SPORT and PASTIMES

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1923, Page 13

SPORT and PASTIMES

BOWLING.

PLAY IN THE NORTHERN DIVISION. | HOW THE SECOND ROUND COMMENCED. (By “Toucher.”) Bowlers must consider themselves fortunate in the matter of weather this season, for up to the present matches have been interfered with on only one occasion owing to unfavourable conditions. Last Saturday was anot'hpr ideal day, though the wind at times made the play a little uncertain. The day was set apart in the Northern Division for the commencement of the second round of the Shield matches of the Centre, and some interesting results were recorded. NEW PLYMOUTH DEFEATS VOGELTOWN. It was expected that the game between New Plymouth and Vogeltown would be a close one, and so it proved. The suburban club had achieved the honour of being the only club to defeat West End in the first round, and therefore it was looked upon as quite a probability the chance of their accounting for New Plymouth. The game took place on the suburban club’s green, which was in excellent condition. Vogeltown comprises less than fifty members, but they can all play the game and are not beaten till the last bowl is rolled. New Plymouth scored in four rinks I out of the six. putting up 153 points* to j Vogeltown’s 144, thus winning by nine i points.

i Thomson had the upper hand in his • game against Hoskin, though in the I early stages the contest was interestI ing. Hoskin “kicked off” with a five, but on the 4th head his opponent replied with a similar score, and on the sth head the game was 7 all. On the Sth head Hoskin led by 10 to 9, but there Vogeltown remained till Thomson ran up to 23 points. The latter held the jack for most of the remaining heads, and the score read 32—12 in his favour on the 20th head. A five to Hoskin on the next head slightly improved matters for that skip, and he was ultimately defeated by I's points. The game between Nasmith and Wigley was- most-talked-of one on the green. On the 4th head Wigley was 6 to nil. Then the New Plymouth team opened their account with a brace, followed by a single. Then they gathered in a eeven, followed by a six. a single, a four and a three, and they were 24 to 6on the 11th head. Afternoon tea then came on, and on resuming'Wigley's team got going again. The handicap, however, was too much for them, and they were beaten by ft points. Woollett scored a couple of singles against Hooker. Then the Vogeltown team scored on the next five head, and the total was 10—2 in the latter's favour on the 7th head. The next seven heads saw Woollett doing all the scoring, and the board gave him a lead of 5 , points on the 14th head. This was reduced to two on reaching the 16th head, but Woollett got in a five and a four and this practically put an end to the game. Hooker tried hard to overtake but he suffered defeat by 5 points.

The game between Luscombe and Evans was a good one in point of scoring. The game was 4 all on the 4th head, and B—7 in Luscombe’s favour on the 9th head. On the 14th head Luscombe led by 16 to 9, but on reaching the 20th head Evans had overtaken the leeway and led by 21 to 18. From this point, however, the Vogeltown team failed to score, and Luscombe ran out a winner by 29 to 21. Griffin tried hard to avert defeat in hie game with Griffiths, but the Vogeltown skip carried too many guns for him. Griffith* led throughout, being 13 to 0 on the 10th head and 19 to 14 on the 18th head. Griffiths scored singles on all but one of the remaining heads and won by 10 points. Johnson was not up to his form in hia game against Robertson, and allowed hid opponent to get in two fives. The Vogeltown team led right throughout, the board showing 13-3 on the 7th head, 21-10 on the 16th, and 30-15 on the final head.

-WAITARA SURPRISE NEW PLYMOUTH.

Six rinks from Waitara journeyed in to the New Plymouth green to* play their fixture with the town club, and to their credit be it said they carried off the laurels of the day. It was doubtless a surprise to the “townies,” and perhaps to the Waitara “lads” a* well. Each club won in three rinks, the scores being Waitara 147. New Plymouth 123—a margin of 25 points. Ford’s defeat of Hill was the outstanding feature of the day, the scores being 45 to 11. They tell me it was not altogether “Sunny Jim’s” own fault, though 1 understand it was his birthday. The team did not play up to the form expected. Ford’s win was a meritorious one. He is a hard skip to beat, especially when having the assistance of Fuller as No. 3. It was this game that practically decided the contest. Calder beat H. Smart by 4 points, while Young finished one point in front of A. N. Smith. For New Plymouth A. Smart defeated Telfar by 4 points. 11. Fookes continued in his winning vein by lowering Cole’s colours by 10 points. Higgs got home by the narrowest of margins from Noeworthy, and thus secured his fourth successive win in Shield matches. WEST END ACCOUNTS FOR FITZROY The match between West End and Fitzroy proved keen and interesting, quite different to the previous occasion of their meeting. In the first round West End won by a large margin, and I stated then that I could not see there was such a disparity between the clubs as the scores showed on that occasion. I assumed that on their next meeting the scores would be different. And so it proved. Fitzroy won on t'heir own green by a margin of 16 points, but this advantage came to nought when West End finished up on their own “dunghill” with a superiority of 23. Thus the West End Club won by 7 points. The totals were: West End 226, Fitzroy 219. On the Fitzroy green the “’homies” won in all rinks excepting one. Champion continued his successful career by defeating Beal by 9 points. Abbott finished six up on Petty, they tell me the latter skip was not playing his usual deadly game. What price, Morey ?

