BOWLS

Southland Times, Issue 22475, 10 November 1934, Page 14

BOWLS

(“By

Kitty.”)

Bowlers are being favoured with a splendid spell of ideal weather and the greens are all looking in tip-top order. Most of the clubs will be kept busy with their own competitions any day now. In fact, some have them already under way. The Southland Club and the le Rangi Club have each donated £2 2/apiece to the centre to be set aside for the purpose of buying a new set (or sets) of bowls for the players at the Waipiata Sanatorium who, having recently made a green, sent out an appeal for assistance from fellow bowlers. No doubt the worthy object will make an appeal to other clubs besides the two mentioned. , A wise step has been the centres decision to advance all its competitions by a fortnight this season. This will enable the different events to be determined much earlier than was the case last year. Many players are under the impression that, under the new system of Saturday play inaugurated by the centre, if a certain club loses at one green but wins its match at the other, then it gains no points. Such is not the case—the club is entitled to two points for its one win. The Northend Club has decided to run its competitions on the “sudden death” system this season. When the members have had the opportunity of testing out the new order of things during the next few weeks it will then be interesting to hear their views regarding the change-over from the twolife mode of play. The “Bagnell Wild” system of play has been adopted by the Southland Club for its competitions. As was the case last year, each player will have two lives, but instead of having to play in rotation the competitors will be placed in each of two sections which will proceed independently of one another until the final tally. For instance, supposing Jones has been drawn against Smith in the first section, Smith might be held up for half a dozen weeks or so because his opponent might happen to be ill or out of town. Under the new scheme of things, however, Smith, in section two, drawn against Johnson, say, will probably be able to proceed with this game. The effect of this system will permit the games to be despatched much more expeditiously and one player cannot hold things up for weeks. Croquet players—the writer understands—have long adopted the “Bagnell Wild” system of running competitions. Without the option—all Southland Club players had to pay their entry fees before they were allowed to take part in the competitions. Which explains why there wasn’t one defaulter to worry the treasurer. Southland Club competition matches already determined are as follows: Champion singles, McKay beat Pollard; Donaldson beat Israel; champion pairs, Snow and Fortune beat Brown and Gardner, Finlay and Israel beat Manson and Torrance, Fraser and Thomson beat Mills and Ayling. Donaldson had a walk-over in his game against Israel. Fraser and Thomson received a bad fright from Mills and Ayling. The former pair were eight down with three ends to play, but just managed to snatch a lucky win. The victors played a scratchy game. The match between Finlay and Israel and Manson and Torrance was more interesting. Israel, however, established a good lead in the early stages and Manson and Torrance could not reduce their deficiency. Gardner, skipping for Brown, was off his game when this pair played Snow and Fortune. Gardner wanted seven to win with one end to go and was forced to retire. The R.S.A. players are having keen competition among themselves for the Silver Button presented by the president, Mr W. R. Mabson. Stone and R. Adams, the first holders, managed to withstand three challenges after some pretty close games but, in the fourth game, they went down to S. Lindsay and J. Haslin who won by a fair margin.

.R.S.A. also went very close to winning against Waikiwi last Tuesday night in the four rink championships for they lost by only one point. They also had a challenge match for the Boyle Digger Cup on Thursday night

by a returned soldiers’ rink from Otautau. The holders had no trouble in retaining the cup by a big margin. The conditions were ideal. The Edendale Club is sending in a returned soldiers’ rink as the next challengers for the Diggers’ Cup. Te Rangi Notes.

The club competitions are now in full swing and a large number of games have been played in both the singles and doubles events. The following are the results of the games played to date:— Singles—McKenzie beat T. R. Pryde; Credgington beat Streatfield; G. Donald beat Strang; Roscow beat walsh; Bell beat Hope; Mclennan beat A. Donald; Wyber beat Dunwoodie; Glennie beat Brown.

