I was looking for a suitable title to use in this article about our three Cobourg ladies playing in the Ontario Senior Championships. A quick google search for film titles with three came up with such things as "The Three Stooges" and "Three Amigos" but I was too frightened to risk using those (particularly the first one). One of the results was "Three can play that game" (not a film that I'd ever heard of) but it is most suitable because the ladies really could play!

Pat Bylok, Louisa Arthur and Mary Thibault were acclaimed District 14 winners and were at Burlington on Thursday July 26th to play in the championships. The format was a modified double knockout which means lose two games and you are eliminated. That puts great pressure on the team in the first game and they had a tough draw against a Burlington team representing District 5. The home advantage told to start with as Burlington went into a 10-1 lead but as the Cobourg team got the measure of the green they staged a comeback. Unfortunately it was a bit too late and they lost 17-10.

After that the pressure really is on - another loss and you go home. Next up was Ridgetown representing District 1 and this was a relatively easy win for Cobourg by 19-11.

The third game was against Elora Rocks (District 7B) and what a nail biter that was. The teams were neck and neck throughout the game and going into the final end Cobourg was one down (10-11). After the final Elora Rocks bowl they were sitting one but Cobourg had second, third and fourth bowls. If Pat Bylok could remove the shot bowl it would be a win for Cobourg. However, as Pat walked down the green to look at the head play was suspended because of  a thunderstorm. After an hour's wait play resumed but the rule is that in this circumstance the end has to be replayed and unfortunately Elora Rocks took one to win 12-10

To put the Cobourg performance into context both the Burlington and Elora Rocks teams finished just out of the medals, tied in fourth place

Click here to see a You Tube video of the championships

And finally on a different tack here are the up to date jitney scores. Ken Bevan leads the night time standings and Marjorie Jones the day time.

Good Bowling
Bill

It’s almost a month since our last news update. Apologies for that but there has been so much going on your editor has hardly had chance to draw breath!

So let’s recap, chronologically.

Canada Day Tournament

Wow - was it hot or what?  This was scheduled to be 3 x 10 ends but the heat was oppressive and the drawmasters adjusted the format to 2 x 8 end games and a third of 6 ends. The results and photos can be seen by clicking here

Wicks Ladies Triples

This was an all round Cobourg success. The club laid on a great lunch for the ladies and Cobourg teams came in first and second. Click here for full results and photos

District 14 Mixed Pairs Play-Downs

Six teams from the District competed in Cobourg for the right to play in the Ontario Mixed Pairs Championships. It was a great result in that Bob Bates and Pat Bylok were the winners. As it turned out the runners up Alan Steffen and Suzie Palmer from Oshawa also qualified in the absence of an entry from District 11. Click here for photos

Milligan Memorial Tournament

This Open triples tournament was held on July 11th. We thank Sharyl Ann and Dan Milligan for their sponsorship of this tournament in memory of their parents. Click here for full results and photos
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Ontario Mixed Pairs Championships

I’d like to start this part of our News by repeating President Carol Dewey’s message sent out by email.

"Well, we did it! Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club successfully hosted the Provincial Mixed Pairs Championship! It was a great team effort by many. Louisa and Bill Arthur kept the play organized and running smoothly. SharylAnn Milligan and Dave Shirley did an excellent job umpiring. The greens were in terrific shape thanks to the Grounds crew led by Mike Hendren. And the food! Donna Ball and Mary Thibault started things off with a delicious spread for all who were there late Friday afternoon. Mary also organized all the food for the two days and thanks to the many members who donated salads, etc. our Garage Fund will have a healthy lift towards our goal. Steve Haslam and Ken Bevan did yeoman’s service doing the greens early in the morning then returned at lunch time today to bbq hamburgers and hot dogs. A bevy of our members were there to flip the score charts. Nan Hendren and I had the pleasure of presenting the gold medals and championship trophy to Joe Green and Erin Chambers of the Balmy Beach Lawn Bowling Club. Congratulations to all the bowlers for a job well done. On behalf of the Executive Committee, I want to thank all of you for your support and your contributions. I wish you all could have been there to hear the comments from people from across the province for such a good tournament. We should be proud!"

