BOWLING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 66, 18 March 1936, Page 4

BOWLING

-(By

"THE SKIP.")

The Champion of Champions competions will be commenced to-day ou the \V anganui East green. There are nine entries in the singles, including Raetihi, Ohakune and Taihape representatives. On the Wanganui green to-mor-row the Gordon Pairs, for the championship of Wanganui, will be decided.

The Gonville rinks had a great time on Saturday afternoon when they played Marton, Hunterville and Bulls teams for the Gonville Cups. Gonville emerged winners by 168 points to 127.

Last Saturday the Imai qualifying round in tlie St. John's Club lours was played, keen interest being displayed by members. At the same time the final of the A Pairs was contested, the game being very close right through, ft resulted in a win for Gilbertson and Scrivener over Bassett and Clinkard, 18 to 16.

By his win, Scrivener has pulled off the double, A Singles and A Pairs, this season—truly a great performance in a club like St. John’s, whose members revel in match play. All .through the competition for the pairs, he has had excellent assistance from his lead, Gilbertson, who, having invested in new bowls, has quite revolutionised his game and was in the last .three in the A Singles. On Saturday hearty congratulations were showered upon Scrivener on his double achievement. The two winning pairs in the Gordon Cup competition at St. John’s are strange to say, the same as those who were the representatives last year, namely Pepper and Herd, and S. Brown and Falconer. They will meet the winners of the other local clubs’ competitions on Thursday. No doubt they will greatly improve on their last year’s performance, when both were eliminated in the first round. The good wishes of their fellow-members go with them. The other competitions at Gonville are nearing finality, and after the round now drawn for the Handicap Singles has been finished only eight players will remain. Thus but. three more rounds will find the winner. - In the rinks competition at St. John's those certain of going forward for semi-final play are as follow: Leads.—W. Cathro, (_). Cathro, Holland and Newsome. Twos. —Colmcr, A. W. Brown, and F. Smith. (A fourth, owing to several ties having occurred, is to be found). Threes.—W. Brown, W. Harris, Mackay, and Pepper. Skips.—Beswick, Parkes and D. Armstrong. (Here, again, the fourth player has yet to be found). • • » • The Ferns games this season are proving very popular, more matches than usual being played and judging from the interest displayed by some of the participants, the games are very close and exciting. The winner is hard to pick, but if noise is any criterion to go by, “Jim” or “Ron” must be given a chance.

Members are keenly looking forward to the Centre’s Easter tournament, and there is every likelihood of the usual good entry from the St. John’s Club, who are reported to be praying for good weather . Auckland bowlers had an opportunity during a recent week of entertaining a team of visiting Manawatu players. Mr. J. Nash, who accompanied the party rs manager, has been president of the Manawatu Centre for 23 years, while Air. A. F. Wimsett, another one of the visitors, has been secretary for 17 years. It is a tribute to their efficiency and interest in the game that they have held their positions for so Jong. The “bloke on the bank seat” continues to be au object for the student of human nature, writes “Boomerang.” During a keen competition game a leader put up a good bowl, 10 inches off, and received gurgles of approbation, and not altogether in whispers. The second leader got inside of him. “Roars of silence.” With his second, No. 1 leader beat him to it. The gurgles found vent in voice and gesture. 'Phen the calamity: “No. 2 leader put one right on kitty. Only the sound of a cricket in the hedge—it was a night tournament —broke the icy stillness. Sydney bowls possesses a remarkable personality in Francis Kemp, of Warrawee Club, seven miles up the North Shore. He is an “A” pennant skip, and a most difficult one to beat owing to a propensity for “getting among” the bowls on a head. As straight as a gun-barrel in the spine, and for activity can give all and sundry down to fifty a good start. J remarked to him the other day, writes “Boomerang”: “You are a marvel; a perfect wonder.” And extracted from him the information that he is within three months of eighty years. He was ordered by his medical adviser to take up the game some eight years ago, owing to failing health, and he says that it transformed him to normal, and blesses the day he was so advised. This narrative does not. nearly convey the man as we know him. You need to get an eyeful of him in action. Tn a game on a TTow Plymouth green recently a skip neglected the back position and paid the penalty. Before playing his last bowl he was lying five and after inspecting the head he drew a sixth shot. His opponent promptly took the jack through apd on a count was eight up! * « * * Has a player who has just delivered a bowl the right to ask questions from the marker when his bowl has come to rest? In almost every game of singles that we see played you will invariably notice that the last player immediately his bowl has come to rest asks if he is up or down. As a matter of fact, when a player’s bowl has come to rest he

greasy as a great deal of rain had fallen. The Hawke’s Bay team was at full strength, whereas the visiting team was not very strong, several of ths regular members not being able to make the trip. The hospitality of the Hawke’s BayAssociation was beyond reproach and consisted of a complimentary dinner and dance and a sight-seeing trip around Napier. The meeting decided to write to the Hawke’s Bay L.T.A. and thank that body for the hospitality extended to our team.

should immediately vacate the mat and allow his opponent to be in charge. Law 40 reads: “As soon as the last-played bowl stops the control of the game is transferred to the opposing side, and they should not be interrupted by remarks or otherwise whilst they are in charge.”