BOWLING.

Southland Times, Issue 19757, 3 February 1923, Page 12 (Supplement)

BOWLING.

(By

“Measure.”)

A novel feature of the Dunedin Bowling Club’s annual fixtures is the Elderly Bowl ?rs’ Day which takes place this year on Saturday, February 10, no player under the age of 70 years being asked to play. Last year 88 players, of whom 11 were over 80 years, showing an average of over 74 years, took part. If thought advisable, special rinks will be formed for those over 80 years. Bowlers from any club are invited to participate. The programme for the Christchurch Easter Tournament will shortly be issued, and will be much the same as in previous years. The final date for receiving entries is Monday, March 19. The New South Wales bowlers arrived in Christchurch from the West Coast on Tuesday, February 13. They remained in Christchurch till the 17th, leaving on that day for Oamaru. The names of the players are: E. Collins, J. Wall, E. A. Palmer, F. A. Benson, G. W. Parkes, C. B. Rigney, T. Yates, T. J. Griffen, J. Henley, F. Rudd, J. Morley, J, Spence, J. Hodgkinson, W. Douglas, W. Morriss, F. Wicks, J. Gould, T. Jones, R. E. Alcorn, F. C. Cummings, L. Arnott, and J. Nicholas. There are also twelve ladies in the party. Although the Invercargill Club in its match against Southland last Saturday was up in six rinks out of eight, yet it was down twelve points in the total. yhe Te Rangi Club competitions are now fairly well advanced, being reduced to four pairs in the doubles and four players in the singles. CHAMPION PAIRS. Stalker and Donaldson (two lives). Brown and Shaw, Peterson and Pryde, Milne and Whitton (one life each). CHAMPION SINGLES. Donaldson (two lives); Waugh, Scott and Barham (one life each). The following players have been chosen to represent the Te Rangi Club in the Shield Rink Competition next Wednesday:— Stephens, Stott, Pryde and Donaldson. The Queensland men, when in Wellington, after their visit South, expressed the opinion that during their travels in the South Island they found the Caledonian green in Dunedin the keenest. President Archibald described it as being “like a white shirt, well ironed.” The Sydney Sun writer refers to the wonderful record of Mosman Club this season. He states that on Saturday, December 24th, Mosman, in three engagements finished up with a surplus of 177 points, an average of over 16 pointe per rink. The defeat of Chatswood by 114 to 73 was a notable achievement. However all the foregoing records pale into insignificance before RummeU’s victory in the “C” grade. The Mosman quartet defeated a Kuring-gai rink by 63 to 1. If this is not a world’s record in competition games it must be very near it. The Dunedin Star states: “A local bowler had his bowls tested in Dunedin.before New Year, and they were widened. He played at Timaru and took there about two rinks’ bias. They were re-tested at Timaru and were made narrower! Why all this? Does it mean the table test ultimately? I am afraid that under the table test or any other test there will always be room for s\|ch complaints. It would be unwise, however, to condemn a system on an isolated case. What must be looked at is the general effect, and the green test is admitted to have proved effective on the whole* The winner of the singles championship at the Dominion bowling tournament is Professor Maxwell Walker, of Ponsonby Club, Auckland, and this is his third victory in the singles, his previous successes being in 1915 and 1919. That he is the finest bowler in the world is the opinion of the majority of all first-class bowlers, and. he has a great record. He has been in the final or semi-finals ever since he took part in the competitions and even in the rinks has been somewhere near the finish. He entered the Wellington centre tournament two seasons ago, in the final of which he beat Mr E. J. Hill, of the Wellington Club. There were a large number of rinks in the Dominion tournament, but when it came to the post section play only the cream of the Dominion players were left in. In consequence some magnificent exhibitions of the game were seen, and the results went to prove that Auckland possesses on the whole the very best of the Dominion’s exponents of the game. There is no doubt that bowling has been brought to such a state of perfection in New Zealand that it is no use sending other than first-class rinks to the Dominion tournament.

During the progress of the bowling matches between the Queensland and the

Manawatu centre, it was noticeable that the visiting players frequently had a tendency to step off the mat, although naturally no comment was made. This was referred to Mr F. W. Mason, the manager of the visiting party, who said, “In our State we play with a mat —not an enlarged postage stamp that you have here—and in consequence we have an opportunity to watch the game instead of keeping an eye continually on the other fellow’s feet.”

The final of the doubles championship at the Dominion tournament was a truly Homeric contest, the finalists being Rigby and Tonkin (North-East Valley) and McCallum and Edwards (Temuka). In the first play off Edwards was well in the lead to near the final, when Tonkin, who was nine points down, drew level with his opponent in an exciting finish, the scores being 17—17. The tie necessitated a re play late in the afternoon. Great interest was taken in the contest. Both pairs played superb bowls. At the 17th the Temuka pair had a lead of five, the scores being: Edwards 22, Tonkin 17. In the 19th, Tonkin bowling well scored a four, and pulled upon his opponent, the score at this stage being Tonkin 21, Edwards 25. With two heads to go and the bowlers playing for honours, the excitement was intense. Tonkin scored a single in the 20th, when the scores were Edwards 25, Tonkin 22. The last and concluding head was finished at 3.30. With his last shot Tonkin trailed for a three, but touched the kitty for two, ■totting within a point of his opponent. The sensational game ended in a win for McCallum and Edwards by 25 points to 24. They say bowls is an old man’s game, but read of this bunch of “youngsters” before deciding. In a recent match played at Seatoun between rinks from Thorndon and Seatoun the total aggregate of the ages □f the players was 565 years, the average age per player being 70.62 years. The oldest veteran playing was 79 years of age, aand the “baby of the family” was 50. With the object of encouraging rink play he St. Kilda Club, Dunedin, has set aside one evening of each week on which only rink games will be indulged in. The move has proved a popular one, and should be of advantage in assisting promising players to secure promotion.

