WORLD OF SPORT.

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17580, 8 December 1928, Page 21 (Supplement)

WORLD OF SPORT.

■XSMSX

BOWLING

THE GAME IN GENERAL. GREEN AND PAVILION GOSSIP. (By “Toucher.”) Hardley Shield Contest. The most important event of the week in local bowling circles was, of course, the Hardley Shield match between eight rinks each from the Auckland and South Auckland Centres’ clubs, which was played at Auckland on Wednesday. As was generally expected hereabouts the Northerners emerged victorious, though, if memory serves aright, the margin of superiority (10A games to s£) was not so large as in the first match of this competition last season. A centre such as South Auckland, drawing its representatives from a widely scattered area, must necessarily be at a disadvantage in competition with one which can gather practically its full sertngth within the radius of a few miles. The second match of this com- ! petition has to be played later in the season at some town in the South Auckland centre, but with a deficit of five games after the first encounter South Auckland will require to win 11 out of the next 16 games to secure the trophy. This, against bowlers of Auckland calibre, is somewhat of a tall order, and perhaps rather much to expect. However, one can but hope for the best. The difference in the number of points on Wednesday’s play was 64 (Auckflland 353, South Auckland 289), but points do not count unless after the second series the number of games won by each side is equal. The Southern skip with the best record on Wednesday was R.

Higgott, of Whitiora, with a win and a draw. Carter (Claudelands), Beil (Hamilton), Branch (Morrinsville) and Adamson (Thames), each had a win and a loss, whilst Pilkington (Hamilton), Stewart (Matamata), and North (Te Awamutu), lost both their games. Pilkingtonmet Walker and Truscott; Stewart was defeated by Parsons and Keatley; and North by Bremner and

Wright. Carter met Ryan and Findlay; Bell’s opponents were G. Hosking and Buckley; Branch faced Wright and Snedden; and the skips opposing I Adamson were G. Clark and George. Higgott beat De Launay and drew [ with Jenkins. Jacob Wright Cup. For the singles competition between clubs located in Hamilton for the Jacob Wright Cup, the Hamilton Club will be entitled to make 8 entries, Whitiora and Claudelands 7 each, Frankton and Hamilton East four each, and Frankton Railways 2 —32 in all—approximately ten per cent, of the bowlers attached to the various Hamilton clubs. As has been mentioned before, these clubs must have a competition including not less than twice the number of entries to which they arc entitled to decide who shall be the club representatives. Entries for

the cup competition proper will close on February 2. When these entries arc received, and whether the competition is played in one or more sec-

I,ions, all entrants’ names will be placed in the hat and drawn in pairs. After 'the first round the sixteen losers will be eliminated and the remainder will play for the trophi on the two-life system.

King Country and Goldfields. It was decided at the recent meeting of South Auckland Centre officials that the executive committee should be asked to report to a future meeting on the proposal that a party of bowlers should visit King Country and Goldfields Clubs later in the season.

Inter-Club Contests. When inter-club matches take place clubs with a small membership are usually at considerable disadvantage as to the strength of their rinks in comparison with those clubs possessed of larger membership. A club that with its available piayers can put only, say six rinks in the field, has seldom much chance against a club with double the membership from which to select six representative teams, and the result of the contest is usually a foregone conclusion. To obviate this in a measure a suggestion ha 3 been made that in such cases the

larger club should select a number of rinks proportionate to its membership strength, place these rinks in the hat, and draw from them a number equal to the number of rinks the smaller club can field. As for example Hamilton East (40) is to play Hamilton (80), and finds that it can field six rinks. Hamilton accordingly selects twelve rinks and from the hat draws six of these to meet Hamilton East. Such a method would appear to give the weaker club more of a sporting chance, and, as the social side of such fixtures is generally regarded as more important than the actual winning or losing, one fancies that members of the larger clubs are not likely to object, whilst those of the smaller clubs need not feel that they are necessarily outclassed from the word “go.” Still Going Strong.

The ages of a veterans’ rink from the Claudelands Club which played at Cambridge last Saturday aggregated 311 years. Mr W. Baker (83) was the “daddy” of the party and Mr Wiltshire (74) the “baby." The other members of this sturdy band were Messrs W. Murray (78) and J. Thomson (76) “Toucher” has not the ages of the Cambridge veterans opposed to this rink, but.understands that they included Messrs G. E. Clark and Cowling, both of whom have attained spans of years that must be regarded as "long heads”'on the bowling green of life.

More Than The Head Burned. A peculiar incident happened at the Hamilton green recently when a member noted for his driving proclivities sent down a fast one in endeavouring to “burn” a head. Whether lie succeeded or not “Toucher” know'eth not, but it is a fact that the bowl struck a coat hanging over the bank, in the pocket of which the owner had three boxes of matches, which were simultaneously exploded by the impact. The smoke was noticed at once and the blazing matches were tipped out before much harm occurred to the garment. Can anyone guess who drove that bowl ?