Update 21st
November 2013.
Congratulations
Northern on once again winning the Te Raki cup challenge against Takaro. We can
look forward to a rematch in May next year.
Good luck
with Interclub this weekend.
Farewell to my
old Mate and Skip, Noel. You will be missed. Rest in peace and enjoy your time
on the big ole bowling green in the sky.
.JPG)
Noel with Lindsay - Closing day 2012 - 2013 season - 12 May.
Bowling On -
21st November
As we near
the halfway mark for the Bowling season it is an appropriate time to review the
health of the game.
After a
thorough examination including CT scan, ultra-sound, Xray and MRI I am afraid
Dr Tony has no option but to conclude "Terminally ill" and little
chance of surviving another 20 years. If you don't believe me here are some
numbers. The Ladies will please forgive me for dealing only with men's playing
numbers but when I pulled out the 1990-91 season handbook it was a reminder
that Apartheid was removed in South Africa before our two genders could see
their way clear to work together in bowls.
That book
told me that at that time 1992 men played the game in the Manawatu compared to the 542 who do so today. In fact
the 1450 that have disappeared represent nearly three times those who remain in
the game. I hunted out the 1996-97 handbook next (still in the era of Bowls
version of Apartheid) to see there were 1594 playing then so the decline had
commenced but there were still more than a thousand more in the game than
today. It doesn't surprise me that the decline started in this period as New
Zealand changed forever with the advent in 1990 of almost unrestricted weekend
shopping.
For you
information membership by club in 1990-91 and today follows. I have bracketed
clubs that have amalgamated and placed an asterisk beside those that are
defunct;
Ashhurst 38
12
Bulls 43 29
Dannevirke 197
29
Feilding)
Oroua )
242 69
Foxton )
Foxton
Bch) 194 28
Hokowhitu 172
33
Himatangi - 21
Kairanga 24*
Kimbolton 32
17
Manawatu 98*
Northern 195
52
Pahiatua 90 11
Palm
Nth 213 110
Shannon 70 18
Takaro 135
38
Te
Kawau 36 9
Terrace
End 154 49
Woodville 59 17
TOTAL. 1992 542
The figures
speak for themselves thus my health assessment is pretty accurate. Among the reasons for the change are;
1. The game
takes too long
2. Weekend
Shopping
3. The game
takes too long
4. Weekend
work
5. The game
takes too long
6. Change in
our ethnicity
7. The game
takes too long
8. Poor
administration at all levels
9. The game
takes too long
10. The game
does not lend itself to TV.
And by the
way the game takes too long! The "taking too long" has many forms.
For instance the Centre Open Singles were played on 12 and 13 October 2013 and
then the final was held over. Here we are at the end of November and it still
hasn't been played. Imagine a game of League going to Golden Boot and you hold
that part over for six weeks. Or you play the US Open and hold the playoff over
and don't bother setting a date.
Tournaments
take too long in both length of game and duration. There is little or no
restriction on time wasting and that aspect is demonstrably worse than it was
20 years ago. "Posers" will wander nonchalantly to the head, walk
round it three times, walk halfway back to the mat, return for one more lap of
the head then go back and play a nothing shot. All the while their team mates
are close to comatose from boredom.
Two other
aspects of the game that many people find unattractive are smoking on the green
and drinking during play. Imagine Richie McCaw imploring his troops to greater
effort with a fag hanging out his mouth or in the dressing room having a pint
at halftime! For mine it's not an attractive part of the sport and how many has
it put off the game? Perhaps we need to ask those 1450 who no longer play.
I know this
column sounds very negative but the facts don't lie. No doubt there'll be a few
knives waiting for my back if I get back on the green sometime.
TONY JENSEN
Thanks Tony.
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