Club Members, New Bowlers, Tournaments

BLBC Vet-Novice 2026

Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club Vet-Novice Tournament Recap

Last Saturday, the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club held its annual Vet-Novice Tournament, drawing three novices and three veterans. While turnout was modest — many members were away for summer travel — the smaller field made for a tightly contested, high-quality day of bowls.

Teams were set that morning via a random draw, pairing veterans with novices: Christina Bailey and Cris Benton formed one team, Charlie King and Hugo Deaux another, and Ben Steinberg and Bernadette Chan rounded out the third.

Game One: Ben and Bernie vs. Hugo and Charlie

Charlie and Ben
Ben delivers under Bernie’s direction

The opening match pitted Ben and Bernie against Hugo and Charlie, and it was a tight, well-played contest. Ben and Bernie built momentum through the middle ends, surging to a 9-6 lead. But Hugo and Charlie answered convincingly, scoring a four late in the game to flip the lead to 10-9. From there, they held their nerve and their advantage, closing out the game for the win.

Game Two: Hugo and Charlie vs. Cris and Christina

Charlie and Christina
Game two underway

Riding the momentum of their first-game victory, Hugo and Charlie came out sharp in the second match against Cris and Christina. The pair jumped out to a commanding start — winning the first six ends and building a 10-point lead. Cris and Christina refused to fold, clawing back six points in a spirited comeback, but the deficit proved too large to overcome. Hugo and Charlie closed out the game — and with it, the tournament title.

Congratulations to Hugo and Charlie for games well played.

Final Result:

Hugo Deaux and Charlie King went undefeated on the day, winning both of their matches to claim the Novice Tournament championship.

Club Members, PIMD, Tournaments

BLBC: Repeat Champions in Club Rinks


The PIMD’s Club Rinks Tournament was held on July 26 at Palo Alto Lawn Club. This tournament is the only PIMD tournament in which clubs compete against each other with the bowlers representing their ‘home clubs’. Berkeley fielded two teams this year, joining eight other teams from around PIMD. One team—which entered as the defending champions—was made up of Janice Bell, Jim Corr, Russ Leonard and Rob Hoey (above photo l-r), while the other consisted of Judy Hillyer, Janie Hillyer, Ethan Bortman and Patricia Erwin (below l-r).

All teams competed in four 12-end games and, after the two morning rounds, there were four lineups that stood out at the top, including the Berkeley team defenders. By the final game, two sides, San Francisco and Berkeley, were competing for the top place. Berkeley maintained its excellent bowling throughout the match and emerged with a strong win over San Francisco. In doing so, they also edged out the only other undefeated team, San Jose, on points differential to take the top spot for the second year in a row. Berkeley’s other contenders had a strong showing in the afternoon and ended the day with two wins and two losses. Congratulations to Rob, Jim, Russ, and Janice on a great repeat win on behalf of Berkeley! 

Club Members, Tournaments

Berkeley Jamboree 2026

For nearly four decades, the Howard Mackey Jamboree* has been BLBC’s premier tournament, and this year’s event once again lived up to its reputation. The Jamboree’s unique format attracts players from across PIMD with 42 bowlers from seven clubs participating.

* The Howard Mackey Jamboree is not affiliated in any way with the Country Bear Jamboree!

Discussing the head

The format gives all participants, regardless of experience or skill level, a good chance of finishing in the money. When registering, players choose their preferred position…skip, vice, or lead…to compete in three 10-end games. Teams are randomly formed by the tournament committee, and the teams are changed after each game.

Measuring for the point

Each player maintains their own score and at the end of the day there are no team awards, only the top four individuals in each category. It is the one tournament where there is an “I” in team.

The weather was perfect, the green was pristine and speedy, and the clubhouse was chock full of yummy treats, all of which made for a glorious day of lawn bowling.

There were lots of bowls out there!

Kudos to the Tournament Committee for overcoming the difficult challenge of ensuring that every bowler had different teammates and different opponents in each game.

Additional kudos to the Greens Committee and the Hospitality Committee.

And, of course, congratulations to the winners:

PlaceLeadsVicesSkips
1stMei ChanLennon HamiltonJoanne Ribeiro
2ndSue SahlmanPatricia ErwinJanice Bell
3rdGary SamonskyDave ZimbauerEthan Bortman
4thLydia ZapataCindy MossGinger Harris
Rental Events, Volunteer Work

In Praise of Coaches

Yesterday afternoon we had another great rental event at the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club for Ava Electric, who brings you your electricity. Their CEO is Howard Chang, a BLBC member. A great time was had by both bowlers and coaches. 

Thanks to all our wonderful coaches: Sarah Allday our awesome head coach, Ethan, Leslie, Annie, Cindy, Glenn, Ashok, Patricia, Janie, Judy, Ginger and Claudia. 