My personal view is very much in line with Carol’s. This was a major undertaking for the club and the core organizing team did a wonderful job. When we decided to bid for this we had two reasons for doing so. One was to raise the profile of the club in the community and in the wider Ontario Lawn Bowling community. The second was to raise funds for the new garage. Although we have yet to see the final figures I think we have achieved the second objective. And as far as the first objective is concerned we have surpassed our expectations. We had considerable local publicity on radio, TV and social media and many complimentary remarks from bowlers and visitors about our hospitality, location and excellent greens. Click here for a CHEX TV report and here to see some photos from the event.

10 Nations International tournament in Wales

You will recall that Baylee van Steijn was selected to Team Canada for this international invitational tournament. Baylee played in the ladies fours and triples teams and had a really successful overseas debut. In both events the teams made it through to the quarter finals and in the fours they finished third. Congratulations Baylee on this important milestone in your bowling career.

And finally

Good luck to Pat Bylok, Louisa Arthur and Mary Thibault as they head to Burlington next week to compete in the Ontario ladies seniors championships

Good Bowling

​Bill

What a busy start to the 2018 season this has been.

Fund raising for the new garage has been going very well as we have pointed out in previous news reports; the new greens equipment has all been purchased and delivered; preparations are well underway for the Ontario Mixed Pairs Championships and we have held two successful coaching clinics. This is all in addition to three open and three in club tournaments.

Coaching

You have already heard from Janet Taylor and Nan Hendren about the coaching clinics that were run by Mary Lou Richardson. Building on what we learned from that and from a “Detect and Correct” clinic which I attended Nan Hendren and I held a clinic on Friday June 8th which was attended by 16 members and the reaction from them was very positive. Once the June new bowler evenings have finished we will look at setting up a clinic for new bowlers. There has also been a suggestion that we run a session on Rules & Regulations. I think that would be of great value even to experienced bowlers. In the meantime if anyone would like some “one to one” coaching using video analysis please contact Nan or me.

Ontario Mixed Pairs Championships

Members have recently received an email from President Carol Dewey about this and the need for volunteers to help so I will not cover the same ground again. However, I would like to add to what Carol has said. Not all members will be able to volunteer but please try to find time to come out and support the bowlers. It makes a difference to the bowlers to have lots of spectators and improves the atmosphere.

The gold medal game will be played on Sunday July 15th at 9.00 am and a big turnout for that would be appreciated. It’s not often that you get the chance to watch the best bowlers in Ontario on your own door step so don’t miss the opportunity.

Horizons for Seniors Grant

The final piece of equipment purchased with the grant was delivered in June. We took delivery of a new greens mower. The particular model we bought has interchangeable cartridges and we purchased two cutting cartridges and a spiker. Different types of cartridge can be purchased for this machine which makes it truly multipurpose. Members of the greens crew (and the President) were on hand to learn all about it and there are some photos at the end of this article.

Jitneys

Ken Bevan and Gerry Wilson lead the way in the standings. Click on this link to see the full standings after week 6

Good Bowling
​Bill Arthur
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Garage Fund

This update starts with news of the garage fundraising. The headline is that to date the fund stands $22,238.64 and our target is $30,000. But what we want to draw your attention to is the small things that are being done which all add up to bigger things.

At the end of May $84 had been raised by members donating their loose change. Some members have been paying extra jitney fees and together with the regular jitney fees $105 has been raised. Some members have also donated 50/50 prize money and tournament winnings. We have heard comments that it is easier to donate small amounts in this way rather than make one off larger donations. Finally Vince Tamburello has been selling asparagus from his garden at $2 a bunch and has raised nearly $100.  Well done Vince, we look forward to the next produce from your garden!
 
All these small items add up and the President and Treasurer wanted you to know how effective these measures are.

