BOWLING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17216, 6 December 1923, Page 2

BOWLING.

NOTES FROM

THE GREENS.

The four-rink championship and the pennant competition have now reached a very interesting stage, and some keen matches may lie looked for during the remaining two rounds. Play in sections A and B of the pennant competition was completed with the fifth round on Saturday last. Section A was won by Sydenham with five wins and no losses and Section B by Edge ware, also with live wins and no losses. Canterbury, with four wins A. and Inuwood with three wins and two losses occupied that position in Section B. Two more rounds have yet to be played in the two sections of the championship. and the remaining two rounds of the pennant competition. Jn section A of the championship Edge ware and Kaiapoi. which have had their byes, have each scored four wins and no losses. They are drawn to play each cither next Saturday on the Ecigeware green, and the winner of that match will probably lie the winner of the section. The following Saturday Edgeware will play Uimvood at Lin wood, and Kaiapoi will meet Opawa. at Opawa. Jn section B it looks like a will for Sumner, which is the only team who have won all their games. Sumner, moreover, have had their bye. Next Saturday they play Canterbury at Sumner ami the following Saturday they play Sydenham at Sumner. Should Sumner lose either of these matches (which cannot ho regarded as probable) United and Christchurch may he in t-ho final running. These teams have one loss each, and they will meet each other on the United green on Saturday week. Next Saturday United will have a bye and Christchurch will plcfy New Brighton on the Christchurch green. This section is in quite, an interesting stage, although on paper Sumner’s chances are the brightest.

In section C of the pennant competition the real fight lies between New' Brighton and Sydenham. The former have four wins. and no losses to their credit, and they meet St Albans at St Albans next Saturday and Sumner at New Brighton on the following Saturday. Sydenham have four wins and one loss, and next Satusday they have a bye. The following Saturday they meet Rangiora at Rangiora. Edgeware are in a very strong position in Section B and they will be unlucky if they don’t win. They have four wins and no losses so far, and are drawn to play Opawa- at Opawa next Saturday and, St Albans at St Albans the following" Saturday. CanterbxuT, with three wins and two losses, are in the next best position, but they cannot hope do tie unless Edgeware meets with two defeats. Canterbury have a bye next Saturday and the following Saturday plays Lin wood at Lin wood. Already many of the clubs are beginning to sort out rinks of veteran? for President’s Day in February, and from xvliat one hears the Wellington Club’s greens will be well taxed on the day it sets out to entertain the f ‘ seventy and overs.” I was amazed

to find how many comparatively young men- young in thought a» well as action -were over seventy, in one eiub J know, w rites “ Number •» in tb© “ Dominion.” It more than ever convinced me that bowls are as effective as a chimpanzee’s glands in the prolongation of life-. To >am Potter, president of the Wellington Club, is due the credit of instituting ‘ Veterans’ Day,” which I suggest is a. better name for the event than ' President’s Day,” in -view of the fact that the centre, and not the president, is to stand the gaff - as tar as the expenses are concerned. “Vanity, vanity * all is vanity’. " said the preacher; and it is ever so. It is never, by any chance, the skip who loses the game if he is to be believed. “ If you had seen the kind of heads my rink were giving me."’ said one skip the other day, “ it was a wonder we did not go down by double. t could not get them up right through 1 don’t know what was wrong with ’em.!” Then spake No. 3: "We went down. Skip was clean off his game. Gave him plenty of chances, but he had the narrows—would not take his green!” Then as to the pennants, in response to the usual query: “ Yes, we were up to two rinks, but we went down in the others by more points. It’s only what 1 expected when 1 &aw tho rinks selected-- too many skips in the teams.” f tell you what it is. L would sooner have a good No. '2 play 3 for me than one of your seasoned skips. A skip is only good in one place-—put him in another and lie's like a fish out of water

