BOWLING

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17756, 28 January 1926, Page 4

BOWLING

NOTES FROM THE GREENS

By

“ Toucher.”

British Team’s Visit. The visit of the British bowlers and thejr wives to Christchurch has been particularly successful. Jmmediatelv on their arrival in the city on Monday the visitors made themselves popular } v, th all who had the pleasure of meeting them. A happier band of tourists it would be hard to discover .and their hosts of the Christchurch Centre have derived genuine enjoyment when in their company both on and off the greens. The first match, which was played on the Opawa green on Tuesday, resulted in a well-merited victory for the visitors, but they suffered defeat in their second match, played at Rangiora yesterday afternoon. ’ This afternoon they are playing another centre match on the St Albans green, and to-morrow the Canterbury Club will be their hosts for the The visit will come to an end on Saturday morning, when the visitors leave for the West Coast. There can be no doubt that the visit will long be remembered as one of the happiest that the Christchurch Centre has received. All the arrangements are working without a hitch, and as the weather is perfect .the functions arc proving most enjoyable.

The tour will officially come to an end in Wellington on Saturday, February 13. The visitors will then return to the Old Country by various routes. A large party will leave by the Aorangi from Auckland on February 16, and travel via Vancouver, and another big party will embark on the Arawa at Wellington the following day and proceed home via the Panama Canal. Four others will return via the Cape of Good Hope, a couple will go to Australia, where they will remain some time, two will remain one month and another two for two months in the Dominion, and then return via Panama. The tour has had to be curtailed slightly in order to fit in with these arrangements. Systems of Play. An attempt was made in Wellington, and also in Dunedin, to make up another team for the Australian carnival, which begins in Sydney on February 22, but as the entries closed the previous Saturday the efforts were too late to be any good, writes “ Trundler ” in the “ Auckland Star.'’ There is only one rink going from Auckland after all, the other intending competitors having backed down after giving full consideration to the most unpopular feature in the tournament, the “ sudden death ” st-stem, under which it is run. They all consider that it is too much to expect competitors to spend five or six weeks, possibly more, and then get bumped out in one match. Bowling is not like any other game; there is too much luck in it to be absolutely sure that the best team will alwa}'S win, and it is strange that progressive people like the bowlers of Australia have not yet recognised this difference, and provided for it in one of the two ways that arc almost universal in New Zealand, viz., the two-life system, or in sections. The president of New South Wales, Mr John Rankin, made a strong appeal for support during the finals of the Christmas tournament, but at a later stage in the proceedings he practically condemned their system, although he had no such intention when he. spoke. In congratulating the winning Carlton team (Clarkson, Coutt, Ball and Truscott). he laughingly added that he felt very proud to think that the team in which he himself had pkayed had given the winners the only loss they had sustained in their fifteen only conclusion that one can draw from matches. Getting right down to bedrock, the this little fact is that if Auckland had l>een so foolish as to run off their big tournament oil the put-of-datc “ sudden death ” system, the strongest rink in the city would have been pGt out of action by a catch victory of a rink that had no possible chance of winning. In

tennis the system is quite good, for the best player usually wins, but it would be the height of absurdity to suggest that the rink which was adorned by the distinguished patronage of the visiting vice-president of New South Wales was within streets of the crack Carlton, rink. Run off in sections, nobody worries about a chance loss of this kind, and the same safety is preserved in the two-life system, but “ sudden death ” is absolutely unreliable in any tournament where it is intended to make a reasonabh'- good attempt to find the strongest team. During the Dominion tournament last week it turned out that the British visitors were not impressed with our twolife system, which they saw in the singles, nor with our section svstefn, which they saw in the rinks. However, this is no great surprise. The Champions. The following is a complete list of the Dominion championship winners since 1914: Rinks. 1914 Wellington Club: W. Grenfell, A. E. Erskinc, W. J. Thompson, J. Porteous (skip). 1915 Palmerston North: N. H. Nash, S. Dixon, F. J. Tasker, J. A. Nash (skip). 1916 — Newtown: C. Davis, A. E. Davies, A. B. Duff, J. Laughton (skfp). 1917 Auckland: J. A. Ryrie, A. R. Coltman, W. Coltman, G. B. Osmond (skip). 1918— Otago: W. Robson, J. Spinks, E. Falconer, C. R. Smith (skip). 1919 Karangahake: A. J. Andrew, W. Given, O. Gallagher, E. J. Jury (skip). 1920 — Wanganui: IT. Brookfield, F. L. Anderson, 11. 17.I 7 . Tilley, A. P. London (skip). 1921 -Karangahake: B. Hilton, A. Bell, O. Gallagher, E. J. Jury (skip). 1922 Taieri: J. A. M'Kinnon, W. B. Allan, W. Allan, W. Carswell (skip). 1923 Ponsonbv: R. Somervell, J. Hosking. V. Casey, A. Parsons (skip). 1924 — West End, Auckland: 11. S. Hill, W. Ure, G. Maher, W. Brcmner (skip). 1925 Hamilton: IT. T. Wernham, F. T. Wilson, A. C. M In tyre, R. N. Pilkington (skip). 1926 Dunedin: J. Best, 11. Siedeberg, F. M'Culiough, E. Harraway (skip). PAIRS. 1914 Dunedin: J. Johnson, E. Harraway (skip). 1915 Green Island: G. A. Blackwood. A. Smellie (skip). 1916 Thorndon: V. Dimock, C. Parata (skip). 1917 Turanganui: A. Sawyer, J, J. Martin <skip). 191 S-Dunedin: W, M. Hogg, E. Harraway (skip). 1919—Gisborne- J. B Rosemon, W. J. Hueston (skip).