Coaching

Last week we published an article by Janet Taylor about coaching. Several people have said how good the article (and the coaching) was. However, it would be helpful and give us better feedback if you commented on articles by clicking the comments button at the bottom of any article. This week we have an article by Nan Hendren on the coaching clinic.

This is what Nan had to say:

"On Friday, May 25th, the Club held a Player Developing Coaching Clinic, open to all members.  The day was divided into 2 sessions.  The morning session was on Weight, Aim and Delivery and then an afternoon session was a clinic for Vices, at a cost of $10 per session or $15 for both.  The clinic was presented by Mary Lou Richards from Cosburn Park LBC, who is a certified coach and member of the OLBA Coaching Committee.
 
The day began with a short classroom discussion on grip, foot placement and delivery, then out onto the green for a series of skill testing shots.  Participants rotated through a series of 7 stations, including:  natural weight (caterpillar) shots; draw through a port backhand; draw through a port forehand; draw to short and long jacks; draw to long and short jacks; draw to the ditch over the centre line; and draw to within 2 feet of the ditch. Players were awarded poker chips for every successful shot with prizes awarded for the most chips (including the privilege of writing this article!)
 
The afternoon began with a classroom session on the various responsibilities of the Vice with a focus on the importance of communication with the Skip.  Mary Lou explained the how the Vice must give the Skip the information they need as to the count and any other information they asked about but to refrain from indicating the status of every bowl in the head and to be subtle about the score – especially if down by more a lot.  Mary Lou showed the different type of measures and explained when they would be used, how to determine if jacks and bowls are out of play and proper etiquette in the head when deciding who has scored, explaining that “points are given, not taken.”
 
Participants then took to the green and were given the opportunity to measure various set-ups including bowls that were in the ditch; almost touching the jack; on their side about to fall and equidistant, using the various types of measures and wedges.
 
Players then tried a series of more challenging but typical Vice skill shots, including a rest shot; a push of your own team’s bowl; a take out of the opposing team’s bowl;  a draw within a circle of opposing bowls; and a draw to the ditch.  Again chips were awarded for the most made with Janet Taylor taking the afternoon honours.
 
All participants enjoyed the day and felt it was a very worthwhile clinic.  The Club is planning to hold a similar clinic using some of these ideas on Friday, June 15th from 10 am to noon, open to all members at no cost.  There will also be an option to have your delivery on video for an on the spot Detect and Correct opportunity.  There is a sign-up sheet on the Tournament board for those interested in this clinic"

Ontario Open Fours

In an earlier Article Bob Bates dreamed that he, me, Ben van Steijn and Carl Ferguson might be in Regina in August as one of two Ontario Fours teams competing in the Nationals. Alas it is not to be. Unfortunately we lost Ben from the team as the Ontario Fours coincided with his graduation ceremony (Congratulations Ben) and we replaced him with one of Bob's buddies, Al Ferguson. We played 5 round robin games  and finished with a record of 1-4. I like to look on the bright side though and apart from the first game where we faded badly in the second half our games were close. The gold medal winners were in our group and we only lost by one to them. I could go on with other excuses but I won't bore you with them. BUT hope springs eternal and Bob and I will start again this weekend to try and qualify in the pairs. If only we didn't have those Steffen brothers in our District!!! Baylee van Steijn and Louisa Arthur will also be competing in the ladies pairs in the playdowns. Time to start dreaming of Regina again.

Good Bowling

​Bill Arthur

On Friday May 25th we held two excellent clinics that were run by Mary Lou Richardson of Cosburn Park. Mary Lou is a member of the OLBA Coaching Committee. The first clinic was on Weight and Line and the second was on vice (you know what I mean).

We received comments on the clinics from Janet Taylor who said:

"I am writing the review on the second clinic as the weight and delivery clinic is a lost cause; I am a Hail Mary kind of bowler.
 
