BOWLING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2558, 20 July 1909, Page 6

BOWLING.

(By “Toucher.”) The match of the .past week was the final of the Martin medals, and a splendid game.did it furnish. The finish was indeed exciting, and a closer one has never been seen on the Gisborne green. It 1 was hard luck for Corson to shift liis shot bowl when he had the game won, and thus rob himself of victory. Martin played an excellent game, and, but for his splendid exhibition his team would never have been “in the hunt.” I congratulate him and his team on winning the medals, for a harder game was never played. Friday last saw that interesting competition in the “G.T. Feathers” brought to a head, when T. Clarkson met W. A. J. Gibson. The latter had the advantage of a 14 points handicap, but his opponent gave him a good run. For two-thirds of the game Gibson kept a; commanding lead, but towards the finish Clarkson came strong. With two heads to go he was within three of the leader, but the 20th head sbattered tho scratch man’s hopes, for Gibson obtained the shot. Requiring four to tie on the last head Clarkson still had hopes, but they were not too sanguine. Gibson, though a “new chum at the game, played the last head with the wisdom of an ancient. He put up a long jack, and his first bowl was about two feet short. His opponent drew short, and Gibson scored two. The final. score was Gibson 27, Clarkson 21. Gibson now becomes the holder of the “Gisborne Times’ Feathers,”, hut I hear he has already received a challenge to defend his laurels. I notice that the Turanganui Club committee are not allowing the grass to grow under their feet in the matter of improving the. grounds. Already they have started on removing the boxthorn hedge between their property and their newly-acquired section. The pavilion and all appurtenances will be removed this week on to the new ground, and this alteration will considerably improve the property. The pavilion, when removed, will stand about 15ft from the edge of the green. It is on the cards the pavilion in order to enclose an afternoon tea room, which would be a decided improvement on present arrangements. 1 have also heard it stated that the entrance lawn to the green, whereon the pavilion at present stands, will be beautified by shrubs and flowers, and that an elaborate beautifying elan will be adopted. From this one gathers that progress is in the air, and the wisdom of having a July meeting of the Club is clearly shown. July”29th sees the close of the Gisborne Club’s season and the holding of the Club’s annual meeting. I understand the Club’s financial position will be shown to he very sound. One of the items I expect the meeting wall discuss will be the “open-door” policy in regard to Association tournaments. Tins policy has been freely discussed by the larger clubs lately, and they are all unanimous that the Northern Association should follow the “open-door” policy adopted by the Southern Association. Why should a large club be allowed to send only a team to . a tournament, the same as a small club? Why not “let’em all come?” In connection with this matter the following from the “Free Lance” may be of interest: The.'average citizen who doesn’t wear a blazer on summer afternoons, and isn’t bitten with the fierce joy of chasing the kitty over trim lawns, is probably wondering what all this talk about “the open door” means. He has heard of the open-door policy which John Bull and Uncle Sam have been preaching to John Chinaman for the last half century. But why are the bowlers getting so enthusiastic about ■it at their annual meetings? That is the point. Well, it’s easily explained. The. bowlers’ “open door” hinges on tho question whether a select few in each club or all and sundry,. so to speak, shall compete at Association tournaments. Down South, where the New Zealand Bowling Association holds sway, the practice has always been “the opendoor” policy, and it answers so exceeding well that the Northern howlers have been going to Southern tournaments each year in increasing numbers. The Northern Bowling Association rules in this island, and clings like a limpet to its old-fashioned habit of holding a biennial tournament, to which every affiliated club may send a couple of rinks —eight players—neither more nor less. In the off-years it holds -a Champion Fours tournament, to which each club may only send four players. It makes ho distinction between the small and distant country club, which could find one decent rink, but not two good ones, and a powerful metropolitan club like the Wellington with over 200 members. The club of 30 members and the club of 300 members must each alike be represented by two rinks of four players each, and all the rest may just sit on the bank and watch, so far as rink matches are concerned. Hence, all these tears.! Mr W. Prior at the Wellington Club’s meeting gave an excellent illustration of the. absurdity of the' system. He has a private lawn, and, by forming his family of eight into a ciub and joining the Association, they could all compete in the tournament, while the Wellington Club, with its membership of 200, could only send the same number of-competitors. It doesn’t matter one jot that there is plenty of Tink-room available, and that there are hundreds of other bowlers eager to compete. The Northern Bowling Association is anchored fast to old and moss-grown traditions, and won’t budge. But the new blood that has been pouring into the affiliated clubs isn’t satisfied with the antique traditions. A movement has set in which will either move the Northern Association out of the old ruts or else burst it up altogether. The two strongest clubs in Wellington, are now pledged to the “open-door” policy. At the Newtown Bowling Club’s annual meeting. last week it was practically . resolved to secede from the unless it gives wav on this point. And the Wellington Bowling Club, this week also carried a resolution in favor-of the “open door.” The wonder is that the change has been delayed so long by the prejudices of the older class of players. In a> club of over a hundred members a very large number of whom are. of nearly equal merit, it is a most invidious task to pick out eight players to represent the club. Of necessity almost it must give rise to heart-burnings and disappointment. Far better and more, democratic is it to invite entries, and let a s many compete as the grounds will accommodate. Then the play itself will determine who are the worthiest. It this system has worked so well in the South, it ought to suit the North just as well. The Northern Bowling. Association suffers cruelly from stiff joints, but a younger generation ' has arisen. which insists upon the aged party getting a move on. That s the whole thing in.a nutshell.