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THE BOWLING GREEKS
[by 'jack.']
The most important duty that has
?vet devolved upon the match commit
tee of the T.B.A. will be undertaken
by them on Saturday, after the pen
-Jiant matches, when the members will
choose the six rinks to meet the south
ern men in the first bowling match
between representative players of the
.north and south of the State. The
xasK win ne even more aimciui man
the choice of the State players, and as
both- sides will make extra strong ef
vforts to -win the first of 'these matchee
by putting their best teams on the
greens, great interest .will be taken
in the matches. In the past, when
the southern clubs have visited Laan
-c-eston .they have sent admirable teams,
and 1 hope their very best may play
for the South at Launceston on the
'22nd instant. As to the northern rep
lesentativee, I feel sure the six rinks
will form an exceedingly strong team,
and that every man chosen will feel
i ir : an honor to take part in the first
of which will undoubtedly be a long
-series of 'North v. South matches. The
late pennant matches have brought out
-some new skips., and there is no lack
-o£ competent players to fill the other
places. The names of the chosen twen
ty-four are awaited with much inter
est. The choice of players is not the
only difficult task in connection with
tills important contest, as the green on
which to play a ax-rink contest has to
be decided upon. I judge, by the
?opinions expressed by players in the
recent matches against the Y.B.A.,
that the itnvermay club will again be
asked to place their green at the dis
posal of the T.B.A. for the -occasion.
The return match, - to be played at
tbe capital, is fixed for February 19.
In the Yaldwyn trophy of the A.B.C.
tlie games proceed slowly. Jo. Ingles
(Ci 'behind) beat Ratcliff (4 behind), by
27 to 24 , which shows that the loser
was only a point behind — he was actu
ally leading when the last end was he
gun. G. C. MTSnlay (6 behind) won
from Turner (5 behind), rather more
easily than was expected (by myself),
?and I liave heard the result attributed
to too much play toy the loser on the
slow Invermay green. RushfLrth (12
behind), by very consistent drawing,
?was a -winner when meeting Douglas
behind). When Rushfirth had scor
ed his 33. Douglas was still behind
scratch. Wilkinson (8 behind) had a
?fine game with A. F. Scott (10 be
hind), the former winning by 29 to
z/.
Brockett and Andrew, for a good
part of the game for the A.B.C. cham
pionship, were close together, only a
point separating them when thirteen
ends had been played. Brockett prov
ed to He the .winner. Wilkinson, also
for the. championship, performed a re
markable feat in scoring 25 to Rush
firth's -15. Continuing is -this form,
his prospects of at lease winning hie
section are ibrigjht. 'Wilkinson also
'beat Turner .by 25 to 18. Turner was
still more unfortunate when meeting
liushfirth, as his total was only 18.
Turner's best performance for the
same trophy, although he was again
a loser, was in his game against John
Ingles. Turner lost by a single point ;
lie scored one on ten successive endts,
t and one shot, when he drove for the
?ehot bowl, and took kitty, giving in
gles four, cost him the game. _ Tur
ner's -ill-luck followed him, and he
again suffered, this time at the hands
. of J. M. {Martin, who won by 25 to
?6, but in this game the loser was in
no form at all. Rushfirth won from
-Jo. Ingles, who, however, played very
well for his 13.. Himnan met a strong
opponent in G. . C. M'Kinlay, whom
'be defeated by 25 ~ to 17. Cuff had
scored 16 by excellent play, when Wil
liams was 17, but Cuff was still on
the 16 whenTfche champion {scored
game. Cuff was more successful in
his game against Andrew, whose mis
fortune it was to be left on 16 when
Cuff reached 25.
'The pennant matches will be re
sumed with pleasure by local players
on Saturday next, when the Blues of
the L.B.C. and the Roses of the
A.B.C. meet on the 'Launceston green,
the Blocks of the A.B.C. ' and the
Whites of the L.B.C. will play at the
?Cricket Ground.
Entries will 'be ? numerous for the
T.B.A. single-handed ' championship
(four bowk), to be played in Launces
ton, on Centenary Day, January 31.
The T.B.A. are now considering the
best arrangements for playing this im
portant event, and also for the TJelher.
Whisky trophy, a set of bowls, pre
sented by Mr Unsworth. leavers can
not expect to show well in these com
petitions. unless they get themselves
into their 'best form, and this Hmnnt.
be done without a fair amount of
practice.
