BOWLING

Southland Times, Issue 19500, 14 March 1925, Page 14

BOWLING

(By

“Measure.”)

Apart from the few country games played on Wednesday afternoon the last week has been an off one, all fixtures having to be postponed. Greens were too heavy for the four-rink games on Tuesday evening and the weather then was so threatening that the Postponement Committee decided to also postpone the Champion Pairs set down for Wednesday. It was fortunate that they did so as otherwise country players would have been, for the second time, faced with the experience of coming to town only to find that play was off. The team which has been chosen to represent Southland against Otago to-day is a most disappointing one and does not in any way represent the full bowling strength of the province. The weakness of the team cannot be attributed to the selectors who, no doubt, have done the very best they could with the material available. The full responsibility must rest with the clubs themselves and it is particularly disappointing to find that one of the older town clubs only nominated two players. This means that the two vacancies in that particular rink have to be filled from outside players giving a rink in which the members probably know practically nothing about each other’s play. The nominations received from some of the other town clubs were also poor, with the result that the present team is full of weaknesses. Many ' bowlers will recollect that Southland’s first victory over Otago was secured with a team which even the most optimistic did not expect to win.

Mr H. B. Oakey’s St. Albans’ rink are to be heartily congratulated on their fifth consecutive win in the champion of champions rink of their club. To attain such a position five years in succession is something to be proud of, and is certainly a record which no other city rink can boast. May they now have the added distinction of again putting their names on the champion of champions board. There is some talk of the heavy-weight champion four bowlers playing their game in a week or two (says a Sydney exchange). The Warringal (Sydney) Bowling Chib team would be: Frank Doherty (21st), M. Considine (19st), W. Roberts (18st), and McKinlay (17st), approximately 75st. Can any New Zealand team beat it? The Bathurst (New South Wales) Bowling Club claims to have the oldest active playing member in the State, in the person of Edward Golsby, who celebrated his 85th birthday on Saturday, January 31st. Mr Golsby was entertained by members of the club, and played in one of the rinks, and afterwards was presented with a silvermounted pipe on the occasion of his birthday. The president, Mr F. J. Tonkin, said that Mr Golsby was a marvel for his age. He had never missed a game of bowls for years. Mr Golsby also claims to be Bathurst’s oldest living native.

Rather a coincidence occured in connect-* ion with the champion rink finals in Melbourne— “A,” “B,” and “C” sections—Alley won the “A” section, Baxter won the “B” section, Cobbledick won the “C” section. What may be termed an alppabetical finish. Bowling in Victoria is undoubtedly being subjected to the influence of “the cloth,’’ as witness a few examples:—“The Rev. Harris played into the last four of the singlehanded competition, recently held in Melbourne; the Rev. Matthews won the club championship at Ascotvale; the Rev Ham was runner-up to Alley (champion of Camberwell) ; and the Rev King, who distinguished himself in the singles event, was the best of the Glenhuntly four in the Victoria Bowling Association trophy event. Jazzing on bowling greens quite eclipses ladies’ smoke nights. Read the following from the Grenfell Observer, New South Wales: “Preparations are well advanced for the jazz evening on the local green on Wednesday night. Arrangements have been completed for lighting, and the refreshment department will be supervised by the ladies’ committee. Three rinks of Cowra bowlers will play a rinks match in the afternoon. Bowling clubs are very particular regarding the traffic on their greens, so dancers are particularly requested to bear in mind that they must wear tennis shoes.” “Driver,” in Melbourne “Bowls,” writes: “An amusing incident occured at the end of an exciting game, when honours were easy. The jack was driven into the ditch by one of the skips, and rested alongside a dead beetle, which was used to mark the spot with, Brown’s rink lying one and Smith two good seconds. While the skip was making a futile shot a bull-ant, unnoticed, except by one spectator, who remained dumb, purloined the beetle for fodder, dragged it six inches nearer the two seconds, and finding it heavy, went down a hole in search of help. The sticks showed that the two seconds were counters, and the match was w’on, thanks to the “industrious' ant and silent spectator. Moral, use a second jack. The Dominion Tourament Committee has inflicted a fine of £5 on each of three players of a Wellington team who defaulted to an Edgeware rink one morning during the Dominion tournament. The skip of the defaulting rink attended the meeting and made an explanation, but the committee resolved to impose the penalty notwithstanding. The two other members of the rink who were fined will be afforded an opportunity of presenting their side of the case if they wish to do so.