info@bowlsbc.com A great week at lawn bowls was held at the Pacific Indoor Bowls Club as competitors from across country would make their way to the Indoor Championships fighting it out for the right to represent Canada at the World Indoor Bowls Championship being held in Bristol, England next April.
In the Women’s Section it was British Columbian Champion, Bobbi-Jean Charlton which would end the journey to be a Canadian Champion. For Bobbi-Jean this has been a short road but long road at the same time, as she has put the effort in and has been close on many occasions. Making it to the finals in the Canadian Outdoor Championships, only to lose in a close game and take home the Silver. Winning the Provincial Silver this year in the Provincial Outdoor Singles and Outdoor Fours, she would take her knowledge of winning the Provincial Championship earlier this year and visualize the finish line as she knew that she could do it if she kept making the effort and putting in the time as every great athlete does. In a spirited battle against veteran Josephine Lee she would hold true to the test and win the final 13-1, 4-11, 3-2 and book her trip overseas to represent Canada for the first time in Lawn Bowls. In the Bronze Medal Match, fellow BC Bowler Lynn Coules would take home the Medal as she would win her match 8-6, 4-10, 3-2 against Elizabeth Cormack (ON) in a great final match.
On the Men’s side there was no mistaking what the outcome might be, as the 7 time Canadian Indoor Champ, Hirendra Bhartu would make his way to the PIBC in a good frame of mind. When speaking with Hiren early and knowing that he hasn’t played much this year, he decided to put the time in and make the trip from the Island to get a bit a practice in on the new stretched carpet at the PIBC the weekend before to get his rhythm down and the consensus was that he was feeling good. “The week before I went to practice and everything flowed really well, I wanted to do what I was doing in practice in the tournament as was excited to put my work into competition play” Hiren said.
Through the week with an 9-2 record with another game set up between him and fellow BC Bowler Jim Duholk
e in the Gold Medal Match. Jim would also have a great week finishing with the same record of 9-2 but losing one of the games to Hiren in the Round Robin. Hiren would get off to a quick start in the final take the first set 13-7, but would see Jim settle in and find his footing to fight back to make a game of it. Up 5-4 in the last end Hiren would score 1 to tie the set and eventually make it over the line to be the Canadian Indoor Champion for the 4th time.
Knowing him and what he has been going through over the past year, heading out on the greens was a bit of a release to go and enjoy himself from working hard “My biggest motivator of the tournament was when we found out that the tournament was in England, and Christine said, I wouldn’t mind going there! She wasn’t going back to Warilla Australia another time – haha”
The Bronze Medal match would feature Cary Lucier (ON) who was a surprise through the week and veteran bowler Jerome Kirby (MB). This would turn out to be a great game with Kirby winning the Bronze Medal with a 9-5, 7-9,3-1 score.
Final Tournament Results: Canadian Indoor Championships
Congratulations to all participants at this years tournament. A special thanks to George Cubiss and all his umpiring Team who put forth the effort yet once again. Also a special thanks to all the volunteers and markers who made this year a success once again.