Being a vice is a tough job.  I takes communication, courage and determination, to make the decisions necessary to influence your skip.  You have to identify and remember the location of the bowls and jack, determine any changes in the head, and get out of the way of the opposing vice in a timely manor. In other words, you can't sit on the bench.  You have to pay attention and you cannot be distracted by what is happening on the next green.  A vice also makes hand signals to the skip without revealing too much information to the opposition.  Another duty is measuring the end result and it is an art in and of itself.  Measure from the jack to the bowl.  Use calipers when the bowls are very close to the jack. Always make sure that both vices agree on the score before clearing the head.  Read your rule book once in a while.  

 
Vices also are asked to make great shots.  Let's face it, by the time the skip gets up to bowl, there are a bunch of bowls surrounding the jack (hopefully, belonging to your team) and the skip is either trying to protect the head, or, trying to find a way into the head win the end, or to reduce the damage.  
 
The practice exercises in the last half of the clinic were a great way to end the day.  Several greens were set up with bowls and jacks and each had a different purpose.  For instance, resting your bowl between the jack and your opponent's bowls lined up behind the jack. Mary Lou provided several scenarios that hopefully, can be incorporated in some coaching sessions or practices at our club.  
 
Whether you are a lead, vice, or skip, these kinds of coaching clinic are great.  If for no other purpose, they give the bowler a different way of looking strategy, delivery, and an enjoyable interaction with your team mates.  The skip can't do it all.  This is a team effort!"

Thanks to Janet for that. It would be useful if others who attended the clinic(s) could provide feedback.  You can do this either by writing to me (Bill Arthur) or by clicking on the comments button at the end of this article. Those of you who attended may be interested to know that Mary Lou was a member of the ladies silver medal team at the Ontario fours this weekend and her team will be one of two representing Ontario at the national championships.

The Executive Committee will be considering what further coaching to provide during the season; so, as they say, watch this space!

There is a slideshow of photos from the day at the foot of this article.


Jitney results at the end of week 3 are attached. Just click to open the file. These will also be posted in the club house. Ken Bevan leads on the night time results and Bozana Brick on the daytime results. 
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After two weeks of jitneys Vince Tamburello leads the standings in evening jitneys and John Hawryszko in daytime jitneys. But don't get too excited guys there is a long way to go.

​

​Our opening week was mainly dry and sunny (until our open house today) although the evenings were rather cool. Nonetheless all our jitneys went ahead with reasonable turn out.

Members will recall that there is no prize money this year with all jitney receipts going into the garage fund. However we are keeping track of the results and will maintain standings for evening jitneys and for daytime jitneys. At the end of the season there will be a prize for whoever tops the respective standings. Obviously some members will feature in both tables but the idea is that we do not penalise those who only play in the evenings and vice versa. Three points are awarded to those on the winning team; two for second place; one for third. The standings after week one are in the attached file. Click to download 

For the first news item on the upcoming season I thought it would be good to have a guest correspondent and invited Bob Bates to let us have his personal views on what lies ahead in 2018. Although I demand complete editorial control what follows has not been edited by me!! So over to Bob............

My thoughts  on the upcoming Lawn Bowling season

Recently Bill Arthur asked if  I would mind doing a write up on my thoughts on the upcoming bowling season. (Although a labour of love I think Bill is getting weary of doing all the write ups for the website & newsletter himself!)
Well . . here goes with my thoughts on the upcoming Lawn Bowling season.

It is the end of April and the weather is finally breaking a little. For most of us the change in seasons means a few changes in our daily routines. More outdoor activity, less bulky clothing and an air of expectancy for a warm summer to come. There is a lot to look forward to with the end of the cold weather.

In my family there was always one major overriding feeling at this time of year . . . . and that was the anticipation of a fun and exciting Lawn Bowling season just around the corner. Of course, it helped that we all bowled . . Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, my brother  . . and oh .  .not to forget my wife Pat. This year is no different as I am looking forward to being out in the fresh air with friends all summer.