Rental events help the BLBC meet its annual budget. If you have friends or neighbors looking for a fun party, corporations looking for a team building event, please think of lawn bowling. We are happy to host events and love introducing new people to lawn bowling.

Club Members, Club Projects, Volunteer Work

BLBC Yard Sale

It all started when a club member was tidying up their dining room credenza. They found a bunch of things they didn’t need anymore. Offspring were asked if they wanted the goods, but they weren’t too keen. This raised the question of what to do with all that stuff? Donating to the Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale was a possibility, but then an idea formed, maybe the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club could use a fundraiser? The idea of a yard sale was suggested at the annual meeting last December, and everyone was on board.

In the spring, Claudia Benton, Janie Hillyer, and Patricia Erwin formed a small group to put together the event. They picked a date, made some initial plans, and started asking lawn bowling members to donate items to help us get everything ready. Thus began an epic effort on their part to make this event work.

Team leaders Janie, Claudia, and Patricia

It looked like there were a few hurdles to overcome, but we managed to pull it off! First off, would members be willing to donate items for sale? The answer was a resounding yes. Donations were generous and plentiful, completely filling the clubhouse by the week before the sale. Second, could all the items in the clubhouse be moved outdoors and arranged for display before the yard sale started? Again, the answer was yes. A small group of volunteers met at 7 AM and took on the almost Herculean task of setting things up for the 9 AM start of the sale.

Yard sale signage and a big sorting effort before the sale

Third, would people come to buy things? The news was good. Efforts to publicize the sale – flyers, posters, social media posts – were effective. We estimate that we had 250 visitors attend the yard sale, some of whom participated in free lawn bowling lessons.

A tsunami of yard sale offering organized for sale.

Hurdle number four, would folks buy our yard sale goods? And indeed, our visitors bought an amazing number of donated items—stuff you thought would sell, stuff you could not imagine selling, and everything in between. This led to the final challenge of the exercise: how do we clean up at the end of the yard sale so that the PIMD Playdowns Tournament, scheduled for the next morning, would run smoothly? Again, the miracle on Acton Street continued as many helping hands sorted the unsold items into categories for prompt dispersal and neatly routed the leftovers to alternate ends. Within an hour and a half, the clubhouse was clean.

They came, they shopped, everyone was happy

None of this could have happened without the dedicated volunteer effort of BLBC members. The club thanks everyone who donated items. We had a great turnout with 35 members (a full third of our membership) volunteering help with pre-sale, day of sale, and cleanup efforts.

In the end, the great yard sale of 2026 was a grand success. Members got an opportunity to declutter their homes, items found a continued useful life in new hands, and the club raised a tidy sum of money. Our thanks to all who helped!

Club Members, Tournaments

BLBC Aussie Pairs 2026

On Saturday, June 20, BLBC held its annual Aussie Pairs tournament. The event drew 28 bowlers, filling seven rinks. Fourteen teams were formed by random draw and competed in a format of four ten-end games. Matchups for the first two games were randomly assigned, after which the tournament shifted to a modified strength-versus-strength format for the final two rounds.

Annie delivers in the early rounds

Heading into the lunch break, five teams stood undefeated at 2–0. In ranked order, these were Daniel Gorelick & Gordon Beveridge; Lennon Hamilton & Ben Corson; Hugo Deaux & Lydia Zapata; Luis Zapata & Phil Grattan; and Mei Chan & Ethan Bortman. The stage was set for a highly competitive afternoon.

The third game narrowed the field further. Daniel & Gordon, Hugo & Lydia, and Mei & Ethan all advanced to 3–0 records, while Sarah Allday & Bernadette Chan led the pack of teams at 2–1. This set up an exciting final round.

In game four, Daniel & Gordon delivered a relentless display of precision bowling to defeat Sarah & Bernadette. On the adjacent rink, Hugo & Lydia matched that intensity, overcoming Mei & Ethan. The result was two teams finishing regular play undefeated at 4–0. For details see this AI compiled summary of game scores.

Daniel sends one down in the playoff

A three-end playoff followed, using the Potter’s Field format: the first team to win two ends, by any margin, would claim the tournament. With spectators closely watching, Hugo and Lydia took the first end. Daniel and Gordon responded in the second, highlighted by a beautifully executed shot from Gordon. The final end proved a nail-biter, but Daniel and Gordon ultimately prevailed, securing the title in a match decided by the slimmest of margins.

Congratulations to Gordon and Daniel on a fine day of bowling.

Several players stood out over the course of the day. Daniel was consistently steady and strategic, while Hugo demonstrated similar composure throughout. Gordon delivered a particularly strong performance, proving decisive in the playoff ends. Lydia impressed with a standout showing—earning playful recognition as the “terror of Acton Street.” Young Aika Hamilton also turned in an excellent performance alongside Michael Luetzinger, who stepped in admirably to save the day as a substitute for an 11th hour dropout..

