Post Testing

Sunny skies, a great green and wonderful play were all part of the two day Gloria Wilcox Club Tournament held in Parksville on September 16th and 17th.  Sixteen teams came out to play and their skills were  definitely put to the test on our green.

On the women’s side it was Karen Perrin’s  team  with Miriam Gunn and Sharyn O’Reilly coming in first, then Joey Merrell’s. team with Laurel Witzer and Joan Brenner.   Rounding out the top three was Diane Cruickshank’s hard working team.

Over on the men’s side, Geoff Holland, Clive Arthorne and Randy Hall were victorious.   This is the second time that Geoff Holland will have his name engraved on the Gloria Wilcox plaque.   Bob Allaby’s team came second and third place went to the Barry Knowles team.

In the Salmon Can Trophy event,  which is always a wrap up to the Gloria Wilcox Tournament, it was the men who were once again  the winners.   The crowd was raucous and cheered /jeered whenever necessary, but history was once again on the men’s side, with the men narrowly beating out the women to hoist the well-loved  and incredibly inexpensive Salmon Can Trophy.

Once again, many thanks to all who participated, who came out to watch, the grounds crew who did a great job this year, the bartenders, kitchen,  games people,  photographers and whoever else that I may have missed for this event.

Carol Bucyk

Parksville Lawn Bowling Club continued its winning ways this weekend with Merry Danarti and Bob Allaby winning Gold in the District Mixed Pairs held in Courtenay.  Our club has taken 3 out of the 5 last mixed pairs tournaments.  The Danarti/Allaby team beat out Dean Penny and Shelley McCollom of Courtenay who earned Silver.

A very big thank you goes out to all that came out for this tournament:   players, spectators, greens keepers and everyone else who helped to make this event happen.

Carol Bucyk

Congratulations to our Kate Wilson who took second in the District Women’s Singles recently held at the Qualicum Beach Lawn Bowling Club.  Joan Matheson of Courtenay took the honour, narrowly beating Kate in the process.  Thanks to all who came out to watch and who participated in the event.  Thanks to Sandi Mitchell for providing the picture.

For the last major of the year, the weather man provided all sorts of interesting challenges for the two day event.  Wind, rain, humidity and then brilliant sunshine were all part of the George Gibson held September 2 & 3.

Twenty -six teams had entered the event from all around the zone, but it was our own Parksville team of Joey Merrell, Bob Merrell and Boyd Stanway who took home the honours and will have their names engraved on the plaque for this year.

Following in close second  was the Courtenay team of Hal Gray, Joan Matheson and Joe Randazzo.  Third was a hybrid team of Ross Nakagawa (Qualicum) and our own Daniel Gallagher and Pat Vey of Parksville.  Fourth was earned by the Vern Hagstrom team with Linda Cooper and Karen Unger.  Number five went to another Nanaimo team, that of Adrian Hewitt, Kathleen Hewitt and Brian Howe.  Parksville’s Chris Fereday, Martin Fereday and Peter Scott came in sixth place.  Seventh and eighth place went to two more Courtenay teams.  Dean Penny’s team came in seventh, while Brian Scherr, Glen Greenhill and Linda Meers took the final position.

A very big thank you goes out to everyone who made this event so successful.  Kudos go out to the kitchen crew, with their tasty lunches and treats.  Thanks to the grounds crew for their tireless efforts, and to  Chuck for photos,  plus the bar tending crew, keeping us hydrated.  A very big thank you to the games committee and to Gerda and Linda at the desk doing all the data entry and more, the incredible  50-50 team who made some people smile a lot this tournament, the spectators, umpires and of course, the players who made this all happen. My apologies if I have missed anyone.

The George Gibson wraps up the final district event of 2026, but there is still some bowling left to do in September.   Check out the calendar to see what’s happening next.   Come out, do some drop in play and enjoy the nice weather and  this wonderful game that is the Parksville Lawn Bowling Club community.

Photos to come shortly.

Carol Bucyk

Congratulations go out to club members Connie  Bach and Randy Hall who played in the District Singles Tournament hold on Saturday, August 29th at the Qualicum Beach Lawn Bowling Club.  Connie  scored a Silver and Randy took Gold for their efforts.  Well done, novices.

Intermediates are playing today (Sunday, August 30th) and results will be posted tomorrow.

Carol Bucyk

There are many tournaments and games that are part of the club’s  season, but few can compare to what happens during the Jack and Jill, an annual event held in late August.  The fun part of the tournament is that an experienced female skip (Jill) gets to ask a Jack (male and not a  skip) to be partners for this event.   The twist is that the Jills skip the first and last game, while the men skip the middle two games.  It’s great fun and it’s always wonderful to see novices and tenderfoot players  paired up with the women skips.  The second thing to mention is, that this year, we had two 32 teams entered, so both flights were filled, and it  speaks to the popularity of this event.

Congratulations go out to Chris Fereday and Keith Goertzen who  came out of Flight 2 and were the overall winners of the event.  From the first flight, the top three winners were Darlene Pentland and her dad, Rick Britz.  In second place was the team of Sue Tompkins and Bob Allaby.  Third went to Nida Wurtz and Peter Scott.

In the second flight, it was Chris Fereday and Keith Goertzen.  Not far behind was the second place team of Carol Bucyk and Randy Hall.  Rounding out the top three was the team of April Sloan and Bryan Bennett.

Thanks so much to everyone who was involved in the event for this year:  the kitchen and bar crew, the ever-busy grounds keepers, players, spectators,  games committee, Roberta Stets who just popped in to help out, the barbecue bunch and the photographers for the event, Ken Bucyk and Chuck Benson.    Once again I want to mention that it was very positive to see our novices come out to play.  It’s a great experience for them and a very positive sign for our club’s future.

It’s always a great sign when a club can host a tournament and get  two flights and 26 entries, and this year’s tournament sponsored by  Realtor Martin Velsen did not disappoint.  Teams from around the island came together for some great play making on some very fast greens August 22 and 23.

The overall winners of the tournament were Tony Morris and Eris Sellers from Qualicum  Beach who scored with 12 points, 37 ends and a shot differential of 34.   In second place was the team of Adrian and Kathleen Hewitt of Nanaimo with a 12 point, 36 ends and shot differential of 27.  Bob Allaby and Sandi Mitchell of our club came in third with 12 points, 35 ends and a shot differential of 22.  In  fourth was another team from Nanaimo, that of Randy Nobel and Irene Toulouse with 12 points, 35 ends and 18 points as a shot differential.  In fifth place was another team who scored 12 points.  April Gilchrist and Vern Greenhill  from Courtenay came in with 12 points, 33 ends and a 26 point shot differential.

Thanks again to all who made this event such as success: the grounds crew, umpires, kitchen staff, games committee, spectators, players and Martin Velsen who sponsored this event again this year.  We are very appreciative of all that he has done each and every year that he has been a part of this well-attended tournament.

Carol Bucyk

It’s been another busy week at the club with the mixed pairs tournament being held on August 20th and 21st.   Eight teams had entered this event,  including a novice team who  threw their hat in the ring and came to play.  The tournament was a round robin affair with the winner of each side playing off in the final which was held on Thursday afternoon.

Karen Perrin and Colin Frame squared off against Chris and Martin Fereday for the final, with the Feredays emerging as the winners in the event.

A very big thank you goes out to all the participants, the games committee, kitchen crew, umpires and grounds  crew, and Chuck Benson for the photos,  as well as those who came out to watch during the two day event.

Carol Bucyk

Club member Keith Terlson wins a silver medal at the Canadian Championships Fours Competition.

Keith and three teammates from the Juan de Fuca Club won the Silver medal in Men’s Fours as the BC ‘B” team.  This National Tournament was played at the North Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club from August 17th to the 19th.  Teams from Atlantic Canada and all of the Provinces from Ontario west played in this event.

Congratulations Keith.

More details on the National tournament are here, 2026 Canadian Lawn Bowling Championships

Port Alberni hosted the Bowls 3 Five (2 bowl triples) August 15th and 16th.  The tournament consisted of teams playing eight 10 end games – each game consisting of two five end sets.  In the event that teams were tied after the two five  end sets, a one end tie-breaker determined the winner of the game.

The weather was variable, as the first day started with fog and a heavy dew which created  a heavy green.  By the afternoon, the sun was out and the green dried out, making for a very fast green.  This change in green speed really challenged the bowlers.  However, the green was very true, making it easy to create some great shots.

The winners of the tournament were the team of Nanaimo’s Bruce McNevin, Glenda Chalmers and Terry Cowie.  Second place went to Parksville’s Bob Allaby, Luise Norman and Sue Tompkins.  Third went to Courtenay’s Vern Greenhill, Shelley Howieson (Qualicum Beach) and Henri Saucier.

As usual, Port Alberni was a great host.  Derek Burke organized the event.  Bob Steven umpired and the kitchen staff had some great snacks, including a tasty peanut butter oat ball.

A big thank you to Bob Allaby who was in Port and sent this report on to me.    Carol Bucyk

Parksville Lawn Bowling Club held its club singles tournament August 11-13th under sunny skies with light winds.  This year saw a number of novice, intermediate and seasoned players take to the green for the men’s and women’s titles.  The playoffs were set up in a round robin affair within each division and winners from each section met in the semi finals  on Thursday morning,  and then the finals which were held on Thursday afternoon.

In the end, it was Kate Wilson facing off over Merry Danarti, with Wilson winning   in two straight nine end sets.   On. the men’s side, it was a nail biter with the men having to go to a 3-end tie breaker.    In the end,  it was Dave Robinson taking the honours over Bob Allaby.

A very big thank you goes out to everyone who made the tournament a success this year:  the kitchen crew, umpires, grounds crew, players, spectators, coaches, games committee, Don Urquhart (computer program problem solver), and Sandi Mitchell who put this event all together.

Carol Bucyk

Beautiful blue skies, great weather and enjoyable greens were the order of the day at the Powell River Club for the Gender Neutral Triples held  on Thursday, Aug. 6.    Due to the diligent work of club members, the green is now running similarly to that of Port Alberni.  It is very consistent and doesn’t seem to have any of the runs or “wrinkles” which it once had.     This improved green made for consistent shot making.  According to some players present, this was a very pleasant green on which to play.

Winners of the tournament were Bob Merrell, Joey Merrell and Bob Allaby of our Parksville Club.  Second went to the Courtenay team of Vern Greenhill, April Gilchrist and Dean Penny.  The hybrid team of Tony Morris (Qualicum), and Cindy Greenhill and Ethel Scheer of Courtenay  came in third.

Many thanks go out to the hard working members of the Powell River Lawn Bowling Club who once again showed their great hospitality.  They were very welcoming and provided players with non-alcoholic beverages, fruit and snacks.

As an aside,  it is an absolutely breathtaking experience to look westward towards Vancouver Island and see the stunning sunsets, especially from the historic  Powell River Lawn Bowling Club.    If you want to have a mini-vacation, a trip to Powell River, with its shops, cafes, and much improved green should be on your bucket list.

Carol Bucyk (Thanks to Bob Allaby for his info  and photo on the results of this tournament)

The final games of the Summer Cutthroat League were played on August 5th.
Geoff Holland bettered 14 opponents to scoop first place.

The Club’s Any Gender Triples League drew to a close on Wednesday August 5th.
The team of Avril Adamson, Colin Frame and Randy Hall had an unblemished record to win the league.

It was another busy weekend on the green in Courtenay with a number of teams playing in the 2-4-2 format for this event. As usual, the greens were fast and hard, making for some great shots in the process.

The home town team of Peter Harding and Carole Nelson took  first place, with Vern Hagstrom and Linda Cooper of Nanaimo  coming in second.  Adrian and Kathleen Hewitt, also of Nanaimo,  took third, while two Parksville teams rounded out the fourth and fifth positions.  Wayne Larocque and Karen Perrin were fourth and Bob Merrell and Christian Massey took fifth.

