BOWLING TOPICS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 19, 23 January 1935, Page 4

BOWLING TOPICS

.(By

The Skip. ')

There was glorious weather and a last green for the final day of the Dominion tournament at Auckland. Fully a thousand onlookers attended, and the games were full of interest. •Whittle’s Grey Lynn rink fully deserved their rinks victory. On the last head, when two down on the board and three down on the head, Whittle trailed the kitty to his timber and lay four. Livingstone failed to save with a wide one, and Whittle drew another. Livingstone again failed to get in a saver, and a great game ended in Whittle’s favour, 18-—l5. The winner’s play was of a high standard, and his team supported him well. Whittle’s saving shots in the middle stages kept the score down against him. The game was all square on the thirteenth, and from then on to the twentieth it was very even pegging. The win was highly popular after their display against Jenkin in the second game. Engebretsen (Napier) won the singles very easily. His defeat of Bourke (Hawera) was in doubt up to the middle stages, when the winner always looked *safc, though the Hawera man put up a very good game. He drew time and again on the white, only to see his opponent take him off with a running snot or a full drive. Against Wellings (Hatai'tai) Engebretsen went off well, being 10—2 on the seventh head and in .in unassailable position on the eleventh with 18—3—a four and two threes—appearing on his card. He was drawing with great precision. The gallery turned its attention to the rinks game as Wellings had no hope, and never looked like it at any stage. The winner went to his points on the sixteenth, 22--5. Engebretsen‘s performance is nn outstanding one, as he went through an entry of 314 without a loss. His plax has been of an exceedingly high standard, and he is undoubtedly the find of the tourney. His win with two lives is, it is understood, unprecedented. Pilkington, too. in notching his second win in the pairs title, went through unbeaten except in the section play. The pairs winners put up a very solid performance against Harris (St. John's), 12 being on the Hamilton board before Harris had scored. The score was 13—6 on the tenth head, 14—R on the twelfth head, and 17—9 on the fifteenth, and the winners ran out 20—12 on the twentieth. Their win was well received.

It is a. rather curious coincidence that both the winner and the runnerup in the rinks came from section H of the official book, as did Pilkington fsection II of the pairs). Throughout tiie tourney the administration has been excellent. The weather has been perfect right through, and the green being in fir M-class order has helped the officials in the huge task of seeing that everything has gone off smoothly. In the secretary, Air. G. L. Gladding, the tournament committee has been fortunate. His knowledge and ability has been a great asset, and bowlers, especially trie visiting ones, are very loud In the praise of his courtesy and helpfulness in the biggest tourney (for entries) yer staged. Bank Chat from St. John’s. Although holiday making generally and the Dominion tournament took several players away the attendance at the green on the past three Saturdays ranged from 80 to 90 and full rink games were played. The leaders in the full rinks after eight rounds ate:— Skips: Moffatt, 7 wins, 1 Joss; Michie and Parkes, 6—2; Falconer. 5—2. Threes: Bourne and J. Smith, 6—2; Toop, W. Gordon and AfcMillan, 5 —2. Twos: O. Cathro, 6—2. Leads: Downey, 8—0; Kendrick, G. Smith and Mackay, 6 —2. As three, rinks from the club attended the Dominion tournament many of these players missed three Saturdays and some missed two. Absentees should not be so numerous from now onwards. As many games in the sixth rounds of the various singles and pairs are unplayed comment is withhold meantime.

The Fern and Gordon Pairs competitions have been commenced, the former drawing 12 rinks which have been formed into two sections of six, each playing the other in games of 16 heads. The Gordon Pairs entrants total 25 pairs and this is played on the 2-life principle. After stalling off three challenges for the Bannerette our representatives were defeated by the rink from Wanganui Club who won 21—18. As some of the new members have improved wonderfully lately there will probably be changes in the next St. John’s challenging team. Senior and Willis Shield matches will be played against Gonville and Wanganui West on Saturday.

Six rinks from our club visited Waverley on Anniversary Day whilst the Alarton Club paid their annual visit to St. John’s on the same day. The results will be found elsewhere.

The St. John’s players participating in the Dominion tournament made a very creditable showing. The Harris brothers’ feat in reach ing the final of the pairs, in course of which they won nine games in succession is worthy of special note as they were opposed by some really fine pairs. Their only loss was in the final. It was a coincidence that their opponents were a Hamilton pair, as four years ago t»he same pair, Loveridge and Pilkington defeated Moffatt and Jack of St. John’s in the final. A telegram of congratulation and good wishes to the Harris brothers from a Sit. John’site contained the words “Give my regards to Loveridge and Pilky and stouch them.” You can guess who sent ill W. Harris, Gilbertson. H. Harris and A. E. Stone also deserve hearty congratulations on their fine form in the champion rinks as they went well into post section play before being put out, defeating last year’s champions in section niav.

