It was another lovely day in Berkeley, with the green trimmed and true for a friendly Vet–Novice Pairs tournament designed to welcome newer bowlers into the club’s lively mix of annual competitions. Ten novices teamed with one of ten veterans in a random draw, no handicaps and no strength-vs-strength match — just three 12-end pairs games starting at 9:00 a.m. with plenty of good-natured mentoring along the way. The format kept things simple and spirited: win what can be won, learn what can be learned, and enjoy the rhythm of bowls on a well-prepared surface. I will pause here to thank the Greenskeepers, Tournament Committee, and Hospitality Committee for their considerable efforts in support of the tournament. The club as we know it would not exist without our volunteers.

By lunch, two games were in the books and three teams held a perfect 2–0 record. Cindy Moss and Steve Arvin set the pace with an imposing +20 differential, closely followed by Art Kotoulas and Stephanie Upp at +11 differential, while Cris Benton and Mark Hanusin rode two come-from-behind wins to +5 differential. Fortune added drama: the draw had Cindy/Steve and Art/Stephanie playing against each other in the third round, making a 3–0 finish likely for one of them. Cris and Mark could still reach 3–0 against Russ Leonard and Ben Steinberg, but the differential gap loomed like a small mountain.

As the last round unfolded, the Cindy/Steve vs. Art/Stephanie game tightened end by end until it finished as a 10-10 draw, denying both Cindy/Steve and Art/Stephanie the 3-0 record that seemed inevitable for one of them at noon. On the adjacent rink, Cris and Mark were six down with four ends to play. Buoyed by the tie emerging next door they chiseled away to trail by two entering the final end against Russ and Ben. It was a long jack; after the leads had bowled Russ and Ben held two, while Cris and Mark had a nice collection of back bowls, shaping a chance. Two of Cris’s deliveries added more back bowls, a third went hunting for the jack and missed leaving one bowl left to change the day.

That last shot was a yard-on shot down the wide side to nudge the jack gently four feet back into the waiting pocket of six back bowls. Russ and Ben had one chance to answer involving a tight line to a displaced jack, but the bid didn’t land. With their last bowl, Cris and Mark turned a deficit into the count they needed, sealing the win on the day. A fitting finish for a Vet–Novice tournament: mentorship, nerve, and one decisive bowl at the end.