ROWLING AT OKATO

Taranaki Daily News, 20 October 1933, Page 9

ROWLING AT OKATO

NEW FULL-SIZED GREEN OPENED. MEMBERS’ ENTHUSIASTIC WORK. It was certainly an ambitious undertaking for a young club in a country district to undertake at the outset the provision of a full eight-rink bowling green, but thanks to the energy and enthusiasm of its members that task was successfully accomplished by the Okato Bowling Club. The district now possesses a bowling green of which it may well be proud and which should be an acquisition to the Centre, for it means that the whole district round the mountain is linked by clubs. The club possesses under 30 members with Mr. C. E. Brooke as president, Mr. R. F. Roebuck vicepresident, Mr. L. H. Andrews greenwarden, and Mr. A. Williams secretary. A site was obtained from the Domain Board close to the road and the swimming baths, from which water is supplied by a ram. As the result of the hard work of the members the site has been transformed into a splendid green, which has been fenced and planted with live hedges. A small. pavilion has been provided, though for its main gatherings the club will use the pavilion that has just been erected by the Domain Board alongside, also overlooking the swimming baths. For the official opening yesterday the weather was’ not good and kept many visitors from New Plymouth and elsewhere away. Those who did attend spent an enjoyable afternoon as the rain kept off and the bush provided shelter from most of the wind. The club . has been presented with five competition trophies which were displayed. They included challenge cups presented by Mr. J. Bennett for the club championship, by Mr. A. Avery for the pairs championship, and a cup to be won outright presented by Mrs. A. E. Andrews for the best first or second year Okato player. Two cups were presented for competition between the Okato, Warea and Rahotu clubs. In addition there is the Duff Cup presented by A. H. Drysdale for a pairs competition and the Egmont Cup presented by Taranaki Braweries for team competition. In declaring the green open Mr. Brooke expressed pleasure at the presence of so many local residents and extended a welcome to the visitors from other clubs, remarking that at any time they wanted a game they had only to ring the secretary, who would arrange a game for them. The green for a new one was in splendid order. Indeed, in his experience as a bowler he had known only one better for the first year, and he hoped that as time went on the green would be much better. He paid tribute to the manner in which the Domain Board had co-operated with the club, which had been a great factor in its successful establishment. The club also owed a debt of gratitude to Mr. P. Corbett for having laid out the green and to Messrs. Gibson and Cole and others who had assisted the club. With the Domain Board they had provided the people of Okato with a bowling green for all time. He expressed appreciation of the work of the secretary, Mr. A. Williams. The care given the green by the greenwarden, Mr. L. H .Andrews, and the greenkeeper, Mr. J. Allenby, was largely responsible for its present condition. . . Mrs. Brooke threw a special gilt jack and delivered the first bowl as the president declared the green officially open. Two pohutukawa trees presented by the Domain Board to be planted in commemoration of the opening of the green were then planted by the president. The customary match was won by the vice-presidents’s team by the margin of a point. The details are:— p y p Haylock, Brophy, Edwards, W. Thomson (s) ~~ Smith, Andrews, Lewis, Roebuck (s) ~ 23 Williamson, McLean, Brookes (s) 21 J. Carey, F. Sole, Lawn (s) .... — Grindlay, Farquhar (s) 18 ■— Kira, Henderson (s) ~ 19 Totals 58 Those present were entertained _at afternoon tea in the new domain pavilion by the ladies under the supervision of Mrs. P. Edwards. Appreciation of the hospitality was expressed by Messrs. W. W. Thomson (Paritutu). F. Sole (Warea) and T. C. Farquhar (Rahotu), all congratulating the new club on its enterprise.