BOWLS

Southland Times, Issue 22734, 9 November 1935, Page 14

BOWLS

“Kitty.”)

(By

A suggestion that the attention of bowling club members should be drawn to the value of chess as an interesting game when wet weather confines players to the clubhouse is being considered by the Auckland Chess Club and it is likely that it will be followed up by a letter to each of the local bowling clubs. Saturday Competition. Fine weather favoured the opening of the Inter-Club competition last Saturday when some interesting games were played. R.S.A. No. 1 put up quite a creditable performance against Invercargill, the margin in favour of the latter, in the case of three rinks, not being particularly large. Borne, Allen, Robertson and Stevenson, s (Invercargill), however, trounced Lindsay, Wyatt, Adess and Millar, s (R.S.A.) by 39 points to 14. though the R.S.A. rink of Lang, Tisbury, McKenzie and Taylor (s) went far towards avenging that downfall by defeating Parfitt, Ramsay, Gilbertson and Osten (s) by 31 points to 10. Two s’s and a 6 figured in Stevenson’s tally while Taylor’s rink scored very consistently Scoring in the Bluff v. Invercargill No. 2 game was fairly even with the exception of the match between Frew, Cameron, Lopdell and McGorlick, s (Bluff) and Mcßobie, Mitchell, Semmens and T. Holmes, s (Invercargill), the latter rink netting points on only five of the 21 heads. This 28 —10 win to Bluff was very valuable when tfie final tally was taken, for Bluff’s total win was by a margin of 25 points.

STANDARD IN AUSTRALIA.

IS MORE BIAS NEEDED?

The standard of play of the game of bowls in Australia, as affected by the fiias of bowls, formed the subject of an article by Mr J. C. Redmond, of Wellington, in a recent issue of the Australian publication Bowling Life. “Until I crossed the Tasman in April last I had been away from Australia for nearly five years,” wrote Mr Redmond. “In looking at matches played in Sydney and Brisbane during my present visit, I kept asking myself whether or not the game had gone back or had improved. Reluctantly I have been forced to the conclusion that the standard of play is not as high as it was.

“What is the reason, then, for the deterioration of play? The reason I submit is that a large proportion of bowlers are using bowls that just draw the authorized minimum standard. In the course of time, with ordinary wear and tear, the bowls, if subjected to much use, must inevitably fall below the standard bias, and unless challenged, these bowls may not come again into the tester’s hands for adjustment for years. In Queensland, I admit, bowls used in pennant and other association competitions are tested and stamped yearly. But such bowls must be passed provided that they just draw the test. The result is that when the greens are heavy, and, generally speaking, the greens in Brisbane, for a good part of the winter, were heavy, such bowls take the straight course to the jack to the dismay of the player who delights in using a decent drawing bowl. “Oh, yes, I know that the A.B.C. laws allow suefi narrow bowls to be used, and I do not blame players having minimum biased bowls if they feel that they are seriously handicapped against those who don’t like the “Waltz me around again, Willie” type of bowl, but only wish to tread the straight and narrow path up to the kitty.