THE BRITISH BOWLERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 November 1925, Page 4

THE BRITISH BOWLERS.

PERSONALITIES OF THE TEAM. MANY FINE PERFORMERS. (By "‘Toucher.’) Wonl has been received that the team •at British bowlers i® to arrive in New Plymouth on January 2, 1926, and< will stay over the week-end, playing on the Monday and leaving on the Tuesday morning. The executive of the local Centre is now discussing suitable arrangements for the entertainment of the visiting team. The contest between the visitors and Taranaki will be played on the New Plymouth Club’s green, and it will no doubt create not only great interest among the bowling fraternity of the province but among the general public as well. I am indebted to E. J. Linney, in the New Zealand Herald, for the following details of the visiting team, which will doubtless be t read with interest by all enthusiasts of the . biassed sphere. Many of the bowlers making the pre®*nt trip were in the team that visited South Africa in 1922-1923. their names being:—Mr. and Mrs. J. Edney (Atheriey, Southampton), Mr. W. Clark (Ballymena, Ireland), Mr. Ivor B. Thomas (Dinas Powis, Cardiff). Mr. R. Husband (Dunfermline), Mr. A. Malcolm (Grosvenor, Greenock i. Mr. R. Lawson (Hyndland. Glasgow), Mr. and Mrs. J. Inglis (Portland, Kilmarnock), and Mr. W. F. Minto (Annan). CAPTAIN OF THE TEAM. Of the 11 internationals in the team, five are English, four Scottish, one Irish and one Welsh. Mr. Geo. Wright, captain of the team, is president of the English Bowling Association, an English international, and a bowler of expert knowledge. He won the Whitsun open single-handed tournament at WelImgboro in June last, and at the great Hastings tournament, just concluded, skipped his rink in the semi-final, having won the same event in 1919. Full of vivacity and ever ready with a joke or quaint remark, he has at the same time a grasp of detail in dealing with English Bowling Association affairs that entitles him to the position he holds as captain of the team. He occupies this with the unanimous good wishes of the whole of the party. In Mr. Walter N-i'Wakg'i a past president of the English Bowling Association, and an English international, who act® as honorary secretary and treasurer, will be found a general favourite. He is as outstanding as the president on the greens of the British Isles, eversmiling and care-free. Besides he has for many years devoted time and money to further the progress of bowl®. Tn Weston-super-Mare, where he resides, he acts as honorary secretary of the Victoria Club, and has made his County of Somerset a record-breaker in support of the English Bowling Association. GEOGRAPHICAL SECTION 1 /LEADERS. Each geographical ©ection of the team . will have its captain, these being Mr. Robert Husband (Scotland>. Mr. Ivor B. Thomas (Wales), and Nir. J. Millar (Larne). Mr. Husband is. a steady howler without any great pretensions, but on the ice he is lamed throughout Scotland as a curler, and is a vice-presi-dent of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. As captain of the Scots he ie the right man, hi* experience of managing men and matters being a great asset. Ex-Provost of Dunfermline, he carries with him the respect of every Scot. Mr Ivor B. Thomas is one of the y.iung men of the party. He has play- • : as a Welsh international, but a war injury at times disturb* his play and clean delivery. He and his father. Mr. T. P. Thomas, are great supporters of the game in South Wales, and Mrs. Ivor Thomas is the daughter of a late president of the Scottish Bowling Association, so that the family is thoroughly representative of best in bowls. Mr. J. Millar, captain of the Irish section, comes'..from Larne, a famou® bowling centre, where the internationals have twice been played, and where sortie of the best Irish bowlers have been reared. PREPONDERANCE OF SCOTS. j Coming to the rank and file. Scotland, by reason of having the greatest number of players in the team, comes first. To select one. beyond others, would be invidious, but in R. Lawson and A. Malcolm, are two of the ..best .skips and thirds in combination in the team. John Inglis, a veteran footballer, and a giant among men despite his years, runs up with every wood, whether he be lead or skip. Willie Minto had >ome good matches in Africa, and appeared for the- first lime this year in the Scottish International team. On the whole, he will be found sound, and may probably be a third man, fairly regularly. W. Crawford i« one of Scotland’s best men. and should take a leading part in all the matches. as also should J>. J. Morrison. T. Mickel, recently in Jjondon with the successful Scottish tourists, has come on well in the past two seasons, and will be of value to the team. These are just a few who are out standing. Turning to the English contingent, W. F. Wade won the C.B.A. singlehanded championship in 1923. He is an international, and played against the New Zealanders in the test match at Bellingham in 1921. lie led a rink which lost, 24—14. J. Edney, another English international in the beam, also played in this test match as third man, winning by 23—19 against J. D. Sievw right (Wellington). Edney is a stolid, steady kind of bowler, but not versatile enough to .-kip. although for Hampshire against he New Zealanders he skipped and won y 26 —17. George Wright, captain of t he team, who has already been mentioned, played against the New Zealanders in the first test match at Thirewcl! Hill in 1921, being third to Frank FHiatford. They drew with Barlow’s rink at 25 all. ML N. Wake was second in the same rink. Wake also skipped a .Somersetshire rink against the New Zealanders on the Victoria green, beating G. Gordon (Wanganui), by 17 —1-5 in a fine game. W. Dean. E.B.A. singles finalist in 1914, i® a great jack-finder. As an English international he has appeared

