BOWLING

Southland Times, Issue 19184, 1 March 1924, Page 12

BOWLING

(By “Measure.”) Play during the week has principally , been confined to Clu bcompetition gamesand the ipajority of the clubs have narrowed down their championship singles and doubles to within three or four. The greens are all in very fair order, but in some instances are showing the effects of the dry spelt especially at the ends of the rinks where the grass has become worn. The Southland green, however, is an exception and it is probably one of the best grassed surfaces in the Dominion. Northend is also still very good, but this season will require more attention than it has been given for a number of years past. Last week a party of five local bowlers, Messrs R. Holmes, J. Gilkison, A. Donaldson, I. Jenkins and T. Donaldson, made a motor tour through Central Otago and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. They received a warm welcome from the clubs in the various centres they visited and played friendly games against rinks at Roxburgh, Alexandra, Clyde, Cromwell and Qufenstown. They won all these games and at Cromwell defeated Dr Shaw’s great rink which won the Rinks Competition at last year’s tournament at Oamaru and which for several seasons on end held the Jolly Memorial Cup. Dr Shaw’s rink only scored on four ends, the final scores being 24 to 6 in favour of the visitors At Queenstown the Invercargill men had a very close game and only won out by a single point. Everywhere they went they were treated with the greatest hospitality, and regard the trip as an excellent method of spending their holidays. A well attended meeting of the newly farmed Waihopai Bowling Club was held in the Gladstone Town Hall on Wednesday evening last. The bowling green is looking particularly well, the grass having come away very’ satisfactorily. New members are now being enrolled and judging by the hearty response by residents of Gladstone and adjacent districts to the appeal of rhe committee everything points to the club opening the next bowling season with a strong membership. The club is fortunate in commencing operations with quite a number of experienced bowlers to coach and instruct the members during their first season. The committee are to be congratulated on their efforts in providing the Gladstone district with an up-to-date bowling green and if the residents give the committee the support they deserve, the success of the Waihopai Bowling Club is assured.

It is understood that a number of Riverton ladies are contemplating taking up rhe game next season and to form a club. In the meantime the President of the Aparima Club has extended a cordial invitation to them to use its green—an invitation which the ladies will in all probability accept. In the Northend Club’s Champion Doubles’ competition Wesney and Leek are leading and will meet either Daubney and Scandrett or Steans and Cutt in the final. In the club’s champion Singles Smith plays Hannah, the winner meeting Joyce in the playoff. In the Te Rangi Chib's champion Singles Donaldson is the only one without a loss. The others still in the competition are Scott, Froggatt, Griffiths and Barham. Those left in the handicap doubles are, Dale and Kissell, Wilson and Keys, Smith and Batchelor, Dunlop and Whitton. Bluff had an easy victory over the Invercargill Club in the A grade four-rink match on the port green on Saturday last and provided it wins its remaining match it will be equal with the Northend Club. Both the Bluff and North end Clubs Have made a most consistent showing in this competition and if they meet in a play-off the game should be well worth while seeing. The fourth match between Canterbury and Otago for the Redpath Shield resulted in a win for Otago by 185 to 172. The practice of bowlers selected to play in matches on their own greens trying out the greens before the commencement of the games, was commented cn at a recent meeting of the Christchurch Centre by Mr E. C. Chegwin. Mr Chegwin asked if there was a rule in existence preventing the practice, and, if so, whether it would be enforced. Several delegates stated that a rule had been passed some years ago, but it was not included in the by-laws. The president (Mr F. Steans) said he did not think the practice was very' general, and he personally was not in favour of making too many rules. He considered that to try out the green before a match commenced was an “unsporting” thing to do, and if club officials showed their objection to the practice it would cease altogether. Elderly Bowlers’ Day in Dunedin proved a thorough success. Just upon a hundred gentlemen of seventy years of age or more enjoyed themselves to the full, and it was surprising to many to see the keen spirit of competition among the veterans (says a southern writer.) Another surprising thing was, in many instances, the standard of play. For the first time this season the new portion of Dunddin Club’s green was used. It behaved itself quite creditably and although not yet perfect the promise is that next season the new rinks will provide really good playing opportunities. When one thinks of it, the Elderly Bowlers’ Day is a great institution. The

aggregated ages of the ninety-six players who took part totalled 7197 years—an average of seventy-five years per player.

Sincere regret will be felt by bowlers, not only in Dunedin but in almost every bowling centre in the Dominion, at the death of Mr Charles Fraser, which occurred somewhat suddenly at his residence in Musselburgh on Sunday, states “Jack” in the Otago Daily Times. Mr Fraser was the first president of the Dunedin Bowling Club, and was also president of the club in its jubilee year two seasons ago. He was also the Dunedin Bowling Centre’s first president, i For a number of years he wrote the bowling J notes for the Otago “Jack,” and the present , writer was indebted to him for many aci ceptable news items. Though Mr Fraser had j taken little active part in the game for some i years he was at one time a foeman worthy I of the steel of the most expert opponent bn i the green. His funeral, which took place , yesterday, was attended by a representative ! gathering of bowlers from the Dunedin and sister clubs, and also by representatives of ' the Dunedin Centre. SUNDAY PLAY. As to whether bowls ‘ should or should not be played on Sundays is with some I people a moot point, states Number 2 in the Wellington Post. At any’ rate, Sunday play is popular w'ith two or three clubs in Wellington, and one of them runs a weekly competition which is confined to Sunday play. There is a clerical precedent, however, for bowls on Sundays, although to quote it may be considered unfortunate by those who ban their woods on the Christian Sabbath. It is recorded that John Aylmer, though Bishop of London, enjoyed a game of bowls on a Sunday afternoon, but used such language as “justly exposed his character to reproach.” History has dealt more leniently with some men! Charles I. was an enthusiastic bowler, and the signboard of a wayside inn near Goring Heath in Oxfordshire long bore a portrait of the King, with couplets reciting how His .Majesty “drank from the bowl and bowl’d from what he drank.” There is no record as to whether Charles I. played bowls on Sunday, but if he did, the fact that he lost his Crown and his head as well might be considered by some folk as condign punishment for his Sabbath desecration. However, apart from the point of view of religious scruple, there may be one cogent reason why more men do not indulge in Sunday play, and that is the opposition of their better halves. Some wives argue (so it is said) that a man has plenty of time to play bowls during the week, and can leave it alone for one day’ in the week. The moral of all this is that if bowlers who are not benedicts wish to roll up on Sundays they had better be on the safe side and remain single.