R. Stoddard
This evening listeners are to hear the story of the visit of a British team of bowlers, consisting of eight men and three women, who went to take part in a grand tournament in Florida. And R. Stoddard, who is to tell the story, was one of the team.
They were seen off at Waterloo Station with confetti, and were met in New York by the father of American bowls, that grand old man Harry Furze, who became their body-guard and personally escorted them 1,000 miles south to Florida, right into St. Petersburg - the sunshine city.
Harry then passed them on to Henry - Henry Moffat, President of the St. Petersburg Bowling Club, one of the biggest bowling clubs in the world, with a membership of 350. On the famous bowling-green of this famous club, the rival teams played in various matches'. But do not imagine the green velvety lawn on which bowls are played at home. The 'green', in fact, consisted of a solid bed of mart, with a thin covering of sand. Although it was the depth of winter, the temperature stood at seventy degrees. There were shaded stands down either side of it, and flowering bougainvilleas and flaming vines, and dark glasses had to be worn to temper the dazzle of the sun.
They had the time of their lives. How sixty English, Scottish, and Canadian bowlers beat sixty American bowlers by forty shots in a mighty third match to such encouragement as 'Well bowled, sir!','That's a dandy, Andy!' R. Stoddard is to tell listeners this evening.