THE NEW ZEALAND BOWLERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22357, 3 September 1934, Page 16

THE NEW ZEALAND BOWLERS

THEIR HOLIDAY TRAVELS (From Oub Own Correspondent.) LONDON, July 26. The four members of the Carlton Bowls Club, Auckland —Mr H. Grocott, Mr W. W. Dillicar, Mr G. G. Pollard and Mr G. H. Carter (skip)—who are in England on a holiday tour, have assembled in London preparatory to the Empire Games, in which they will constitute the Dominion rink. Mrs Grocott and Miss Grocott, Mrs and Miss Pollard, Mrs Carter and her son, are with the party. When they arrived in April by the Iluahine there was no chance for practice, for the greens were too heavy, and since then the difficulty has been the long drought, which has affected most of the greens everywhere and made them impossible for play. Paddington and Temple have been exceptions. The bowlers have had a very cordial welcome from Mr Snow (president of the English Bawling Association), Mr Hills (secretary), and all others whom they have met. They were present last Saturday at Crouch Hill for the County Championship finals. They will be among the guests of the E.B.A at a banquet, and at two receptions. They will be among the Empire Games contestants who will march past the King at Wembley when the Games open. But they look upon themselves merely as a tourist team and do not expect to compete very successfully against bowlers who have been playing in competitions during the season. They are now getting some practice outside London. The New Zealanders find, .from general inquiry, that the composition bowls are not so popular as the wood. Shortly after arriving here the entire party set out in three motor cars and did a 6000 miles tour of England, Wales and Scotland. They went by the South Coast, on through Devonshire and Cornwall to Land’s End, then journeyed through Wales, and thence north to John o’Groats. Mr Dillicar did not go so far north; he returned to London to make preparations for a Continental tour. With this exception the travellers continued by easy stages and returned to London by the east coast. They had a most delightful and unhurried travel round.

Mr Dillicar, with two friends, had a six weeks’ Continental tour, covering eight countries, including France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Germany (twice), Belgium and Holland. In Germany they found all the people happy, all working hard, and all contented, and they seemed to be 100 per cent, in favour of Hitler.

While Mr Dillicar was in Prague, the wonderful Olympiad was being held, 10,000 boys and 10,000 girls taking part, in the great stadium. The effect was splendid and thrilling. At night there was a procession through the streets, the Young Workers carrying coloured torches and banners, accompanied by 12 bands. This was one of the finest sights lie can recall.

The Passion Play at Oberainnicrgau he found very inspiring, although he, like so many others before him, had not been very keen to see it. The sincerity and simplicity of the players, the perfection of the staging and the way the whole performance was organised impressed him very much. From 8 a.m. to (i p.m., with a two-hour interval for luncheon, 5200 people sat in the theatre, absolutely entranced. Their comings and goings, too, were so well arranged—no crowding, no queues, no pressure —yet it took only a few' minutes for the vast audienceto assemble and be seated. THE SAME WAY HOME.

At the conclusion of their tour all the party will return to New Zealand by the Ruahinc, leaving on October 4. They had anticipated taking the Suez route, but they were so delighted with the Buahine, and their treatment on board during the voyage over, that they unanimously decided to go home by her. Mr Dillicar is on his fourth visit to the Old Country.