The annual Findlay Memorial Mixed Triples was held over three evenings at Vic West Lawn Bowling Club, drawing teams from around Greater Victoria. The format required at least one player with three years or less of bowling experience. Some call it developing new bowlers. I have another theory—but more on that later.

Mother Nature seemed to think it was October, not June or July, and Vic West lived up to its cool-weather reputation. Bowlers arrived bundled up in lined pants, heavy fleeces, and raincoats, looking more ready for curling than lawn bowling.

Despite the weather, Vic West hosted a terrific tournament. The club was warm and welcoming, and to say the greens were challenging would be an understatement. It was a good reminder that just cuz you wanted a bowl to go somewhere it wasn’t necessarily going to go there.

There were four teams in the prizes. Congratulations to the winning team from Canadian Pacific Lawn Bowling Club: Gary Browne (skip), Mark Dyck, and Cathi Basi; with less than six years of combined experience. They either were gifted or had been practicing after hours in the dark.

Second place went to Barry Ming, Shona Dallison, and Jerome Foenander. Third were Brent Jansen, Jill Foster, and yours truly, Rick Cohen. We were pleased with the result and even happier we didn’t lose any fingers or toes to the cold.

As for my theory on novice bowlers: the official reason is to encourage new players. I think it’s really so someone can be volunteered to write the newsletter article. This is the second time we’ve finished in the top three, and somehow I’ve been “honoured” again.

Next time, I may miss a few shots on purpose or at least that’s what I’ll tell Brent. It might be easier than writing another article.

-Submitted by Rick Cohen