SOME NOTES ON "FIRM SHOT."

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12392, 13 December 1909, Page 2

SOME NOTES ON "FIRM SHOT."

To the Eilitor. Sil< 3j —l am glad to see that "Firm Shot ' is beginning; to take an interest 111 the \Vaverley Bowling Club. Perhaps it 3-s with n desire to make up for his slackness in former years. I think however, that "Firm' Shot" has delivered his bowl with the wrong bias or else has made the shot after the tea adjournment, and has become somewhat mixed in his ideas. He commences by statirg that his "object is to popularise the good old .game, of bowls rather than to comment on individual players," and finishes up his ;-.-ther peculiar and -sarcastic effusion by saying "in my next notss I will endeavour to crticise some of the players." Then ags::i "Firm Shot" ' critic;ies trie new •" n <an,abloll of Pickill.a: rings. The rule is I hat the names of the members as tney arri.ve on the Green are jint' on the blackboard and the first tight members whose names are on the board play together, selecting two or thrir number for skips^. They then draw a marble, with tlio number of the rink on which they are to play. The old way of picking rings was, for members ot the committee present, to select and place the rinks, from the names on the blackboard, and to tell each rink where it had to play. The difference between now and then is that hoav the last players to arrive on the Green must wait for other members to arrive or else play 'singles.' Whereas it used to be the young, or indifferent flayers who had to stand down althouah" perhaps, their names were the first on the board. The edd players must wait or play singles in either case, and the injustice, of "the old system was very keenly felt by young players. The Waverley Club suffered defeat at Hawera yesterday, but they had a very enjoyable outing, thanks to the kind and cordial hospitality of the members of the Hawera Club. The social intercourse established among the. members of the two clubs by visitors of this description will do more to '''popularise the gool old game of bowls"' than all' the jealous rivalry which prompts clubs ■to send away only two or three rinks of their best players in order to, in their own minds, make sure- of winning. And how often we have seen that prospective win result in a most decisive defeat. And no to tlie _rcs\ilt of the latter way of selecting rinks, on young players. Ovei' and over again they put their names on the board for selection, and though twenty names may be on the board yet "Firm Shot" considers that only two 02- throe rinks should be sent away. Ts it any wonder that young players become disheartened and that there is not so much vim amongst the players. _ The Club is suffering now from the jealous and selfish conduct of same of the older players, who, because they have learnt the pame after years of practice, consider themselves ''The Players" and now members are looked upon as merely pawns in the game, useful only to keep the' Club in existence. My advice to "Firm Shot" is to "piny the game, 1' and to take an honest and unbiased view of the efforts of thp committee and to put his heart and sou] into the endeavour to improve the position of his club.—l am, etc..

"DEAD DRAW." Wave! ley, De-embar 9th, 1909.