BOWLING

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXI, Issue 2777, 19 November 1931, Page 6

BOWLING

VALUE OP TEAM WORK. DUTIES OF "SKIPS" AND "THREES." No. 3 (Measurer). The No. 3 position in u team is a wry responsible one, and the J?orson occupying same should have a thorough knowledge of the rules of the game, and lie should be capable of playing every known shot from draw to drive. He should be of very even temperament and should never allow himself to cross his skip, even if he feels confident his ideas are right and his skip's wrong. To be .successful, there can only be one general, and the skip is generally a man of long bowling experience; therefore No. 3 must have confidence in his skip and try to play the game he asks for. Of course, the skip may seek advice from his No. 3, but the No. 3. must not get the impression that the skip must take it after having asked for it. .1 bave seen No. 3's quite upset because their advice was sought and given but not accepted. The skip 'may have sought advice to sec if his No. 3 could show him a better shot than he could see himself, and may have finally decided that he had more confidence in playing his own shot. No. 3 must remember that the skip is in charge, and not only directs the play of his own team, but decided what shots he should piny himself even after consulting No. 3. It is very necessary that the No. 3 .should keep cool, and even if he docs not. see eye to eye with his skip in his directions or handling of the game, he •should not pass his opinions on to the ■other members of his team and put them out of confidence. To get good results, No. 3 should work in perfect unison with his skip, and to do so .should have similar ideas as regards planning or building a head. An excellent idea is a No. 3 Avho has been .tutored by the skip. The No. 3 should ■very keenly watch every bowl that is sent np by his own team as well as opponents, and should at all times have the position of the head plainly im-

printed on his mind. During any temporary absence of the skip from the head, the No. 3 is in charge, and at the finish of every head it is the No. 3 on •oach side who decide what the score is, and in case they cannot agree on their own judgment, one or both of them •shall decide by measuring. If they cannot agree, it is their duty to call an

■umpire, or non-interested person, to decide. This is a good chance to advise leads and No. 2's to refrain from passing their opinions at this stage of iH grime, and keep well in the background. They often have a lot, to say, and yot strictly speaking have no say in the matter. The Skip. Now wc come to the skip, and ir. ■choo«ing him you generally look for a player with as much experience as possible. The best skip in a club may not necessarily be the best player. It :is not only what a skip can do himself, "but it is what he can get out of his > .train that counts. You may often hoar *i bowler say that he docs not know how it is that he cannot play anything like his usual game under "A," but. on the other hand he can put a bowl whore he wants to when playing for "B." Now that may be accounted for by the laet that "A" has the wrong temperaorient for a skip; that he upsets his n >n tand puts them off their game; whereas "B" having the right temperament gives his men confidence ami oncourrngement, and they can't do wrong. One filing a skip should never do, and that is "growl at a player or about a bad howl." Some skips can show their feelings without saying a. word, which is just as bad. When a player puts down a bad bowl, the skip should realise that he did not deliberately put it down badly. I have seen skips growl at the bad bowling of their teams, and then go and put down worse bowls himself. A skip who is alwa N ys grumbling ssnfl complaining about his team not •only upsets and put them off their •game, but invariably upsets and puts "himself off his own game as well. A skip when picking a tournament team should see that ho gets men who are .naturally cool and are temperamentally suited to each other.. As I mentioned when dealing with the No. 3 that he .should work in perfect unison with his .skip, I also maintain that the skip should do his best to make things run smoothly for his team, especially the No. 3, with whom ho has got to confide a 'lot "of kis planning in order to outplay his opponents. Sometimes a skip will find a rink is very easy to play on one hand, while the other hand fis .-almost impossible. Many a game is •won 'by a skip noting this and quietly ■giving liis team the chat, ami keeping them on the one easy hand. I have seen a team playing good bowls like this and forging ahead while the other .skip and his team are .still battling along trying to beat the impossible hand and wondering what is the matter. A skip who takes notice of all defects and trickincss of a rink, and •quietly puts his team wise to his discoveries, will often have the game won