Results
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Membership
Another great year of recruitment, with 35 new bowlers signing up as full members after the coaching which we offered in May and early June.
​​Novice League
All new bowlers are eligible to enter the Novice league, which runs for five weeks from 11 June.
Intermediate League
Our brand-new Intermediate League (for Year 2 and 3 bowlers) started on 12 May. Ten teams are in this pairs league, which runs through till September. The team names suggest the sense of fun in this competition - Unbowlievable or Eat your Vegetabowls, anyone? - and a helping of pizza and wine made for an even better atmosphere on the first night. ​​
Washroom Upgrade
Earlier in the year we were able to carry out a major refurbishment of our washrooms. This work was made possible by funding under the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. This federal grants and contributions program supports projects that are led or inspired by seniors who are making a difference in the lives of others in their communities. We are grateful to the New Horizons for Seniors Program for the funding support, which is already making a significant difference to our bowling community.
It's been a good start to the season. On 11 June we came second in the V&D President's Cup, just missing out on shots to Stanley Park after winning all three games. Two days later our Top Ten team won all four rinks at Kerrisdale to go through to the next round on 11 July. It was a great game, played in good spirit on an excellent surface.
Bowls on YouTube
Lawn bowls may struggle to get airtime on TV, but there is a great range of material to watch on YouTube. Videos from Australia are especially common, and one very good series to watch is The Bowls Show. It's noisy, it's colourful, it's everything people don't associate with bowls - and there are some brilliant games to watch. Following the World Indoor Bowls championships in January there is a heap of good bowls to watch (and copy!) on YouTube. There are more hints on watching such videos in the newsletters mentioned below.
VIEWS
Our friend and Richmond member On Kow Lee issues a periodical newsletter about events in the world of bowls. She kindly makes this available to Granville Park members. This year there was reference (January) to the World Indoor championships, while the February edition not only has extended comment on tactics seen in several games, but also refers to events in Australasia. On Kow Lee's enthusiasm is totally infectious, and her wisdom in seeing the wider aspects of the game (psychology and teamwork) is very obvious in the March newsletter. The April edition looks at several games from Australia, while in May there is coverage of the World Indoor Championships. All these newsletters have links to several YouTube videos.
GPLBC Vice-President Trevor Field has been compiling a bowls blog over the years, aimed primarily at new or intermediate bowlers, with comments and advice on how the game is played.
Happy reading!
COMING UP...
​Club Tournaments
The Bergey Mixed Triples event scheduled for Monday 19 May was postponed because of bad weather. It will now be played on Sunday 22 June, but with a reduced format to make it a (longish) morning event with a very prompt start at 10 am.
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On Canada Day we have our full-day Fun & Skills event. This is taking place later in the season than in other years, and we really hope that new bowlers will feel able to come along to share the fun - and skills...