Aika delivers
Gordon delivers
Rare shot of Lydia raking

Club Members, Tournaments

BLBC Pairs Tournament 2026

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, twelve teams descended upon the greens for the highly anticipated 2026 BLBC Pairs Tournament.  We were blessed with mostly sunny skies and quite comfortable temperatures.

Here is how the action unfolded across the rounds:

Image of a trophy The Podium Finishers

  • 1st Place: Michael O’Leary & Phyllis Yau-Chan The undisputed champions of the tournament. Michael and Phyllis went on an absolute tear, finishing with a perfect 4-0 record. What makes this victory truly remarkable is that Michael O’Leary is still technically a novice bowler! Supported by the steady and consistent Lead bowling of Phyllis Yau-Chan—joining the fray as a dual member from Rossmoor—this duo proved unstoppable.

    They started strong against Daniel Gorelick & Cindy Moss (14-7), dominated Chris Davis & Annie Brillhart in Game 2 with a massive 20-6 victory, survived a tough test from Bing Burns & Phil Grattan (16-12), and clinched the tournament championship in Game 4 winning a very close and competitive nail-bitter of a match against runners up Cris Benton & Art Kotoulas (10-8). 
The Champs!
  • 2nd Place: Cris Benton & Art Kotoulas An incredible run for Cris and Art, who put on a clinic throughout the day. They took down Hugo Deaux & Sal Garcia (12-8) in Game 1, handled Lennon Hamilton & Bernadette Chan (11-8) in Game 2, and cruised past Michael Leutzinger & Leslie Engler (18-6) in Game 3. They went into the Game 4 Final with a 3-0 record but were ultimately outdone by the strong O’Leary & Yau-Chan pairing, finishing a highly commendable 3-1 for second place.

Game Summaries

Game 1: The morning session gave us a taste of the competitive field. Michael Leutzinger & Leslie Engler and Luis Zapata & Glenn Nunez both put up commanding 14-point performances to notch their first wins. Meanwhile, Bing Burns & Phil Grattan and Chris Davis & Annie Brillhart immediately locked horns in a gritty 10-10 draw.

Game 2: This round saw our eventual runners-up (Cris Benton & Art Kotoulas) and champions (Michael O’Leary & Phyllis YauChan) separate themselves from the pack. It also featured a fantastic bounce-back performance from Daniel Gorelick & Cindy Moss, who shook off a first-round loss to put up a stellar 17-9 win over Mo Shooer & Sandy Souza.

Game 3:  While the leading duos maintained their undefeated streaks, the rest of the green saw some beautifully chaotic battles. Daniel Gorelick & Cindy Moss fought Lennon Hamilton & Bernadette Chan to a dramatic 8-8 tie, while Hugo Deaux & Sal Garcia and Mo Shooer & Sandy Souza apparently couldn’t be separated either, locking in a 9-9 draw. Janine Maddock & Lydia Zapata also secured a resounding 14-7 win over Chris Davis & Annie Brillhart to shake up the middle tier.

Game 4: The Championship Showdown With the tournament on the line, the final matchup was set between the only two undefeated squads left standing: Michael O’Leary & Phyllis YauChan and Cris Benton & Art Kotoulas. It was a tactical, low-scoring chess match where every inch mattered. When the dust settled, the novice-and-Rossmoor-powerhouse connection managed to squeeze out a 10-8 victory to secure the tournament crown!

A massive thank you to everyone who stepped onto the green, helped set up the rinks, provided hospitality/snacks, and brought that classic Berkeley competitive spirit. Congratulations again to Michael and Phyllis for an incredible performance!  

If you would like to see all the game results by round they can be found on the tournament spreadsheet.

Club Members, Volunteer Work

More Than Just the Green

Even with its subtle ridges and valleys, our gorgeous, (relatively) speedy, natural turf green is the preferred venue for many PIMDers. But there is another feature that appeals to many visiting bowlers as well: our beautiful, aromatic surrounding landscape.

The Effort Behind the Beauty

By now, you all know how much work goes into maintaining our green: rolling, spot watering, weeding, controlling moss and fungus to name just a few of the required tasks. Maintaining the large area surrounding the green also requires a decent amount of sweat and heavy lifting.

The weeds didn’t stand a chance against this crew

Thursday is Workday

Every Thursday at 10 a.m., a group of a dozen or so members meet at the club. The first activity is a casual 90-minute draw game. At 11:30 a.m., Landscape Committee commander-in-chief Leslie Engler terminates the game and assigns the day’s landscaping tasks to the group. Typical activities are trimming ivy, weeding, dead heading roses, mowing the grass inside and outside the club, weed whacking, and pruning hedges. The work typically ends around 1 p.m. and is followed by whatever treats happen to appear in the clubhouse.

