Trophy

The Pineapple Cup— Fiji's Famous Bowling Trophy

By “Jack High”

IN 1928 the Suva Bowling Club was pre sented with a unique trophy for an nual competition, and since then it has created interest among bowlers as far away as New Zealand and Australia, although the competition is open only to members of bowling clubs in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, Before World War 11. when the annual bowling carnivals attracted visitors to Suva from New Zealand and Australia, the Pineapple Cup was a much coveted trophy, and it still represents the colony’s premier Singles Contest. It was manufactured in Sydney and is an exact imitation of a gigantic pineapple in silver. On its heavy ebony plinth rests the inscription: “Presented by the Paci fic Biscuit Company, Suva, for the Singles Bowling Championship of the South Seas, 1928.”

Each year until 1941, when the war put a stop to the manufacture of replicas of the cup in miniature, Mr. M. M.

Brodie, of the Pacific Biscuit Company, was the donor of these unique minia tures, which became the property of the winners.

This year, the competition was arranged to take place on the Suva Bowling Green during the week-end August 31-September 1. Twenty-five competitors took part in an interesting series of games, and in the final game on September 1, were C. H. Came (for many years a resident of Ba) and J. T.

Boyle (late of Gisborne, N.Z.) —and both now members of the Suva Bowling

Club. After an exhibition of first-class bowling by both players, the final was won by Came. He was runner-up in 1944, and his win was very popular.

The winner holds the Cup for a year.

Previous winners were: 1928 and 1939: C. C. Clark (Suva). 1929-30-31: S. J. Pickett (Levuka). 1936 and 1943: H. H. Adcock (Suva). 1932: R. C. Wilson (Ba). 1934: G. L. Perks (Suva). 1940: L. F. Garnett (Suva). 1942: A. W. Goodfellow (Suva). 1945: G. J. Smith (Vatukoula). 1937-38: R. W. Steward (Suva). 1933: W. Thompson (Lautoka). 1935: E. C .Dobell (Suva). 1941: S. W. Meeks (Suva). 1944: W. E. McGowan (Suva).

Mr. Ken Sands, who has been manager of the Suva branch of Sands Junor & Co., public accountants, for six years, is returning to Australia. His place will be taken by Mr. C. R. Stephan, an Eng lishman who recently completed distin guished war service. Mr. and Mrs.

Stephan, and their child, will arrive in Suva this month. Mr. and Mrs. Sands are well-known and highly-esteemed in Fiji, and his transfer to Australia is

generally regretted.

The President of the Suva Bowling Club, Mr.

R. W. Steward, presenting trophies to Messrs.

Carne and Doyle, finalists in the Pineapple Cup contest.