BOWL-TESTING

Otago Witness, Issue 2721, 9 May 1906, Page 54

BOWL-TESTING

The following correspondence has been received in reply to Mr Pater^on's letter, published last week: — Dear Rinker.— Very reluctantly I feel obliged to send you a reply to some of the statements made by your correspondent, IZ. • C. T. Paterson, ort the above subject. I am aware Mr Paterson was one of the strongest opponents to the green test when it was first advocated, and I am pleased to hear him confess now that this test is a very satisfactory one provided the conditions are suitable. He aLeo pays my machine a very fair compliment for its efficiency, but the compliment to myself while official bowl-tester is of a very different order when he says: — "It was apparent to anyone, both in the Dunedin tournament and at Oamaru, that a large number of players are still playing with narrow drawing bowls, notwithstanding these said bowls bear the mark of the N.Z.B.A. stamp.'" Not a word about any bowls bearing the Northern Bowling Association's stamp being narrow. " All the N.Z.8.A." Now this must clearly convey Mr Paterson's opinion that I have stamped many bowls which have not passed the test (for he aayfe tny machine is accurate). I don't like an insinuation of that sort, as I thought I was fairly painstaking in my work! And what does seem strange to me is the fact that neither at the Dunedin nor Oamaru tournaments was a single bowl challenged, although I feel certain there was a sufficient number of fault-finding players at both tournaments to do so were the evil so manifest as Mr Paterson makes out. An anyrate, as far as the Du££&a tauxDjiai£ttt vas concerned^ tlifii*

was an umpire appointed to each green whose duty is was to challenge any narrow bowls, but Mr Paterson doe 3 not hesitate to slight them as well as myself.

When Mr Paterson makes a definite statement of this sort he should be prepared with some proof as to how he knew the bowls stamped N.Z.B.A. were narrow. In case Mr Paterson should try to find excuse by saying that perhaps the test bowl supplied to me was narrow, my reply is that it was tested in "Wellington, and bore the Northern Bowling Association's stamp, and it may be news to many bowlers to hear that no proper test bowl has yet been supplied by the executive of the N.Z.B.A. (of which Mr Paterson is a member), the one used b3ing a makeshift only, pending the arrival of the proper test bowl from Home but of which there is no appearance.

As showing how far your correspondent has gone into the scientific subject of " bowltesting," he says he has come to the conclusion that in testing bowls it is not sufficient for the tester to simply take note of where a bowl finishes after leaving the machine, " but the whole course of the bowi should be noted." Quite so, Mr Paterson. This is about equal to asking a rifleman who allows, say, 10ft for windage, to note the course of the bullet to the target to show if his 10ft allowance was right. I fancy he would be content with noting where the bullet landed. For my own p?rt I don't care if the bowl in its coursa describes the figure 8, provided it reaches the sam» point as the test bowl, both being delivered in the same line of direction. If these two bowls had been made without bias they would hare each run in a straight line, therefore, if with bias they reach the same point away from that straight line, I venture to affirm that they take the same green be £hey high or low crown or any other shape. I will leave Mr Paterson at this, trusting that when next we hear from him on " bowltesting " he wi.l tell us whether he h%s sufficiently noted -the course of a bowl as to be ab!e to say if the curve is Elliptic or a. Parabola. — I am, etc., W. Daix.

Dear " Rinker," — At the conclusion of your last week's notes there appeared a letter over the signature of Mr C. T. Paterson, on bowltesting matters and also about a conversation he h«d had with Mr Ycung while in. Oarnaru. I sh«H take the paragraphs in the order they appear in his letter.

Mr Paterson begins by complaining about narrow drawing bowls, although they v bear the stamp of the New Zealand Bowling Association. Now, how does llr Paterson know that it is the fault of the machine or the mode of testing ? Did it not strike you that the bowl given to Mr Dall was rather a narrow drawing one, henc* it would follow that all bowls tested which drew as much as the test boyfrl would be stamped* When my own bowls wer« tested they drew 18in more than the test bowl, and I do not consider them big drawing bowls. Did Mt Paterson know that the.test bowl sup- - plied- to Mr Ball for testing purposes was one. of a set belonging im Mr Young? I am quite sure that the bowling public /will -bear "me out in sta-ting that llr 5. Young's bowla were not big -drawing oh« 3; rather the contrary. With respect ,to paragraph two, I wb-uld like MrVPaterson to call upon me personally, and I will, explain to him my method of bowl testing in every particular, which, I think, will prove satisfactory. Paragraph three calls- for very ii.ttle. comment on my part, except to state that I am perfectly certain I have -spent fully as much time and trouble to master this business as Mr Young., As you yourself will remember, when this matter was threshed out by the de!e--gates at the- meeting of the New Zealand Boiling Association I brought two bowls with me, and tried to explain to the delegates present the difficulty in the matter, and I think it only fair to mention that I was the first to prove the difference between low-crown and high-crown bowls on fable and green respectively. Paragraph four I will pass over, and 'paragraph five I cannot understand. How can you have confidence in me if you are advocating an Oamam man for bowl testing? However, if you have a better mail bring him forward, and let us know him.

Paragraph six is rather a funny one. Mr Young has been fussy for some time past in regard to bowl testing. Perhaps he will be able to explain to the. delegates present how he came to give the bowl tester such a poker for a test bowl.

In conclusion, let me inform Mr Paterson and also Mr Young that it will depend entirely on the draw of the test bowl supplied by the New Zealand Bowling Association, which has yet to be supplied to me. — I am, etc., J. Johnson, Bowl-tester N.Z.B.A.