A very big thank you to all who took part in the event, and for those who came out to watch.    The kitchen and grounds crew were much appreciated.  Thanks to Karen Perrin who sent  the results via her cell, so they could be posted  quickly.  It’s appreciated.

Keep an eye on your really in-depth  club calendar.  There will be lots going on in this month and into the next.  Check out times and dates for upcoming events.

Carol Bucyk

Parksville Lawn Bowling Club held its annual Singles and Intermediate Men’s and Women’s Championship August 1 & 2.  The green speed was up as were the temperatures, with games played under sunny skies and light winds.

Congratulations go out to the following people.  On the  novice men’s side, it was Randy Hall with 12/7/29 differential, beating out Christian Lane with a 9/6/17 record.   For the women’s novice event, it was Connie Bach with a 6/4/18  final.  Nancy Warner came in at number two with a 6/4/8 score.

On the Intermediate side , it was Keith Goertzen for the men, and Debbie Taylor for the women.  Both will get their names on the respective trophies, plus bag tags, as well.

There are so many people to thank that made this event what it was.  Thanks to Susan Corcoran and Joey Merrell (games), the kitchen crew, umpires, bartenders, players,  grounds crew, spectators, markers, Chuck for photos and the coaches.

Winners from these events go on to represent our club at the district finals.  If they are unable to attend, the second place winners will be able to represent us within the zone.

Carol Bucyk

The Parksville Lawn Bowling Club was host to to the  highly anticipated Ferguson Men’s and Women’s Triples Tournament July 25th and 26th.  Cloudy and sometimes threatening  skies, especially on the Saturday,  didn’t dampen the excitement and skill on the green.  Ten women’s  teams and fourteen men’s teams  from around the zone took part in the tournament.

The men played in a winner plays winner format with the team of George Opacic, Willie Dunlop and Ray Chenier  of Qualicum  taking top prize.  There were four second place teams; that of Dean Penny, Henri Saucier and Vern Greenhill of Courtenay.  Next was Martin Fereday, Bob Allaby and Peter Scott of Parksville. Next up was another Parksville team – Bill Burgess, Bob Ashton an Brian Bennett.  Rounding out second place was the Qualicum team of John Eyer, Brian Michel and Erik Ewen.

The women played a different format with first, second and third place finishers.  Coming in first with 10 points, 38 shots and  differential of 29 was the Parksville team of Kate Wilson (skip), Luise Norman (third) and Carol Bucyk (lead).  Second went to the Nanaimo team of Glenda Chalmers, Barb Korabek and Terry Cowie (9-32-15) and rounding out third another Parksville team.  Diane Cruickshank, Kathleen Motley and Fay St. Marie came in at 9-30 16).

A very big thank you goes out to the games committee for their hard work, the kitchen crew who had a lovely menu both days, Save-On Foods for their desserts, bartenders, Markey and Bros, grounds crew, umpires (Colleen and Athol), Chuck for the photos,  spectators, players and of course, Chris Mitchell of Ferguson Exteriors whose company has kindly sponsored this premier event again this year.   Carol Bucyk

Port Alberni’s lawn bowling club hosted its annual Ramsay Lampman Rhodes Tournament July 18 & 19th .  It was a great weekend for bowls with sunny skies, a light breeze and some fast greens.

The team of Dean Penny, Frank Lo (Courtenay) and Luise Norman Parksville)  took home the hardware this time around.  Second went to the Nanaimo team of Vern Hagstrom, Linda Cooper and Zoltan Pataky.  Third was another Nanaimo team, that of Kathleen Hewitt, Adrian Hewitt and Chris Windress.  Rounding out fourth place was the hybrid team of Lynn Chwartacki (Qualicum Beach), Vern Greenhill and Henri Saucier of Courtenay.  All four teams had a perfect 4-0 record, and it needed to go to shots and differential to sort out the final standings.    The Loser/Winner prize went to George Opacic from Qualicum.

During the break on Saturday afternoon, Bob Steven received recognition and a plaque from Bowls Canada for his 25 years of service to the lawn bowling community.  He is retiring after this year, and we are grateful for his years given to the sport .

A very big thank you goes out to the volunteers of Port Alberni Lawn Bowling Club:  the kitchen, greens people, umpire Bob Steven who worked all four games,  Derek Burke and the games committee, players, spectators and of course, the sponsor,  Ramsay Lampman Rhodes who made this tournament possible.

Carol Bucyk

Once again, the Parksville Lawn Bowling Club held its annual Tenderfoot Triples Tournament under the great sponsorship of Urban Edge Hair Design.  There was a slight blip in the weather Saturday afternoon, and then a downpour in the evening.  Sunday morning saw bright sunshine, and the greens dried out fairly quickly.  Light winds and sunny skies prevailed for the rest of the tournament.  It made for a great two days of play.

The results are as follows:  Bruce McNevin’s team from Nanaimo took first place, with Grady Work’s team, also from Nanaimo, taking second.  Our own Andrew Adamson and his team earned third place.  Mike Van Dusen team from Port Alberni took fourth.  Debbie Taylor and her Parksville team took fifth with the Colin Lloyd threesome from Qualicum Beach rounding out sixth place.

Many people make for a successful tournament, and in Parksville, all hands were on deck to make this event so successful.  Thanks to  Chuck Benson, who took a number of photos throughout the tournament, the kitchen and bar crew, grounds  crew, games  committee, umpires for both days, spectators, players and of course, our wonderful sponsor for this event, Urban Edge.  Also, not to be forgotten were the number of novices who came out to watch and  play in this event.   Some had two months experience and  were out on the green having fun.  Many said they enjoyed the event so much that they want to get involved in future tournaments.  It’s that kind of positivity that bodes well for the future of our game.

Carol Bucyk

It was a great two days for Parksville teams this past weekend.  The annual Gold Bowl, held on July 4th and 5th and sponsored by Imagine Tours/Shawn Kilner saw teams come from around the zone to take part.   Both days were sunny and dry with light winds. The greens were very fast,  so adjusting to them  quickly was necessary.

In the end, it was our own Bob Allaby, Joey Merrell and Bob Merrell who took home first place and will get their names on the trophy for this year.    They scored 12 points, 33 ends and 26 shots.   It was a close one as  second place went to the team of Ian Yewer, Ann Yewer and Dave Baker from Nanaimo who also had 12 points, 32 ends and 23 shots.  Vern Hagstrom, Zoltan Pataky and Linda Cooper, also of Nanaimo took third with 10 points, 32 ends and 17 a 17 shot differential.  Coming in fourth was our own Wayne Larocque, Laurel Witzer and Kent Card with 9 points, 32 ends and 13 shots.   The fifth place team, also from Parksville was that of Geoff Holland, Ann Holland and David Perry with 9 points, 32 ends and shot differential of 4.   Courtenay’s Vern Greenhill, Henri Saucier and April Gilchrist took sixth with 9 points, 27 ends and 13 shots.  Finally, Courtenay’s Dean Penny, Frank Lo and Shelley McCollom took 7th with 7 points, 28 ends and a shot differential of 10.

A very big thank you goes out to the players, spectators, games committee, umpires, greens crew, kitchen crew and of course, sponsor of this annual event, Imagine Tours/Shawn Kilner.

Carol Bucyk

The club was buzzing on Wednesday, July 1st,  as a number of different events were happening that day.    In the morning, it was Luise Norman and Bob Allaby receiving accolades for winning the Scotch Pairs League (Spring) for this year.  Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone for participating in this league.

In the afternoon, everyone gathered outside in the warm sunshine to have the annual group photo taken before the activities celebrating Canada Day, and our annual fund raiser for the CHAMPS  War Amps Child program.  Lots of fun was had by all in the event with the War Amps organization coming out the winner.   The CHAMPS Program has been one of our fundraising activities for a number of years, and a big thank you goes out to all who participated in this special event.    By the way, Happy Birthday to Chuck who celebrated his special day by coming out to take photos for these events.

Carol Bucyk

Sunny skies, a light wind and fast greens were the order of the day for the 2026 Strawberry Bowl held in Port Alberni June 27th and 28th.

On the women’s side, it was April Gilchrist (Courtenay)  and Linda Cooper (Nanaimo) taking home first place, with our own Sandi Mitchell and Merry Danarti earning second.

For the men, it was Qualicum’s George Opacic and Willie Dunlop earning first place.  Second went to Hal Gray and Henri Saucier.  Courtenay’s Dean Penny and  Vern Greenhill took home third place prize money.   In fourth place was a four way tie going to  Bob Allaby and Bob Merrell , and Ken Bucyk and Christian Massey all of Parksville.

Thanks to Bob Stevens who was umpire for the event, the ladies in the kitchen, greens crew, games committee, players and spectators who came out for the event.    Thanks to Ken Bucyk for the pictures.

There is always something  special about club events.  They  feel a bit more homey and relaxing with   a different kind of vibe.     The people you play with, or against, are the same ones you play with in drop in draws, leagues or “pick-up” fun games.   It is a closeness of community.    Our club’s mid-week tournament for June 24th and 25th was a great example of us coming together,  having fun and having  some great games  on the green.   Everything from the rinks chosen and as well as teams created was random, and it made for some really unique and interesting  team combinations.

Winners of the Club Triples Tournament for 2026  was the team of Wayne Larocque, Avril Adamson, Keith Goertzen and Darlene Pentland.   Second went to Bob Ashton, Andy Burpee and Alan Watson.  The team of Keith Terlson, Kathleen Motley and Randy Hall came third.  Rounding out the top four was the hard working team of Barry Knowles, Sue Tompkins and Christine Lane.

Thanks to everyone who made this annual event so successful.  From the crew on the greens to the games committee, the players and spectators, Chuck for pics and everyone else involved, much thanks and appreciation for your efforts!

Carol Bucyk

It was a great one-two finish for Parksville this past weekend in the annual Sylvia Gibb Tournament held at the Qualicum Beach Lawn Bowling Club.  The tournament, sponsored by Katherine Wilk of Royal LePage brought together sixteen women’s teams from around the zone to compete.  Sunny skies, a light breeze and fast greens allowed for some really great shot making.   Add to that, the colourful outerwear and tasty lunch specials each day, and the women had themselves a great day.

Congratulations go out to the winning team of Kate Wilson and Luise Norman of Parksville who edged out Sandi Mitchell and Merry Danarti who took second.  Third and fourth  went to the Courtenay teams of April Gilchrist and Karen Edgeworth, and Beth Perrier and  Joan Matheson,     Linda Cooper and Lezlie Howe of Nanaimo took fifth.   Our own Karen Perrin and Joey Merrell took sixth while Shelley McCollom and Linda Meers took seventh.

A very big thank you goes out to the sponsor of this tournament, Katherine Wilk, and to the many people at QBLBC who made it all possible:  Geri and the kitchen crew, the bar, greenspeople, the  umpires,  Darlene and George Opacic and the games people, the spectators and of course, the players who made this such a special day.

Sylvia Gibb, for whom this tournament is named , was an ardent supporter of QBLBC.   She loved to garden and  her work  is evident in the lovely perimeter border  surrounding the club.    She loved colour and judging by how the women were dressed over the weekend, Sylvia would be smiling ear to ear.  Thanks, Sylvia!

Carol Bucyk

Sunny skies, warm weather and fast greens were the order of the day in the Nanaimo’s Edgewater 60+ Mixed Triples  Tournament held June 17 & 18.

The  Parksville team team of Bill Burgess, Merry Danarti and Sandi Mitchell came out on top with their impressive play.    The format was winner play winner, so several teams earned second place finishes.  They included the host club’s team of Vern Hagstrom, Linda Cooper and Zoltan Pataky.    Also in second place was the Parksville team of Bob Merrell, Joey Merrell and Bob Allaby.   Nanaimo’s Ann Yewer, Ian Yewer and David Baker came second as did Courtenay’s Vern Greenhill, April Gilchrist and Henri Saucier.

