the centre secretary. The president of the Dunedin Club asks me to 'state that with reference to the letter last week regarding the club’s defaulted section to the North-East Valley on January 31, his selectors first approached the Caledonian Club and suggested that instead of playing the usual three rinks to each of the three sections, two rinks only be played, as the Dunedin Club was short of players. The Caledonians, however, preferred to play the usual three rinks to each section, as it did not wish to see several of its players not getting a game. The Dunedin Club thereupon agreed to play the three full sections, and with the consent of the Valley Club made an arrangement to default one. section to that club, so that Dunedin would be enabled to play the full number against Caledonian. On the Friday night, just previous to _ the match, the Caledonian Club found it could not get one section filled up with the three rinks, and asked Dunedin to agree to two rinks in that particular section, which it did. The Caledonian Club was, therefore, first to be considered in the matter, and it was only after an agreement had been reached with it that the Dunedin Club fixed up with the Valley: The Dunedin Club is quite sure that no Caledonian member wrote the letter referred to, as that club knew the position. It may be a good idea to ballot out the section by the centre in order to prevent any possible chance of the shield being -practically presented to a club in a leading position, and the loophole is there, but every club would rather strain every effort to play a club with a winning chance rather than give it points by defaulting. The Dunedin Club always endeavours, in case of default, to make any arrangement as equitable as possible among the clubs it plays on the particular day, so that no appearance of favouritism may be laid at its door. BALMACEWEN SINGLES. The Balmacewen Club’s Singles Championship has been reduced to four players (all one-lifers)—F. Lambeth, A. Macdonald, J. Buchan, and T. Ferguson. Ferguson plays Buchan, and Macdonald meets the winner. Lambeth has the bye, and goes into the final. REPRESENTATIVE GAMES. Secretaries of bowling clubs are reminded that the names of those players in their club who are available, it selected, for the match against Southland, to be played on the Dunedin Green onFebruary 28, should be sent to the secretary of the centre not later than Saturday, February 21. The names of players available for the matches against Canterbury and South. Otago should bo sent in by Thursday, February 26. ELDERLY BOWLERS’ DAY. There is probably no more enjoyable fixture in the Dunedin Centre than Elderly Bowlers’ Day, and it was particularly unfortunate for the veterans that the weather conditions on Saturday were such as to prevent the annual game being indulged in. The heavy ram on Thursday and Friday last rendered the Dunedin green unfit for play. A large number of “old-timers” had turned out in anticipation of a game, but, denied of this, they spent the afternoon in friendly intercourse, many old battles being refought, as evidence of which the floor of the pavilion, which was liberally marked with chalk, bore testimony. _ The president of the club (Mr A. J. Sullivan) cordially welcomed the visitors, and later „ in the afternoon tea was <bspensed by the ladies. Among those present was Mr Hector Mercer, the pi°ueer of Elderly Bowlers’ Day, which he instituted 17 years ago. The warmth or the welcome extended to Mr Mcrcer wa proof of the esteem in which he is held, not only by members of the Dunedin Club, but by bowlers in general. FOUR-RINK CHAMPIONSHIP. The four-rink championship has now * entered its final stage. . By defeating Kaituna on Monday _ evening Dunedin be comes the winner of section B. and Otago will play off this evening m the final of section B, the game being played on the Caledonian Club s green.1 A keen and close contest was expected between Dunedin* and Kaituna, but as it turned put, Dunedin quickly estab lisbed a commanding lead, and thereafter was never seriousty threatened. In the game between E. Harra^gy (DO and I. Sanders (K.). the former opened the scoring with a brace on the first head. Sanders notched a single on the second, Dunedin responding with a three, two, and three, t 9. lead by 10—1 on the fifth head. Kaituna secured a couple on the sixth head, Dunedin replying with a four on the seventh, ihe Kaituna men were quite outdafiscd.H raway eventually winning by 24 to 12. Kaituna’s score was made up of eight Slll^he 3 bMt-contested game, of the match was that between T. Halhgan (K.) and J D. Smith (DO- Very D P f the separated the rmks at any stage of the came On the eleventh head the scores were 14—12 in favour of Halhgan, and by the time the fifteenth head was comthe Kti‘7*»“ 5 ‘“ d^Slh= SS t he\ d n.f.tSted% I.Mdi» 1 .Mdi» rented w tn tie Smith and his men drew four close shots, but Halligan, with a fast shot broke up the head, ’Dunedin securing d between Nelson (D.) and Pnrmai’k (K) was closely contested for the first half, the score when 10 heads had been completed being 13 all. Duned n at this stage spurted and led by ll on the thirteenth head, and, keeping up the pace, finished with a margin of nine points to the