BOWLS ON SUNDAY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17175, 4 February 1930, Page 7

BOWLS ON SUNDAY

SHOULD THEY BE PLAYED? CHRISTCHURCH CONTROVERSY (Special to the Herald.) OHRJSTCHURCH, this day. A sharp controversy has arisen in one of the city bowling clubs over the question of wnether piay should be permitted on the green on Sundays, and it seems likely that other clubs also may be confronted with a similar problem in the near future. * The circumstances of the case are that a large party of members of the club went to Timaru on a recent Sunday where they were the guests of two of the clubs in that town. Play was indulged in, although those taking part were warned to keep.quiet about the matter. The players who went to Timaru now desire to return the hospitality extended to them, but on making application to tho committee of their club for the use of the green on a Sunday they were confronted with very strong objections by a section of tho members. The question has not yet "been settled, and it is said it is causing a good deal of feeling in the club. Although golf and tennis are now played very generally on Sundays in Christchurch, bowlers have not shown any strong desire to introduce Sunday play. On one or two greens in the outlying suburbs play is indulged in on Sundays, tut all the city clubs so far have confined play to week days only. In some of the othei< centres, however, Sunday play is quite customary. Linwood chili recently took a ballot on the question, but the opinion of the majority of members was that Sunday play was not . desirable. Other clubs have discussed the matter in an informal way and one has decided openly in favor of opening the greens on Sundays. Apart from the objections on the score of causing offence to churchgoers, the necessity for giving the bowling greens a spell at least one day in each week has been a strong reason against opening them for play on Sundays. It is recognised, however, that this is not an insuperable difficulty.