The Open House (by Barbara Mackey)

The coaches were kept busy at the Open House May 8 which drew many visitors to the green. Some mentioned seeing our table at the Solano Stroll a few years ago.

One of the last to visit was a couple all the way from Rocklin in the Sierra foothills. The fellow mentioned that he had been a lawn bowler in the Southwest Division from age 9 and asked if he could use his bowls to try out our green. “Of course!” we said. He hadn’t bowled for eleven years since he’d partnered with his Dad in the 1999 Nationals. Instead he’d devoted his free time to his family. but now he was thinking about returning.

While he polished his already pristine bowls he mentioned a few of our local bowlers he knew way back then: Frank Souza, Reggie and Andre Benares, Orville Artist to name a few. You could see how much he valued those friendships.

Our Dave Rockhold offered to bowl with him and they showed the new and old bowlers a thing or three. Yes, there were bowls bounding off the backboards!

At the end of the scrimmage our visitor asked for a membership application. Welcome back to lawn bowling, Dave Grimmitt!

Bowling & Pizza this Wednesday 5 p.m.

The weather WILL cooperate with us this coming Wednesday, May 12th, when we kick off our mid-week evening bowling events. For those with extra energy (or pent up hostility), you can come early and trim some ivy or dust the window sills. Pizza will be from a local venue and the toll will be $5 per person. There are lots of goodies left over from the open house for snacks and desserts.

OPEN HOUSE MAY 8th

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club will hold a free Open House on Saturday May 8th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to introduce the sport to newcomers. The Club will offer refreshments, free lessons, and answer questions on this long-established sport that shares some of the same strategies and terminology with curling, a spectacle that gained many fans during the recent Winter Olympics.

“Think of it as curling without the ice and all the broom waving,” quips Club President, Geoff Chandler, adding “Contrary to common belief, it’s a sport enjoyed by people of all ages—among the top players in California are three brothers aged 15-10, all of them Berkeley members.”
The Berkeley Club is located at 2270 Acton Street (corner of Bancroft way) and has been active since 1928. But the sport has a much longer history in the USA—George Washington played bowls on his lawn at Mount Vernon in Virginia, and no less than seven states have towns called Bowling Green.

“The sport is not too different from bocce or boules,” says Chandler. “The idea is to get your bowl as close as possible to the little white ball called the jack. But since we play on grass, we ask that visitors wear flat shoes to protect the lawn—no need to wear the traditional “whites” that you might see us with on tournament days. All are welcome.”

Jim Corr wins Singles Event

Under beautiful blue skies, 14 players competed for the Four Bowl Singles Title. Everyone bowled two, 14-end games to choose semi-finalists who bowled another 14-end game. Jim Corr and Ted Crum then met in a final match in which Corr prevailed.

Congratulations as well to novice, Erwin Vista, who made it to the semi-final round.

The next club competition is the Pairs Tournament on May 22.

Berkeley Jamboree

Saturday, April 24th should be a great day at BLBC! Bowlers from all over the Bay area will converge on the club around 9:00 a.m. for what has always been a fabulous event at BLBC. The format of the day will be triples with teams formed by random draw done by the Tournament Director, Howard Mackey. We expect that all available rinks will be in use between 9:30 and 3:30. Spectators are, of course, welcome.

Berkeley Jamboree

Don’t forget to sign up for the Berkeley Jamboree tournament that is coming up on April 24th. It’s a very popular event, so get your name in or you’ll end up on the sideline. Contact Howard Mackey at howard2201@aol.com for more information.

We promote the game of lawn bowling for the enjoyment of new and experienced players alike.