Medicine Hat Memorial Tournament

The Medicine Hat Lawn Bowling Club held its only Bowls Alberta sponsored tournament this weekend.

The Medicine Hat Memorial Triples Tournament was held this weekend by the local club, with 15 teams, totalling 45 players, from Highlands LBC, Commonwealth LBC, Royal LBC, Calgary LBC, and Medicine Hat LBC taking part in the action.

Medicine Hat’s tournament is the only tournament on the Bowls Alberta calendar that gives lawn bowlers who don’t normally play in provincial championships a chance to play. Teams are supposed to be made up of a mix of veterans, novices and beginners.

Saturday saw teams play five games, with teams divided up into four groups and play continuing on Sunday. The first couple of games on Saturday morning provided a challenger for bowlers, as they to adjust the playing on a wet green due to the rain storm.

By Saturday afternoon, as the temperatures rose, the lawn bowls got faster and faster and made for some good games.

Wes Bresee, Jim Clegg and Sam Ferrier of Medicine Hat LBC won the eighth annual trophy with a 7-4 score over Keith Bacon, Kathryn MacGregor and Mike Belliveau of Calgary LBC.

On the B side, Ed Gallacher, Chris Bezovie, and Blair Whitman from Highlands LBC of Edmonton defeated Barb Moll, Curt Moll and Eric Moll of Medicine Hat LBC 7-3.

The C champions were Barb Spencer, Tony Spencer and Monika Pachon of Highlands LBC. They defeated Mike McGee, Brian Hutcheon and Frances Poelen of Commonwealth LBC of Edmonton.

The D champions were from Calgary LBC. Peter Ballinger, Jo Anne Liberty and Laura Levesque beat Susan Kitzen, Deborah Mlinaritsch and Ann Black of Highlands LBC.

The Ben Osterman Award was awarded to the top skip, as voted on by participants, to two skips this year. Keith Bacon and Peter Ballinger, both of Calgary LBC tied in voting. The participants felt both skips displayed the virtues of a good skip – good sporting behaviour, knowledge of the game, hard work, and competitiveness.

Barb Moll, Curt Moll and Eric Moll were awarded the Howard Davison Award, as voted on by participants, for being the team the late Howard Davison would have wanted to play with.

Davison treasured fun, good sporting behaviour, laughter, competitiveness, and time with friends and family.

Canada Day Tournament

Four teams vied for the annual Burniston Family Trophy on Canada Day. Weather was an issue for some of the morning with some serious thunder and rain storms happening in and around Southern Alberta. Play was halted at one point for 20 minutes when there was a deluge of rain. 

Skips were drawn out of a hat of the six females playing. The four skips then drew the rest of their team out of the same hat. 

Team Bower - Linda Bower, Wes Bresee, Pat Ferrier, and Braydon Gordon

Team Starling - Janette Starling, Sam Ferrier, and Curt Moll

Team Sanregret - Yvonne Sanregret, Mike Gilchrist, and Cave Starling

Team Bresee - Jean Bresee, Barb Moll, and Doug Sanregret.

Due to the weather, the skips decided that the round robin would be sufficient to determine a winner. Originally we were going to play a playoff round. 

Team Bower and Team Bresee were tied at 2-1 in the standings, but Team Bresee had beaten Team Bower to win the tiebreaker. 

The bronze medal team was Team Starling, who were tied with Team Sanregret, but had beaten them in the round robin, too.