Most members at the club can pack up their equipment in September & then forget about bowls until the following May. However there are a few at the club that don’t have that luxury. The executive and other volunteers have been busy all winter planning & organizing for the upcoming season. As always they will have something for everyone in the schedule. Jitneys during the day & evenings, Junior bowling, Fun Club Tournaments, & Competitive Open Tournaments. (You can certainly get good value for your money when you join a lawn bowling club).

Personally, I only stop thinking about Bowls for about 3 months when the season ends. My main interest in bowls has always been in open tournaments and Provincial Playdowns. I know that if I want to get in to some of the tournaments I like I have to start looking at the upcoming schedule and phoning in entries in January. Even at that early date I end up on some waiting lists. I have cut back a little since coming to Cobourg from Toronto 2 years ago and only have 41 events on my schedule so far for 2018. (Don’t be surprised if you get a call from me to play as its not always easy finding team mates for that many tournaments!)

There are a few changes in the format of Provincial play this year and I am anxious to see how that goes. Here are some of the changes (and I understand the average member doesn’t give a hooey about  this . . . but hey . . its my write up!)
Provincial Fours:  For the first time ever the OLBA (Ontario Lawn Bowls Assoc) is holding an Open Provincial Playdown.

•  This means anyone can enter and play with anyone else from Ontario. All you have to do is pay the entry fee (only $500 per team) and show up. In the past, and in all other events this year, teams have to be made up of members from the same district and have to win a District Championship to go on to the Provincial final.

Provincial Pairs: This year this event is 3-Bowl Pairs (instead of 4)
Provincial Seniors Triples:  This year this event is 2-bowl triples.
Provincial Novice Singles: This is a new event altogether

I won’t elaborate here why these changes are all being made this year (Partly because I don’t know!)  I would be happy to discuss it with anyone at the club who is interested. Some questions though just always go unanswered. Like  . . . Why can Superman stop bullets painlessly with his chest but ducks if you throw a revolver at him?

Apart from my tournament bowling I am really looking forward to getting involved more and helping out around the club in other capacities. At a club such as ours where everything from A to Z is done by volunteer members its important that we all pitch in where we can. At my old club in Toronto (Cosburn Park) we had 160 to 170 members. Even with that larger number we always lacked volunteers to do all the work that needed doing and some things just went undone.

Well, all we need now is to get the temperatures up into the high teens and get the go ahead from the greens crews and the summer fun can begin

 Oops . .  I just noticed in my calendar I have a 2 week period in August with no tournaments. I better check the Annual to see if I can rectify that! Or just maybe . . .  Bill, Ben Carl & I will be in Regina for the Canadian Fours Championships that week ! Now that’s really a thought I like for the upcoming season. [editor's comment - we need to be beware of the Foxhall team in the Fours - just saying]

 See you on the greens!
 
Bob Bates
 

Three club members received civic awards at the awards ceremony at Victoria Hall on Wednesday April 4th.

Ben van Steijn received a Distinguished Civic Award for Curling and Lawn Bowling; Sharyl Ann Milligan received a  Distinguished Civic Award for Education & Athletics; and finally  Baylee van Steijn received the Layton Dodge Athlete of the Year Award for 2017.

Congratulations to all of them - they are a great representatives of our club.

Photos courtesy of Dan Milligan

The club was delighted to welcome Kim Rudd, MP for Northumberland - Peterborough South, to the club today for an announcement about a grant to the club under the new Horizons for Seniors Program. This is a federal program that helps to ensure that seniors can benefit from, and contribute to, the quality of life in their communities through active living and participation in social activities.

The grant will be used to purchase new greens keeping equipment; a new greens mower, an aerator, a ride on mower for cutting the surrounds and a self propelled push mower for surrounds where the ride on mower cannot be used. Additionally some new club bowls will be purchased.

Thanks to President Carol Dewey and Treasurer Donna Ball for their hard work in putting together this grant application. Unfortunately they are both still in Florida so were unable to attend the announcement.

​Bill Arthur thanked Kim and the Government and explained how vital this would be to the club.