BOWLS

Southland Times, Issue 21581, 19 December 1931, Page 16

BOWLS

(By “Lead.”) COMING EVENTS Dunedin Centre’s Christmas Pairs.—December 25 and 26. Dunedin Centre's Easter Tournament.— March 24, 25 and 26. Entries, March 17 (about). Alexandra Tournament. —December 25, 26, 28 and 29. Southland Centre's New Year Tournament. —December 31, January 1, 2 and 4. Entries close to-day. Dominion Tournament. —January 11 to 25. Shield Rink Championship (Southland green).—February 17. City v. Western (Riverton green).—February 24. Mayor’s Pairs. —March 3, 4 and 5. Champion of Champion Pairs.—March 10. Champion of Champion Singles. —March 17. Otago v. Southland (at Invercargill) .—Date to be arranged. TO-DAY S DRAW Southland v. Waihopai. Northend v. Te Rangi. Waikiwi v. Invercargill. NEWS AND NOTES Georgetown Bowling Club opens to day. The advent of this club makes the seventh in the city. Although the club has only been formed it has over 40 members and should give a good account of itself when it enters the competitions next season. An area for a green was provided on the Georgetown recreation area when the playing fields were apportioned some time ago and it has been worked up into excellent order during the last few months. Tire green has been used for a few games during the past 10 days and will be in good order to-day. It is well sheltered, a manuka fence having been constructed round three sides of it.

The new club has been fortunate enough to secure a very active president, Mr J. D. Campbell having been selected for that office. Mr Campbell is a tyro on the bowling green, but his style is good and he should make a first class player within a season or two.

Bowlers have been a little doubtful about the advisability of opening a seventh green in the city, but the fact that the majority of the club’s members are newcomers to the game of bowls shows that the formation of the club was a wise move. It will fill a niche in the sporting life of Georgetown and will bring a number of new converts to the grand old game. To-day will be a gala day on the new green and many of the city bowlers will be present to wish the new club well. Unfortunately a full list of fixtures will prevent the majority of the members of the other clubs from being present. His Worship the Mayor (Mr John Miller) has been invited to perform the opening ceremony and both the brass and pipe bands will be in attendance. D. 11. Thomson (Southland Club) has been drawn to play on the Roslyn green in the Dunedin Christmas tournament, and N. McGorlick (Bluff Club) will play on the Caledonian green.

The draw for the Dominion Tourney has now been made and the following Southland players will take part:—C. W. Tonkinson (Bluff Club) will play in the singles on the Barrington green; D. H. Thomson will skip a rink in section I, and will also skip a pair on the Opawa green, while F. G. Stevenson (Invercargill Club) will skip a pair on the St. Albans green. Last Saturday’s Fixture.

One fixture only was played last Saturday, the Southland and Bluff Clubs meeting in a combined four-rink and interclub contest. The weather was perfect, and the Bluff green, where the match took place, was running keenly and true. The Southland players had a fairly easy win, five of the six rinks played being won by them. McGorlick was the only successful Bluff skip and his opponent kept him working to chalk up winning points. Reed fielded a strong rink with Dick Donaldson playing lead and Manson and McRobie as second and third. The opposing rink, skipped by McDougall, was also good but Reed took the lead early in the game and finished 17 up. D. H. Thomson met Parry and found him to be a worthy opponent, the Bluff players leading during most of the game. The Southland players were evidently in danger of registering a loss when Thomson made a six on the 17th end and claimed the lead. Parry was not to be denied, however, and forged ahead again, but Thomson claimed three and a pair on the last two ends to win by three points. McGorlick opened against Stewart, but the Southland player handled his team and his bowls with his usual dash and challenged the Bluff players all the way. The issue was in doubt until the last bowl was played and a less seasoned player than the Bluff stalwart would have been hard put to it to keep alongside the Southland men. Strang and Steel also had a close game with the decision resting on the last head. Both skips played well and shared the honours very evenly, being equal on the 19th end. A three and a two put the,]

