Successful Season Last Year; New Cup Presented By Member of H.M. Forces The Annual General Meeting of the Shanghai Lawn Bowls Club was held on March 14 when thirty members gathered at the premises of the Shanghai Engineers' Club to review the 1940 season and discuss plans for the forthcoming summer.
Mr. W. J. Monk, the President of the Club, in the course of his address. referred to the successful season of last year when Club representatives. though not ultimately victorious in the various open champions and competitions, gave an excellent account of themselves. It was also noted that several recruits showed promise of being fine bowlers when they advanced far in the Club competitions. One new player it was recalled went as far as the finals in the Singles Championship.
A very creditable performance was also turned in by the members in the league matches, especially in the first division: They unfortunate in not having gained first place but did well to have annexed second and third positions.
Mr. Monk proposed, seconded by Mr. W. J. Ward, that Mr. F. Hornbrook be elected to Honorary Membership of the Club for services render to the Club. This resolution was carried with acclamation.
The President announced that a cup, for competition on conditions to be decided by the Committee. had been presented (through the Offices of Mr. T. Crosthwaite) by Major J. S. Thompson, a member of the H. M. Forces who had been a member during the 1939 season, in appreciation of the happy times he had had as a member of the Club. y in defeating Mrs. Trolle and Arnvig, also in two straight sets.
Miss Sung and Hou will now meet Miss Vincent and Chaillan in the second round of the contest. The latter pair gained an easy passage into the second round when they were conceded a walk-over by Mrs. Richards and Saul who were scratched off from competition.
Miss Sung and Hou settled down very early to earn their points. The outstanding player on the court was undoubtedly Hou whose speed and deadly smashing proved to be too big an obstacle for the British pair to overcome. Miss Sung. playing a net game, had little to do but either kill or drop every shot that came within her reach. Though her play was not by any means brilliant, she was steady, Hou's accurate smashes to the base line gave the losers a hectic time as the shuttle came across the net with such swiftness that it was well nigh impossible to return. The ability to smash well was not the only asset of Hou's play as his drop-shots were precise and often caught his opponents on the wrong foot William Funk and Miss Wei took some time to accustom themselves to the French Club courts and were not anywhere near their usual form during the earlier part of the first set. Mrs. Trolle and Arnvig took advantage of their erratic play to take the initiative and to hold a two or three-point lead until they reached 13. In a strong rally the Chinese couple tied the count at 13-all The losers, being the first to reach 13 points. chose the longer route of playing 5 points, in preference to playing to 15. A bitter struggle ensued but the Chinese eventually won 18-15.
Having found their form in the latter part of the first set, Miss Wei and Funk took the next set in their stride.—Funk's drop-shots, which were completely out of focus earlier.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.