The game' between the A.B.C. and
Invermay clubs, on the green of the
latter, last Saturday afternoon, prov
?ed most enjoyable. It was anticipated
that the older club would have no dif
ficulty in winning, but the highly
creditable display made by the mew
club was surprising, and to finish with
in 25 of the northern premiers is
something to be proud of. Quite a
number of the new players have al
ready mastered the initial difficulties
in connection with bowling. They lay
their ibowls down well, and have ac
quired a - good idea of distance and
drawing, elements in which some of j
our local bowlers of a quarter of a
century are still lamentably deficient.
Several of the leaders quite held their
own against their opponents, whilst as
number two, Webber, was as good as
anyone on the green. (The new men
are keen on the game, and, with prac
tice, the new club may be expected to
produce some brilliant all round play
ers. They have a decided advantage
over the other clubs in Launceston, in
possessing a splendid green on which
ito play, which adds to the pleasure of
oowiers, as well as to pronciency m ,
-the game.
Talking of greens, I understand it
has been decided to call a special gen
eral meeting of the Launceston Bowl
ing Club, before the end of this month,
to consider the question of improving
the green. It cannot be denned that
-the green, whilst playable, is not as
it should be, and, unless something is
done, I fear the old club will lose a
number of active members, now that
?the opportunity is afforded them of
playing on a good green at Invermay.
The Launceston club will act wisely if
they decide to have their green taken
up and re-made by the Victorian ex
pert, Mr 'Horsfall. Amateur experts
are out of date now, as far as regards
bowling greens, an-iL_ihe club should
without further delay face the expense
-' and decide to have the work thor
oughly done.
A meeting of members of the La
irobe Bowling Club was held on the
?ground on Friday evening; when the
formation of the green was the only I
matter discussed. It was found there
was not enough money available to
complete the timbering, and fill up
- .with soil to the required height, so that
jpS? to complete it, it will be necessary
to call up this year's subscription of
UE1 Is. It was hoped members would
' fall in- with this proposal, as then the
green could be ready for tbe opening
of the next season. The Latrobp club
?would do well to get expert advice
before laying down the green. It will
tpay them to do so in the long run.
At the Invermay green a number
ot matches have been played for the
Novice Trophy, ? with the following re
sume: Lillicrapp, 21. beat Doolan, 5
Clarke, 21, beat Cox. 3; Wilson, 21
beat Archer, 14; Webber, 21, beat
Hollmgsworth, 14; Russen, 21, beat
«li er 10- Crompton, 21, beat Wee
do; 8: Armstrong, 21, beat Coogan,
- .1 enjoyable game between tour
rin..o from the L.B.C. and Invermay
was played on the green of the latter
yesterday afternoon, victory resting
swrli the L.B.C. For Iiivermnn
beat Ward by a point after a close
game, and Crossley lost to Bearup bv
a single. Joe Ingles . was down to
Cato by 6 and Jno. Ingles finished
v ,, «:luuers having a major
ity of 18 to their credit.
The Launceston Bowling Club's
nophy matches are being, played well
up-to-date. There have been quite a
number of games during the past week,
Tiie most noticeable of which was the
defeat of Thurstun in the championship
Jx ' ®,°bertson by a couple or points '
after a closely contested game. The 1
winner is now m the semi-final for the i
club s championship.
The old English recreations die out
slowly. Even among those that re
main with us modern progress has made
sad havoc. The intrusion of the mob
has spoiled cricket and football ; the in
trusion of the women is as surely spoil
ing golf - but the grand old game of
bowls is still in its peaceful prime.
It is not a game full of exciting crises
and ner re-trying moments, but a plea
santly quiet recreation. The fatal cry
of 'record' has no terrors for the
bowl-lover; the loud vociferations of
the multitude are nothing to him; his
desires are rather for oblivion than
notoriety. As Andrew Marvel] puts
it:
Annihilating all tkat's made
To a green thought in a green 6hade.
Those lines were obviously written of
a bowling green, one of those old
world greens with velvet turf.'around it
quaintly-clipped hedges, and at each
corner a grotesque, moss-covered carv
ing of some forgotten heathen deity.
