The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 1899. THE BOWLING TOURNAMENT.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9643, 16 January 1899, Page 2

The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 1899. THE BOWLING TOURNAMENT.

There can be no question of the success of tho bowling tournament just concluded here, from every point of view. As an advertisement of the attractions and progress of Wanganui it was of the highest value, and as such ought to have been subsidised by the public, but the members of the Wanganui Bowling Club, with a whole-souled generosity which speaks volumes for their liberality and enthusiasm, refused to allow any outside assistance to be rendered, preferring to bear the whole of the .very, heavy cost of the function themselves, and to entertain the visitors in a manner which impressed the latter with the belief that the prosperity of Wanganui is a solid one, and its bowlers a most generous body. The great number of games that had to be played in order to allow of each team contending with. every other was, no doubt, a drawback, as it necessitated five days' long and continuous play, which only " men in good training and the prime of life could successfully undertake, as each team had to play four games per diem. This in midsummer heat was too much of a strain" on the physical powers of many good players who are past their prime, and were unable to keep up to 'their earlier form, and who fell away in their play at the latter end of the week, arid dissipated the hopes they had raised earlier in the tournament that their teams would come out very high up in the final list. We quite agree with Mr Mentiplay, the seoretary of the Northern Bowling Association, that the whole of the ■ expense of a tournament like that just held here should not fall on the shoulders of any one club, but that each affiliated club in the Association should bear its proportion of the cost. But we do not agree, that the should be a Wellington fixture, as it is in the interests of the game itself that it should be held at the chief centres of population in the North Island in rotation, so that player 3 in- many parts of the island may have an occasional opportunity of witnessing these contests on their own greens, and thus improving their play — a thing they could not do if the meeting always took place at Wellington, where, as a rule, only those engaged in the play could afford to journey each year. The good feeling which prevailed during the late tournament among thp players .was very noticeable, whilst the solfpjtude of the members of jibe Wapganui Powlipg Cl«b for the comfort and enjoyment of the visitors has been the theme of unstinted praise on the part of the latter,- wbg say they will long remember their visit to Wanganui as one of the pleasantest experiences of their lives, and have gone away thoroughly imbued with the belief that Wanganui is not only pne of the most picturesque towns in' New Zealand, but one of the most hpspitable, Too much praise cannot be given to those ladies who undertook the arduous duties connected with the handing round x of refreshments during the tournament with such winning grace and untiring solicitude for the wants of the guests. The sucoess of th.c tournament was of course largely due to the thorough arrangements made by the officers and members of the Wanganui Bowling Club, who vied with each other in their efforts to make the meeting the splendid success it undoubtedly was. When one and all were so worthy of praise j$ would be invidious to name any in particular. We shall, therefore, refrain from doing so.by congratulating the club on its successful carrying out of a very arduous and expensive entertainment, which has done so much tq stamp Wanganui as a most desirable pljice fcr |}ie holding of such fungjiions,