Mr W. F. Corbett, writer of bowling notes in the Referee, thus criticises the personnel of the New South Wales bowling team at orefcent touring the Dominion: —“l read in a couple of papers during the week that .ho combination mentioned above was regarded as the most representative that has ,/et been chosen to do battle on behalf of he State. Most unrepresentative would be nearer the truth. There was no choosing, (t was something in the nature of Hobson’s ■hoice. The trip is looked at more in the ight of a pleasure tour than a mission to pit strength against strength on the green. \s is usual in such cases, only bowlers who lave a superabundance of cash or feel that hey need a holiday, are in the team. It vas just the same with the Queenslanders low in the three island dominion. That is vhy they have so frequently suffered defeat, it will be somewhat the same when this unrepresentative New South Wales team takes he field over there. But what matters? They will be out for a good time, and they will have it?

This spirit seems to be creeping into all sport, more especially bowling. It is stated that the M.C.C. cricket team which toured here recently was more or less a holiday party. One wonders where the matter will 2nd if all sporting tours are going to bemine a cheap form of sight-seeing. It must at least be particularly exasperating to those who spend time and money organising these visits in order that the standard of New Zealand sport may be raised. One of the most interesting games played this season was witnessed on the Northend Green on Thursday evening, when the final of the Club Championship was decided between A. Wesney and A. Steans (skip) and T. A. Wallace and J. Hain (skip). A heavy shower during the afternoon made the green rather dull, otherwise the surface was in perfect condition. Wallace and Hain found the green early and played a forcing game, Hain’s heavy shots proving most effective. At the 12 head the board showed Wallace and Hain 14 to Wesney and Steans 7, and it looked as if the veterans were in for a fairly easy win. Steans at this stage settled down to steady drawing, and gradually reduced the margin until the 20th head, when the score stood 17 all. In the last head Wesney placed a “toucher” on the jack, which Wallace failed to remove. Hain sent down one of his “lightning shots,” sending the shot bowl out of bounds, and the “jack” rebounded off a boundary peg into the ditch, the nearest bowl being 6 feet away. Steans tried to dra,w closer, but ran narrow. Hain also ran narrow with his first draw, but secured the shot 2 feet away with his third. Steans with his last bowl tried to run the shot out, but just missed by a narrow margin, the championship again going to the veterans. During the game some very fine drawing, and heavy running shots by the “skips” made the game most interesting. THE IMPORTANCE OF GRIP. A most important and frequently overlooked factor in the bowling is the grip. The bowl must not be overbig for the capacity of the hand grip. Various players have various grips, each suiting his own idea; but there is one factor, not sufficiently recognised by bowlers, which absolutely dominates the fineness of grassing, and that is the relation of the long axis of the fingers to the rolling circumference of the bowl. Smoothness is essential to ghod grassing, and the maximum smoothness is obtained when the rolling circumference of the bowl passes from the'hand in a dead straight line with the long axis of the fingers. Too many bowlers grasp the bowl with the fingers running more or less diagonally across the rolling surface so that it leaves the hand with its rolling circumference more or less in a line running from the bsse of the finger to the tips of the forefingers. It finally leaves the hand more or less off the thumb side of the tip of the forefinger. This physically leads to less smoothness than if the bowl left the hand with the centre of the rolling surface coincident with the space between the middle and third fingers. In this case it will be seen that the bowl leaves the “scoop” formed by’the palm and fingers, with its rolling surface in an even line with the curve of the scoop. “FOOT ON THE MAT’ RULE. A hint to erring bowlers was printed on the official programmes issued at the Dominion tournament at Auckland, doubtless because many infringements of rules have been apparent on the greens lately. The note was as follows:—“By strict attention to the requirements of Rule 111., section 2, of the Laws of the Game, which says that: ‘The player at moment of delivery must have at least one foot wholly on the mat, such foot to be at least three inches from the front of the mat,’ you will not only be ‘playing the game’ with your fellow-competitors, but you will save the green of your hosts.” In connection with the reprehensible practice of following up a bowl in its passage, a vigorous letter of protest was recently published by a prominent bowler, and the protest will be endorsed by all true bowlers. “There is no mistake about it that a player following up his bowl is most disconcerting to other players, especially when the offenders through sheer thoughtlessness, walk over the boundaries of another rink. Anyhow, what is the use of chasing a piece of timber that is yards wide, short, narrow, or else about to deposit itself in the ditch?”

“If they start shooting deer at Stewart Island it will be an end to the island as a bird sanctuary,” stated the Hon G. M. Thompson at the meeting of the New Zealand Institute recently. He said deer were becoming an absolute pest, and the trouble was to get rid of them. If men were allowed to shoot there they would not be under control, and no living thing was safe where there was a man with a gun. The deer were increasing very fast. The meeting decided to obtain further information with a view of the Standing Committee taking action.