Thnra ie n fnnlrnwn !.i J-1. «
a in nut? Ul&UUHTC, 1U1
the far-away calling of rooks harmo
nises with the restful spirit of the
bowl-player. For the true player will
not hurry in his recreation. When Sir
Francis Drake leisurely played out his
game with the Armada in sight, he
merely did as all bowl-players would
have done. We feel that his prowess
in this instance is over-rated, though
we are proud that he was a votary of
the ancient game. It is curious to
note that Sir Francis Drake and Sir
TlwvniflS Rrnwnp tbp ffrpatpRf Trinti nf
action c-f the sixteenth, and the quaint
est philosopher of the seventeenth cen
tury, were both ardent players. How
many plans for singeing the Bang of
Spain's beard or of solving the mys
tery of the quincunx have been thought
out on the level green? Although we
have no direct evidence that Shakes
peare played the game, his obvious fa
miliarity with its technical phrases
convinces the bowl lover that when he
retired to Stratford there was a green
beside the famous mulberry tree. Nor
is it straining probability too much to
presume that when Milton wrote:
And add to these retired Leisure
That in trim gardens takes his pleasure.
and —
I walk unseen
On the diy smooth-shaven green,
he was alluding to some old-fashioned
bowling garden. Then do we not owe
to the great Lord Bacon a handsome
commendation of the pastime, and a de
lightful description of the ideal green P
Is it not in defence of bowls that we
recapitulate the names of its famous
votaries; but it is gratifying to .the
bowl-player to note the sane recrea
tions of great men.
Bowling is scarcely a recreation for
the very young and very active. One
requires a certain maturity of judg
ment to appreciate it; but when once
the love of bowling is acquired there is
a recreation which can be ! pursued
when ithe vigor of life is past, even
when decrepitude and decay have set
in. No veteran lags superfluous oni
the green. While he can 6tand and
distinguish the 'jack' in the distance,
he is a match for any younger man..
Old age does not deprive him of the
cunning twist of the wrist or of the
power of judging the lie of the green.
Watch the old player before he delivers
his bowl. How carefully he considers:
everything— the inclination of the i
ground, the moisture of the grass, the
peculiar bias of ithe bowl he is about
to play! Watch his motion as he;
plays. his bowl; there is no jerking, vio-;j
lent action; surely it glides across the;
green, and dexterously twisting round |
the intercepting bowls of opponents,.
lands safely cheek by jowl witn tne
'jack.' Then at the end of the game,
when the bowls are all clustered ti£
gether, notice the calm way in which
the veterans settle the score. No
disputation, no measuring — the bane
of every lover of the game -,/ a nod of
the head 'and a couple of words, and
the ticklish question of 'first bowl'
is settled.
The robust and violent player is
dreaded on the greens. Does he not
perpetrate the sin which in old play
ers' evte is anathema P 'Does he not
bowl ''off the green?' For the man
who, with undue caution, bowls 6hort
of the mark the old players have
some respect— at least his bowl blocks
an opponent's way. They overlook the
fault of him who fails to allow for the
lie of the green and bowls wide of the
mark ; but for the rash and headlong
player who bowls too hard they have
nothing but condemnation. Not only
does he fail to score, but he breaks
up the green, and, with awe let the
dread words be spoken, he cracks
other people's bowls.
A great advantage of bowls as the
contemplative man's sport is that it
is the only outdoor recreation during
orliinli +,Vip 'DID© can 1)6 smok
id. the man who lazily smokes his
pipe in an armchair by the fire has
ao conception of the virtues of to
bacco. It is only on a calm evening .
it a ..pleasant green that the true odor :
md flavor of the heaven-sent herb can
tie appreciated. Bowling gives an ex
quisite zest to tobacco, and tobacco,
not to be outdone, adds an even fiuer
delight to bowling. The green herb
beneath feet and the soothing
herb in his pipe, and the bowl
player requires no more.
To the pensive mind nothing is
pleasanter than to see the aged vete
rans of the game bending over the
green as if to familiarise themselves
with the friendly turf which will
shortly close over them. We cannot
but fancy that the transition from the
bowling to the churchyard green is to
them an easy one. Ah ! the turf will
lie lightly upon t-hem — if there be no
daisy roots in it.
The quiet of the bowling green is
a thing to lie remembered. The click
of 'bowl against bowl, the occasional
st.rilnncr nf a mafoh. serve but to em
phasise the silence. In quietude the |
game goes on till the shadows fall ;
deeper, the crescent moon rises above
the horizon, the calling of the rooks
subsides into silence, and then, when
the dew begins to fall, the bowl-player
bids a reluctant farewell to the green.
In Ceylon the largrst pearls are worth
from £40 to £00 : in Europe they fetch
more than throe times this price.
The total area of the Congo is 802,
000 square miles.
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