Thanks to everyone who came out to play,  those who helped with the scoring, the kitchen,   the grounds crew,  and the spectators who  came out out to watch.  A special shout out to the sponsors  who made this event possible.  Thank you so much for your support.

CAROL BUCYK

Parksville Lawn Bowling Club held its open mixed pairs tournament June 13 & 14,  sponsored by Hearing Life Parksville.    There were 26 teams in the mix for this one which had both an  early and a late draw.  Teams came from around the zone to battle in this one, with warm weather and blue skies being  the norm for both days.

The honours for top team went to Nanaimo’s Bruce McNevin and Glenda Chalmers.  Hal Gray and Joan Matheson of Courtenay came in second.  Third was also owned by Courtenay in the form of April Gilchrist and Vern Greenhill.  Fourth place was the team of Fay St. Marie (Parksville) and Brian Scherr (Courtenay).  Shelley Howieson and Terry Morris of the Qualicum Beach Lawn Bowling Club took fifth, while our own Bill Burgess and Diane Cruickshank took sixth.

A tournament just doesn’t happen, and to that end, we would like to give a big shout out to those who made this two day event such a success:  Thanks to the kitchen and bar crew, the grounds keepers, games people, players, spectators, umpires, and of course, our sponsor, Hearing Life Parksville, for without their generous support this event would not be possible.

Carol Bucyk

If there was a way to describe this past weekend’s  Quality Foods Men’s and Women’s Triples Tournament weather  in music, it would be  something like “Here Comes the Rain Again” and “Here Comes the Sun” by Annie Lennox and George Harrison respectively.  Fortunately, George’s line about “sun, sun, sun, here it comes,” was the theme for the majority of the two days of play.  Also, the greens were fast and hard, something normally experienced in about mid-July.  As a result, it made for some great shot making.

On the men’s side, it was the Nanaimo team of Chris Windess, Adrian Hewitt and Brian Howe taking first place.  Second went to Courtenay’s Dean Penny, Vern Greenhill and Henri Saucier.  The host Qualicum club team of Erik Ewen, Brian Michel and Charles MacIntyre took third, while Parksville’s Keith Terlson, Ken Bucyk and Christian Massey took home fourth place.

On the women’s side,  Courtenay’s April Gilchrist, Shelley Howieson, and Lynn Chwartacki of QBLBC  took home first place.  Parksville’s Kate Wilson, Carol Bucyk and Mary Card earned second place, edging out Sandi Mitchell, Merry Danarti and Diane Cruickshank, also of Parksville, who took third.   Rounding out the top four was the Nanaimo Team of Kathleen Sherry, Lezlie Howe and  Darlene Opecic /Ann Yewer.

Once again, a big thank you goes out to Quality Foods who continue to be a great sponsor for this event.  Also, thanks to the kitchen,  greens crew, bar people, scoring/games committee, umpires,  players  and spectators who came out to watch.

Carol Bucyk

May 3oth  and 31st  saw some of the best weather we have ever experienced for Courtenay  Scotch Pairs.   Sunny skies, mild winds and a great green made for some fabulous shot making throughout the two day tournament.

The big winners of the tournament was the team of Erik Ewen and Brian Michel of Qualicum Beach, with our own Sandi Mitchell and Merry Danarti coming in a close second.  In third place was Parksville’s Kate Wilson and Gary Carson with Martin and Chris Fereday, also of Parksville, rounding out fourth place.  Coming in fifth was Parksville’s Carol and Ken Bucyk with the last of the top six teams coming from Nanaimo in the form of Vern Hagstrom and Linda Cooper.

Gas Tank winners were Bruce McNevins and Glenda Chalmers of Nanaimo along with Charles McIntyre and Debi Sjogren of Qualicum Beach.  Lucky draw recipients were the team of Dean Penny and Shelley McCollom of Courtenay and Rosemary Montreuil and Susan Toresdahl  also of Courtenay.

A very big thank you goes out to the Courtenay club for their great hospitality and organization.  A tip of the hat to the greens crew, kitchen, games committee, umpire and to everyone who participated in this two day event.

Next up is the Men’s  and  Women’s Triples to take place at the Qualicum Beach lawn Bowling Club June 6 & 7.

Carol Bucyk

Nanaimo Lawn Bowling Club held its Mixed Triples Tournament May 23 & 24.  Under sunny skies and a quick green, some awesome shot making occurred.    Coming in first was the team of Dean Penny, Shelley McCollom and Debbie Stjogren.  There was a crowded spot for second place as four teams qualified for that honour.  First off, it was the Parksville team of Mary Card, Kent Card and Laurel Witzer.  Courtenay made it a family affair with Brian Scherr, Ethel Scherr and Dale Scherr.  Another Parksville team came in second: the team of Bob Allaby, Sue Tompkins and Luise Norman.  Rounding out the group was Vern Hagstrom, Zoltan Pataky and Linda Cooper from the host club of Nanaimo.

Thanks to everyone who made this even so successful from the grounds crew, players, games committee, kitchen and the sponsors once again for this year, Ramsey, Lampman Rhodes  for their generous support.

Carol Bucyk

Sixteen teams came out to play at the Lucie and Ed Triples Tournament held in Courtenay on  May  16th and 17th, with the home town team taking home top honours.  It was a winner play winner format and one flight.  The team of Vern Greenhill, Leone King and Joe Randazzo came in at 4-0 and took home top prize.  Four other  teams came in all tied for second place with 3-1 scores.  In order, they were the team of Bob Allaby, Sandi Mitchell and Merry Danarti of Parksville, then Kate Wilson,  Bill Burgess and Gary Carson, also of Parksville.  Linda Meers, Michael Lynch and Beth Perrier of Courtenay also tied for second as did the Nanaimo team of Bruce McNiven, Terry Cowie and Glenda Chalmers.   Great sportsmanship, tasty  food and good playing conditions made for a really fun event.  Thanks to all who made this event so successful

Carol Bucyk

Great weather and  food were only two of the components making for a fun weekend of lawn bowling at the  Qualicum  Beach Lawn Bowling Club May 8th and 9th.    There were fourteen teams in this early season event sponsored by  McPherson Real Estate .  Top prize with a perfect 4-0 sweep was the Ewen family of QBLBC.  Second place went to our own club represented by Mary Card, Kent Card and Laurel Witzer.   Nanaimo’s Vern Hagstrom, Linda Cooper and Zoltan Pataky took home third place prize money,  while Vern Greenhill, April Gilchrist and Henri Saucier of Courtenay took fourth.  Our own Bob Allaby, Bob Merrell and Joey Merell took fifth place.  Rounding out the top six was the Parksville team of Martin Fereday, Chris Fereday and Peter Scott.  A very unusual 9 ender was scored by our Merry Danarti, Kate Wilson and Bill Burgess.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the event and a big thank you goes out to everyone at the Qualicum club who made this tournament happen and to the very generous support of their sponsor, McPherson Real Estate.

Carol Bucyk

We finished off the short mat season with a two day competition followed by a pizza supper. Thanks to all those who helped organize the event, provide great snacks, assist in the kitchen and help with the cleanup. A special thanks to Sandi Mitchell for her umpiring assistance during the event and to Mick Banks who provided a number of templates to assist in selecting the teams and assigning rinks.

The results are:

1st: Norman Norman, Barry Conn, Sharyn O’Reilly

2nd: Clare Atchison, Mavis Gooding, Linda Watson

3rd: Dianne Proctor, Luise Norman, Vivien Weston

4th: Clive Arthorne, Marg Wood, Alan Watson

Check out the photos here Short Mat Triples Tournament

Our  club held its annual  Gloria Wilcox Tournament this past week (September 17 & 18th) , under mostly sunny skies  and fairly fast greens.  Both the men’s and women’s teams were drawn randomly by the skips before the first morning’s draw.  This was a great way to “mix things up,” and have different people playing together, some  for the first time this year.

Over the course of the two days,  there was some incredible shot making on the green, by both the men’s and women’s teams.  In the end, It was the Rick Dolley,  Kent Card and Allan Watson  team which took home the hardware for the tournament for this year.  Coming in a very close second was the  team of Bob Ashton, Terry Nicholls and George Wallis.

Over on the women’s side, it was the team lead by Karen Perrin with Gerda Veld as vice and Linda Burgess as lead,  narrowly beating out  skip Carol Bucyk , Betty Nordick and Charlotte Squires  for the honours and first place for the Gloria Wilcox for 2025.

The top three teams from the men’s and women’s sides then met on the green to play for the coveted Salmon Can Trophy.  It was  Team Perrin up against Team Dolley on Green #1, Team Holland against Team Scott on #2 and Team Ashton against Team Bucyk on #3.  The scoring was done over 5 ends with the  total score determining  the winner.  In the end, the men reigned victorious with a margin of 17-6 for the final score.

Thanks to the kitchen and bar crew who  kept us fed and hydrated.  A gracious thanks goes out to the grounds crew, set up people, games committee, Joey Merrell, Chuck Benson who took over 200 photos for this year’s event, people who came out to watch the games and who cheered us all on from the gallery during the Battle of the Sexes.  In all this, we can’t forget to say thanks to the players who came out and were a part of this yearly event.  If I have missed anyone, my apologies.

Carol Bucyk

The District Pairs Competition was held at our club  this past weekend.   The district clubs had sent their winners to Parksville to see who would reign supreme for 2025.  This year the winners were Vern Greenhill and Leone King from Courtenay who took gold for their efforts.  Silver was earned by our own Merry Danarti and Bob Allaby.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the teams this year.  Also we want to thank the Parksville kitchen crew, bartenders, greens keepers, set up crew, games committee, umpires , photographer (Chuck) and everyone else who was involved in this year’s competition.

Carol Bucyk

Congratulations to April Sloan and Debbie Taylor who earned a silver for the Women’s Pairs this past week in Nanaimo during the B.C. Seniors Games.  On the men’s side, it was our own Bob Ashton and Christian Massey  who also earned a silver for their efforts.

Carol Bucyk

A fun, social day was had by all that attended the annual Parksville/Cowichan Bay Challenge on September 9.  First, there was the 10 end challenge in the morning which was played under cloudy skies.  In the afternoon, the skies cleared and made way for a sunny   12 end game.   Parksville came out the winner for this year’s event, having won last year’s  as well.

The Parksville teams ended u winning 9 games for a total of 27 points while Cowichan Bay Lawn Bowling Club took 7 games and earned 21 points.

This yearly event began back in 2008 between the two clubs, and  is much anticipated every September.  A very big thank you to all who took part in the event, and once again, thanks to Chuck Benson for his great photos.

Trevor Motley/Carol Bucyk

Nanaimo played host to the District Singles Tournament on September 6th and 7th.  Some of the shot making over the two days was unbelievable and  both the men and women demonstrated  some  really great lawn bowling strategies.

In the end, it was Irene Toulouse of Nanaimo who earned Women’s District Singles Championship, while on the men’s side it was our own Rick Dolley who was victorious.

Many thanks go out to the host club, kitchen and bar crew, games committee, players and spectators, umpires, set up crew, markers,  and everyone else who put this event together.  Also, a very big thank you to Dean Penny who made everything work like clock work.

Carol Bucyk

The George Gibson/Berwick Retirement Concepts tournament was held under sunny, but somewhat smoky skies September 3rd and 4th.  We had two full flights with teams coming from around the zone, taking part in this popular event.

The winners for the tournament were our own Sandi Mitchell, Merry Danarti and Bob Allaby.  Keith Terlsen, Don Terlsen and Brenda Terlsen came in second and first in their flight.    Carol Bucyk, Ken Bucyk and Rick Dolley of Parksville earned 3rd overall and second in their flight. The Nanaimo team headed by Dennis Dezell came in fourth.  Rounding out fifth position was the Parksville team of Chris and Martin Fereday with Peter Scott and in sixth place, it was Roberta Stets, Jeanette Ferguson and Colin Frame.

