BOWLING

Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1929, Page 14

BOWLING

LECTURES AT STRATFORD. HOW TO PLAY THE GAME. With a view to bringing out many of the finer points of bowling and educating younger players to the niceties of the game, the Stratford Bowling Club held a scries of lectures on Thursday evening. There was a good attendance, including visitors from the Tariki Club, all of whom were unanimous in the opinion that the lectures and demonstrations served a valuable purpose. There were four speakers, Messrs W. Harris, A. 11. R. Amess, P. Skoglund and J. S. Lyons, who dealt with general topics and particularly with the duties, aims and requirements of leads, seconds, thirds and skips respectively, illustrating their remarks on a blackboard. The speakers were warmly acclaimed at the close of the evening, the function being voted a great success. In dealing with the duties of leads, Mr. Harris, who, as president of the club,, also presided over the meeting, prefaced his remarks by stressing the desirability of all bowlers appearing at matches correctly dressed. It was part of the lead’s duty, he said, to lay the. inat, which should be placed on the green between the point where the jack lay for the previous head and the ditch, but not nearer the ditch than six feet from the front of the mat and not further than 22 feet up the green. The lead of the rink that won the head had the-privilege of placing the mat where he desired, but it was a point of etiquette for the lead of the losing rink to lay it first on the green true with the centre of t.ho rink. Once the. mat was laid it should not be touched until the skip’s last bowl had come to rest.. After the mat' was in position, the winning lead threw the jack, taking the feet of his skip as indicating the distance. He then played his first bowl. Reverting to the commencement of a fresh head, Mr. Harris urged leads to devote a little time to collecting the bowls of their team all together at one side of the mat and suggested an act of courtesy in giving the skip’s j bowls a rub up so as to be in readiness : when the change-over took place. A lea:! : should always play to his skip’s instruc- ■ tions and should be equally at home I with both forehand and (backhand bowling. Good leading was a big factor in any game and the lead who could consistently roll one bowl on to the jack and the second just behind it was an invaluable help to his team. Having delivered his bowls, the lead should retirefrom the head, for preference to take a seat on the bank, and after sending down his first bowl should always remember to give his opponent at least six feet of room. “If you are not a nervy player,.he may be. It is a courteous action not to stand at his elbow or to move about in his vicinity, and in any case the rules provide for retiring six feet.” DUTIES OF NUMBER TWOS. “A number two differs from the lead in that he must be able to play a greater variety of shots,” said Mr. Amess. He went on to say that a number two, besides 'being required to be able to draw as well as a lead, was often called upon to displace an opponent’s bowl or play what was known as “'cracking an egg on a bowl” shot. The number two was..really the pivot of a good team. “The number two keeps the score, and I here I may not be amiss in suggesting that, when chosen for such a position, he make a point of supplying himself with a pencil,” said Mr. Amess. The remainder .of. his address dealt more fully with the requirements necessary to make a good No. 2. He concluded by .urging bowlers when chosen as a rink to exert themselves to create an atmosphere of harmony, to be loyal to one another, and to obey without question the directions of the skip. Mr. Skoglund prefaced his remarks by demonstrating how to hold a bowl and deliver various types of shots from the mat. In his opinion, while waiting to bowl, a player should hold his bowl supported in his left hand against his body, transferring it to his right hand only when about to send it away. He deprecated the practice of kneeling to deliver a bowl and investigated the pros and cons of various stances.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF NO. 3. The number three, ha said, should carefully watch the head being built up and should closely observe the amount of green and length of previous bowlers. He should have complete confidence in his skip’s directions, even when called upon to play what, from his end, looked like an impossible shot. On changing ends, the skip should be allowed to deliver his first bowl undirected, but the number three had the privilege of directing the second. Mr. Skoglund made his lecture extremely interesting by incorporating a number of blackboard sketches demonstrating the art of building a head and playing various shots. The advice to attend big tournaments in order to learn bowls was given by Mr. Lyons. There players would meet nothing but good bowlers, and would find the experience illuminating and educative. Dealing with the young player, he urged him not to be in a hurry to purchase his own bowls, but to use club bowls for at least the first season, and so decide the size and weight best suited to his own hand. When bowls were purchased the owner should preserve them by frequent oiling. A great many other interesting hints to colts were given by Mr. Lyons, who proceeded to deal with aspects connected with the psychology of a rink during a keen match, and the attitude of players one to another. The third should be an accurate driver, for it was often necessary to clean up a head in order to give the skip a chance to draw the shot. Skips should confer with, their number threes, take them into their confidence and work together. “It is no fun being a skip,” he said. “The lead, number two and number three may all play poor bowls, but the skip is always expected to save the head.” The skip had to be definite in giving instructions and should never alter an instruction once given. Thus he would not confuse or bustle his team. In conclusion, Mr. Lyons appealed to members to give loyal support to their committee, and to accept the decisions of the selector in a sporting spirit.