NOTES BY JACK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 58

NOTES BY JACK.

The tournament being- a thing of the past club ties are being pushed ahead on most of the greens in and about the city. Without doubt an improvement in the olay is generally observable after a tournament, but at the same time players pick up undesirable points even quicker than good points. The number .of players who find it necessary to make a prolonged investigation of the position before playing their bowl is increasing to an extent that will render it necessary to legislate on this point in the not very distant futuirfe, unless a change for the better sevs in. The habit leads to a grievous waste of time, and is very trying to an opponent. When a head has been scattered by a drive it may sometimes be desirable to investigate the new position created, but it seems ridiculous to see skips walk gravely to the other end of the green to re-investigate the position which has not changed one iota since they exchanged ends with the third player. These inquests are really putting a slight upon the measurer, as they imply that the skip has no confidence in his judgment, and 'for that reason alone should "be dropped. The reductio ad absurdum ' was witnessed during the- recent tournament," when a skip, who was 13 points up>atvthe semi-final head and whose bowl was lying shot, debated for' three or four minutes with his -third player as to the best method of drawirig another shot. How would it do to apply the time-limit to eaoh head? All the accounts in connection with the lete tournament have not been received yet by the Dunedin Centre, and the actual outcome of the " gathering "is therefore not known. That there will be a profit is^ believed to~ be certain, but the heavy expenditure in connection with the preparation* for ladies' "day will mop up much of what would otherwise be a surplus. It isunderstood the president and some of the members of the Council now see the contention of the centre that the function was one which should be taken in hand and the cost defrayed by the Council is correct, unless it is decided that the Council as suoh should take no part in the tournament. In the adjustment of accounts the Council will doubtless take upon itself some portion of /the coit incurred in preparing the Dunedin green for the^. function. The Caledonian's scored a two point win over Kaituna on Saturday in a six rink match. The only skips with an advantage on the Caledonian side were C E. Keast and J. Collins, but their lead was sufficient to place victory on their side. Mr Payne made his first appearance in a match since bis Australian trip and scored a win against D. Scott. The totals were— Caledonian 114, Kaituna 112. The Caledonians were three .up in the aggregate on their own green and one down on Kaituna green. ' ■ Towards the close of the game between St. Kilda and Dunedin it looked as if the Saints were about to score a- win. On the Dunedin green they were a few points to the good, and news came from St. Kilda that there they "had an advantage of 30 points. - But " there's- many a slip twixt cup and lit>," and when the end was reached Dunedin was found to have won by 19 points. On their own green the Dunedin players in the last three- ends scored 23 to St. Kilda's 2, and on the other green 11 to 8. Jacobsen, who had been leading Miller, had 6 scored against him at the concluding head, and 2, 3, and -1 at the three preceding that. W. P. Gale scored 4 and -1, and was thus up 2 points. Bentley came with a rattle at the fifteenth head, scoring 3, 4, two 2's, and two single©. -M'Curdy put up a good fight against M'Laren until the sixteenth bead, when the Dunedin player scored a 2 and three singles, winning by 5 points. The feature of the play on the St. Kjlda. green was the crushing defeat of D. RueBell by D. C. Cameron, jun. The veteran did not score until the fifth head. At the eighth head' he notched 5, and followed it up with a single, not having c look in again until the eighteenth head, when he scored another single- The St. Kilda men scored at 15 ends, the total including a 6, a 5 three 4's, two 3's, three 2's, and five singles. The total of 40 to 15 tells its own tale. Sinclair succumbed to Carter by 15 to 18, "a 5 at the fifth head making' his aggregate look respectable and being 3 down on the total. M'llwrick got the whip hand of M'Faarlane at the seventh head and won by 6 points. Johnson went I off with the lead, and won- from White [by 14 pointe. , - . . I Balmaeewen put up a win against Otago r pn the hill green on Saturday, the majority being 30 points. Balk, for Balmacewen, defeated Moss by 4 points; &. N. Brown beat T. Scott by 13 ; Pilkington beat W. R. Don by one; Maodonald beat Hay by nine, and Lopkhart defeated J. Cooke by four. The •only O-taaro ekh> -whp was successful was O. Fynmore, who wrested victory from Adamson by one point. Some members of the Timaru Bowling Club visited Oamaru on the 30th ult. to try. conclusions with the Phoenix Club.

