CROQUET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22710, 24 October 1935, Page 5

CROQUET

By Clips,

[Club secretaries and captains are invited to send in items of interest for insertion in this column. Inquiries relating to rules will be answered as far as possible. All correspondence must reach this office not later than Tuesday of each week.] COMING TOURNAMENTS November 12. —Wairarapa Championships (Masterton). November 26.—Hawke's Bay Championships (Hastings). December 26.—Canterbury Championships (Christchurch). January 7. —South Island Championships (Timaru). January 8. —North Island Championships (Hastings).» January 22. —New Zealand Championships (Palmerstou North). February 3.—South Auckland Tournament (Rotorua). February 4.—Southland Association Tournament (Invercargill). February 4.—Wellington Tournament (Wellington). February 11.—Manawatu Tournament (Palinerston North). February 18. —Otago Championships. February 20.—Wanganui Championships. February 24.—West Coast Championships. (Greymouth). February 25.—Southern Hawke's .Bay Championships (Dannevirke). February 27.—South Canterbury Tournament (Timaru). March 4.—New Zealand Gold and Silver Mallets (Christchurch). March 10. —Taranaki Championships (New Plymouth). March 19.—New Zealand Gold and Silver Medals (New Plymouth). CLUB OPENINGS OPOHO. Despite the showery weather on Saturday afternoon there was a large and representative gathering from sister clubs and members of Opoho Club and district when Mr Rosevear, president, opened the lawns for the season. In welcoming the visitors, Mr Rosevear said he was very pleased to see Mrs Dalgliesh, president of the Otago Croquet Association, present, and his own club members, and wished all a very happy season. Continuing, the speaker said that the lawns had received special attention since last season, but, with the dry winter, conditions were a bit backward. Mrs Dalgliesh conveyed the association's best wishes to the club for a successful season, and said Opoho had always been a strong supporter of the Otago Tournament, as well as interclub matches, and she asked for the same aupport this year. The club members had prepared a sumptuous afternoon tea, which was served in the sunporch of the kiosk, where a happy hour was snent in friendly chat. TAINUI. The weather was not very kind to the Tainui Club for its opening yesterday, but the popularity of the club was proved by the large attendance of friends who gathered at the lawns, between the showers. Mrs Hardwick, president, thanked the visitors for their attendance, and welcomed club members to the opening of another season. The members, she said, had been very busy during the winter with all kinds of money-mak-ing activities to'raise funds to lay down a new full-sized lawn, and it was gratifying to be able to say that a start had been made with that work. She then introduced the Mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox), who complimented the club on its progressive spirit, and wished the president and members a happy season. Mr D. C. Cameron, St. Kilda, endorsed the Mayor's kindly wishes, Mrs A. S. Dalgliesh, president of the 0.C.A., extended the association's good wishes for a successful season and congratulated the club members' on acquiring another lawn which, when *in use, would add still further to the pleasure of the game for tboso ladies in the district who bad mastered the art of the scientific game of croquet. The Mayoress (Mrs Cox) then played the first hoop,, and declared the season.open. Tea was handed round, and as the lawns were too damp for play, a pleasant social hour was spent. : INTERCLUB MATCHES. Club secretaries are reminded that entries for interclub matches close with th© secretary, Mrs J. M'Donald, on November 1. It will be necessary to stipulate distinctly what grades teams are to be entered in—i.e., senior, intermediate, or junior—and add the entry fee, 2s Cd per team. OTHER ACTIVITIES PUNGA. Frequently at the beginning of the season there is a little difficulty in getting play" going on the lawns. For the third year in succession Punga has started the season with a Doubles tournament, three events,, ''A" .Doubles, "B " Doubles, and' Combined Doubles. This year's tourney has been very successful, play being keen and enjoyable. No finals have yet been reached, but these will probably be completed by to-morrow. LEITH. With the same object in view, Leith Club is holding a one-day tourney on Labour Day. Already there is a goodly entry and members are looking forward to rivalry. There is nothinn like organised competition to make players keen, and such matches as these break players in for club and interclub games. LOGAN PARK. Gala days, too. are all in keeping with croquet clubs, and Logan Park members have arranged to hold a gala day at their lawns on November 7, when, in addition to competitions on their greens, competitions for cooking, needlework, etc., will be held. INTERCLUB MATCHES At the special meeting of delegates held on Monday there was a full attendance, and the question of the number of teams, and number in a team was again thrashed out. The motion before the meeting was " That there be three grades. Senior, four and under; intermediate, 4-J to 5£ inclusive; and junior, six and over, teams to consist of four players." An amendment was proposed that " There be two grades only, six in a team, senior 5 bisques and under, junior 5| bisques and over." Many and varied arguments were put forward in support of each proposal, the chairman particularly asking delegates to express their opinions and not wait till they got outside. On the motion being put, the voting was exactly even, the chairman giving the casting vote in favour of the proposal in the notice of motion. (This proposal was exactly the same as the president had brought forward, after careful consideration, at the annual meeting.) So there we Are, trying out another method. This is the fourth. There was little sense in the argument that three grades would not be successful, for since it has- not been tried out in Dunedin no one actually knows whether or not it will be successful. One thing sure, a try-out will soon prove which is the most suitable. Perhaps by the end of this season players will be more unanimous as to which is actually the best method for interclub. Then came the argument that the entries would be so large that there would be difficuty in fitting them in. A larger entry would be proof positive of the popularity of interclub matches, and, surely, an indication of progress in the game, for which purpose interclubs were instituted. Granted the drawing up 'of any schedule of matches is a task for the Match Committee—for which it deserves the thanks of the players—but there is really no feasible reason why it should wish to keep the entries down to the same number each -v-ar.-. Reading a Wellington report, the writer notes that the entries for interclub matches this season total 54, as against 33 last year. The committee acknowledges it will have difficulty in arranging the games, but there is a gladsome note in the acceptance of the entries and also the task of arranging them. Wellington has "A," Intermediate, " B," and half-team grades, and, withal, it produces many first-class players. So let us hope the narrowing of bisques in Dunedin for each grade will make our best players better still and our promising aspirants amongst the best next year. Some folk are evidently of the opinion that the question of teams, etc., should not have • been discussed in this column until it was finally settled. "Clips" is of a totally different opinion, as the column is run for the information of and to interest all players and supporters of the crarnc. So far as the writer is aware .neither the executive nor the association

had anything to hide in connection with the various proposals, so why be dumb? The fact of so many meetings being held only goes to prove that the matter was of importance to all players, from the most senior to the most junior. The question" of 'whether country delegates should vote or not i* answered by the standing orders of the association, which state that all delegates present at a meeting " must" vote. Whether this is wise or not " Clips" is not prepared to advise.