Author: Carol Bucyk
Open Singles Titles Winners- Parksville Sweeps With Silver
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
Sky High Celebration
Ace photographer Chuck Benson recently took this wonderful photo of our effervescent friend and lawn bowling pro, Mavis Gooding. She had just jumped out of a plane and was sailing along on the thermals with her parachute and her instructor. All this on the occasion of her 80th birthday. All we can say is “Congratulations, Mavis, on a jump well done, and a very Happy Birthday to you.”
Carol Bucyk
Cowichan Challenge Comes Up Big for Parksville
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.
George Gibson a Wrap
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.
And Now…for Something Completely Different
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.
Jack and Jill Went up the Hill and Won Themselves a Trophy
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.
What a Weekend for Parksville!!! Four of Top Five Teams Came from Our Club
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.
Parksville Singles Tournament a Success
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