Iln the singles championship Benefield and Herd each won their sections, the former going out in the third and the ! latter in the second round of post sCc--1 tion play. Stone also competed but just failed in section play. The Running Shor. I have been asked to describe this shot and how to play it. The running shot Is a most valuable one to cultivate and should be used much oftener than it is. The drive is frequently employed wnen the correct shot is the running or swinging. The best, exponent of this particular shot I. have met was Engebrctson. of Napier. He would time and again pick up the jack and ride it into the ditch, often sitting Bo close that as far as getting the shot was concerned the head was closed. The pace is about midway between the draw and the drive, but varies with the object you have iu view, and the room you have to play it in. There may be bowls in the track, and pace and green may have to bo adjusted to find a way through. However, as a general rule extra pace with same green, if I fail on the narrow side, with my first, is how J play it. If on the wide less pare. Put briefly, if you have the choice, adjust pace rather than green. Time Limit. It has been suggested that a time limit on the rinks games in future Dominion tournaments be imposed, and it is probable that this may come into force next year. It is considered that competitors should have au hour’s spell at midday after the gruelling days of the pairs and singles championships. If the rinks were played in between the singles and pairs the strain on players would be very much less than is the case at present, particularly on those who survive wtional games. In the pairs each player delivers (not counting burned ends (252 bowls, whereas in the rinks a player rolls up only 100 bowls. Added to this physical effort is the mental strain, admittedly much less in the two-bowl event, where responsibility is equally divided amongst the combination. It is possible, in the event of three or more teams tieing in a section, that one pair may be called upon to play five games on the second day, and this would entail the deliver ing of at least 315 bowls a man. Small wonder that no player has captured two titles in one season. The Draw or Drive. R. T. Harrison (“Boomerang,” of the Sydney Referee) who was playing as a member of the Auckland Club at the recent Dominion tournament is a great believer in the Vup-and-at-them” stylo of play, which the advent of the smaller class of bowl is introducing to the game. Is it fear of not drawing tho shot or a saver that ib assisting to bring about the change, or is it that niort players in their evening practice games are going in too much for up shots, instead of giving more attention to the. draw game? I think 1 am safe in saying that the player who cultivates the draw, with a fast shot in reserve, will get more pleasure out of the game, and certainly will have more trophies hanging or resting in his home. It appears that our friend Harrison on his first day’s «play in the singles thrilled some of the spectator!!, and annoyed some of tho players, with his arrav of fast ones, but it seems that th* only thing ho could hit on the second day was the bank at the end of the rink, and this same bank became his resting place for the rest of that competition. Speaking of Harrison and his fast ones reminds me of two great New Zealand players who were solid fast drivers—-Maxwell Walker, of Auckland, and Ernie Harraway, of Dunedin. Both these players were splendid drivers in their palmy days, but neither nsed th* fhs-t shot when business could be done with a draw; they knew the value of drawing the shot, but they also knew when it was wise to use their artillery. Perhaps after all it is well that there is some variation in our styles, but T do think that the draw is the mnin factor in th? winning of gamoe.

“Boomerang’’ Wails Again. Complaining that nothing is done to cater for the general public on New Zealand greens in the way of informing them of the state of games, “Boomerang.” of the Sydney Referee, remarks: “All that Afr. General Public can see is a green full of players nicely and correctly uniformed, wearelub colours—compulsory—and doing their stuff.

“A quaint custom, also, is that If a rink is badly beaten, it adds as many points as it deems decent, and these are added to the score. Nobody objects, and nobody asks any Questions. Tn Australia the trend is to *sock’ the opponents with a clean slate, if possible, and see that it appears in the Press. I just don’t know what to say about the New Zealand custom. “I have said that there are some queer customs—to me, at any rateand, until some progressive soul had it expunged there was a rule on the New Zealand statute book that, viewed from any angle, appears to have emanated from tho framer of tho thirteenth century. On one occasion during the games at Etpsome, I carried th© bowl ia my hand to view the head before playing it, and somebody reminded me that ‘not so long ago that bowl would be dead.’ At the lunch adjournment I asked why the bowl should be dead, seeking a reason rather than a desire to criticise. Everybody laughed, and admitted that they did not know. Another interesting point is worth relating. In some instances they play Ifl-feet-wide rinks, and all day everybody is in the other fellow’s way, and encroachments, delays while a head U baing finished, and head-on collisions are frequent. “They don’t ‘make tracks to tt»e bar’ in New Zealand, for there are ae bars. There is no such thing as ‘tfoe day’s takings.’ for there are no takings, and clubs have to depend upoi the upkeep of the greens, pay wag«\ etc., from members’ subscriptions. It’i a rocky road to stability over here, I can tell you. J told them that some Of us pay a green fee for the privilege of going 30 miles to another fellow’s club to assist one’s own club in a trophy game. ‘Tell us that again, and say it slowly,’ rcmiarked an Aucklander. “The broad question of what is the best bowl, best material, or whether a light or heavy bowl is best, also whether the hand size has anything to do with getting results, is acute on thia side of the Tasman,” adds “Boomerang,” writing from Auckland. “Great, shapeless junks of lignum, sometimes 16 of them in one rink, sr< to be seen on all greens, rumbling and wobbling their wi\v to the jac-k.