THE NEW ZEALAND

Otago Witness, Issue 2744, 17 October 1906, Page 62

THE NEW ZEALAND

SOME NEW DEVELOPMENTS. ' (Fxoit On Ginr CossnßojrimT,) LONDON, September 1. The New Zealand .rink'a itinerary has •been -marked by several vevr developments. Mr ' James Horsburgh (foracerly cf Dun : edin), a past president of the New Zealand Bowling Association, is heartily taking up the subject. of & rendezvous for bowlers en a visit to this country. So far as the New Zealand section of this' new movement is concerned. Mr Horsburgh states that ie j might well come within the province of the New .Zealand Association in London by putting in touch therewith any known bowlers j arriving • from the colony. Owing to absence from town, Mr Horsburgb .was unable to meet the Auckland •rink when Messrs Mercer and Tutt were here, but he lias made arrangements for Mr jjyons's reconstituted team to play over his own rinks — the Bounds Green Club, — when it will be opposed br a rink skipped by the redoubtable Mr John Shaw. <me ot the best-known and keenest players in the kingdom. . • . Mr Lyons concludes his Scottish-Irish tour to-morrow. From crossing the Border into Caledonia to tho end of his itinerary in Ireland, he Teports having been " treated like * king." With health greatly improved, he is looting forward to opening the renewed -campaign on Monday in "far better fettle" than he was in during some of the previous -games. New Zealand bowiers will doubtless learn with interest lhat, in the «vent ©t the colony being: represented here text year in anything like a. similar way to this season, thejre will be bo difficulty in arranging a match New Zealand v. All-comers, the'-latter being obesen from the players taking part in Dr \V. 6. Grace's great single-handed tournament, open to the world, which annually takes place -at ihe Crystal Pa-lace in June- The Palace Green is a. el*ssi<s spot' -bo tKe colony- fTJ>er» New Zealand, through Dingle, won the on'y bowling trophy that has ever crossed the seae — won at the first tournament ever taken part in by bowlers from England. Scotland, Ireland, Wales, New Zealand, and Australia. The Motherland team, which has teen on tour in Canada for a month, will leave on its return to England to-morrow. The members of it have practically routed the Dominion players "all a,*onß the line.' Of ihe 23 games played, tie invaders wen 21. while their points totailed 3663 to 2603. "The Maori" was the norn de plume under which a competitor played in a great open Scottkh tournament last week. In raanv of these Caledonian contests the bowlers "take titles some of which are exceedingly odd. "The Maori," whoss identity does not appear to have been disclosed, went well to near the finish, and hia j>'ay excited the greater interest from the fact of the success of tho Auckland Tink. The only New Zealand bowler known to have been in Scotland at the time was Mr Lyons.

Mr R. Rae, of Rattrav street, has reeoived a letter from the Premier of Queensland in reply to one addressed by him to Mr Kidston wiiJi reference to the visit of the New Zealand bowlers to Australia. Mr Kidston writes:— "You tell me that the New Zealand team will include four Falkirk "bairns, hut it is probable that there ■will be "» Falkirk bairoi or two on the other side as welL Ido not know how the motto of our ancient town — ' Better meddle with the de'il than -wi' the bairns of Falkirk '— will stand when her sons are thus pitted aainst «acb other. Perhaps the feelings of the outraged motto might he soothed if, after the «onclnsion of the New ZealandOueensland match, we have another one— that of* Falkirk against the world."