SPOTLIGHT ON BOWLS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19825, 30 December 1938, Page 11

SPOTLIGHT ON BOWLS

Peace Shield Next Week

Except for those players competing in the Dominion tournament at Auckland the following week, the Peace Shield fixture on January 2 and 3 provides the principal interest for bowlers in this district. Section play consists of six games, three each on Monday and Tuesday, with post-sec-tion play, semi-finals and final taking place on Wednesday. The entries are fewer than usual. Thirty teams have nominated. Best support has been received from the Gisborne club, which is fielding a dozen teams, Poverty Bay being next with 10. Kahutia will be poorly represented this year, and it is surprising that this club, with its larger membership, can enter only four rinks. Even Tolaga Bay, with barely half the membership of Kahutia, is sending down two teams. One team is coming from Tokomaru Bay and another from Te Karaka. Knowing the uncertainty of bowls, and taking into account the number of strong teams participating, I would not attempt to forecast the result of next week’s tournament. Last year’s winners, F. H. Fo-rster, R. Dobson, L. Balfour and I. Stephenson, are playing together again, and the runnersup, C. Horne, D. Gracie, J. Nasmith and H. A. Armstrong, will be right On the job. E. F. O’Brien replaces Gracie this time. * * * * Bowls to be Tested An effort will be made during the Peace Shield tournament to test all bowls to see whether they conform with the laws of the game regarding stamping and marking. Every bowl must have the 1932 or subsequent stamp, and be clearly marked on both discs. Players with bowls that have not been' stamped since before 1932 are well advised to have them tested immediately. * * * <* Tokomaru Bay’s Success In both contests for the Carver Cup this season Tokomaru Bay defeated Tolaga .Bay. On the first occasion, Tokomaru Bay finished 14 points ahead, and last week they succeeded by the narrow margin of two. Tolaga Bay won the trophy last season. * * * * A. Fraser and L. Mills successfully defended the Tokomaru Bay Club Ferns against two challenges. They defeated I. Beattie and F. Thompson 22—14- and beat Foley and Short 22—1 C. * * » * H. S. Short is still unbeaten in the Tokomaru Bay Champion Singles. His last tussle was with A. Morgan, whom he defeated 21—16. * * * * A. L. Walker easily accounted for A. Fraser in the Tokomaru Bay Singles, 21—12, while Morgan beat P. Bums 21—11, and J. J. Roberts beat J. Eddy 21—12. ♦ * * * Poverty Bay Tourney The performance of S. McKenzie and his men in winning the Poverty Bay club’s Christmas tournament was mcritoriou,s jn every sense of the word. They won all five games in their section, defeated Sinclair’s rink in the semi-final 9—7, and overwhelmed a strong team skipped by Hickman in the final, 18—3. • • * * McKenzie’s team included G. McConnell (lead), R. Crawford (two) and Patrick (No. 3). Each man gave his skip solid support, with the result that the combination proved a formidable one. In the 15-head final, McKenzie gained an early lead, which he quickly increased, and it was not long before victory was beyond Hickman.

By "MAT”

Members of the tournament committee responsible fof the management of the Christmas fixture are to be congratulated upon the efflciant manner in which the competition was conducted. • » • • A. F. Salmon’s “mercantile” team lacked confidence at the outset, but when they settled down some of their opponents came off second best. * « « • C. Blackburn’s rink, comprising all new talent, took a sporting chance. While their victories were nil, they scored full points for enjoyment. “■ * * * * A. Slight was unlucky to lose his semi-final game against Hickman. The former was lying four on the last head, with the jack tucked in, when Hickman sent a “raker” into the bunch. It was a “last hope” shot, and it succeeded, his bowl knocking another against kitty, which sprang out to stay beside two of Hickman’s. « * * * Sinclair’s running shot in the final head of his semi-final match with McKenzie was unfortunate, but the bowl he displaced before moving kitty belonged to the opposition, and was not his own, as many thought. 4 4 4 4 News in Brief Owing to the holidays, few competition games have been played at Gisborne green during the past week. In the Horne Singles, H. A. Armstrong beat E. F. O’Brien, 23—20. if * * * B. Dodge and J. Alexander secured a good win in the Gisborne Orr Pairs at the expense of M. J. White and P. Hockley. * V 4 * The rule regarding correct bowling attire will be enforced in the Peace Shield tournament next week. In all centre competitions, players must wear white or cream trousers, white or cream shirt and pullover, white or tan bowling shoes, and blazer in club colours. * *> * • Slight and McKenzie have reached the final of the Poverty Bay Champion Pairs without loss. They defeated Duncan and Fredericks 16 —11, but had a close call in their match with Wood and Crawford, whom they beat after an exceptionally interesting game by 18 to 17. 4**4 Remarkably low scoring was a feature of the Poverty Bay pairs match between A. R. Smith and Roderick and Robertson and Hughes, the former pair winning 14 —10. In the 21 heads played, only 24 points were scored by both teams.

Most of the Poverty Bay club competitions are lagging, so an effort will be made to-morrow afternoon to complete as many games as possible. * * * * No club fours will be played at Gisborne, Poverty Bay or Kahutia greens to-morrow. Cross Pair Doing Well Considerable Interest attaches to the performances of Keith Cross, the English champion, and his father. Since arriving in New Zealand, they have won three club rink tournaments in Wellington, with Wellington players for their front division. They have a similar combination for the Dominion championships. These two are also competing in the, Dominion pairs event, with the father as skip. Just before leaving England, they won the Eastbourne pairs tournament, and to-day they are playing in. a rink tournament at Eastbourne, Wellington. Next week they are to play in the New Year paii-s of the Wellington Centre at Island Bay and Victoria greens, 44 pairs competing. * * * » Australians for Auckland R. T. Harrison, better known as ."Boomerang” (Sydney),, happens to be drawn in an interesting section at the Dominion tournament. It includes Peter McWhannell (Hataitai), who skipped the Wellington Centre’s champion rink a few years ago. Others in the same section are Sam Jenkin (Carlton), runner-up to L. M. Naylor (Lyall Bay) in the Dominion rinks six years ago, and Arthur Parsons (Ponsonby), who won the Dominion rinks in 1923, and was runner-up in the rinks and pairs in 1918. Parsons first met Harrison in 1926, when he competed in Sydney as skip of a rink arranged by the late Mr. J. W. Hardley, who became Dominion president a few months later. It was that visit which led to the regular interchange of official visits between the two countries ever since.

The other Sydney rink, in charge of M. H. Love, will meet representative opponents from such distant places as Dargaville and Invercargill, but the best known is Frank Livingstone (Onehunga), winner of the Dominion singles in 1936, the Auckland champion of champions in 1937, and the Australian singles last season.

Botorua Tournament

Nothing has been announced regarding a practical attempt to accommodate the 25 rinks shut out from the Rotorua tournament when the entries closed. Eighty teams entered, whereas only 55 can be accepted. A similar difficulty arose 20 years ago, when there was a proposal to solve it by the construction of another green. However, it is not an easy matter to keep in good order the three greens already available, ana this proposal was shelved in favour of conducting a second tournament At this time of the year it would be difficult to provide boarding accommodation for so many additional bowlers, many of whom are accompanied by their wives and friends. The only satisfactory solution seems to be for the Rotorua club to hold a second fixture, permission for which has been granted. The Rotorua club is unlike the average club, which owns its own green, and can shut out any surplus entries. At Rotorua, the greens are public property, and there is only one Rotorua in the world. It is surprising that the department has not already asked the committee of the club if there is any cogent reason why they arbitrarily refrain from attracting another 200 to 300 visitors to that popular town, at no expense to the State.