ih many important events and has a fine collection of prizes in club and other championships. A. E. A. Hyco is one who will be in the front rank in a year er so. In singles he has a good record. THE IRISH AND WELSH. Apart from I. B. Thomas, Wales has but two men, both worthy of being in any team. C. St. Ledger has been prominent for years in the big open tournaments and on the Welsh tours to London, and will be an excellent lead. G. L. Harding is known in Civil Service bowls circles. He i® president of the C.S.B.A. (Welsh Region) and last year reached the semi-finals of the U.S. international pairs and single-rink championships. He is a lead or No. 2, popular and enthusiastic. From Ireland, ML. Clark, an International, is a veritable “globe-trotter.” He was in. South Africa, and has siuce visited Mauritius and Australia, so that he ought to feel somewhat at home on this tour. R. Burton is another of the Larne school and will add credit to the team. GILMtH’R CUP COMPETITION. During the past week nearly all the clubs in the province have been engaged in inter-club fixtures under the control of the Taranaki Centre. The first round in the Gilmour Cup competition, which is played on Thursdays among the clubs in the Northern Division, was got off last week. New Plymouth and Fitzroy had a clinking good "’go,” the latter club eventually winning a four-rink contest by the narrow margin: of two points. Waitara journeyed 'to West End. ami met defeat in a six-rink' game by 46 points. The position in the Gilmour ICup competition stands as under

THE SHIELD GAMES. In the Northern Division Shield games on Saturday New Plymouth beat Vogeltown on the latter's green in a seven-rink game by 30 points. The Vogeltown green is at present playing perfectly, being evenly grassed with a fine sward and the. bowls run ? true and smoothly on the . surface. It reflects great credit on the groundsman and the club officials generally. West -End- won ‘‘fiard held" against Paritutu,-Ithe gin being 100 points, although;* the winners had not by any means . their strongest rinks in the., field. . Fitzroy had a 'narrow shave” against Waitara. squeezing home by only 8 points. The position in this contest now stands a* under:— Points.

In the Southern Division on Saturday Manaia and Hawera B. the leading clubs, met, and the game resulted in a win for Manaia by -2 ooiijis. Patea had a substantial v.c. over. Park, the margin being 37 points The position in this division now stands a* under. Hawera A not yet having commenced its games:

In the series of home-and-home matches in the Central Division for the Shield last Thursday, Avon defeated Eltham by .41 points while Stratford beat Inglewood by a margin of 31. It is not my intention to give detailed results of the shield matches, for these have already been. published in the Daily News, but a win secured by one rink* in the Avon-Eltham match of 46 points to 6 is worthy of special mention. It .will take some beating, even by the kvnest measurers with the tape. The position in this competition is as follows. Kaponga as yet not having p la yeti: —

Quite a peculiar feature in a friendly game between Fitzroy and Fire Brigade last Saturday was the scoring in each of the three rinks being equal. Thus the three rinks tied, and the aggregate was equal. Wisely the contestants left the fiekl without “playing the conqueror.” FIXTURES’ FOR THE WEEK. November 25. —Southern Division: Hawera A v. Park, ai Hawera; Patea v. Manaia, at -Manaia.. November Cup: Waitara V; Fitzroy, a-t West. End v. New Plymouth, West End. November 28—Northern Division: New Plymouth v. West End. home and home; Fitzroy v. Vogeltown, at Fitzroy; Waitara v. Paritutu, at Waitara. Southern Division:' Hawera A. v. Hawera B, at Hawera.

Won. Lost. Points. For. Agst. West End . .. 1 0 173 Fitzrov 1 0 93 Hl New Plymouth 0 I 91 93 Waitara. .... . . 0 1 1-27 173

Won. Lost. Eor. Agst. i t / T"4~l 717 I* 1 1 West ‘ End . .. :? <> 613 361 X«w Plymouth 2 1 652 046 Vogeltown . . . . 1 2 475 478 V-'aitara .... . . 0 444 550 Paritutu .... . . 0 3 324 013

Pl. w. L. Points. For. A o'. Manaia 2 2 0 2tM) ItiS Patea 1 1 1 iti 172 Hawera B .... 2 1 1 H>4 Park z 0 2 if$5 221 H a wera A .... 0 0 0 0 0

Stratford PL .. . 2 w. 2 1 L. O' 1 Points. for. 246 -324 Ag. 199 186 Eft ham . ... . . . 1 0 1 71 125 Inglewood . .. 1 0 1 100 131 Kaponga ... 0 0 0 0 0