Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/269

Rh and to-day the ladies avail themselves freely of this privilege. This second removal found the Club with very low funds, but the issue of debentures, which were loyally taken up by members, soon produced enough cash for draining, levelling, and laying-out the land. All this was slow work, but finally the end was reached, and to-day the premises of the Club are among the prettiest in the island, for among the ranks of the members are several enthusiastic gardeners, who have done much towards beautifying the enclosure.

Competitions during the first season or so were naturally restricted to members only, but the success of the Club led to the inauguration of two more bowling clubs — one by the Civil Service and the other by the Police Recreation Club. This paved the way for inter-club contests, the first of which was played between Kowloon and the Civil Service, and won by the Kowloon team. As this match was played on the Kowloon Club's ground with bowls lent by the home team, it could not be regarded as a fair test, and since then six matches have been played, each club winning three. The police have played Kowloon several times, but have not yet succeeded in lowering the colours of the premier club. The employes of the Cosmopolitan Dock have also started a bowling green, but so far they have not entered into the arena of inter-club competitions. So popular has the pastime become that at the time of writing a proposal is on foot to institute a shield competition, to be held annually on league principles. It is worthy of note that, although the ancient game of bowls is not purely a Scotch game, as all readers of English history are aware, most of the players in the Colony are either Scotchmen or North of England men. In connection with both the Police and Civil Service Clubs it should be pointed out that most of the members who play bowls are also interested in cricket and tennis, and that, as a natural consequence, during the season for cricket and tennis, lawn bowling suffers. The game of bowls is played all the year round on the Kowloon ground, but great difficulty is experienced in keeping the greens in good condition during the dry season, although the greens are in use alternately. Kowloon can boast of being the premier lawn bowls club in the • Far East, and its position is being strengthened annually. The game, as played in the Colony, is not the English game with ground rings ; but biased bowls are used on a levelled lawn ; what is known as No. 3 bias being chiefly used. The prospects of the game are exceedingly bright and more clubs are expected to take up this quiet form of recreation. Among the competitions which are annually promoted by the Kowloon Club are those for the Championship, the President's Prize, and the Vice-President's Prize, while spoon competitions are almost of weekly occur- rence. Prizes are provided by members of the Club and their friends for outside com- petitions, and the keenest of interest is shown in these contests. ALLEY BOWLS. The ancient game of alley bowls finds little favour in Hongkong, the only clubs making a feature of the pastime being the Hongkong Club and the Club Germania. Half-yearly competitions take place between these two institutions, and the matches are always keenly fought. RACQUETS. OxLY the members of the Hongkong Cricket Club seem to take any interest in racquets, and beyond the annual competitions very little is heard of the game. The game has been played in the Colony since 1861, when the Hongkong Racquet Court Club was formed. Apparently difficulties beset the Club at the very outset, hut in 1869 it was, to a certain extent, reconstructed. The rules and regulations were revised and came into force towards the end of the year. The players military, naval, and civilian. The civilian team is run by the Hongkong Hockey Club, and under the auspices of this Club an annual competition for a challenge cup is held. Mr. J. Barton, the donor of the cup. has been president of the Hockey Club since its forma- tion in December, 1891. Occasional matches are played during the winter months, but public interest is not aroused until the com- petition commences, though when the Canton team visits the Colony, or when the Hongkong team journeys to Canton, considerable interest is taken in the result. The military teams, particularly the Indian regimental teams, practise assiduously and are really expert players. For the last two years the I lyth Mahrattas Light Infantry have won the cup, the civilian club being knocked out in the first round last season. The naval teams play spasmodically and seldom make a good show in the competition. a HONGKONG'S! CHAMPION BILLIARD PLAYER. were then divided- into two classes, and for several years the Club prospered. Twenty- six years after the reconstruction, however, the Club was wound up and the court, &c., handed over to the Hongkong Cricket Club, together with $114-26, the balance in hand. With this money tlie Cricket Club purchased a championship challenge cup. Since the winding up of the Club, the courts have been carried on by the Cricket Club and the annual competitions are still held. HOCKEY. Hockey is a somewhat strenuous game and does not receive a great deal of attention in the Colony, though there are several teams. LAWN TENNIS. Lawn tennis is a game which is well adapted for a climate like Hongkong, and it is played almost throughout the year. Most of the cricket clubs hold annual competitions, and there are several tennis clubs of a semi- private nature in the Colony. The premier tennis tournament is that played under the auspices of the Hongkong Cricket Club, but as the championship is not open to the public it cannot be considered a champion- ship of the Colony, though the winner would have little difficulty in substantiating his claim as champion if the leading players of other clubs were to issue a challenge. The game was introduced into the Hongkong Cricket Club in 1877.