Canada will be bringing home at least two medals from the 2023 World Championships in Gold Coast, Australia: silver in women’s singles and bronze in men’s pairs.
Singles
Kelly McKerihen (Toronto, ON) went undefeated in her group, with an impressive 9-0 record after the round robin. She faced Hong Kong China’s Gloria Ha in the quarterfinals; Ha went 8-1 in her section with her only loss coming to Scotland’s Emma McIntyre.
In the quarterfinals, McKerihen didn’t feel much pressure as she defeated Ha 21-12. The semifinals matchup featured England’s Katherine Rednall, who defeated South Africa’s Colleen Piketh 21-11 in her quarterfinal match. The semifinals was an intense affair with the tide turning multiple times. After numerous lead changes, the battle to 21 came down to a sudden death finish as the duo were tied 20-20 going into the last end. Despite the pressure, the Toronto native pulled out the victory 21-20 to advance to the finals to face New Zealand’s Tayla Bruce.
In the finals, McKerihen got up to an early 10-6 lead before Bruce started to chip away to tie the game 13-13. The game went back and forth from that point on, with both players scoring in bunches: 15-13 for Canada, then 16-15 for New Zealand, then 18-16 for Canada. Bruce scored a 3 to make it 19-18 in her favour in the battle to 21, and came alive to put pressure on McKerihen to finish the game. A few missed drives from the Ontario native led to New Zealand claiming the gold medal 21-18.
Pairs
After finishing 1st in their group with a record of 6-0-2, Ryan Bester (Hanover, ON) and John Bezear (Kitchener, ON) faced India in the quarterfinals. India’s Sunil Bahadur and Putul Sonowal went 7-1 in their section with their only loss coming to Ireland (12-14).
In the quarterfinals, Bester and Bezear had little trouble against India, as they finished with a score of 23-7 to advance to the semifinals. In the semis they faced a fierce Ireland duo of Adam McKeown and Gary Kelly. The Irish men played outstanding in the match, defeating the Canadians by a score of 22-6. The World Championships gives a bronze medal to both teams that lose in the semifinals, so Bester and Bezear were awarded a bronze medal, the first medal for Canada at the Games thus far.
Fours and Triples
In the other disciplines, Canada’s women’s fours team made it to the quarterfinals. Jordan Kos (Regina, SK), Emma Boyd (Delta, BC), Baylee van Steijn (Gore’s Landing), and Joanna Cooper (Calgary, AB) finished 2nd in their group with a record of 5-1 after the round robin, which was enough to advance to the playoffs. They faced off against Scotland’s Carla Banks, Claire Anderson, Stacey McDougall and Caroline Brown in the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals was a close match the whole way through, but the Scottish crew figured things out near the end. Despite their best efforts, the Canadians lost by a score of 17-9 to be knocked out of the playoffs.
In the men’s triples, Cam Lefresne (Enfield, NS), Rob Law (Winnipeg, MB) and Owen Kirby (Kitchener, ON) finished the round robin with a record of 4-3, which was one game shy of advancing to the quarterfinals.
The second half of the World Championships resumes September 5th local time, with the men playing singles and fours, while the women compete in triples and pairs.
For schedules and results, click here: https://world2023.bowls.com.au/event-info/schedule/
For more information, please contact Jake Schuknecht at jschuknecht@bowlscanada.com.
About Bowls Canada Boulingrin
Bowls Canada Boulingrin (BCB) is the governing body responsible for lawn bowls in Canada. The BCB mission is to advance the sport of bowls in Canada. For more details on Bowls Canada Boulingrin and the sport of lawn bowls, visit www.bowlscanada.com.
About 2023 World Bowls Championships
The 2023 World Bowls Championships will take place on the Gold Coast, Queensland from August 29 – September 10. The event will be held at the Broadbeach Bowls Club, Musgrave Hill Bowls Club, Club Helensvale, Mudgeeraba Bowls Club and Paradise Point Bowls Club. The World Bowls Championships are held every two years, and feature men’s and women’s singles, pairs, triples, and fours.