We would like to thank Berwick for their very generous support of this tournament, plus the goodies that they had available to us.  Their tent came in very hand both days as well.  A big shout out goes to Lynn and her kitchen crew who were so busy getting out the tasty desserts and coffee for us.  Also, thanks to the bar staff who kept us happily hydrated.    Thanks to Chuck for the pictures, the grounds keepers who once again made our green very playable.  Thanks to the set up crew and the games committee who were so efficient in  getting the scores calculated so quickly.  We can’t forget the spectators who came out to watch on both days and to the players who made this such a memorable event.

Carol Bucyk

More sunny skies greeted our novices and intermediate players as they headed out on the green this past weekend on Nanaimo.

The Novice Men’s winner was Ray Chenier of Qualicum with David Hughes of Nanaimo coming in second.  The Intermediate Men’s  came down to Tony Morris of Qualicum defeating Grady Wood of Nanaimo.

On the  Novice side for the women,  it was Colleen Leslie  of Nanimo over Parksville’s Darlene Pentland.  The Women’s Intermediate title was earned by Qualicum’s Shelley Howieson defeating Cindy Greenhill of Courtnay.

Once again, a very big round of thanks go out to everyone involved in making this event happen:  kitchen crew, greenskeepers, participants, gallery, games committee and all the others who made this such a great afternoon for lawn bowling in our district.  To our novice and intermediate players, well done in your efforts at this event.

Carol Bucyk

This year’s Jack and Jill Tournament was a mid-week affair which saw two complete flights taking part.  Our club also had a number of novices and intermediate players which was great to see as well.

The overall winners of the event this year were Aase McMullin and Bob Merrell.  They will get their names inscribed on the trophy for 2025.  Robbie Thomas and Bill Burgess came in second.  Chris Fereday and David Perry earned third.  Rounding out fourth place was Betty Nordick and Peter Scott.

As always, there are so many people to thank for making this event so successful.  The kitchen and bar crew kept us fed and watered.  Thanks to those who sold tickets for the draws.  The grounds keepers and set up crews were awesome in getting the greens ready for this event.  Once again, our games committee kept on top of things with their knowledge of computer skills, especially data entry.  Thanks to Don U. for his expertise in that area.  Once again, our cub reporter, Chuck Benson, came through with some great photos of the event.  Last but not least, a very big  thank you to all who came out to watch and  to those who participated.  It was wonderful seeing you all at our club.  Final mention should be made to some of the shirts that were worn out there over the two days.  So much variety and colour just added to the event.  Well done, Parksville.

Carol Bucyk

Scorching temperatures and incredibly fast greens were the order of the day in Nanaimo  for this past weekend’s tournament.   This very popular mixed pairs event drew players from up and down the zone.  As stated, the speed of the green for this tournament as incredible and made for some challenging shot making.

In the end, it was our own Merry Danarti and Rick Dolley who took the honours for the event.  They went a perfect 4-0 , with 38 ends and a 38 shot differential.   Their names will be on the trophy for 2025.   Nanaimo’s Vern Hagstrom  and Linda Cooper came second, also with a 4-0 record but with 36 ends and a 33 shot differential.  Our  own Chris and Martin Fereday took third place with 10 points, 33 ends and a 25 shot differential.

A very big thank you goes out to the  sponsor for this event, Martin Velsen, of Martin Velsen Realty Nanaimo,  who  presented both  the trophy and cash prize to Rick and Merry.  Martin has been a strong and generous supporter of this event for a number of years now, and each year, he has  also brought a number of gift prizes as give-aways to many lucky people playing in this event.   Bottles of wine, prosseco, gift cards etc., were just some of the prizes donated by him.

A big thank you  also goes out to the kitchen crew,  grounds keepers, bar staff, umpires, games committee, the gallery and the players who gave it their all during this event.

The annual Men’s and Women’s Singles Tournament concluded on Sunday afternoon, August 17th.     The tournament began on Tuesday, August 12th but the  intense  smoke from the Mount Underwood and Wesley Ridge fires put a halt to the matches.  On Friday, our air quality was such that games were postponed  until conditions became  safer for all.   Play resumed on Sunday with the semifinals and finals happening  and much improved weather conditions.

As for the tournament,   it was Brian Bennett prevailing over Rick Dolley to win the title of Club Men’s Singles Champion for 2025.  It was a very hard fought game with some great play making involved.   On the women’s side, it was Carol Bucyk taking on Anne Holland for the title.  It was another hard fought game, with Bucyk reaching the 18 points first  and becoming the Club Women’s Singles Champion for 2025.

A very big thank you goes out to everyone involved in this event:  the kitchen and bar crew,  games committee, markers, grounds crew, umpires, our resident photographer, Chuck,   Sandi , who was busy filling in wherever and whenever needed, the gallery who came out to watch on Sunday afternoon, the players  and everyone else who made this event so successful.

Carol Bucyk

Parksville and Qualicum Lawn Bowling Clubs met on August 9th for their annual challenge and this time, Parksville came up the winner.  The challenge is set up  so that each club gets to visit each other’s green that day and play on each other’s greens.  This year, Martin Fereday received the trophy on behalf of the club, by Alan Brunskill,  president of the Qualicum club.

Carol Bucyk

It was a busy weekend for lawn bowling August 2nd and 3rd.  In Parksville, it was the novices and intermediates taking to the green, while in Courtenay it was the Berwick 2-4-2 Tournament drawing players from around the zone.  It was a smokey two days with the Wesley Ridge  fire raging and smoke from around Cameron Lake drifting upwards to Courtenay.

On the green, the winners of the event  and taking first place was the team of Vern Hagstom and Linda Cooper of Nanaimo who scored a red hot  12 points, 39 ends and a shot differential of 32.    Second went to our own Christian Massey and Rick Dolley with 12 points, 35 ends a 31 differential.    Leone King and Vern Greenhill of Courtenay placed third, again with 12 points, 33 ends and a 13 point differential.    John Kendall and Beth from Courtenay took fourth.  Rounding out the top five was our own team of Chris and Martin Fereday.

Many thanks go out to Berwick, the sponsors of this event, the games committee, kitchen crew, grounds keepers, players, umpire (thanks, Dean) and spectators who came out to watch.

Pictures will be coming shortly.

Carol Bucyk

August 2nd and 3rd saw our club novice and intermediate players  take to the green for two days of tournament play.  It was a weekend filled with very good, very close games and all the participants who took part enjoyed this experience.  The Novice Ladies Winner was Donna Roberts who scored 9 points and had a shot differential of 13.  She  edged out Darlene Pentland who took second with her score of 6 points and a differential of 10.  On the men’s side, it was Alan Watson scoring 12 points and  a differential of 20, beating out David Pentland who took second with 9 points and a shot differential of 20.

On the Intermediate side, the ladies winner was Debbie Taylor who earned 9 points with a short differential of 13.    Second place was earned by April Sloan with a score of 6 points and a shot differential of 5.    George Wallis took the men’s division with 12 points and a shot differential of 28  edging out Isaac Wood who had 9 points and 0 differential.

The winners will move onto the District Novice and Intermediate Singles on August 30 and 31 in Nanaimo.

Thanks go out to all the people who made this event so successful:  Chuck for pictures, the kitchen and bar crew, games committee, grounds crew, markers, those who came out to support the players, the coaches,  and of course, the players themselves who put out their very best efforts into  this tournament.

Carol Bucyk   /Joey Merrell

It was another great weekend for lawn bowling July 26 & 27 in Parksville.  Once again, Ferguson Exteriors was our very generous sponsor for this event which drew players from around the zone.  Sixteen men’s teams and ten women’s teams played under sunny skies and light winds to a very appreciative gallery on both days.

On the men’s side, play was decided in a winner play winner format and  it was John Ayers, Erik Ewen and Brian Michell  from Qualicum Beach who took top honours and will get their names engraved on the plaque.  Runners up in each of their division were Brian Bennett, Ian McCaulay and Wayne Larocque From Parksville.  Other runner up teams included Ian Yewer’s team from Nanaimo and Geoff Holland, Tex Gooding and David Perry from Parksville.

On the women’s side it was the winning  Parksville team of Diane Cruickshank, Fay St. Marie and Kathleen Motley taking first and their names will be  engraved on the plaque for this year.    Second went another Parksville team that of Karen Perrin, Joey Merrell and Avril Adamson.  Rounding our third and making it a Parksville sweep was the team of Kate Wilson, Luise Norman and Carol Bucyk .

A very big thank you goes out to Chris from Ferguson Exteriors (our continued sponsors for this event), our kitchen crew  of Lynn and Marg who put out a wonderful spread both days,  Joey M.  and the games committee (Anne H. and Gerda), Chuck Benson,   grounds keepers, umpires (Mick and Colleen), Don U. who helped us with our computer program for this event, our bartenders who kept us hydrated, the spectators who came out and watched both days and the players who truly demonstrated what this sport is all about.

A very big thank you to Chuck Benson for the great photos.

Carol Bucyk

Clubs in our zone got together July 21 for the final game of the season for interclub.    This fun  evening started by Anne and Geoff Holland “years ago” is an opportunity for clubs in the zone to get together for an evening of lawn bowls and socializing during the summer months.  This year, Nanaimo  came out on top with  a total of 47 points and earned $432 for their club.  Ian Yewer accepted on behalf of his club.  Next up was a tie of 37 points between Qualicum Beach and Courtenay.  Parksville came up last with 21 points.

A very big thank you goes out to the  games people, kitchen and bar staff, grounds keepers and  the participants who took part in this year’s league.    As a reminder, if you are a novice or intermediate player, this interclub league is a great way to have fun, meet people and sharpen your skills as lead in a casual, positive setting.   The sign up  sheet is posted in the sun room early in the spring and you can sign up for two dates (your choice) and your position as lead.  We would love to see our novices and intermediate players come and join us.

Carol Bucyk

Once again,  Port Alberni Lawn Bowling Club,  the little club with the big heart,  came through with another  well run event.  The Ramsay Lampman Rhodes Mixed Triples Tournament was held on July 19 and 20th in Port with fourteen teams from around our district.

Winners of the plaque was the Parksville team of Sandi Mitchell, Merry Danarti and Rick Dolley.  Second place was earned by the Hal Gray team of Courtenay.  Keith Terlson, Carol Bucyk and Ken Bucyk of Parksville  finished in third place.  Winners of the random draw was the team of Martin Fereday, Chris Fereday and Peter Scott of Parksville.

A very big thank you goes out to the games committee, grounds crew, kitchen crew, the players and of course, our gracious sponsors, Ramsay Lampman Rhodes for their continued support of our sport in our district.

Pictures will be coming shortly.

Carol Bucyk

July 16 and 17 saw the wrap up of the pairs league and that of cut throat as well.  Winners of the pairs  league were Bob Allaby and Merry Danarti, who will go on to represent our club in the District Pairs Tournament to be held in Parksville  September 13 and 14.  Second place went to Bob Ashton and Miriam Gunn, while Chris and Martin Fereday earned third spot.   The summer session of cut throat saw David Perry emerge as the winner with Diane Cruickshank and Chris Fereday earning second and third place respectively.

A big thank you goes out to the games committee who got these two leagues up and going , as well to all those who came out to participate.  We had great weather, good competition and  a lot of fun on the green in these two leagues.  For novices and intermediate players, cut throat is a really great opportunity to sharpen your skills as a lead, by learning to read the green and analyzing the  play of your opponents….and have a lot of fun doing it, too.

Carol Bucyk

Well, that was a warm one!!!  This past weekend,  (July 12 & 13),  the Parksville Lawn Bowling Club hosted its  Annual  Tenderfoot Open Mixed Triples tournament sponsored by Urban Edge Hair Group.      The  Tenderfoot Triples Tournament focuses on  players with three or less years of lawn bowling experience.  As well, one player in on each team must be a novice.   A full slate of sixteen teams competed from the zone and the top three teams came from outside our club.