The game of bowls was at one time regarded as a quiet and invigorating pastime for those who had reached that period in existence which is known as the “sere and yellow leaf.” To-day it is the elixir of life for old and young alike. The game has a peculiar fascination. Not only does it provide a healthy recreation, bun it takes the business and professional man right away from material thing-* and focusses bus intellect upon the one objective of “ lying the shot.'’ Thus does it serve as a tonic and rejuvenator. But the greatest pleasure of the bowling green is the fine spirit of comradeship it cultivates. All class distinctions are forgotten and politics and religion are banned. Personal animosities are left outside the gate. The occupants of the green constitute one big family of jovial, hearty, jolly good fellows, who play the game as it should be played, and who find the greatest satisfaction in catering for the pleasure of others. The man who invented bowls did more to i ,r °ci ur ' 6 harmony and goodwill than all the treaties that were ever signed. He did more to secure the health of the people than all the prescriptions that were ever written. WET SATLUDaYS. Writihg in the “ Auckland Siar.” •• Trundler.” after venting the feeling that wet Saturdays are getting rather monotonous, says: “All these wet Saturdays are another argument in favour,

BOWLING NOTES.

,cf ‘daylight saving.' which appear* to •,b« steadily phiuidr ground in popular favour. Under present social customs hundreds of bowlers never see the green except on a Saturday, which ts jso often wet. whereas an extra hour 1 at night would make all the difference, and add enough time to play a full game before it gets dark All sports bodies are interested in this progressive movement, and a big effort is to be made to give, legislative effect to it during the next session of Parliament. There is no foundation for the supposed opposition ot thp farmers, for they are the one class of the community to whom it would not make a particle of difference. They have always kept their own hours, and always will. Any farmer will acknowledge that if daylight saving came in lie would not alter his programme for his daily work in the slightest, and that it iv purely a myth to suppose that the *1 heme would he detrimental to the primary industries." The following matches have boon •et down for next Saturday:— FOUR-KINK CHAMPIONSHIP. Section A. Beckenham v. St Albans, at Beckenham. Lin wood v. Opawa. at Pin wood. Edgeware v. Kaiapoi. at Edgeware. Rangiora, a bye. Section B. Christchurch v. New Brighton, at Christchurch. Sumner v. Canterbury, at Sumner. ; Sydenham v. Papanui, at Sydenham. United, a bye. PENN A N'T COM P ETITIOX. Section C. Rangiora v. Heathcote. at Rangiora. United v. Sumner, at United. St Albans v. New Brighton, at St Albans. Sydenham, a bye. Section D. Paparua v. Bin wood. at Paparua. Opawa v. Edgeware, at Opawa. St Albans v. Beckenham, at St Albans. Canterbury, a bye.

STRAY SHOTS.

Entries for the Dominion tournament will close with the .secretary on December 11. In order to facilitate the work of the secretary local teams are urged to get their entries in before that. date. Representatives of the Tournament Committee have inspected all the greens that are likely to be available lor the Dominion tournament and in some cases have given very valuable ad-rir-e for the improvement of the greens. ft. is hoped in this way’ to have the greens in good order for the tournament. It was stated at, the meeting of the South Canterbury Centre on Tuesday that arrangements for the Christmas tournament were, well in hand. To date twenty-six rinks were entered, teams coming from Invercargill to Christchurch ; while there were fortv-seven pairs ami forty-one singles. The entries were almost up to last year. At the meeting ot the South Canterbury Centre on Tuesday night, the < hairman (Mr G. Hadlee) stated that, he had received eight badges from Air F. Steans. president of the Christchurch Centre, for the winning skips of the team which won the representative match. The local skips had been very pleased indeed to receive the

badges, and when the Christchurch team 114* leaving Mr Steans had given him an extra badge to be presented to Mr .1 Moves, in recognition of the excellent game he plaved in the representative match. The president said he had much pleasure in handing Mr Moves the badge. The centre decided to send a letter oI thanks to Mr Steana for his action in donating the challonge cup for the match.

“A lew copies of the combined programme of the clubs in Auckland hare found their way to Wellington, and have elicited interesting comment on the various phases of howling that are peculiar to Auckland/’ writers ‘Tnindler ” in the Auckland “Star/’ *‘One point that has come in for favourable

mention is the system of appointing a club coach for beginners, and it was noticed that the parent club. Auckland, had elected three coaches. A correspondent remarks that it would be a splendid thing for the game if this feature were adopted by clubs generally in Non Zealand. This would pre-

vent many an unfortunate tyro' from adopting, through ignorance, a false or cramjied style, thereby effectively preventing himself from over becoming a scientific howler. Once a player settles himself down to his own idea of

