Post Testing

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.

Reminder – Jack & Jill Tournament Sign Up!

Mixed Pairs Event coming up on August 28th and 29th.  Registration ends online August 21. To sign up please click here All Day – Jack & Jill Tournament – Parksville Lawn Bowling Club. A few simple rules for this event:  No spouses together, no two  skips on a team and you can’t have played with the same  Jack or Jill before. This tournament is a lot of fun,  so ladies get out there and ask away. There are men just waiting for your call or email.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathleen Motley

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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