Southland players on the winning side, while the Bluff rink had the comfort of knowing, that while they were beaten they were not disgraced. The Southland skips, Taylor and Dykes, had fairly easy wins in the rinks against Cunliffe and Rose for the inter-club extras, and strangely enough the score was 31 —14 in both cases. Another coincidence was the fact that the Bluff players opened the scoring and one was eight and the other seven up before Southland registered a shot. Tuesday’s Games. Three A grade and two B grade fourrink fixtures were played on Tuesday evening under perfect conditions. There was practically no wind and sufficient cloud was about to blot out any annoying light. All of the greens were in tip top order and bowlers found that it took very little extra push to put their woods in the ditch. Southland and Invercargill met and the former club had a very successful run, winning all four rinks in the A grade and three out of the four in the B grade. Three of the rinks in the A grade were won by comfortable margins, but the fourth proved a very keen contest. Reed made 14 against E. Smith, who scored 12 in this rink, and the small scores indicate just how keen the play was. Reed was ably assisted by his team, Donaldson, Manson and Hewitt, the last named proving of exceptional value as third. Smith was also well supported by Holmes, Grant and Geddes and the play of the whole rink was of a high order. Te Rangi defeated Waihopai in the A grade fixture, but the Waihopai B grade retaliated by defeating their Waihopai opponents. The games were all keen contests, only a small majority of the skips making good margins of advantage. Waikiwi put up a good fight against Northend and but for the fact that D. J. Wesney put up a big score against Watson would have given the Northend players something to worry about. Nicol did very well against Service and Farmer had a good win against Steans. When the last-named skip’s record is considered Farmer’s win was a meritorious one. Steans is one of Southland’s good all round skips, and being a good sport as well he will not grudge a win to Waikiwi where a lot of good sports keep playing away more for the sake of the game than for the sake of a position at the top of the honours board. To-day will see the last of the fixtures for 1931, the only other official play before the end of the year being the commencement of the Soutbrimd tournament on the last day of the year. The fixtures will be resumed towards the end of January, and, apart from friendly games, the interim will probably find the greens fairly quiet. “Lead” desires to acknowledge Christmas and New Year greetings from “Measurer,” of the Evening Star, -who extends heartiest wishes for the festive season and “All the winners for you and yours.” May I be permitted to say that these cheerful sentiments are greatly appreciated, and pass them on to all good sports on the greens of Southland. Lake County Clubs. The doubles ferns changed hands at Queenstown during last week, Brown and Cooke (17) going down to Miller and Lynch (21). Un the 21st head Cooke was lying two, which would have tied with Lynch but the latter drove with his last bowl and burnt the head. The latter notched two on the replayed head and secured a win of 4 points. Roycroft, Brown, Nelson and Perks staved ott a challenge for tho rink ferns on Saturday from Miller, Ross, McMullan and Lynch 24—17. The green is playing remarkably true and is considered much improved on last year’s condition. The weed has taken a firm hold this season. The Arrow Bowling Club, which held its official opening last week, has secured ferns for doubles competition, and a silver star for singles. Already both competitions are creating a good deal of interest. At present the games are limited to 16 heads. The first holders of the ferns, Dakers and Tobin, went down to Thompson and Warring, 15 —12, the latter being defeated in their next game by Tobin and Reed, 17 —15. The holders successfully defended a challenge from- Elder and Saunders by a narrow margin, the final score being 14—13, but in the next challenge Elder and Saunders became the holders, defeating Tobin and Reed by 19 to 18. Willis Shaw the first- holder of the star, was defeated by Reed. The latter successful}- defended a challenge from Elder, but was beaten by E. L. Thompson, I—l 6. Elder again tried conclusions with Thompson, but went down 15 —13. THE CHAMPIONSHIP RINKS. “ ‘Observed is still at sea, and I am afraid that he is looking through the wrong end of the telescope, or he would be able to see that the singles players don’t hold the monopoly,” a correspondent writes. “No sir, there are others with an equal right to be considered. ‘Observer’ keep your eye on ‘Selector,’ he is the man that wears the big boots, and walks the quarter deck. The man that keeps on knock, knock, knocking on the honours board is to be congratulated; tell him to keeping on knocking. It’s lovely music. Just the stuff we bowlers like.”