delivery, generally bad. it is practically impossible to get him to change it', unless of course he is an exceptional mortal. “ This view of the position is heartily supported by the writer. Only last, week

he saw a beginner squatting down almost on the mat while preparing to deliver his bowl, and the beginner in question was quite delighted to learn that the accepted style of delivery is 10 stand up perfec t Iv erect until ready 10 step forward with one foot and deliver the bowl. The beginner was also interested to know that it was not necessary to wobble his bowl, and that by holding it correctly it would run on an even keel. Of course that was on a. green where there was no chib coach, for otherwise. he would have been taken in hand by the proper official at once.” It might be added that the coaching of beginners is also carried out in some of the Christchurch clubs, with excellent results.

As illustrating the evolution of a skip, the members of a well-known city •bowling club used to banteringly tell a story of the deliberations of their selection committee, says a Wellington writer. This committee consisted of two of their follow-members. Harry and Victor by name. They met weekly to pick the teams. Victor would arrive and say : “ Well, ’Ai ry, who shall we ‘are for skips this week?” Harry would reply: “Well. Victor, 1 think you had better skip one rink and I’ll skip the other.” and so they did right through the season. It matters not that at the first general meeting of members Harry and Victor lost their jobs as selectors : they still maintain their mana as skips until the present day. “ A If. mV boy. you’re, one of the best leads in the club.” said a bowler as A If got his third toucher within ten minutes. “ That's all right.’’ replied Alf. “hut don’t speak too loud or the selector might hear you !” Up to the present the GovernorGeneral has been too keen on cricket to think of taking up bowls ; but if he consents to remain in New Zealand for another five-year term, there is a chance of his succumbing to the loss violent delights of howls. Whilst Viscount .Tellicoe plays cricket w’ith the Wellington College boys. the head master (Air CresswelV) plays keen bowls on the Wellington Club’s green. A good'many Wellington howlers, dissatisfied with the “feel” of their bowls., have taken advantage of tho winter recess to send them to Taylor’s, of Glasgow, for remodelling—generally with satisfactory results. Taylor's consider New Zealand howlers the

racing splendidly, lie secured tho lead, and finally won comfortably. A number of riders dropped out when .Leathern passed them, and only a few finished. Leathern again proved that as an unpaced rider he has lew equals. In his last three. Tacos at Alairehau he has gained fastest time as follows: —33min 22sec, 33m in 41 sec, 34 min 13sec. “ Bill ” is without doubt riding exceedingly well at present, and the coming track season should be a profitable one for him.

"Winner of the handicap in the thirty mile road championship held at Papanui recently, *.* S. L. Wilbraham, second place, rode a good race off the 30sec mark and again demonstrated that Ins form has improved since his few months’ spell. Wilbraham is training consistently and should put up good performances on Saturday at English Park. D. E. Speirs, third place, has not been doing a great deal of racing, but has been steadily training on the track. “Don” has been receiving better treatment in road races lately and has token advantage of his good starts. Ho is a competitor on Saturday, and as he is a good track rider he will probably give a good account of himself. H. S. Savage, fastest time unplaced and fourth place, lias won two prizes in the space of a week, winning the Alairehau race last week. Savage is a rider who should stick to the sport, as he is showing excellent form. N. Gray and AV. Comans, fifth and sixth places respectively, both started off the limit, 3min, which proved to be too short for them and could safely be extended. Coman - has been riding for the past two or three seasons without getting a place, but he is as keen as Saturday afternoon was a busy one for the racing cyclists, road races being held at Halswell, Riccarton, Dyrftelcl and Southbrook. The Paparua Club’s fixture was run off on itn unusual course, tho carriage drive at the course being utilised for the purpose, and it proved a good course, being two and a half miles round. The distance was fifteen miles. ,T. Henderson and A. Leathern were on scratch and a big field started—fiftythree. The race was an interesting one to watch, the riders- arriving every few minutes, and the club would be wise in running future events on that course, as the roads in the district are not of the best. With half the journey gone it was seen that the. scratch men could not get up, especially when Birch and E. Marra got to the front. As each round was completed the number qf riders remaining in the race grew smaller and the pace in front faster. There was a good finish between the first eight, H. AV. Birch winning from F. Atarra with AI. Bridges third and [ ,T. Al’Girr fourth. The fastest time again went to Leatnem. H. AY. Birch, the winner, has not done much voarl racing this season, making liis first apearance on the road on Saturday since the Tim am race. It is surprising that be should hare been treated so liberally, starting from the 2min Sosec mark. “Horry” has not been a successful road rider, and must be congratulated on his win. as he rode a good, unselfish race, being out to win from the word ‘ go.” His track form is also good at present. E. Marra, second place, showed ex cel lent form, and made full use of his handicap of 2min oOscc. and was to be seen in company with Birch at the head \ of tho leading bunch for the greater | part of the race. AI. Bridges, third place, was web' treated on 3min lCte.ec as tar as the scratch men were concerned, but was not equal to the finishing sprint of Birch and Marra. He is one of the most promising of the riders of the Papanui district. J. Af’Girr. fourth place, like Bridges was not fast- enough in the sprint, but put up a good race nevertheless. He is an Islington rider, who is capable or considerable improvement. The fastest time prize was won bv A. Leathern. Henderson did not finish as he fell close to the finish. The outcome was a protest against Leathern for unfair riding and a warning to Leathern. | The Darfield Athletic Sports Assoc-ia-j fcion held a road race on Saturday. ~evjj oral town riders taking part and filling the bulk of the places. The distance was twenty five miles, and twentythroe started. G . AY. Prebbie the wioner madgnod use of bis handicap of 3min. and state? that the leaders were caught only a short distance from the finish. George has not ridden at all well this season, and has not filled a place provi ouftly. TTis liberal handicap was quite