Doubles—Frobarth and Shaw beat Strang and Drummond; Stevenson and Batcheler beat McLennan and Glennie; Dunwoodie and G. Donald beat Preddy and Keys; Hope and McKenzie beat T. R. and T. Pride; Brown and Credgington beat Streatfield and Burrell; Bell and Wyber beat C. Marshall and Gibson; A. and W. Donald beat Holloway and L. Marshall.

Te Rangi went down to Waihopai on Tuesday night by a narrow margin. The Waihopai green is in great order this season and was very fast. The Te Rangi players took several heads to find “touch”. Centenary Carnival. Wednesday last was set down as the kick-off point for the bowls section of the Centenary celebrations. The bowls section of the Centenary celebrations will consist of a champion singles, champion rink, and champion pairs. Bowls in Victoria and particularly Melbourne (writes “Boomerang” in the Referee) is on a high plane, well governed, and as healthy as it could be. Thousands will take part in this carnival, and representatives will be playing from every conceivable quarter, almost. The games will commence on November 7 and continue till the 16th, and the winners of the various events will know' that they have accomplished something more than they could have at any ABC carnival away from Victoria. The latter has such a wealth of talent to choose from that it is long odds against any visiting rink or singles player, or pair, talcing the title. An Interesting Visitor.

An interesting visitor to Dunedin at present is Mr H. Bland, of England, who is at present making a leisurely tour through Australia and New Zealand (writes “Jack” in the Otago Daily Times). Mr Bland is an enthusiastic bowler, and when at home in the Old Country spends the greater part of his time touring the counties of England in the pursuit of his hobby. In conversation with the writer recently Mr Bland had many interesting comments to make concerning the sport. A life member of the Pingnton Bowling Club (Devon), and a member of the Torquay and Worthing Clubs, Mr Bland, although he does not enter, has attended more tournaments than probably any other bowler in the Homeland. His time'is his owm, bowling is his hobby, and he makes the most of it, Speaking of the recent Empire Games, Mr Bland said that New Zealand is his opinion, was poorly represented so far as the bowling section was concerned. It was the only country which did not enter a Pairs team and, although the Singles player did his best, he was not successful in winning one game. Nevertheless, it was a happy reunion of the Empire, and the occasion, he said, should do much to cement the bonds of friendship between the Mother Land and her farflung dominions.

Asked his opinion of the greens out here compared with those in England, Mr Bland said that they were vastly different. English greens for the most part W'ere composed of Cumberland turf—a special turf which made a wonderful surface, although it was a little slower than the greens in this country. When a green was laid down grass seed was obtained and put down in sods. Then some special and arduous preparation was not needed, and the green could be played on after the first good rain had knit the sods together. The ordinary grass green which was so common in New Zealand was always specially mentioned in catalogues at Home. The expense of the Cumberland turf was rather heavy, however, and a good green might cost £BOO to £lOOO to lay down. The Temple Club, which, together with the Paddington green, was the scene of the bowling tournament of the Empire Games, was, said Mr Bland, undoubtedly the best club in London, if not in England. The club house was 40 yards long and was a two-storeyed building. On the second floor were three indoor rinks, full length and full width, laid down on a special floor with half-inch felt overlaid with fine baize. This gave the same play as a billiard table. The club house, which was situated on Denmark Hill, looked out on to a glorious panoramic view of London. The club had had to shift its premises no fewer than four times owing to building operations, and on each Occasion the sods of the greens were carried to the new site.

The severe drought in England last summer had a very detrimental effect on bowling greens all over the country and during the big tournaments it cost some clubs as much as £lO a week to get water to keep the surfaces in good order. The water had to be carted from a well and led on to the grass by means of pipe lines. Nearly £25,000 worth of turf had been required for repair work after the drought. The greatest pleasure which Mr Bland finds in bowling is the number of friendships which are made on the greens. Bowlers, he said, were men who had generally “had the corners knocked off them” during their lives and were therefore more tolerant and easy-going.