First place went to the Nanaimo team of Grady Work, Doug Drummond and Kellie Rice.    The Nanaimo team of Lezlie Howe, Brian Howe and David Hughes  took second.  Rounding out the top three was the Qualicum Beach triples team of Shelley Howieson, Colin Lloyd and Jeff McEwen.

A very big thank you goes out to Urban Edge for  the sponsoring of this triples event.  Also, a big shout out to our kitchen and bar staff, the set-up crew,  games committee, grounds keepers,  Chuck Benson and his camera,  as well as  the gallery who came out with umbrellas and sunscreen for both days.  Thank you to the tenderfoot and novice players who gave it their all for this event.

If you’re looking for a road trip this coming weekend,  the Port Alberni  club is hosting the Ramsay Lampman Rhodes Mixed Triples Tournament.  Port Alberni is located in the valley and has very scenic views of Mount Arrowsmith (the backside) and some really great restaurants.  The Port Alberni club has a really great vibe AND  it’s air conditioned, too.  See you on the green.

Carol Bucyk

Nanaimo Lawn Bowling Club held its annual Gold Bowl July 5th and 6th.  This tournament is sponsored by Imagine Cruise/Shawn Kilmer  of Nanaimo and is the largest money event  on the island.  The two days  saw 26 teams play in two flights.  Great weather, lots of cold water and exceptional play making were all part of this tourney.

The winners of the event were Parksville’s  Sandi Mitchell, Merry Danarti and Rick  Dolley, and their names will be engraved on the trophy.  In second place was another Parksville teams, that of Carol Bucyk, Ken Bucyk and Keith Terlson. Third place went to the Qualicum team of Mike Ward, Helen Roberts and John Ayre.   Qualicum also took fourth with the team of Shelley Howieson, Brian Michell and  Ziutka Hundley.  Fifth was Parksville’s Chris Fereday, Martin Fereday and Peter Scott.  Parksville took sixth with Kate Wilson, Gary Carson and Mick Banks.  Courtenay came in seventh with the team of Vern Greenhill, April Gilchrist and  Henri Saucier.  It was the Ewen family – Luci, Susan and Eric who finished in the top eight.

A very big thank you goes out to Shawn Kilmer and Imagine Cruise Nanaimo for the continued support of the Gold Bowl.  Also, thank you to the kitchen and bar staff, grounds crew, games committee,  set-up and take-down teams, and to the people who travelled from within the zone to take in this tournament and make it the success that it was.

Carol Bucyk

It was another busy lawn bowling weekend, this time in Port Alberni.  June 28th and 29th saw the men and women playing in some very warm temperatures, and the bowling was pretty hot, too.

In first place for the women, it was our club’s Merry Danarti and Sandi Mitchell  earning the honours and repeating from last year.  Second place went to Nanaimo’s Frances Tester and Kathleen Hewitt.

On the men’s side, Vern Greenhill and Dean Penny took home first place, while our own Bob Allaby and Bob Merrell (The Bobs), earned second place.

A very big thank you goes out to everyone from the Port Alberni Lawn Bowling Club who made this  such a fun and successful event.

  The Parksville Lawn Bowling Club held its annual  Club Triples Championship this week.  The  skies were threatening and  cloudy  for both days, but the rain held off until the last end on Thursday afternoon.  When it was done, the team of Bill Burgess, Gerda Veld and Roger Taylor emerged victorious with their first place finish.   Their names will now go on the club’s plaque.   Close behind was the second place team of Don Urquhart, Andy Burpee and Anne Gudbranson.  Bringing in third was  Wayne Larocque, Robbie Thomas and Aase McMullin.  Rounding out fourth place was the team of Colin Frame, Merry Danarti and Andrew Adamson.  The “Please Come Back” award went to Kate Wilson, Clive Arthorne and Debbie Taylor.

A very big thank you goes out to all who came out to play, the grounds keepers, kitchen crew, games committee, cantina folks, set-up and take-down crews, Chuck Benson for his  photos and whoever else helped to make this event so successful.

Carol Bucyk

The men went off to Courtenay to compete in the Courtenay Classic Men’s Pairs tournament this weekend.   Unfortunately, the Parksville teams were shut out of top five placements.      Hal Gray and Gary Carson from Courtenay took first place, while Vern Greenhill and Joe Randazzo,   also of Courtenay,  took second.  Ian Yewer and Ross Younger of Nanaimo earned third.   Stu MacNaughton and Brian Scheer of Courtenay earned fourth and rounding out the top five, was the Chris Windess-Henri Saucier team of Nanaimo.

Over in Qualicum Beach, the Women’s Pairs Tournament , also known as the “Sylvia Gibb”  took place.  Fourteen teams took part in this event  which was sponsored by local realtor Katherine Wilk of Royal LePage.   Linda Cooper and Lezlie Howe of Nanaimo earned both the trophy and top prize money,  second, third and fourth place all went to Parksville.  Roberta Stets and Jeanette Ferguson came in second, Chris Fereday and Carol Bucyk took third, and Sandi Mitchell and Merry Danarti earned fourth.  Rounding out the top five was the host club’s Geri Stewart and Merle Edmonds.

As always, much thanks goes out to the sponsors of these events, as well as  the grounds keepers, kitchen crew,  equipment set-up and take down teams, games committee, and to the players who took part in these events.

The Berwick 60+ Mixed Triples Tournament was held in Nanaimo June 18th and 19th.  The results are as follows:  First place went to  Tony Morris, Shelley Howieson and Colin Lloyd of the Qualicum Beach Lawn Bowling Club, who scored 12 points.    Brian Scheer, Glen Greenhill and Linda Meers of Courtenay took second with 10 points.    Another Courtenay club with members Hal Gray, Zoltan Pataky and Joan Matheson earned third place with 9 points.     Mike Ward, Helen Roberts and James MacDonald from Qualicum scored 9 points and took fourth.    Rounding out the top five  with 9 points was Parksville’s Rick Dolley, Sandi Mitchell and Merry Danarti.

The Nanaimo club would like to thank all those who made this tournament a success, starting with Berwick on the Lake.     Also a big thank you to the grounds keepers, games people, kitchen, and the players who attended this mid-week tournament.

Carol Bucyk

It was another great weekend  for lawn bowling at the Parksville Lawn Bowling Club  with   two  almost full flights taking part in the event.   The Hearing Life Mixed Pairs Tournament  was played on some lovely greens, thanks to the grounds crew of our club.

Congratulations to our club’s own Sandi Mitchell and Rick Dolley for taking home the trophy and first place.  Dean Penny and Shelley McCollom from Courtenay took second.  Our neighbours up the highway, Erik and Susan Ewen of Qualicum Beach took third and rounding out fourth place was our own Bill Burgess and Diane Cruickshank.

The club would like to thank everyone involved in the tournament:  Hearing Life Parksville who was our generous sponsor, the kitchen and bar crews who kept us full and happy, the grounds crew for their great job on the greens, our people working the tables, set-up and clean up folks and everyone who took part in this annual event.

 The Quality Foods Men’s and Women’s Triples Tournament held at the  Qualicum Beach Lawn Bowling Club June 7 & 8th was a warm one.  Sunny skies prevailed during the tournament, with temperatures  reaching 30C on Sunday afternoon.   The greens were FAST and hard, an unusual combination so early in the season, and  made for some interesting play selection.

On the women’s side, it was the  Qualicum team of April Gilchrist, Shelley Howieson and Denise Hooper earning first place and taking  home the trophy.  They were followed by three Parksville teams.  Second went to our Sandi Mitchell, Chris Fereday and Merry Danarti.  Third was the team of Joey Merrell, Karen Perrin and Avril Adamson.  Rounding out the top four was the Kate Wilson, Carol Bucyk and Diane Cruickshank.

On the men’s side, first place, it was the Courtenay team of Dean Penny, Vern Greenhill and Joe Randazzo.  Second was the Parksville team of Martin Fereday, Peter Scott and Gary Carson.  Third was the home team of Mike Ward, James MacDonald and John Eyre.  The fourth place team was another trio from Qualicum Beach, the team of George Opacic, Tony Morris and Ray Chenier.

A very big thank you goes out to everyone who made this event so successful:  the kitchen, bar, grounds crew, umpires, games committee, players and most importantly, Quality Foods who have continued to sponsor this tournament over the years.

Next up is the  Hearing Life Mixed Pairs to be held in Parksville June 14th and 15th.  See you there!   Draws are at 8:30 Saturday and 8:45 on Sunday.  Come and check out Parksville’s first district tournament of the year.  Lots of great bowling to be seen.

Carol Bucyk

Thursday, June 5th was the final night for the spring Men’s and Women’s Pairs League.  On the men’s side it was the team of Don Urquhart and Bill Burgess, while on the women’s side it was Linda Burgess and Carol Bucyk.  First prize winners will be receiving bag tags for their efforts at the September windup at the club.  Sandi Mitchell was winner of the spring cutthroat league, beating out Andy Burton who took second,  and Geoff Holland who placed third.

Also, on the women’s side,  Joey Merrell and Robbie Thomas earned second, while Sandi Mitchell and Shelley McLeod took third.  For the men, it was Bob Allaby and Bob Merrell in second and Andrew Adamson and Martin Perrin  taking third.

A big thank you goes out to the participants who came out and played and to the games organizers, Joey Merrell and Karen Perrin for keeping us informed with the weekly summary of play.   A reminder to those interested  in playing in any of the leagues is to get on line and sign up.  Evening leagues are a lot of fun and the weather is generally ideal.  Carol Bucyk

The Interclub season has started and results from the first evening are in.  Nanaimo has 19 points, 59 ends and +13 differential.  Qualicum Beach is at 13 points, with 54 ends and -2 differential.  Courtenay  comes in at 12 points with a whopping 63 ends and a +13 differential.  Parksville is running at 3 points with 48 ends and a -24 differential.

Please remember that if you haven’t seen it, there is a sign up sheet in the sun room and you can sign up for a maximum of two events over the course of this interclub season.   If you’re a novice why not consider signing up in the lead position to get a feel for this game.  The games are always fun and the socializing afterwards is top notch.

Carol Bucyk

It was a tale of weather opposites in Courtenay  this weekend when the club hosted its annual Scotch Pairs Tournament.  Saturday morning’s early draw was played in a torrential downpour, with players having to adjust for the conditions.  Saturday afternoon was slightly better, with the sun daring to peak out.  Sunday was a dream for bowlers as the clouds were few, winds light and the green playing as they  should.

On the green, it was the home team of Henri Saucier and Heather Devine taking first place.  Port Alberni’s team of Neal Wilson and Derek Burke took second.  Parksville’s Ken and Carol Bucyk came in third.  Rounding out the winners were the Courtenay teams  of Dean Penny and Shelley McCollom in fourth and Peter Harding and Carole Nelson earning fifth.

Many thanks to all the people who made the tournament a success.  The pierogi lunch on Saturday and sandwiches on Sunday were a real treat, too.

Next up on the calendar for play is the Men’s  and Women’s  Triples  which takes place in Qualicum Beach June 7 & 8.  This event is sponsored by the good folks at Quality Foods.

It was a great  weekend for lawn bowling in Nanaimo with calm winds,  pleasant temperatures, and  greens which were  hard and fast.   Over twenty teams signed up for the two day event.   In the end, only two club took the top five positions: Courtenay and Parksville.

First place went to Vern Greenhill, Henril Saucier and Shelley Howison representing Courtenay.  Second was the Brian Scheer, Cindy Greenhill and Glen Greenhill team  also  of Courtenay.  Bill Burgess, Don Urquhart and Robbie Thomas of Parksville earned third.  Another Courtenay team took fourth, that of Dean Penny, Shelley McCallum and Brandi Knight.    Kate Wilson, Merry Danarti and Gary Carson of Parksville earned the fifth and final place.