A r . Erridge, second place, only commenced racing this season, but has no*, been successful in previous races. Ho made full use of his six minutes handicap. J. Redmond, third place, comes from Dartield, and lias been riding for three or tour years without a great deal of success. Redmond is a frequent competitor in the Coalgate road races. C. Bell gained the fastest time, riding his first road race since he coni peted in the AVarrnambool- Melbourne load race. Charlie put up a good ride, and may be depended on t.o ride well in the coming big events. F. ,1. Carey, fastest time under eight een years, rode well from the scratch mark, finishing close behind Bed Frank has been prominent on tlu track and road this season, and exrep tionally good sprint getting him home on more than one occasion. The Halswell club held an elevenmile road race for club members on Saturday. H. F. Hunt, the winner, started from the l§xniii mark. He has been riding well this season, the spell irom racing last season having benefited him. Hunt is a good all-round rider capable of good performances on the track and road. O. C. AA'atkins, second place, does not uo a great deal ol road racing, but wad prominent on the track at Suuthbridge on Labour Day. lie and bis brotner being responsible for giving the scratch meu a hard ride. E: P. Farmer, third place, is a consistent starter in road races without getting a place, but this does not deter him from trying. A little more pace at the finish and he will fill the big position. P. F. Saunders, fastest time, appears to be at borne at Halswell, this being the second occasion he lias won the fastest time there. Pere rode unpaced, and be now appears to be regaining some of his lost form. Several riders have been competing without their registered numbers in road races, and in future it is the intention of the centre to fine all riders who go on to the mark without a number. Numbers ma> be obtained oil application to the secretary of the North Canterbury Centre. The distance of the Paparua Club’s race at Riccarton on Saturday must have been, wrong. The time put up by A. Leatham <3l min 52sec) is impossible for a full fifteen milesj A. A Morwood rode well at Southbrook on Saturday, gaining third place and fastest time fiom the TOecc mark. It is understood that he finished only half a length behind the two in front, and they rode a dead heat. Alorwood is a badly treated rider as his performances do not warrant his hard marks. \V. R. Hall, of Papanui. who competed in the above race, had the bad link to puncture. On Alonday evening last five riders made an attempt ut a one mile unpaced record at English Park The track was measured and found to be exactly 440yds. The centre officials acted as timekeepers, and a fairly large crowd v : thes'perl the ' attempts. The conditions were favourable and the times were as follow: —' A*. Leatb’am - • ~ 18 P. Saunders . • 2 23 3-5 AY. Ala«kio . . 2 23 1-5 S. L. Wilbraham • 2 25 2-5 H. Buvnand - / • 2 27 3-5 Other attempts will be made at a later date, but it is nor antic-mated that Leatham's time will be reduced by much.