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Local bowlers shine at annual triples tourney

The 12th annual Royal Canadian Legion Branch 49 Men’s and Ladies Triples Tournament is in the books.
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The body language said it all Sunday as PLBC's Jim Muir reacts to a great shot by one of his teammates during Sunday's Men's A Division final while Qualicum Beach's Brian Salmon watches on.

The 12th annual Royal Canadian Legion Branch 49 Men’s and Ladies Triples Tournament is in the books, and the storyline this year was the abundance of sun and the all-local match-ups in both the Men’s and Women’s A Division finals.

“Exceptionally fast greens, great weather and enthusiastic crowds and players made for a picture perfect tournament,” Parksville Lawn Bowling Club’s (PBLC) Carol Bucyk said after the finals.

Thirty-two teams (96 people) from Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Nanaimo and Port Alberni, took to the pitch.

“That was an excellent game, back and forth the whole way. Those are the kind of games you want to have, especially when you come out on the winning side,” Qualicum Beach’s Bill Davenport surmised after edging out PLBC skip Martin Fereday 12-11 Sunday morning to advance to the gold medal game.

“One bowl could have changed it. It was a nail-biter,” said Bucyk.

Davenport and teammates Harry Jackson and Brian Salmon would come up short in the all-Oceanside A Divison Men’s final later that afteroon, losing 17-10 to PLBC’s Stu MacNaughton, Keith Baker and Jim Muir.

Third place in the Men’s A went to Nanaimo’s Tom Renton, Myron Myshio and Dean Thompson, while fourth went to Parksville’s Pat Kelly, John Larner and Martin Fereday.

The B Division was an all-Nanaimo event with Vern Hagstrom’s team beating out Jimmy Mueller’s trio.

Parksville swept the final two divisions, with Rick Dolley, Peter Zyboyovsky and Gil Simpson taking the C, and John Badger, John Schofield and David Perry the D.

On the Women’s side of the draw, it was an all-Parksville A Division final that saw Sandi Mitchell, Gloria Wilcox and Lynne Britz take a14-11 win over their PLBC counterparts Roberta Stets, Barb Fong and Bobbi Cyr.

Third place went to Pat Cutt’s team from Courtenay, and the fourth place finishers in the A were Anne Holland, Jan MacNaughton and Gwen Kelly of Parksville.

In the B division final between two Nanaimo teams, it was Mary Mulligan’s team beating out June Meaning and company.

Mona Haddad’s Nanaimo team won the C Division and Qualicum Beach’s Lynne Chwartacki, Liz Pendleton and Maureen Hanright won the D.

NEXT UP:  The Club Men’s and Ladies Triples as well as the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ Salmon Can Trophy this weekend (Aug. 3-4).

On Aug. 14 PLBC hosts its annual Shades of Pink Tournament in support of local cancer patients and their families.

Bucyk said the women of the club will be dressed in their shades of pink and “will be lawn bowling all day long to raise money for this charity which we have been proud to be a part of for a number of years. The guys of the club will also be in pink, but they’ll be busy in the kitchen keeping us well fed, etc. It’s an important fundraiser.”

MLA Michelle Stilwell will be at the club around 8:30 a.m.  to get the activities underway, “and throughout the day, we’ll be having lots of other fundraising activities away from the greens such as head shaves, ring toss, bocce etc. to raise money for the tournament.”

The public is invited to watch and admission is always free. The club is located at 149 E. Stanford in Parksville.