DAY 15: June 16th

June 20, 2017 by

TGIF (thank goodness it’s fours)! I am playing second so no major responsibilities are expected of me except to keep score.

This is the first time the four of us have played together as a team. With Shauna in Kamloops and Ann Marie in Nova Scotia it was a bit hard to schedule regular practices (meaning none).

We are playing at Coolangatta Bowls Club which has three greens placed in an L shape. There are 92 teams in 23 sections playing at 4 different clubs.

The weather isn’t great – rainy, windy, cold but the teams sure are. For a lot of them this is their first Aussie Open also or have attended before with other team mates and they just want play well.

And well they did! Game 1 against a combination of New Zealand and New South Wales bowlers netted us 5 points to their 25. Game 2 Queensland took it 22-7. Game 3 we had the win within our grasp but ran out of ends and NSW were the victors 14-11.

As we were leaving the club, tired and wet in need of a hot toddy, a member of the NZ team asked if I had an extra Angry Beaver shirt I would like to swap for a PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) shirt. She had lived and worked in BC during the 60’s as an outdoor wilderness tour guide for 4 years and feels she is an honorary Canadian. We are meeting up at the end of the tournament to do some trading.

Just up the road from Coolangatta is Tweed Heads Bowls Club which John and Ann Marie have been extolling its grandeur so we thought we’d check it out.

Oak Bay would fit in this facility at least 10 times with still lots of room for year round short mat play. (5 or 6 mats) We had to electronically sign in with picture id and were issued a visitor pass. There are 4 outdoor greens, an international indoor bowling facility plus a bowls store, 4 restaurants/ bars and multi-function event rooms. Pokies (slot machines) and upper/lower balcony viewing areas.

The hallway leading up to the indoor green is lined with award cases and mounted pin collections from all over the world. Junior coaching was in progress so we couldn’t have a roll up.

A yearly bowling membership is $90, junior $15 and locker is $6.60 I couldn’t locate what the total number of members is but if you renewed by April 3rd you received an entry for a chance to win a car (Bev, this could be our incentive to receive renewals in a timely manner).