Next up will be the Courtenay Scotch Pairs on May 31 and June 1.

Carol Bucyk

Our club knows how to party, whether it’s Victoria Day, Canada Day or any of the other wonderful times that we celebrate being Canadian.  We started the season off  right  on May 19th with our annual Bowlympics afternoon.   This annual event, sponsored by RBC Wealth Management,  has been a mainstay of our Victoria Day celebrations for a number of years.  They have been kind enough to provide for all the medals since the inception of this special event, and we are appreciative of their support.     We also had a very special guest honouring us with her presence as well.  Lady English Rose ( a.k.a Mavis Gooding, dressed as Queen Victoria’s great, great great, great, great (I think that’s enough greats) grand-daughter was in attendance.    She brought much joy and humour to the afternoon’s fun events.  As usual, all the volunteers in their various capacities did a wonderful job making sure it was a great afternoon.  Thanks so much to Chuck Benson for the great pics.

Gold medal winners in the event were Donna De Wolfe, Miriam Gunn  and Mavis Gooding. Silver went to Mark Anstey, Barb Campbell and Tex Gooding.  Bronze was earned by Don Urquhart, Linda Burgess and Bros Brosnikoff.

Carol Bucyk

Congratulations are in order to the team of Roberta Stets, Luise Norman and Bill Burgess who took the honours at the Qualicum Beach Lawn Bowling Club’s McPherson  Open Mixed Triples competition held on May 10 & 11.  The Parksville team was one of many that competed over the two day tournament.  Well done, team!

In Courtenay, on May 15th, the Annual President’s Cup was held.  Parksville sent two teams to this event and succeeded in placing third.   Powell River  took the plaque and Qualicum Beach who earned second place.

Club Short mat tournament on 22nd and 23rd March.

Great couple of days. Serious but enjoyable games.

All rounded off with the annual end of season Pizza Party.
Submitted by Mick Banks

The  last major tournament of the year, the Gloria Wilcox Men’s and Women’s Triples Tournament took place on Wednesday and Thursday September 18th and 19th under almost perfect weather conditions.  For the men, it was the winning team of Rick Dolley, Howard Auld and Bob Ashton.  Martin Fereday, Clive Arthorne and Ken Tait took second, while the team of Andy Burton, Andy Burpee and Tex Gooding rounded out third place.

On the women’s side, Merry Danarti, Leslie Leinweber and Miriam Gunn pulled off a first place finish.  Second went to Mary Card, Jeanette Ferguson and Avril Adamson.  Third place honours were earned by Sandi Mitchell, Barb Campbell and Donna Dunn.

These top six teams then played off against each other for the coveted Salmon Cup Trophy with the men coming out on top and with that, getting the honours of being this year’s winners.  The men earned 4 points, with a +4 differential and 8 ends, while the women got 4 points, a -4 differential and 7 ends.

Some  big thank yous go out to the following folks who helped to make this final event a success:  Vicki Banks, who came out of retirement  to do magic in our kitchen, greens crew, set-up crew, the bar for keeping us hydrated, our club photographer, Chuck Benson, Joey Merrell and Sandi, who were the go-to people for this event,  the games committee, Kathleen Motley, all of the players and spectators who came, and to the novice and intermediate players who stepped up and got involved in this tournament.

This tournament officially finishes our outdoor activities and the fun now switches to the indoor ones which begin with mahjong on September 30th.  Please check previous entries for times, dates, prices,  and coordinators.

Carol Bucyk

The Qualicum Beach Lawn Bowling Club was home to the District Pairs Championship  September 14th and 15th.  Winners of the event were the home club’s Mike Ward and Helen Roberts who took gold and the trophy, beating out  silver medal winners Vern Greenhill and Leone King from Courtenay.  Both had a 4-0 record going into the  final match.

Also of note were the four Parksville teams who had entered the event.  Last year’s winners and defending champions were Ken and Carol Bucyk who ended up with a 3-1 record, as did the Club Pairs Champs, Robbie Thomas and Don Urquhart.  Sandi Mitchell and Wayne Larocque as well as Mary and Kent Card represented our club.

A big thank you goes out to everyone from the Qualicum club who made the event such a success.  Thank  also to the games committee who made this all happen as well as to all the participants who played  under perfect weather conditions.  The District Pairs Championship wraps up the last of the District tournaments for the year.

Carol Bucyk

The District Open Singles Tournament was held  September 7th and 8th  in Port Alberni.  Parksville was represented by our own  Rick Dolley and Luise Norman.    In the gold medal final for the men, it went to the tie breaker ends won formula  with  Vern Hagstrom of Nanaimo prevailing and  winning  gold  and Rick taking the silver.     On the women’s side, it was Kathleen Hewitt of Nanaimo earning the gold while our Luise  took home  the silver.    A big thank you goes out to the Port Alberni Club who hosted the event,  congratulations   to competitors for their efforts, and especially to our  Parksville representatives who completed a silver sweep in the event.

Carol Bucyk

The annual Cowichan/Parksville Challenge was held again, this time in Cowichan on September 10th.  Conditions were great with lovely greens and perfect weather, and the home club  was a superb host  for this one day event.  Our visiting  Parksville team took home the honours scoring 25 points over the home club’s 13.  Thanks to everyone who made this day such a great one.  See you all in Parksville next year.

The ever popular George Gibson Tournament was held September 4th and 5th  and had a solid turnout to the event.  Players came from Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach, Courtenay as the Parksville Lawn Bowling Club hosted the tournament.

Winners of this year’s event was the team of Rick Quibell, Mary Mulligan and John Kendal from Nanaimo and Courtenay.  Second place was our own Andy Burton, Sandi Mitchell and Peter Scott.  Nanaimo’s Adrian and Kathleen Hewitt and Chris Windress took home third place.  Parksville’s Bob Ashton, Miriam Gunn and Betty Nordick came in at fourth place.

A big round of thanks go out to Lynn in the kitchen, Colleen who umpired for both days, the bartenders who kept us hydrated, Marg and Gerda and their awesome computer skills, the grounds crew who made a great green for us to play on, the clean-up and put away folks, Chuck for his photos, Joey for organizing this event and all the participants who came and played as well as the gallery who came out to watch.

This was the last of the open tournaments to be held this year at the Parksville club.  Next up is the Gloria Wilcox Men’s and Women’s Triples to be held September 18th and 19th.  Immediately after that event is over, the mini-tournament for the prized Salmon Can Trophy will take place as part of the Battle of the Sexes Tournament.  Bring your pompoms and best voices to cheer on your respective teams.  This one will be a lot of fun.

As lawn bowlers, we all have our own little routines, tells and rituals.  However, this was a little different and for something fun, and with Robbie’s permission, we thought we would share this action picture.  At that particular moment, Robbie was seen and heard talking to her bowl.  It must have worked because both she and Wayne Larocque won the tournament.

One of the club’s  most popular tournaments was held Aug. 28th and 29th and it did not disappoint.  The weather, greens and attendance were great.    An almost full slate with two flights were a sign of this tournament’s popularity.  A unique feature of this event is that the men (Jacks) skip two games and the women (Jills) skip two games.

The overall winners of the event were Robbie Thomas and Wayne Larocque who came  from the Early Draw.  Second in that draw was the team of Debbie Taylor and Barry Conn who were in a make up team with Carol Bucyk and Andy Burton.  Third in the early draw was Luise Norman and Martin Perrin.  In the late draw, first went to the team of Kathleen Motley and Barry Knowles, while second went to Sandi Mitchell and David Stamp.  Anne Holland and David Perry took third.

There were two mystery draws as well.  Early draw winners were Maggie Webb and Ken Bucyk, while late  draw winners were Donna Dunn and Ken Olenick.

There are many moving parts to making an event like this happen and happen smoothly. With that in mind, our thanks go out to the following:  the games committee, kitchen crew, bartenders, groundskeepers, set-up and take down folks, photographer, novice, intermediate and seasoned players and spectators.  Everyone had a hand in making the Jack and Jill Tournament  the success that it was.

Next up is the George Gibson slated for early September.  This tournament will be bringing in players from around the district and promises to be a good one.

The Nanaimo Mixed Pairs Open Tournament was held Aug. 24 & 25 under almost perfect conditions.  The green was in superb shape and the weather was pretty much perfect.      What else that was pretty much perfect is the fact that four out of the five teams that placed came from our club.  The number one team was that of Nanaimo’s Rick Quibell and Mary Mulligan.  Second through fifth went to our club with Rick Dolley and Merry Danarti taking second,  Chris and Martin Fereday  earning third, Diane Cruickshank and Bill Burgess scoring fourth and Joey and Bob Merrell placing fifth.  Four out of the top five places is quite an accomplishment and congratulations to our club members who played in the tournament, and to those who earned recognition for their efforts.

A very big thank you goes out to everyone at the Nanaimo club who were great hosts and players.  Thanks  to the kitchen and greens crew, the umpires, the players , Chuck Benson who took pictures, and Martin Velsen, the very generous sponsor of this tournament.

Carol Bucyk

Pictures to come.

The  Parksville Lawn Bowling Club’s  Men’s and Women’s Singles  2024 edition wrapped up Thursday, August  15.     The three day event was full of great shot making, close games and perfect weather.    In the end, it came down to the final four with Chris Fereday  winning a very tight  and exciting game over Luise Norman.    Rick Dolley  battled it out with Peter Scott, with Dolley taking the title in  the men’s division.   Scott and Dolley have battled this event out six times over the past few years, with each of them winning the title three times.

This tournament was a great success and it is all due in part to the many people who volunteer at our club to make events like this happen.  Thanks to the kitchen, bar and grounds crew for their hard work.  Also, we are grateful for the work put in from the Games Committee, as well as Chuck Benson,  our chief photographer.    Thanks to all of the markers and to Sandi Mitchell who was our “umpire”  when  needed.   Our thanks finally  go out to the club members who came out and watched and to those who played their hearts out on the green.  This year, the field included both seasoned players and a number of intermediate players who had a great playoff experience.  Well done, everyone!

Carol Bucyk

If you’ve ever been to Powell River, you  will know that it has an absolutely beautiful setting for its lawn bowling club.  On August 8th, the Powell River Lawn Bowling Club hosted its  annual one day Mixed Triples Tournament  and  our Parksville club sent three teams across the water to participate.    Overall winners of the tournament were Dean Penny, Linda Meers and Vern Greenhill of the Courtenay club.   In second place was the team of Bob Allaby, Joey Merrell and Bob Merrell.  Third went to   our own Luise Norman, Karen Perrin  and Martin Perrin.

Hospitality is always great at this historic club which has only 32 members.  They all pitch in to provide snacks, drinks and even rides to and from the ferry.   If you ever get the opportunity to go over to the Powell River Lawn Bowling Club, do it.  The tournament and the experience are definitely worth it.

Many  thanks  to Bob Allaby who provided the details of  this tournament for this article.

Carol Bucyk

August 10th & 11th   saw some pretty hot  temperatures on our greens here  in Parksville, but it was even more of a scorcher  in Port Alberni.  The small but mighty Port Alberni Lawn Bowling Club hosted the District Men’s and Women’s Novice and Intermediate Singles Championships  this past weekend The greens were fast, the hosts were great,  and the weather was some of the hottest  of the summer.  In the end, it was our Parksville representatives that were even hotter winning three of the top four events.

The Women’s Novice  Single Championship  was won by  our own Debbie Taylor and the Women’s Intermediate event was won by Karen Perrin, also of our club.

On the men’s side, it was Gord Moffatt of Nanaimo winning the Men’s Novice Singles Event.  Parksville was not to be denied, with our own Bob Ashton winning the Men’s Intermediate Singles Tournament.