Price defeated Morey by six points. Stan. Smith gave a Roland for West End’s Oliver, when he defeated the latter skip by nine points. Hurlestone was the only ‘West End skip to win on this green and he got the verdict from Jury by 32 to 19. Matters were entirely in an inverse ratio on the West End green. There the home team won in all rinks, bar one. Gyde pronounced sentence of defeat on Court —30 to 19. Lobb accounted for Hammond by 12 points. F. J. Hill proved too hard an obstacle for McNeill to overcome, the former winning by 7 points. Billing lowered Williams’ colours by 9 points, while J. D. Sole kept his heel on Okey, the margin being 3 points. The only skip that lost to the Fitzroy players on the green was Honeyfield, for Rennell collected all the sweets from him by *8 points. iWest End are now leading in the Northern Division, but the club is not yet out of t'he wood.

DOINGS IN THE PROVINCE. INTERESTING JOTTINGS. In a colts’ match last Saturday between the West End and Fitzroy Chibs on the West End* green, the unusual score of 33 to nil in West End’s favour showed on the board at one point of the game. The finish ultimately read—49 to 9. This score will take some beating. A 40 points margin is something to talk about. You would like to know the team? It comprised Maunder, Bruce, Ellis, Casey (skip). Waver ley beat Patea last week by 122 points to 106, in a friendly match. The list of fixtures as drawn up in the Southern Division for the Shield matches has now been completed. Last week Hawera and Hawera Park met on the latter club’s green, and the former club was successful, winning by a margin of Ift points. After this week there will be no further games in the Northern and Central Division for the Shield until after the holidays. The matches set down for today are: New Plymouth v. West End, home and home; Fitzroy v. Waitara, at Waitara; Fitzroy v. Vogeltown, at Fitzroy. Bowlers are reminded that entries for the New Year tournament close to-day with the secretaries of the various clubs in the Centre. Entries an> by individuals only, and the teams will be arranged from the entries received. A friendly match of four rinks* between New Plymouth and West End was on the former’s green the other day. when West End won by 111 points to 80. West End won in all rinks.

Waitara suffered a severe defeat on their own green on Thursday last, when Inglewood beat them in a game for the Shield. The totals were: Inglewood | 135, Waitara 55. Longbottom beat George by 27 points, Wilson defeated Fraser by 25 points, Spurdie won from L. Sampson by 27 points, while Henry finished I point up on C. Sampson. Inglewood has been doing “some” bowling of late! Up to Thursday Inglewood and Stratford A were leading for the Central Division competition. Inglewood’s loss was against Eltham, and Stratford A lost to their B team. The position of chibs in the Central Division is: Inglewood and Stratford A, won 4. lost 1; Stratford B, won 3, lost 2; Waitara, won 2‘ lost 2; Eltham, won 2, lost 2; Avon, won 1, lost 4.

In connection with the North Island tournament at Wanganui at Christmastime, the following rinks have entered from New Plymouth: New Plymouth— Fookes, Smith, Griffen, Johnson (skip; Taylor, Hooker, Thomson, Smart (skip). Fitzroy — —, Jackson, Rennell, Smith (skip); —, Gillespie, Beadle, McNeill (skip). West End —Hill, Olliver, Sole, Beal (akip). Altogether 37 teams have entered.

Entries for the Dominion tournament at Christchurch closed on Monday, the following entries being received: Rinks 121, pairs 202, singles 209. The entry from Otago and Southland was disappointing. The rink entry is not as large a* that of recent years, as in 1917 there were 137 rinks engaged, 126 in 1918, and 160 in 1921. The tournament which takes place next month, is making an unusually wide appeal, as only two played. There has been much comment on the strenuous three games a day tournament, which completely tires out 70 per cent, of the bowlers, and does not give many the opportunity of returning to their hotels from suburban greens to have a comfortable mid-day meal. The two games a day gives everyone 50 heads to play, and allows ample time for a spell in the middle of the day. Players who are going south from this district must be prepared for fiery greena, as all reports from Canterbury comment on the excessive dryness of the country through continued lack of rain. If such conditions continue it should be a case of getting over in the other fellow’s rink in order to get there or thereabouts, and the delicate touch will be much in demand.

Dunedin Club members evidently feel strongly on the resolve to play only four-rink games on five Saturday afternoons during the season. Their feelings may be understood (writer “Measurer” in the Evening Star). There is no doubt as to the general desire of -members to take part in interchib matches. The majority in every club wish to be picked and feel more or less aggrieved if left out. The idea, therefore, of only sixteen members of a roll of 150, as in Dunedin Club’s case, having all the. official <say on five Saturdays of a season does not meet with favour. The grievance is not so great in a club comprising, say, sixty members, though even then there will be discontent. Dunedin Club’s annual meeting resolved unanimously to send a protest to the Centre Executive which has since replied that clubs will have the same number of inter-club fixtures as last year.