BOWLING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2469, 6 April 1909, Page 2

BOWLING.

(By “Toucher.”)

The Handicap Singles <?£ ths Turangamii Club *«£ how IlGlng gone on with * n earnest, after being interfered with by the inter-club matches and broken weather. When A. Zachariah and C. P. Lewis met it was expected “Zach” would be “all right/’ but ¥ half-way through “Zach’p” chances looked none to rosy.' However, when Lewis reached that, unlucky number shunned by bowlers —13—he stuck: there, aud for. the remaining ten heads he never scored, Zachariah overtaking him and winning easily at the finish, Lewis will. have the, best of reasons in tho future to avoid that unlucky number. The contest between B. Hird and D. W.McSkimming was regarded by the alls” as a “cert” for “Ben,” and so it proved, for I never saw a bowler so badly defeated before as McSkimming was defeated by Hird. The result of the Leydon-Cussen match came as a surprise, for it was generally admitted that Cussen was far and away the superior. However,-he proved- himself the superior, but seven points of a handicap was too much of a task for him to accomplish. .He made a big effort, and well nigh succeeded,.for he tied with Leyden on the last head. The play-off, however, went into favor of Leydon, and Cussen. thus went under. I congratulate Leydon on his victory, for it is his first,'but he has yet a long way to go to secure the trophy. It is expected that a number, of games will be played this week,' for the round is to close on Monday next, Easter Monday. A good game was witnessed on the Turanganui green on Thursday last, when a challenge match was played between a Gisborne and a Turanganui rink, skipped respectively by Crawford and Sawyer. Up to about the 11th head the game was Sawyer’s, he then being 17 to 2. ' However 1 , on the next head his opponents lay two, and Sawyer came with a firm shot, hit the jack on the side and gave Crawford seven. Just fancy—seven 1 Think of the teams, and one wonders how a seven was possible. All I can say it was bad generalship or bad play. Why were seven of Crawford’s bowls lying together and none of Sawyer’s among them? On the other hand, why were four of Sawyer’s together and none of Crawford’s among them P Anyhow the seven put Crawford’s team in the running and they next obtained a five, and in a total of five consecutive heads they scored nineteen. Having the lead Crawford’s team made things lively for Sawyer, and he eventually got home by 4 points. The Press team after their victory over Crawford’s rink met a team of licensed Victuallers in a friendly match, but this time the press were vanquished. At one stage of the game they had a good lead, 'hut the victuallers were not to be denied, and pulled up the leeway. On the last head .the Press required four to tie; they lay two, one of Lucas lying third against them. The Press skip came down hard on Lucas with his last. Lucas’s bowl knocked the jack back, and he lay second. Had it but gone another half-yard thfe Press would have secured five and victory. There was a capital departmental contest at Wellington the other day between Railways on the one side and Native and Stamps on the other. The Hon. J. A. Millar skipped the railway men, and the Hon.. James' Carroll in charge of Natives and- Stamps. McLean, Morris, and Davy gave a solid support to Mr Millar, and Murphy, Dickson, and Hickson were under the mere of Timi Kara. Railways won by 29 to 16: The Commercial Travellers’ Club played an enjoyable match against the Central Club (four rinks a-side). on a Wellington green on a recent Wednesday afternoon, and pulled off, the honors, with 17 uoints up. The winners, toasted the losers’ health, and happy little little speeches Tvei£ made by Mr W. J. Hueston, the Hons.'J; *4. 31dlar, and J. Carroll, and Mr F. W. Haybittle.- Mr Carroll made a heat shot by stating he thought when the match was arranged they were up against a case of “soft- goods,” but it turned out to be “hardware.” 7 /4 ■ • 1 The Wellington Centre’s New Year Tournament proved so successful that it was decided to hold a three-days’ tourney ( at Easter., But some of the j players barred Good Friday, and so the j tournament is to he confined to the Sa- j turday and Monday. I notice that both ' Invercargill and Oarnaru- are also hold- i ing Easter tournaments. gj •; j Mr J. C. Maddison, the well-known i architect .(president of the Christchurch j Bowling Club)/ has just presented a j handsome trophy for competition by bowlers belonging to the Christchurch Centre. It is in the form of a column topped by the. figure of a bowler in the act of “greening” hisrbowl. It is fora singles contest, each winner to hold it for a year, and-to receive the Christchurch Centre’s gold medal, as well as the title of “Single Champion” for the year. “Single” Champion doesn’t imply.that “no Benedicts need apply.” I see that Mr Flatinan, ex-M.P., having no longer to bother his bead about politics, has taken the lead in starting a bowling club for Geraldine. As chairman of the meeting to set the bowl trundling, he said the club would be “tho me’ans of bringing strangers into the place and adding to its attractions.” - ;<V Some informal references were made at the recent smoke concert at Christchurch to the matter of the North Island Association amalgamating with the N.Z.B.A. Mr Nash, of Palmerston North, and Mr Webb, of Wellington, gave it as their opinion that there was a strong feeling in the North in favor of amalgamation, but Mr Ballinger, of Wellington, appears to have never heard of the subject being mooted. Mr Gallaway, the vice-president of tne Council, expressed himself warmly favorable: to the idea.. “It is very doubtful if there , is the slightest feeling m the north in the direction of amalgamation (says the Otago “Daily,,Times ). The North Island bowlers deliberately seceded from the N.Z.B.A. and formed an association of their own, and although there lias been some grumbling at the work done—or possibly at what has not been done—by the executive, that dissatisfaction lias, not been un the direction of swapping governing bodies, but of doing away with the supervision of the governing body and managing their, own affairs. This is shown by the formation of a centre m Wellington and. a? Provincial ■ Association m , Auckland. In reality the movements m the North and- South Island have been of a .very similar nature—the; : development . oi strong local governing bodies, reducing the functions of.the governing body to seeing ■ that the laws of the game aie observed, and that these, .tews -are m consonance with the views of the bulk of the bowlers, and in the-best interests of. the game, also acting as an appeal ].<idr • and gene-railv" attending.to- a.Yaiit/.which, 'do not come witmn tne. : ' . - V v , .. . '-

scope of the centres, inasmuch as they affect all centres.”