Meaford Lawn Bowling Club had two teams competing at the
Ontario Championships this year. To qualify for the championships, they had to
win the District 8 competition. Jill Calvert-Goetz and Brad Tichbourne competed
in Novice Fours last year and won provincials with Owen Tichbourne and Wendy
Calvert-Morris. This year the pair moved up to the Mixed Pairs and represented
Meaford at the Districts in Chesley. They competed against teams from
Walkerton, Hanover, Chesley, and Mount Forrest. The pair finished the two day
round robin event with 4 wins and 1 loss to clinch first place and qualify for the
Ontario Provincials. The 16 team double knockout provincial tournament was held
in Lindsay. After the first day, Jill
and Brad had 3 wins. Then in the undefeated gold medal match, they lost 18-9 to
the champions from the Midland Club and the following match was a loss to the
two time defending champions from St. Mary's 17-14 in a close back and forth
game. That second loss left them in 4th place, just missing out on representing
Ontario at the Nationals in Nova Scotia.
Brad Tichbourne also skipped the Novice Combo Fours Team.
Brad, along with Sue Singleton from our local club, teamed up with Ryan Blair
and Ashley Turcott from the Chesley Lawn Bowling Club to compete in the Novice
Combo Fours. They were unopposed at the District Playdowns in July and went on
to compete as one of 16 teams at the Provincials in Pickering at the end of
August.
Over the 2 days they played three rounds each of Women's
Pairs, Men's Pairs, and Mixed Fours against teams from around the province.
They played several very close games and finished in the middle of pack.
Novice competitions are for bowlers with 5 years or less
experience. We are very proud of these new bowlers and their accomplishments
and wish them continued success as they build their skills and continue to
represent Meaford.
Top photo: l-r Ashley Turcotte, Ryan Blair, Brad Tichbourne, Sue Singleton
Bottom photo l-r Brad Tichbourne, Jill Calvert-Goetz