Bowls Canada – The 2016 World Bowls Championships will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand from November 29^th – December 11^th.  The Championships will see the top 31 qualified countries compete across four disciplines – singles, pairs, triples and fours – for the coveted Men’s and Women’s overall Champion title.  This pinnacle event is held every four years.  Sectional play will be split between Burnside Bowling Club, Fendalton Bowling Club and Bowls Papanui.

Bowls Canada Boulingrin is pleased to announce Team Canada for the World Bowls Championships:
 

Men	Women
Ryan Bester	Leanne Chinery
Cameron Lefrense	Shirley Fitzpatrick-Wong
Steve McKerihen	Jackie Foster
Steve Santana	Kelly McKerihen
Ryan Stadnyk	Pricilla Westlake

The team will be supported by BCB Perfomance Director Macky Singh and Managers Jean Roney and Don Caswell.

Team Canada qualified in all four disciplines in both genders at the 2015 Asia Pacific Championships.  The World Bowls Championships will follow a traditional play format which consists of the following:

• SINGLES:  Four bowls, 21 shots up, in excess of 21 shots shall not count, with a time limit of three hours per match (not including trial ends).
• PAIRS:  Three bowls per athlete, 18 ends, with a time limit of three hours per match (not including trial ends).
• TRIPLES:  Two bowls per athlete, 18 ends, with a time limit of three hours per match (not including trial ends).
• FOURS:  Two bowls per athlete, 18 ends, with a time limit of three hours per match (not including trial ends).

Returning veteran Ryan Bester plays out of Broadbeach Bowls Club in Queensland Australia where he was just named Australian Bowler of the Year for his second year in a row.  Canada’s Kelly McKerihen has also been honing her game down under for the past few months and most recently gained valuable experience in the Australian Open.  “We are looking to use players like Bester, McKerihen and Chinery who play daily on the fast greens in the southern hemisphere to help propel both teams”, said High Performance Chair Don Caswell.

Pricilla Westlake and Cameron Lefresne will be making their debut for team play at this level of international play.  Westlake impressed the bowls world with her recent bronze medal at the 2016 World Cup at the Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club in Australia this past March.  Lefresne also made an impact with an overall great performance at the 2016 World Junior Championships that were held at Broadbeach Bowls Club this past April.

“We look forward to building off the successes from the 2015 Asia Pacific Championships”, said Caswell.  With a gold medal performance in men’s pairs from Steven Santana and Bester, and several personal best performances from the athletes at the 2015 event, Team Canada is ready to take on the world in Christchurch this December.

For more information on World Bowls Championships please visit: http://www.worldbowls2016.com/

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For more information, please contact:
Katie Gardner, Communications and Promotions Manager, Bowls Canada Boulingrin
kgardner@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