NEWS
Our unique inter-club fundraising event on 9 August was a huge success. The mixed triples competition drew a large and talented field, with all proceeds going direct to BC Children's Hospital. The income from the day came to $7,650, and since a very generous supporter from another club had pledged to match this total the hospital will receive $15,300.
Friendly rivalry for the lawn bowling community - and a big win for the Children's Hospital!
Results
Congratulations to Neil and Steve, finishing respectively third in Pool A and first in Pool B in the V&D novice singles. Neil was so close to making the final, losing 11-12 in the semi, while Steve missed the cut for Pool A by just one shot. And well done, all six first-year bowlers who entered this tournament.
Club members have had some good success in other local events. Linda and June won the Provincial Women's Pairs, while in the Men's BC Week event two of our teams claimed the top prizes: Nathaniel and Clayton finished second, having been narrowly beaten by the eventual winners, Joe and Trevor. Nathaniel and Clayton then went on the win gold and bronze in the BC under-25 competition.
In the BC section of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) qualifiers Michael Leong won the men's singles, while Nathaniel and Linda won the mixed pairs. All of them go on to the finals in Ontario, and possibly on the internationa final in England early in 2027.
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. 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. These qualities are illustrated in the July edition (slightly edited for length). 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...
We are currently giving some extra coaching for those of our novice bowlers who are looking to take part in the V&D novice singles in August. The women's group stages are being held at our club on 10-11 August (7 pm): spectators welcome!