good 29 20. P Deare’s rink raced away with a big lead against Shepherd (K.) in the ear > stages, and led by 15 to 3 with nine beads ■nlaved. Shepherd scored a single on the first, third, and seventh beads, Deares response being a single, three, three, fou , two and two. The Kaituna men made a much better showing in the l a * te r stages of the game, but Deare fimshedwitfi the substantial margin of 22 to 12 in his favour. A NEW RECORD. Australia has set up a new record in bowls. In a recent game a bowler drove, killed the head, scattering the bowls to such an-extent that one ran. into the next rink and drove the kitty out. He thus killed two heads with one shot. INDOOR GREEN IN AUCKLAND. A well-known outdoor bowler, struck with the possibilities of the indoor game, has decided to open a permanent indoor bowling green right in the heart of Auck land (says the Star). The contract has been let for laying down a perfect floor. The building will accommodate nine rniKb, and still have ample room for spectators, who will find raised seating accommodation arranged for them around the playing area. . It is hoped to have the green ready for play within the next three weeks. The green will be open day as well as night, and on wet days should be popular with green bowlers. BOWLING IN OLYMPIC GAMES. As the biggest organisation in amateur sport, it is natural that bowls should take its place in the Olympic Gaines (for the first time) to be held at Los Angeles, California, in 1932. There will be an international rink championship, six rinks a-side, for a cup valued at £2OO and 24 gold medals. Second, a cup valued at £BO and 24 silver medals. Singles cnamnionships will be the outstanding feature of the big Games in the future, for the championship of the world, and no doubt every country will send its representatives to bid for the honour. AND THE BIRDS LAUGHED. “To the scoffer there was a fitting close to recent bowling matches on the South Brisbane Club’s green,” says an Australian paper. “Teams, each lb strong, representative w the Darling Downs, Wide" Bay, the South Coast, and Central Queensland, met in the morning and again in the afternoon, and witli darkess fast coming on eight men on one portion of the big green were still striving for victory. Suddenly in the gloom

the laugh of a kookaburra was heard, and the bird was noticed sitting on the arm of the flagpole. A few seconds later he was joined by another and both laughed long and loudly, presumably at the spectacle of serous-minded men concentrating all their thoughts and energies on persuading what seemed to be big dark-coloured marbles to crush a little white one. No wonder bowlers speedily packed up and went home. The fact that they had played the last of the scheduled 25 ends was, of course, merely an excuse for leaving the green.” GREENKEEPING RESEARCH. The council of the Dominion Bowling Association has had a lot of correspondence in connection with the proposed establishment of a board of greenkeeping research. It decided that as several centres had greens’ advisory committees operating satisfactorily, the council had no recommendation to make. It is, however, a matter which might well be kept in mind, as such work could undoubtedly be conducted by the head organisation at less expense than by each centre or clubs working independently. BOWLS ON SUNDAY. The playing of bowls on Sunday was briefly discussed at a meeting of the Christchurch Bowling Centre, and it was disclosed that while there are circumstances in which no exception can be taken to such procedure, there are others which make the matter one for serious consideration. The Springfield Cmn applied for permission to hold a rink tournament on Sunday, March 8, and a motion was promptly moved and seconded that permission should be granted. Objection was taken that the granting of permission for a tournament on Sunday opened up the whole question of Sunday play. The delegates from the New Brighton and the Heatheote Clubs which indulge in Sunday play, submitted that clubs were within their rights to make their own rules on the subject. This was not contested, and as the Springfield Club s application for affiliation to the Cent has not yet been granted, it was decided to ask the club to renew its _ application when it received advice that it had been affiliated with the Centre If it does not receive such advice before the date of the tournament “it can do what it likes.” AUSTRALIAN CARNIVAL. The council of the Dominion Bowling Association lias received a cordial invitation for a fully-representative Party ot New Zealand bowlers to_ take part in the Australian bowling carnival to be held m Brisbane Queensland, commencing on August 24. The invitation has been accepted, and it is intended that the party should leave New Zealand in time to arrive in Brisbane a day or two before the commencement of the carnival, spending about a fortnight in QueenslandI and three weeks in New South Wales Y toria. The secretaries of the various centres are asked to inform dubs and to send forward names of members desirous of joining the party to the secretary, Mr George Gladding, of Auckland, by the end of May. The carnival at Brisbane will be opened on August 24, and entries close on July 11.