It was a great tournament and we want to thank all those from the Port Alberni club who made it work so well: kitchen and grounds crew, umpires,  photographer Chuck Benson, the games committee, club members who participated and those who came out to watch.  Thanks to everyone who gave of their time to make this event a success.    More photos to come.  Carol Bucyk

It’s a sure sign that autumn  is around the corner  when the crickets start to chirp and it gets dark before 9 P.M.  It also reminds us that the spring and summer leagues for both Cut Throat and  Mixed Pairs are now in the books.  Here’s what happened earlier this Spring.  Diane Cruickshank earned the honours for her win in Cut Throat and, in Mixed Pairs League, it was the team of Robbie Thomas and Don Urquhart.

The summer league for Mixed Pairs which wrapped up on August 6th,  went to  Ken and Carol Bucyk .  The Cut Throat league finished up on August 7th, with Carol Bucyk earning top spot.

Here’s something that novice and tenderfoot members might want to consider.  Cut Throat is a great way to develop skills as a lead, and it is the position that newer members play until they become either Third  or Skip.  Also, if you haven’t tried it, lawn bowling in the  morning or evening  leagues on our green is an absolute treat.  We have one of the very best greens anywhere, in a lovely locale with truly friendly members.  See you on the green!!

Carol Bucyk

August 3rd and 4th were hot and busy days as the Courtenay Club hosted its  well attended 2-4-2 Tournament.  The hometown team of Vern Greenhill and Leone King were the overall  winners of the tournament, beating out our own Chris and Martin Fereday who ended up taking second in “A” Event.  Other winners included Mike Ward and Helen Roberts of Qualicum, Linda Mears and Brian Scheer of Courtenay and our own Bob Allaby and Sue Tompkins .

The 2-4-2 game is a nice change from the regular  pairs event in that the lead throws 2 bowls,  then the skip rolls his/her 4 bowls, and then the lead comes back and rolls their 2 bowls, all in alternate rotation with the other team.  In the next end, the person who was skip becomes the lead and rolls his or her bowls in the  above 2-4-2 format.  It is a lot of fun and gives players a chance  to be both a skip and a lead in the same game.

Carol Bucyk

It was pretty hot in Parksville on the weekend, but even hotter on the green as the novice and intermediate lawn bowlers took to the green to showcase their skills.  The Club Singles Novice and Intermediate  Championship   started on Saturday morning and wound up on Sunday afternoon with the final winners declared in both the men’s and women’s event.    On the men’s side, the novice winner was James Sloan.  Intermediate winner was Bob Merrell who was also the overall  winner of both Group A & B.  On the women’s novice side,  Debbie Taylor came through to capture her  event, while the Women’s Intermediate Championship went to Karen Perrin.

A very big thank you goes out to the following : the set-up and take down crew, greens people, markers, Lynn in the kitchen, bartenders, Chuck Benson (photos),  Sandi Mitchell (ump. etc.), spectators, games committee and to the players who made this all possible.

On August 10th and 11th, the above winners will represent our club in the District Championships to be held in Port Alberni.  Our winner from last year, Bob Ashton, has also been invited back to Port Alberni to defend his title.  If you can, please come out and support your fellow club members in this event.  Carol Bucyk

Here they are, the winners of this past weekend’s event.  From left to right, Debbie Taylor (Novice) and Karen Perrin (Intermediate).  James Sloan (Novice) and Bob Merrell (Intermediate), who also won the overall tournament  from Group  A & B.

You know it’s going to be a great day to play when the winds are gentle and the air is warm, but not too hot.  That’s exactly how the weather played out in Parksville this past weekend for the Ferguson Exteriors Men’s and Women’s Open Triples Tournament.    Great greens greeted the players on Saturday morning, and the greens were quite consistent throughout the weekend.

Winners on the men’s side was the team of Dean Penny, Vern Greenhill and Henri Saucier.  Second was earned by our own Parksville team of Rick Dolley, Ken Bucyk and Graham Fowler.  Third also went to Parksville team, that of Bill Burgess, Don Urquhart and Mike Kelly.

On the women’s side, it was our own Sandi Mitchell, Chris Fereday and Merry Danarti taking first place, while Diane Cruickshank, Kathleen Motley and Fay  St. Marie, also of our club taking second.  Rounding out the top three was the Nanaimo team of Mary Mulligan, Linda Cooper and Ann Yewer.

A very big thank you goes out to all who made this possible:  Ferguson Exteriors who were the very generous sponsors of this tournament, the kitchen crew, bartenders, grounds crew, games committee, all those who came to play and those who came out to watch and support local lawn bowling.

Carol Bucyk

It was an absolutely gorgeous night to be on the green as our zone wrapped up its interclub league for the season.  The final standings for the league were Nanaimo in first place with 49 points.  Second was the Courtenay team with 45 points.  Our own  club earned 28 and Qualicum Beach picked up 20 points.

A very big thank you goes out to all who took part from the greens keepers to the kitchen volunteers, games committees,  and all of the players from all of the clubs who made this event possible.  A note to all novices and tenderfoot players:  please come out to these interclub events.  They are a lot of fun and you get to play on some pretty great greens.   It’s a great way to gain experience in a very relaxed  setting, and the social meet-ups   afterwards are really good, too.

Carol Bucyk

Port Alberni played host to the Ramsay Lampman Rhodes Mixed Triples Tournament July 20th and 21st, and two clubs dominated in the event.  Merry Danarti, Rick Dolley and Sandi Mitchell took first place and along with prize winnings will get their names on the trophy.  Second place went to the team of Keith Terlson, Ken and Carol Bucyk.  The other top spots in the event were earned by the team of Chris Windress, Adrian Hewitt and Kathleen Hewitt and Ann Yewer from Nanaimo.   Rounding  out the top four was another Nanaimo team, that of Vern Hagstrom, Linda Cooper and Ian Yewer.

A very big thank you goes out to our  sponsor, Ramsay Lampman Rhodes who have  been so supportive of our sport this season.  Also, a big thank you to the Port Alberni club members from the kitchen crew, umpire, games, volunteers, greens keepers and everyone else who always make Port Alberni such a welcoming place in which to play.    Carol Bucyk

On Saturday afternoon, we witnessed a really rare event, a nine- ender being scored in a tournament.  What it actually means is that one team was able to get all nine bowls counted in one end, and the other team got blanked.  The team that pulled off the unusual feat on Saturday, July 13th was that of Graham Fowler, Maggie Webb and Linda Burgess.  Well done!  Carol Bucyk

The Urban Edge Mixed  Tenderfoot Triples event was held this past weekend (July 13 & 14) under blue skies and very warm temperatures.  Water bottles, hats and umbrellas were the order of the day to help keep both players and those in the gallery cool and enjoying the matches.  After all four games were played, Nanaimo took all three top positions.   Glenda Chalmers, Wayne Migneault and Murray McLaughlin took first place and will get their names on the trophy.  Dennis Dezell, Bruce McNevin and Sheila Moffat took second, while Joe Carter Squire, Alan Perkin and Susan Devenish took home third place.  Parksville’s Isaac Wood, Lesley Leiweber and Vivien Weston took fourth while Joey Merrell, Amanda Hatcher/Howard Auld and Boyd Stanway earned fifth place.  Rounding out sixth place was Nanaimo’s Grady Work,  Marty Lacroise and Ariana Philips/Helena.

A very big thank you goes out to our sponsor Urban Edge.  Also, we want to thank the groundskeepers, bar keeps, food services, umpires, games committee, Chuck Benson (for his great supply of photos), the gallery and to the novices and tenderfoot players who came out and displayed their skills.    Carol Bucyk

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The Imagine Cruises Gold Bowl saw 22 teams entered this past weekend in Nanaimo.  Both day’s games  were played under brilliant blue skies and extremely hot temperatures.    The incredibly fast greens made it both fun and  a challenge to play.

The overall winners of the event went to the team of Dean Penny, Frank Lo and Shelley McCollum of Courtenay.  Our own Martin and Chris Fereday along with Peter Scott took a hard earned second place.  Nanaimo’s Vern Hagstrom, Dave Ruckman and Linda Cooper took third.  The Nanaimo team of Dezell, Mc Nevin and Korabek rounded out the top four.  Adrian and Kathleen Hewitt and Ross Nakagawa, also of Nanaimo took fifth.  Jean and Keith Roney  along with Kate Wilson placed sixth.  The Yewers and Lundgren team, also of Nanaimo came in seventh while our own team of Rick Dolley, Merry Danarti and Sandi Mitchell wrapped up eighth place.

Carol Bucyk

Beautiful Port Alberni played host to the Men’s and Women’s Pairs sponsored by their club on June 26th and 27th.   In a word, the weather was challenging.  Steady rain and wind on Wednesday afternoon made for some difficulties on the green.  On late Thursday afternoon, the sun finally peaked  out just enough to briefly see a shadow and the wind died down.   The good news in all of this though is that  our Parksville   teams came through in great fashion.  The winners on the Men’s side were Bob Allaby and Bob Merrell who squeezed out a point to take the top prize.  Second for the men was the team of Ken Bucyk and Rick Dolley, also of Parksville.  The Courtenay team of John Kendall and Peter Harding came third.  On the Women’s side, it was our own Merry Danarti and Sandi Mitchell taking top prize, while the Courtenay team of Beth Perrier and Linda Meares took second.   A big thank you goes out to all who made the Port Alberni tournament a success from the kitchen staff, greens people, Derek Burke (umpire), Bob and Shirley Stevens, Ben Vermeer and everyone else from the club.

Carol Bucyk

Even though the weather was not very cooperative for this mid-week tournament, there were still plenty of smiles to go round for this annual club event.  It was a  positive  sign to see novices and tenderfoot players out on the green with their more seasoned skips experiencing an actual game setting.  Top prize winners who will get their name on the trophy this year was the team of Bob Ashton, Anne Novak and April Sloan.  The second place team consisted of Colin Frame, Fay St. Marie and Athol Trickett.  Jeanette Ferguson, Mavis Gooding and Bill Burgess earned third place.  In fourth  was the team of Mary Card, Andy Burton/Don Bouchard and Beverly Benson.  Rounding out the top five  was the team of Tex Gooding, Charlotte Squires  and Kirk Bailey.    A new twist this year were  the Umpire Mystery Prizes.  One  went to the team of Don Urquhart, Gerda Veld and Anne Gudbranson.  The second Umpire Mystery Prize went to Terry Nichols, Brian larkin and Pam Oldfield.  The final Ump prize was earned by Norman Norman, Keith Terlson and Robbie Thomas.  Many thanks to Chuck Benson for the pictures.

Carol Bucyk

Courtenay Lawn Bowling Club held its Men’s Pairs Tournament sponsored by Connect Hearintg  this past weekend.  There were three games on Saturday and three on Sunday, with the top eight teams playing off on the Sunday.  First was earned by Vern Greenhill and Joe Randazzo of Courtenay.  Mike Ward and James MacDonald of Qualicum took second.  Third was that  of Ian Yewer and Wayne Minneault of Nanaimo.     Coming in fourth was another Courtenay team of Stu McNaughton and Henri Saucier.  The brother team of Keith and Don Terlson of Victoria came fifth.    Courtenay’s Hal Gray and Gary Carson took sixth, while our own Ken Bucyk and Rick Dolley took seventh place.  Rounding out the top eight were Dean Penny and Brian Scherr.

Carol Bucyk

There was a little sun, a little rain and a whole lot of success for the Parksville women’s teams playing in Qualicum Beach this past weekend.   The Sylvia Gibb Tournament, sponsored by Katherine Wilk of Royal LePage drew a number of women’s teams from around the district, with the Parksville women claiming four of the top six spots.

Number one went to the winning team of Diane Cruickshank and Ann Holland, while number two went to the  Qualicum Beach mother-daughter team of Luci and Suzanne Ewen.  In third place was our own Luise Norman and Sue Tompkins.  Kathleen Sherry and Karen Ungar of Nanaimo took fourth.  Sandi Mitchell and Karen Perrin earned a fifth place finish while Roberta Stets and Jeanette Ferguson rounded out the winning side with a sixth place finish.

