Canada’s Comes Home with Four Medals from 2019 Asia Pacific Lawn Bowls Championships
Bowls Canada – The 2019 Asia Pacific Championships being held on Gold Coast, Australia have come to a close, and Canada will return home with four medals.
The team was led by Ryan Bester (Hanover, ON) who won both a silver medal in Men’s Singles play and bronze in men’s pairs with partner Rob Law (Winnipeg, MB). The women’s triples team of Leanne Chinery (Victoria, BC), Jordan Kos (Regina, SK), and Jackie Foster (Bridgetown, NS) secured a bronze medal for Canada. Cameron Lefresne (Enfield, NS), Greg Wilson (Cochrane, AB), Pat Bird (Calgary, AB) and Rob Law also won bronze in the men’s fours.
Taking place from June 18-28 at Club Helensvale, Musgrave Hill Bowls Club, and Broadbeach Bowls Club, the event was a qualifier for the 2020 World Championships. Canada’s impressive results at this year’s Asia Pacific Championship has qualified them for all disciplines (men’s and women’s singles, pairs, triples, and fours) at the 2020 World Championships.
The first half of the 2019 Asia Pacific Championships featured men’s pairs and triples, while the women competed in singles and fours. The second half of the event saw the men play in singles and fours, while the women competed in pairs and triples. Each discipline was split up into two sections, with the top three in each section advancing to playoffs.
Men’s Singles
Ryan Bester sailed through the sectional play, going 8-1 to finish 2nd in his group. In the quarterfinals, Bester took care of business against Thailand, winning 21-10. Bester faced Australia in the semis, where he faced the only player to defeat him in the sectional play. The Canadian got his revenge, beating Australia 21-14 to advance to the gold medal game. In the final, Bester faced New Zealand’s Shannon McIlroy in a rematch of the 2016 World Championship final. Despite a hot start by Bester, McIlroy emerged victorious 21-20 to claim the gold medal while Bester collected the silver.
Men’s Pairs
Ryan Bester and Rob Law teamed up in the men’s pairs and finished their sectional play with a record of 6-2, which put them in 3rd in their group. In the quarterfinals, Bester and Law defeated Thailand 21-16 to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, Australia defeated the Canadians 21-6. With no bronze medal matches at these championships, the Canadian duo received a bronze medal alongside the other semifinalist who did not advance.
Men’s Triples
Cameron Lefresne, Greg Wilson, and Pat Bird played the men’s triples while Bester and Law competed in the pairs. The Canadian trio lost a few nail-biter games and ultimately finished with a record of 4-4. This put them in 6th place in their group, which was not high enough to advance to playoffs.
Men’s Fours
The Canadian crew of Cam Lefresne (Enfield, NS), Greg Wilson (Cochrane, AB), Pat Bird (Calgary, AB), and Rob Law (Winnipeg, MB) played fantastically in the men’s fours. With a record of 5-2-1 in the sectional play, Canada finished 3rd in their group and advanced to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Hong Kong took Canada all the way to an extra end, where some fantastic shot-making by skip Cam Lefresne secured the win. In the semifinals, Canada could not get past New Zealand’s red hot skip Ali Forsyth and were defeated 17-6. Despite the loss, the Canadian fours team were rewarded for their solid play throughout with a bronze medal.
Women’s Singles
Kelly McKerihen (Toronto, ON) represented Canada in the women’s singles. With a record of 7-2 in the sectional stages, McKerihen finished 2nd in her group and advanced to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, McKerihen met two-time Commonwealth Games Champion, Jo Edwards. Edwards proved too much for the Canadian on the day, winning 21-16 and ultimately went on to win gold.
Women’s Pairs
McKerihen teamed up with Joanna Cooper (Calgary, AB) in the women’s pairs. Despite some excellent games, the duo finished with a record of 4-4, which put them in 6th place in their group and they did not advance to playoffs.
Women’s Triples
Leanne Chinery, Jordan Kos, and Jackie Foster played phenomenally for Canada in the women’s triples. With a record of 6-2 after the sectional play, the women went on to defeat a favoured New Zealand in the quarterfinals 21-14. The Canadians had a brilliant match against Australia in the semifinals, but came up just short, losing 20-15. Australia would go on to win gold and Canadian women took home a bronze medal for Canada.
Women’s Fours
Chinery, Kos, Cooper, and Foster joined forces in the women’s fours. With a record of 6-2 in the sectional stage, the Canadians finished 2nd in their pool and advanced to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, the Canadians came up against a very strong Hong Kong squad and lost 17-7.
“This was a fantastic effort overall for Canada”, said Coach Terry Scott. “We wanted to build on our momentum from last year’s Commonwealth Games and we have certainly done that. Our goal was to qualify in all eight disciplines (for World Bowls Championships) and bring home 3 medals. It feels great to have exceeded our goals.”
For standings and results: https://www.bowls.com.au/events-page/international-events/2019-asia-pacific-championships/
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2019 Asia Pacific Championships Team Canada Roster
Men’s Singles: Ryan Bester (Hanover, ON)
Men’s Pairs: Ryan Bester, Rob Law (Winnipeg, MB)
Men’s Triples: Cameron Lefresne (Enfield, NS), Greg Wilson (Cochrane, AB), Pat Bird (Calgary, AB)
Men’s Fours: Cameron Lefresne, Greg Wilson, Pat Bird, Rob Law
Women’s Singles: Kelly McKerihen (Toronto, ON)
Women’s Pairs: Kelly McKerihen, Joanna Cooper (Calgary, AB)
Women’s Triples: Leanne Chinery (Victoria, BC), Jordan Kos (Regina, SK), Jackie Foster (Bridgetown, NS)
Women’s Fours, Leanne Chinery, Jordan Kos, Joanna Cooper, Jackie Foster
About 2019 Asia Pacific Championships
The 2019 Asia Pacific Championships took place on the Gold Coast, Queensland from June 18 to 28 and featured teams from 19 countries. The event was held at the Broadbeach Bowls Club, Club Helensvale and Musgrave Hill Bowls Club. The Asia Pacific Championships is a qualifying event for the World Bowls Championships 2020 which will also be held at the same venues in May and June next year.
About Bowls Canada
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.
For more information, please contact:
Anna Mees
Executive Director, Bowls Canada
Email: amees@bowlscanada.com | Cell: 613-222-9530