On this day, as the pictures show, the featured chore was digging out invasive grass and weeds on the southwest corner.

Now that’s some heavy lifting

The Crew

Kudos to the regular crew: Janie, Patricia, Judy, Sarah, Ben Steinberg, Cathy, Charles McFerran, Rolly, Phil Watson, Claudia, Winthrop, Nina, and Donna.

Club Members, Tournaments

A Bell Tolls for Victory

A Recap of the May 9th BLBC Triples Tournament

What a day it was! On Saturday, May 9th, the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club was graced with the kind of weather that makes you forget about marine layers and remember why we live in California. Under comfortable sunny skies, 24 bowlers, forming eight teams, took to the greens for our latest Triples Tournament.

As a well established club we have seen many bowls delivered, but rarely have we seen a performance as clinical and dominant as the one displayed by the “Bell Brigade.”

Ready to bowl

The Early Rounds: Setting the Pace

Game 1 saw Janice Bell, Michael Leutzinger, and Bernadette Chan signal their intent immediately, dispatching Rob, Annie, and Mark with a decisive 14-3 victory. Meanwhile, Hugo Deaux, Patricia Erwin, and Joseph Chow began their climb to the final with a hard-fought 10-7 win over Chris Davis, Lennon, and Sal.

Special mention must go to Mike O’Leary, Ethan, and Glenn, who looked like early contenders after a 12-8 win over Mike Armstrong, Charlie, and Gordon.  Also the team of Daniel, Cindy, and Ginger seemed formidable with a strong 19-5 showing over Kevin, Leslie, and Steve.

It was a beautiful day for bowling

The Mid-Day Charge

By the time the shadows were beginning to shift, Team Bell was a locomotive without a brake. In Round 2, Janice and company navigated a tricky 12-9 match against Chris Davis’ team, while Hugo Deaux’s trio kept pace, grinding out an 11-6 win against Rob’s team.

The drama peaked in Round 3, where Team Bell hammered home their advantage with a 15-5 victory over Team O’Leary. On the adjacent rink, Team Deaux kept their streak going with a 14-6 win against Mike Armstrong’s crew. It was clear we were on a collision course.

Smooth bowling

The Final

The final showdown pitted the only two undefeated teams after three rounds — Team Bell against the consistently excellent Team Deaux.

It was a tactical chess match on grass. Hugo Deaux, Patricia Erwin, and Joseph Chow put up a valiant defense, showing the kind of chemistry that usually requires a laboratory. However, there was no stopping the momentum of Janice Bell, Michael Leutzinger, and Bernadette Chan. Janice seemed to have her bowls on a remote control, Michael was the definition of “cool under pressure,” and Bernadette provided the kind of setup work that makes a skip’s life easy. 

The Bell team emerged victorious, claiming the title and the bragging rights that come with it.

Final Standings (Notable Highlights):

  • Tournament Champions: Janice Bell, Michael Leutzinger, Bernadette Chan.
  • Runners-Up: Hugo Deaux, Patricia Erwin, Joseph Chow.
The second and first place teams with the Tournament Director

If you’d like to see all the scores from the matches throughout the day, check the tournament spreadsheet.

Thank you to everyone who participated, to those who helped prep the greens, and to the weather for being perfect. We’ll see you all at the next one!

Club Members, Tournaments, Visiting Bowlers

Bay Bridge Challenge 2026


SFLBC Remains as Cool as the Weather to Carry Off the Trophy

A cool, nay chilly, day—the kind that evokes the apocryphal Mark Twain quote about a summer in San Francisco—welcomed BLBC bowlers and their cousins from across the Bay to the 2026 Bay Bridge Challenge, the annual tourney between the Berkeley and San Francisco Lawn Bowing Clubs.

Chilly start for first game

Long story short, after two rounds of 12-end Triples matches, the San Francisco visitors prevailed with a total of 6 wins and 2 ties to Berkeley’s 4 wins and 2 ties. If just one bowl in each of those ties had gone Berkeley’s way, we’d have had an even split and a transition to a 3-end bowl off to determine the destiny of the trophy. Ah, the couldas wouldas, shouldas of lawn bowling!

But while the competition was fierce, the spirits were, as always, friendly. And, on a further positive note, teams from each club won ends qualifying for the Bowls USA Super Shot Club. This accolade is awarded for a significantly high score on an individual end (7 or 8 points in Pairs, and 7, 8, or 9 in Triples). In the morning, David Eldred, John Peet, and Juan Medrano of San Francisco scored 7 on one end of their winning match, but in the afternoon they felt what it was like to be on the other side of the ledger when Berkeley’s Jim Corr, Judy Hillyer, and Sal Garcia-Lemus managed to place all 9 bowls in scoring position.

So, onto next year!

Presenting the results
Handing the plaque to San Francisco LBC

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