On behalf of the Parksville Lawn Bowling Club, we’d like to thank the good folks at Qualicum including the kitchen crew, the groundskeepers, bartenders who kept us hydrated , Garry Campbell for the music, photos, bar and those really cool looking tights.    We’d also like to extend a thank you to the Ewen family who took on this tournament to run it, and to Katherine Wilk  of Royal Lepage for her sponsorship.

Carol Bucyk

The  winning team of Merry Danarti, Sandi Mitchell and Rick Dolley of our Parksville club  took top  prize at the recent Berwick on the Lake 60+ Mixed Triples Tournament.  The event, held on Wednesday and Thursday  (June 19th and 20th),  was a two day affair.  Sixteen teams were in contention in the winner play winner format.  Parksville had four teams entered, Courtenay had one and Nanaimo had eleven.  The team of Dolley, Mitchell and Danarti had a perfect 4-0 record and overall, four teams received prize money for their efforts.    Well done Parksville.

This weekend, the men are off to beautiful  Courtenay  for an  two-day open men’s tournament, while the women are taking part in the  ever-colourful Sylvia Gibbs Open Women’s Pairs in Qualicum, also a two-day event.    Pack a lunch, bring a blanket and come out and watch either of these tournaments.   You’re sure to be impressed!

Carol Bucyk

The Two day Parksville Open Pairs Tournament sponsored by Hearing Life was held on June 15th and 16th.  There were some truly tight games this past weekend and there were a number of winners in their divisions coming from different clubs.  The games were played in a winner plays winner format.  In A Division, first place  and the trophy went to Dean Penny and Shelley McCollum from Courtenay.  Second in A went to our own Rick Dolley and Sandi Mitchell.    In first place in B Division  were Parksville’s Merry Danarti and Bob Allaby.    Second in B went to another Parksville team, that of Mary and Kent Card.  Rounding out the final top placements were the  Nanaimo club’s  C and D with Ian and Anne Yewer and Vern Hagstrom and Linda Cooper.    Winners of their final games were the teams of James MacDonald and Darlene Opacic from Qualicum Beach (D), April Gilchrist and Vern Greenhill (C) from Courtenay, Ken and Carol Bucyk (B) from Parksville and Diane Cruickshank and Bill Burgess (A) of Parksville as well.    A very big thank you goes out to Lynn and the kitchen magicians  who kept us supplied with goodies, the grounds crew who always do a fabulous job, our bartending crew who kept us hydrated, the umpires who gave of their time,  and to Joey Merrell who undertook her first running of a tournament.   Well done, everyone. Not to be forgotten, our ace cub photographer, Chuck Benson, who took numerous pics of the days’ events.   Once again, a special thanks to Hearing Life who made this whole event possible.

Sandi Mitchell and Rick Dolley, second place winners in A Division.

D Division Winners from Nanaimo were Vern Hagstrom and Linda Cooper.

The three major spring leagues are now in the books and here’s the results.  In the Tuesday evening mixed triples, it was Anne Holland, Geoff Holland and David Perry.  The Wednesday morning cutthroat league winner’s title went to Diane Cruickshank and the Thursday evening mixed pairs winners were Robbie Thomas and Don Urquhart.  Congratulations and many thanks to all who participated.

Please check the board in the sun room at the club,  and online for sign-up for the next rounds of leagues.  Novices, we encourage you to come out and be a part of the fun, action and/or create your own team to come out to play.   Also, don’t  forget to come out and watch the open tournaments when lawn bowlers come from around the district   to play on our beautiful greens.  Be prepared to be amazed by some really skilled players making shots on really great greens.

Carol Bucyk

The Quality Foods Open Men’s and Women’s Triples was full of exciting finishes this past weekend.  A slight mix-up in the finishes prevented me from getting information accurately, but today, we have the final results (with proper names and spellings).

First place went to the Nanaimo team of Kathleen Sherry, Lezlie Howe and Karen Hungar.  Second was earned by our own Roberta Stets, Jeanette Ferguson and Janet Harding.  Courtenay’s team of Shelly McCallum,  Beth Perrier and Leone King earned third place, while the host club team of Helen Roberts, Denis Hooper and Nancy Blue took fourth.

Carol Bucyk

It was a pretty much perfect weekend for lawn bowling when the Quality Foods Men’s and Women’s Triples Tournament was held in Qualicum Beach June 8th and 9th.    The winners on the men’s side were  Vern Hagstrom, Adrian Hewitt and Wayne Magneault of Nanaimo.  Second place went to Mike Ward, James McDonald and Charles MacIntyre of the home club in Qualicum Beach.   Our own Rick Dolley, Ken Bucyk and George Wallis took home third place.  The hard working team of Dean Penny, Vern Greenhill and Henri Saucier of Courtenay  placed fourth.  Rounding out the top five was another Qualicum team, that of George Opacic, Ross Nakagawa and Willie Dunlop.

Carol Bucyk

Here are the Interclub standings for May.  Qualicum Beach and Parksville both have nine points, while Nanaimo and Courtenay have fifteen each.

Carol Bucyk

It was a wild and weekend up in Courtenay for the Ramsay Lampman Rhodes Scotch Pairs Tournament.  The event, which ran June 1 & 2  had dreary, chilly and spitting rain, with Sunday having some of the toughest conditions in which to play.  Although Parksville was well represented, we were blanked out by three other clubs and their teams.  First place  and top prize went to the home team of  Wayne and Leone King of Courtenay.  Dean Penny and Hal Gray, also of Courtenay,  earned second place.  Third went to Nanaimo’s Vern Hagstrom and Linda Cooper.   Courtenay’s April Gilchrist and Vern Greenhill took fourth while the father -daughter team of Erik Ewen and Luci Ewen of Qualicum Beach  earned fifth place winnings.

Carol Bucyk

The weather was decent and the bowling was fantastic this weekend at the  Ramsay Lampman  Rhodes Mixed Triples Tournament held in Nanaimo.  Best of all, two Parksville teams earned some serious cash after their second and third place finishes.

Congratulations go out to Team Penny of Courtenay  for their win in the two day event.  Second place went to our own  Bob Allaby, Luise Norman/Sandi Mitchell  and Sue Tompkins.  Third place was earned by the Parksville  team of Bill Burgess, Don Urquhart and Robbie Thomas.

This year’s Bowlympics was played under sunny skies and light winds with a great response  of  both experienced and novice players turning out for the event.  The combination of regular and unique skill challenges in lawn bowling made for a lot of laughs and light-hearted  banter.  A special guest  appearance in the person of Detritus (a.k.a. Geoff Holland), helped to complete the afternoon’s event.

The Gold Medal went to the team of Trevor Motley, Kathleen Motley and novice Nadine Kilkenny.  They scored a whopping 18 points for their medal win.

Silver Medal winners with 16 points was  the team of Peter Scott, Miriam Gunn, Brian Larkin and Jeff McEachern, another novice.

Mary Card, Diana Olenick and novice,  Roger Taylor,  earned the Bronze Medal with 13 points.

The club would like to thank RBC Wealth Management , Louise Alix and Sandy Taylor  for their involvement with the event which has been a part of the club’s schedule since 2002.  Also, congratulations to all the novices who came out for this event.  We hoped you had fun and we’ll see you in even more of our club’s events.  A special thanks to Chuck Benson for the great pics.  Always reliable and always great shots!!

Carol Bucyk

  The Ed and Lucie Triples Tournament was held this past weekend in Courtenay with fourteen teams in the running for prizes.   Unfortunately, the Parksville  Lawn Bowling Club, which was well represented, got blanked in the tournament.

After two long days,  with serious rain on Saturday and sunny skies on Sunday, the winners were decided with Rick Quibell’s team from Nanaimo taking top prize.  Next came Erik Ewen’s team from Qualicum Beach.  Hal Gray and Rosemary Montreil from Courtenay  earned third and fourth places respectively.  Vern Hagstrom took fifth of Nanaimo and Dean Penny of Courtenay took the final spot in the winner’s circle.  Rick Dolley’s team ended their tournament with a 2 and 2 record and the highest score of six points of the Parksville teams entered.

Thanks to the teams skipped by Rick Dolley, Luise Norman, Bill Burgess and Mary Card for representing our club in Courtenay.

Carol Bucyk

Nanaimo held its  Connect Hearing Tournament on May 4th and 5th, and there were  number of different clubs  in on the winnings.

First place went to  Dean Penny, Vern Greenhill and Shelley McCollom  of  Courtenay.  Second was the team  of  Ian Yewer, Ann Yewer and Wayne Migneault from the Nanaimo club.  The Ewen family (Erik, Susan and Luci) from Qualicum Beach took third.  Ross Younger, Barb and Margie Carpenter  of Nanaimo took fourth.  Rounding out the top five was the team of Bill Burgess, Don Urquhart and Robbie Thomas from the Parksville Lawn Bowling Club.

Carol Bucyk

The Parksville Lawn Bowling Club wrapped up its outdoor season on Sunday, September 24th with a lovely meal, and lively banter courtesy of our m.c.,  Mick Banks.  The club handed out the hardware (bag tags and trophies) in a number of categories for all the different events, tournaments and leagues that were run this year.  The following is a summary of what happened with our players on home turf and at different clubs throughout the North Island.

Bowlympics, sponsored by RBC on May 22.    Gold medal winners were Peter Scott, David Van Rooyen

, Robbie Thomas and Pam Pratt.  The Silver medalists were Andy Burton, Avril Adamson, Bob Merrell and Pam Smith.  Bronze was earned by Ken Olenick, Bros Brosnikoff, Pam Oldfield and Paul McGrath.

 Club Mixed Triples sponsored by Cutting Edge Trophies, July 5th.  Rick  Dolley, Athol Trickett and Robbie Thomas.

Jack & Jill July 19 & 20:  Aase McMullin and Keith Terlson

Ferguson Exteriors Open Men’s and Women’s Triples July 29 & 30th:   Mike Kelly, Bill Burgess, Don Urquhart and Diane Cruickshank, Kathleen Motley, Fay St. Marie.

Thrifty Foods Mix

ed Pairs August 12:  Carol and Ken Bucyk

Norma Antrim Club Ladies Novice Singles August 5 & 6: Pam Oldfield

Club Ladies Intermediate Singles August 5 & 6: Jo-Anne Merrell

Computec Engraving Club Men’s Novice Singles August 5 & 6: Bob Ashton

Club Intermediate Men’s Singles August 5 & 6: Bob Merrell (bag tag)

PS Pharmasave Club Men’s and Women’s Singles August 12 & 13:  Peter Scott and Carol Bucyk

Bob and Betty Benton Trophy Pairs:  Bill Burgess and Roberta Stets

Cut Throat Seasons A & B:  Mike Kelly and Bob Ashton

Battle of the Sexes September 20 & 21.  The coveted Salmon Can Trophy went to the men this year.  Andrew Adamson & Bob Merrell accepted  the Gloria Wilcox Men’s Triples Trophy  on behalf of their winning team.  Trevor Motley and Murray Sinclair were unable to attend.

Twisted Triples:  Chris and Martin Fereday with Janet Harding

Scotch Pairs: Kathleen Motley & Trevor Motley

District Medals:    Men’s Novice Singles:  Bob Ashton.    Men’s Intermediate Singles:  Bob Merrell

District Pairs:  Ken and Carol Bucyk

Thanks to all who made the wrap up dinner such a lovely evening;  Chuck for his photos, Lynn, Vicky and all the kitchen people who created a very scrumptious meal and floral arrangements for the table,  Mick as m.c., our bartenders, the club members who came out for the evening and all who have played throughout the year, the groundskeepers…you were outstanding in creating an absolutely beautiful green for 2023,  and all of our sponsors.  I look forward to seeing you on the green in 2024.

Carol Bucyk