1920 Sydenham: J. Turnbull, W. Spiller (skip). 1921 Wellington: W. A. Grenfell, S. Potter (skip). 1922 Newtown: T. Brackenridge, J. M. Brackenridge (skip). 1923 Temuka: W. M’Callum, T. Edwards tskird.

1924 Canterbury: James Angus, J. A. Redpath (skip). 1925 Newtown: C. Davis, J. W. Sexton (skip). 1926 St Hilda: W. R. Todd, E. Tamblyn (skip). SINGLES. 1914 Carlton : J. ICilgour. 1915 Ponsonbv: M. Walker. 1916 Roslyn: E. Fountain. .1917—Wellington: C. R. Ingram. 1918— Caledonian: W. Foster. 1919 Ponsonbv: N. Walker. 1920 Dunedin : E. Harrawav. 1921 Newtown: J. M. Brackenridge. 1922 North-east Valley: T. C Rigby. 1923 Ponsonby: M. Walker. 1924 Taieri: W. Carswell. 1925 Dunedin : J. Best. 1926 Caledonian: W. Foster. As Seen from the Bank. As a pla3'er it sometimes does one good to take a seat on the bank, and watch the bowling, often seeing defects in others that may bring home one s own faults, which leaves a mental note to improve upon it in future. One cannot help being critical while watching the various trundlers. In this instance we see an ordinary rollup by eight members of the club. Sometimes they are mixed and sometimes good. The good players do not need commenting upon; they recognise they must put up careful play and obey instructions to get the good results they aim for, which should be the jack. The second leader says, “I’ll get you, Jim,” drives, misses, and is in the ditch. Some men won’t learn that rink game is combination of the whole. should never drive; their duty is to draw as near the jack as they can. Good leaders lorm the foundation for every game, and very often they are responsible for their side winning. No. 2 now plays: he is also short, making a block for that hand. . Ah, those short bowls, how often do they spoil the game and cramp the skip from getting bowl out, or plav firm shots.

Second No. 2 says, “ I’ll get him,” and comes with a strong shot, misses, an d is out of the picture, instead of building up around the kitty or a foot-on shot upon the hand the skip directs. So the game goes on, short, long, narrow, and wide bowls, with an occasional good one which cannot be repeated twice, no regularity except the main object to “ get him.” N o 2 should be a more experienced man than the leader, able to draw the shot when the leader fails, or draw to position where skip directs, thus helping to provide bowls that will be useful in either attack or defence.

The thirds follow—some good, some bad shots are played, but often through the game that spirit of “ I’ll get him—if I don’t, Bill, Jack, or the skip will,” instead of recognising that they are all part of a cog wheel, which won't work properly if each cog or bowler fails to do his part. A third should be able to draw, take a bowl out. or play firm shots. Then the skips start with their minds in a whirl through trying to get their players to do something they want, and put up, to their own disgust, erratic play owing to short woods—blocks -or no position. This, erratic style of play ' we. sec. day after day. “Not a bowler among them,” says one onlooker, “and never will be,” says an old player, and yet some of them feel offended at times because they are not selected for imx>ortant contests, such as four-rink championship games. Because they have put up six or eight good bowls they think they have done wonders, and forget the thirty-six bad ones. Again, some when taxed with their bad play, say. “ Oh, -we don't take bowls as seriously as you fellows.” Often this type growl if a good four get together and leave them out, saying the others are selfish and don't give a man a chance to play with good bowlers. The question is—do they deserve a chance? They won’t try to improve, and spoil a game where good bowling is. To becorne a bowler one wants good bowls to start with, and bowls that suit one. A full set (four) of equal weights and shapes—no two of one weight and two of another. From 31b 4oz upwards arc useful bowls that will last all one’s life.

Next learn to grip a bowl. There are three ways. The bowl in centre of open hand; when closed, thumb comes over disc, with other fingers open around bowl; next, with thumb on rings round disc: again, thumb on centre of bowl. In each case adopt a grip and-stick to it. In delivering a bowl, either the step forward with left foot, delivering the bowl at the same time, or the rest delivery, by placing left foot for-ward, resting left hand or arm on left knee, which steadies the body. Again stick to position you adopt. Half the success of a good bowl is its proper delivery. Swinging the arm like a pendulum of a clock, from shoulder to hand working as one piece —no jerk or palm or wrist work, or round-arm swing—just a pendulum swing to increase or decrease its pace as length is required, and the bow-1 glides gracefully and true off the tips of the fingers. jj $$ Stray Notes.

“ Bowler bowls bowls in a bowler.” It will not be forgotten (says Arnoda in ‘ The New Zealand Times”) that the Wellington centre early this season expressed an emphatic wish—and it is provided in the rules too, —that bowlers should wear their club colours and uniform in the centre tournaments. On the whole the clubs have adopted this line in regard to their club and pennant games, and it is all to the good, for it gives the green a much smarter appearrance. It was hardly credible that a improves the standing of the club and player could turn up on the green to play in a bowler hat and morning

clothes, yet Mr Meadowcroft assured us that it happened. It must have made a very incongruous picture. We had the opportunity of realising how very incongruous it looks, for on Saturday afternoon, when visiting Lyall Bay green, the first thing that caught our eyes was a member of a city club attired in every day attire and a bowler hat. Closer acquaintance revealed that he was a member of the fourth estate and surely should have known better. We shall have to teach bowlers that little refrain of Corney “ ’Way with caps and bowlers, - “ Wear a hat like mine.” which they can sing when players so flagrantly outrage the decorum of the green. ?*: % Bowls by electric light, are as popular in Melbourne, and Sydney as is tennis. Now that Wellington is not restricted in the use of power it is a wonder some of the clubs do not consider an electric light installation which would make bowls up till 10 p.m. as popular here as in midsummer at Home* saxsL W.clliugtou jyyj-ittir.