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
Great news from the V&D Intermediate singles (28 August)! Susana won the women's event, and Nansy came second in Pool B. On the men's side Neil - playing as a novice - finished second in Pool B. Congratulations to all, not forgetting those who didn't make the podium but who are helping raise the club profile.
Earlier in the month Neil finished third in Pool A of the V&D novice singles, while Steve Marfleet won Pool B. The margins in bowls can be tight - Neil lost the intermediate final 13-14, and lost the earlier semi-final 11-12 after the games were timed out, while Steve missed the cut for Pool A by just one shot.
This success is matched at provincial and national level. Linda and June won the provincial women's pairs, and then followed up by winning the national version - a massive achievement.
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...
The season is gently winding down, but we still have our last inter-club tournament (the Murray Blair) on 30 August, while on 20 September there is our annual friendly game with the Vancouver club. Members are encouraged to sign up for the latter event, to finish the season in style.