WOMEN’S BOWLING MATCHES.

Southland Times, Issue 22833, 6 March 1936, Page 9

WOMEN’S BOWLING MATCHES.

To the Editor. Sir—To revive an old grievance, there was much strong comment on the Southland bowling green yesterday afternoon during the match between the Otago and Southland teams with regard to the predominance in numbers of the members of the Southland Club. Out of 10 members, 8 were picked to play, while from the other clubs of the province, 1,2, or 3 was about the quota. Inquiring into the reason of this most unfair division, we find the Southland women claim the privilege, owing to the fact that they had travelled last year to Dunedin and this year to Oamaru, of placing a large number of entrants irrespective of ability into the match. I am not conversant with the rules of bowling but to an ordinary onlooker this seems utter “bosh.” If these women are in the happy financial position to travel, then good luck to them. They are welcome to go from Bluff to the North Cape if they wish. But surely the rest of the province’s bowlers, who are some of them, as good if not better at the sport than most of the Southland Club and who perhaps have neither the time nor the desire to travel, are not to be penalized because of this, by being excluded from taking part in this yearly match. I hear that a re-arrangement of entrants was made necessary, through Dunedin bringing a rink short, thereby causing four of the city’s best players to be withdrawn; yet in spite of this all of the Southland Club’s quota were returned, one rink appearing in the same formation as in the previous draw. This has left us wondering .how this ballot was done. Further, Southland clubs neatest woman player was conspicuous on the bank as a “non-starter.” I think it’s time for these selfappointed “representatives” to take a trip to the Home country and get their names up elsewhere. —Yours etc., J.R.M. Invercargill, March 5, 1936.