BOWLING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2570, 3 August 1909, Page 6

BOWLING.

• (By “Toucher.”) The local bowling season lias come to a close. On Thursday last the curtain was rung down on the 1908-09 season in a proper, manner, and it was quite a fitting finale to hold the Gisborne Club’s annual meeting on the .same night. The bowls have been oiled and put away, reminescences of the past season have been touched upon, matches have been replayed in imagination’s mind, and thus has the season closed. In the dim distance, looking down through the vistas of time, Gisborne howlers have seen things that are to come —improved conditions of things, more up-to-dateness, new pavilion—and they hope that in the new season to come these things will be within attainable distance. May it be so! The improvements have been steadily persevered with on the Turanganui ground during the past week. All the necessary fencing lias been erected, and the tea-room is well under way. The banks are slowly b.eing built, and with the levelling of the section brings nearer the completion of the filling- in round the pavilion. The eastern end of the banking has been completed, and only awaits "grass-seed. Rose-cuttings have been planted at this end alongside the iron fence, and I understand it is the intention to complete the portion by the planting of passion fruit. On the old green the lawn, whereon the pavilion previously stood, is being levelled up and re-sown. Given a few weeks of fine- weather all the improvements on this ground should be .completed. Waverley (Sydney) Bowling Club has made an up-to-date move which might be worth other clubs’ while to follow. At a cost of 3d per annum for each pair of bowls, any member may have his woods insured against fire. The risk is covered up to 20s per pair with a company of first-class standing. Had something of this kind been in existence in connection with those tnvo New Zealand clubs, whose premises were recently destroyed b'y fire, members would not have suffered to anything like the extent that they did. Some of them,- report says, lost three or four pairs of woods each. '> . Genuine regret is felt in New Zealand at the news of the death of Mr W F. Bastings, of the Port Chalmers Bowling Club. The deceased was one of the "“All-Whites” who visited Australia, and also played a match against the Gisborne club. It is said that in and about Dunedin 200 rinks will be available next season for the Association tournament. Fancy 800 bowlers being engaged in a competition at one time. A team for.'tlie Dominion in January is assured, Mr Hon. Sec. Whitehouse informs me (says “Backwood” in the “Sydney Referee”), and a visit by this State’s representatives to Tasmania has been booked for February. The death of the founder (Mr G. B. Davidson) of the Gympie (Queensland) Club is announced. I notice an English bowl-makmg firm are offering to send a pair of howls to anyone on trial for 14 days. , The manufacturers must he well satisfied about the quality and finish of their goods. The Hon. W. Hall Jones, High Commissioner for New Zealand; the Hon. C. H. Rason, Agent-General for, West Australia; and Mr J. A. Mason, of the New Zealand Office in London, wero among the bowlers present at the opening of the Streatham Constitutional • green in London on May 1. F. Ferrow (Subiaco Club) and Barrett (Leederville Club) decided the destination of this year’s title of champion of champions of West Australia on the Perth green. The Subiaco champion lost two of his eleven games, while all the others—some of whom had not yet played more than seven matches —sustained three or more defeats, 0 and subsequent interest was therefore confined to the tussle for the position of runnerup, there being four competitors who had been beaten three times. Barrett and Ferrow each secured five points in the first five heads, and although Ferrow got a lead of four with a couple of pairs, Barrett, put in two singles and a three, which gave him an advantage of one in the tenth head. Th<S green was very heavy, and the play was much below championship form. Barrett, who did most of the scoring in the next ten heads, was leading by 10-10 at the 15tli and 20-13 at the 20th. As night was closing in tlie green became heavier, with the result that most of His shots were short. On the other hand, _ Feriw’s -judgment came to his assistance, and on long heads he put in a break of 1,4, 3, I, which made the score 22-20 in his favor at the 24th head. Barrett made a slight recovery with 1 and 2 in the next couple of heads, and Ferrow equalised the scores with a single next end. Two to the Leederville champion caused renewed feelings of hope amongst the spectators, who desired to see the interesting situation which Ferrow’s defeat would bring about, but they wero short-lived, for the Subiaco representative caught and passed his opponent with a quartette, and he went out with another four (31-25) at the 30th bead. The win of the Subiaco man was very popular. For the past three years Ferrow has represented; his club in the champion of champions competition, and is one of the most successful skippers the body to which he belongs has, but never before did the Subiaco player get nearer the distinction he holds today than runner-up. Ferrow played 11 matches, 'winning nine and losing two. Points notched by him totalled 328 as against 239. ' v A letter which Mr J. M. Bryden, secretary of the Auckland Provincial Bowling Association, has just received from Mr A. M. Myers, points to the possibility of a visit to the Dominion at no distant date of a howling team from the Old Country. In the course of his letter, Mr Myers says that the High Commissioner ■ (Mr Hall-Jones) and himself were the guests of • the Streatham 80-wling Club, and that the High Commissioner, in replying to the warm welcome extended, voiced the delight which would he experienced by the bowlers of the Dominion to welcome a team of bonders from the Old Country. Mr Thomas Baines, secretary of the English Bowling Association, who was present, .stated that" an effort w.as being made to that end, and that as soon as it was possible to ascertain definitely if a team could be got together, lie would at once communicate with the New Zealand Bonding Association. Tossed about .through one cause and another, the Willowbank Bowling Club of Glasgow, formed 200 years ago, settled down twelve years since, where .it will probably see the end of time, and spent £4OOO on two fine greens and a, pavilion. The remarkable vitality of. the club is revealed in its having lived so long in face of conditions which might have flattened out most other institutions completely, and then being able, when a permanent camping place had been, secured, to lay out such a

r large amount of money in making things comfortable. „ The historic game of bowls is to occupy a prominent place in the International Sports and Territorial Exhibition at the Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington,and yesterday (May 13), a very interesting feature was in the shape of a bowls pageant, which Sir J. Heron Maxwell, Bart., a very keen and clever exponent of the game, has been chiefly instrumental in organising. All the leading personages who had indulged in tlie pastime from the thirteenth to the eighteenth centuries were represented in the picturesque attire of the "various periods by many .of our leading metropolitan players. On one rink M,r R. Knights, Hero of Switzerland B.C-, winner of the Gold Badge Championship of the English Bowling Association, 1908-9 (King Henry VII.), skipped a side which included W. F. Stewart, Forest Hill 8.C., (Prince Charles); Della E. Kerr (Princess Mary); and R. H. Forsyth, London Caledonians (William Shakespeare), against F. H. Minns, Essex County B.C. (King Charles II.); Queenie Jennings (Queen Elizabeth); H. Childs, Reading 8.C., (Duke of Buckingham); and A. Taylor, Crouch Hill B.C. (King diaries I.) (skip). Those engaged on the other rink "were R. Mitchell, Penge B.C. (Duke of Norfolk); Rhoda A. Bowles (Queen Matilda); W. A. Simms, Upper Clapton B.C. (Sir Walter Raleigh); and J. Bryant, South London B.C. (Sii Francis Drake) (skip), against A. L. Johnston, St- George’s B.C. (Courtier); Nellie Gillespie (Princess Elizabeth); W. B. Henderson, Kingston B.C. (King Richard II.); and D. B. Mcßride, Chiswick and West London B.C. (Duke of Kent) (skip).—London “Sporting Life.”