BOWLING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 773, 29 December 1904, Page 13

BOWLING.

(By

the “ Skip.”)

The Auckland Bowling Association’s Tournament will take place this year on •January 28, 30 and February 4. The matches will he the pennant, shield, subscription, pairs, singles, and first year's players’ competition. Entries dose at 8.30 p.m. on January 21, with Mr G. B. Osmond at the Amateur Sports Club.

Entries for the Te Arolia Tournament close on Saturday with Air A. F. Burton. Mr Carlaw, the Auckland Bowling Club’s treasurer, will take entries up till noon to-morrow.

M'r Stephen Fortescue, the hon. treasurer of the English Bowling Association, has played a number of matches on the greens in Auckland, chiefly at the Grafton green. He went to Hamilton on Saturday to visit his son, and afterwards goes South. Mr Fortescue was very cordially welcomed by local bowlers, an especial feature being a bowling “At Home ” given in his honour by Mr Kirker on his private green, and at which the presidents of the various clubs were all present. Tn a friendly trial of skill Mr Kirker and Mr I.axon defeated Mr Fortescue and Mr Lcdingham by 22 points to 20.

J. Anderson, A. Nixon. C. G. Laurie, and J. S. Kilgour (skip) will be the Carlton Club’s team at the N.B.A. ’Tournament at Gisborne.

The Auckland Bowling Club are the holders of the First Year’s Players’ Challenge Shield, which was presented for competition by the Equitable Life Assurance Society. The senior club will, however, have a fearfully weak team this season to defend the trophy, and it looks a good hundred to one on chance that the handsome' shield will have to leave the Grafton pavilion.

In addition to the cocoanut matting rink game which Dr. TV. G. Grace is introducing at the Crystal Palace, another form of winter bowling is finding new favour in London—the playing of straight, rather small, woods over a narrow rink of a kind of drugget. So far its devotees here are mostly confin d to the Scottish element come south.

According to the “ Australasian’s London correspondent. Air W. L. Murdoch, Air J. Horsburgh, a pa-1 president of the New Zealand Bowling Association. Air J. R. Al'Callum. formerly a bowler in Victoria and New Zealand, and Mr S. Newcombe, a- veteran who played for manrv years over the greens of the < olonv

named, are being corresponded with by a provisional committee with a view to the formation of a team, as large as possible, of colonials residing in England, to represent Australasia in an annual contest. Should there be a Commonwealth or New’ Zealand combination touring the Alother Country, the visitors would, of course, be given place to. Mr Newcombe, to whom allusion was made, though past the eighties, displays the keenest interest in the pastime, and since his return from ‘New- Zealand has been greatlv instrumental in founding the fine Muswell Hill Bowling Club ground, the total outlay on which exceeded £l5OO.

Easton has beaten Myers in the Auckland Club's championship by two games to one, while Woodhead proved too good for Minnie in the same competition.

A very close game for the Gold Buckles took place on Saturday on the Auckland green. Dingle’s team had challenged Battle’s and apparently had the game won, but Buttle with his last bowl ran through the shot bowl and snatched a victory at the very elevt nth hour by 21 to Uh

In the semi-finals for the Remuera chain pionship Hegman beat Sanderson by 32 to 28, and the Rev. Monro beat 1 axon bv 38 to 15.

There was plenty of bowling done on Saturday, Monday. and ’luesday on the various grounds, a great many matches being played off. but want of space forbids a- description.