The men’s and women’s Pairs and Fours champions have been crowned in Victoria, BC.
Women’s Pairs
Elizabeth Cormack and Chrystal Shephard (ON) have defended their title, winning the women’s pairs for the second consecutive year. After going 7-2 in the round robin, the duo faced Saskatchewan’s Jean Roney and Karen Schlotter in the finals. In a well-fought match, the Ontarians claimed the gold 19-13.
In the bronze medal match, the recently crowned Women’s Singles champion, Claire Day and partner Jennifer MacDonald faced a tough British Columbia duo of Josephine Lee and Sarina Mak. The local BC natives proved too much for the Albertans, claiming bronze with a final score of 21-15.
Women’s Fours
Saskatchewan’s Harriette Pituley, Rachel Larson, Heather Howard and Eileen McLelland claimed gold handily over Manitoba’s Brenda Frank, Donna Gobeil, Angela Kenning, and Barb Heinrichs with a final score of 18-8. After going 6-3 in the round robin and narrowly getting into the gold medal match, the Saskatchewan women took down the top-placed Manitobans, who had finished with a record of 7-2 after the round robin.
In the bronze medal match, Nova Scotia’s Tammy Foster-Veinot, Jackie Foster, Ann Marie Siteman and Lorraine Bezanson returned to the podium with a 17-9 victory over Manitoba’s Shirley Fitzpatrick-Wong, Donna Law, Marilyn Baron, and Clarice Fitzpatrick. The Nova Scotia team won the event in 2022, and after a minor lineup change, was able to claim bronze over an experience Manitoba quartet.
Men’s Pairs
David Anderson and Jeff Harding from Ontario squeaked out a gold medal win over reigning champions Steve Ogden and Stephen Bezanson (NS) 13-12. In what was a down-to-the-wire affair, the game was tied going into the final end. A nail-biter of a finish saw David Anderson draw the shot that would ultimately win the game.
Alberta’s Dwayne Hauck and Jessi Wilkinson claimed the bronze medal over Ontario’s Mark McFadyen and David DeFoe. After competing in the Singles event for several days prior, Wilkinson and DeFoe were primed for the medal match. While the Ontarians may have finished the round robin with a better record, the Albertan duo showed up when it mattered the most, claiming the bronze with a final score of 16-13.
Men’s Fours
Jon Pituley added to his lengthy list of Canadian titles, after leading his father Murray and teammates Brandon and Carter Watson to a gold medal finish. The Saskatchewan foursome faced the defending champions Pat Bird, Francis Standen, Mike O’Reilly, and Jon MacDonald (AB) in the final. The match couldn’t have been any closer, tied 13-13 heading into the final end. Getting two cracks at it, Bird missed by millimeters on his final bowl which resulted in a gold medal victory for the Saskatchewan crew and a silver medal awarded to the Albertans.
In the bronze medal match, Ontario’s Gary Pickering, Bill McCollam, Michael Spadafora and Pierre Vanderhout took the victory over British Columbia’s Cary Manns, Dave Baldwin, Heng Lee and Clement Law. The BC crew defeated the Ontarians 21-12 in the round robin, but the Ontario foursome had the last laugh by claiming the bronze 18-10.
Team Trophies
The Lady Alexander trophy and Cy English award are the team trophies awarded to the provincial teams who had the best cumulative results across pairs and fours at the conclusion of the round robin.
The Lady Alexander trophy was claimed by Saskatchewan A’s team of Jean Roney, Karen Schlotter, Harriette Pituley, Rachel Larson, Heather Howard and Eileen McLelland. The Saskatchewan natives finished 2nd in both pairs and fours, which gave them 18 points and enough for the coveted women’s team trophy.
The Cy English award for the top men’s team went to Alberta A’s crew of Dwayne Hauck, Jessi Wilkinson, Pat Bird, Francis Standen, Mike O’Reilly, and Jon MacDonald. The placement of 1st in fours and 4th in pairs earned the squad 17 points and the top men’s team from the event.
For standings and results: https://bowlscanada.com/en/championship/2023-canadian-lawn-bowling-championships/
As the official awards and recognition supplier for BCB, Nothers The Award Store will provide all medals and awards for the event.
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 Nothers The Award Store
For more than 50 years, Nothers The Award Store has been a supplier of awards and recognition products to Sport Associations, Schools, Professional Associations, Corporate Markets and Service Clubs. Servicing the likes of Western University, Volleyball Canada and Pet Valu to name a few, Nothers has the capacity to service everything from National Championships to local leagues with custom medals and awards, signage and promotional products. The company is Ontario-based and services Canada-wide.