' They were unfortunate as regards weather, as drizzling rain fell throughout the afternoon. Aite^waiting over an hour the enthusiasts on eaoh side decided to have a "roll up," and in a game of 11 heads Phoenix proved winners by six points in a three rink match, while the Timaru junior rink lost by four points. Gow "'was the only Timaru skip to win, defeating Watson by 13 to six. Hewat (Phoenix) scored 14to M'Hutcheson's 10, and Heron 17 to Fraser's eight. Complementary speeohes [ were made by Mr W. Waddell and Mr W. Evans, the latter thanking the Oamaru players for their hospitality. I Mr Holman, secretary of the Mataura Bowling^ Club, in a chatty note writes that on the 29th ult. advantage was taken of ! the schools' exoursion to Oolao Bay by the members of the Mataura Club to send four rinks to Riverton. As coon as the train arrived a game was started against three rinks from Otautau Club, victory resting with the Mataura players by 15 points. In the afternoon conclusions were tried_ with the Riverton players, and again the visitors scored, this time by five points. The outing proved most enjoyable, the hospitality of the- western district people being much appreciated. W. B. Reid, the popular caretaker ot the Mataura gteen, won the president's bowls this season. FAIREIELD r. GREEN ISLAND. A. match played on the Green Island Green •between two rinks of colts representing the above-named- clubs on Saturday .. aiternopn. resttftea in favour of the home team by the small margin of 3 points. The weather was all th*t could be desired, and the green was in splendid order after the rain on the previous day. The following are the scores: — G.I. F. A. Hall,- J. Dunlop, W. Smellie, W. Evans (s) 16 — W. Tansey, R. Howorth, J. Kirk- ' land, J. M'Crorie (a) - 1 - 17 C Murtagh, J. M'Lean, T. Irvine, A. Kane (s) 19 — J. M'Neil, J. M'Lacnlan, H. Mann, J. M'Lachlan (s) — 15 Totals ~ .. .. ■.„ .. r? 35 32 OUTRAM v. TAIERI. ' A very enjoyable game was played on Saturday on the Taieri Green, the local team winning by 21 points. Scores: — G. Withers, J. Wildey. TT~G. Harley, T. A. Mackie (s) 18 — G. Gibson, T. M'Fadden, D. Gibson, A. C. M'lntyre (s) - T 17 G. H. Stephenaon, A. Chisholm, J. ■Morgan, W. Scott (s) 16 — J. Allan. J. A. M'Kinnon, W. Alfan, W. Carswell (s) — 26 R. M'Donald, R. Webster, W. Little, J. Buchanan (s) 19 — J. Wedderspoon, J. sMC'Faaden, H. Miller. J. T*it(s) ".. — 22 W. Leaek, C- Mills," A. M'Donald, W. • Watson (s) .. .. ""..• ..<<• ..* .. '15 — . E. Currie, W. M'l>eea, Dr Allen, ' ' , Alex. M'Leod (s) .. ..'-,.. .. — 25 68 89 AN EASY VICTORY. ' SYDNEY, January 28. The Auckland bowlers' last match, was started to-day in warm weather, but the temperature cooled down ac the afternoon progressed. The visitors had. an easy victory . and led all through the game. The scores were as follows, the names given being those of the New Zealand , players : — N.Z. R. M'Callum, Hill, Kusabs, Hudson.. 23 19 Miller,' Carlaw, jun., Carlaw, M'lntosh 19 28' Sohnauer, Michaeils, Young, Harrison 20 18 T Rankin, Newburn, Wooller, Eankin .. ..» 38 28 Shaldrick, Mills, B,allantyne, Laurie 18 24 Arey, Murray, Eyre, Handcock .. 40 18 Total. MB 12* ' The Aucklanders presented Mr Whitehouse (secretary of the New South Wales Bowling Association) with a tea and coffee eervice as a' mark of their esteem for his efforts to make their visit agreeable.