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!

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.

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.

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:

Place	Leads	Vices	Skips
1st	Mei Chan	Lennon Hamilton	Joanne Ribeiro
2nd	Sue Sahlman	Patricia Erwin	Janice Bell
3rd	Gary Samonsky	Dave Zimbauer	Ethan Bortman
4th	Lydia Zapata	Cindy Moss	Ginger Harris

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.

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.

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.

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..

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:

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). 

• 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 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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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!