The BLBC is very proud to be sending five of our members representing the PIMD to the Bowls USA National Championship, which will be played at the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club from October 19 – 25. Seven regional divisions from across the US will be represented by their players each of whom has won their respective playdown tournaments for Singles or Pairs formats.
Our Women’s Singles Champion is BLBC member, Janine Maddock, the Women’s Pairs champions are Palo Alto’s Rose Shelby and BLBC’S Annie Brillhart, the Men’s Singles champion is BLBC’S Rob Hoey, and the Men’s Pairs Champion are BLBC dual member Calvin Darling and BLBC’S Daniel Gorelick.
We are wishing all our champions the best of luck and happy bowling!
From the BowlsUSA WWW site
If you are interested in following the tournament, look for your email from Bowls USA and follow the prompts for links to the tournament.
Screenshot from BowlsUSA – you will have to type these URLs into a browser yourself.
In our relentless effort to maintain our fabulous green, BLBC has purchased a brand new, state-of-the-art, electric roller to replace our ancient gas-powered one. It was delivered last Thursday, and it was love at first sight. It is a beauty.
The new roller finally arrives, light it is not.
Why an electric roller? For the same reason many buy EV cars: economics, convenience, and eco-friendliness. When we powered it on for the first time, we were stunned by how quiet it is; no more heavy, unsightly earmuffs and no more worrying about disturbing our neighbors. Moreover, it is equipped with lights, so our greenskeepers can roll before sunrise if necessary.
The rolling crew was eager to give the new roller a try.
Aside from the EV benefits, the new roller is about three feet longer than the old one so that it takes far fewer passes to roll the entire green.
Snug as a bug in our equipment shed.
We purchased the roller from an Australian-based company and ours is only the second electric roller currently operating in the U.S.
If you are interested in learning more about it, go to:
On Sunday, September 19, BLBC volunteers showed up for our second semiannual greens maintenance workday. The aeration (tining), seeding, and sanding is critical for maintaining our healthy and gorgeous green, widely acknowledged as the crown jewel of PIMD’s natural bowling surfaces.
Fill the buckets with expensive sand, load the spreader, fill the 200,000 holes
The weather was ideal: clear skies, modest temperature, low humidity, and a gentle cooling breeze. Twenty members (including our 4-person greenkeeping crew) and Jose (our professional) worked together in perfect harmony.
Lesiie enjoying presidential privileges
The work consisted of three phases. Phase 1 started just after 8 AM, as four workers followed Jose’s tining vehicle to sweep up the extracted turf plugs and scoop them into wheelbarrows. Two other workers replaced the full wheelbarrows with empty ones before wheeling the plugs off the green. The coordination was extraordinary as the sweepers never had to wait for an available wheelbarrow. After 90 minutes or so, a huge, motorized gas-powered blower was used to remove the stray plugs and excessive dirt, after which Jose spread calcium sulfate (aka gypsum) over the green to break up the compaction of dense clay soil.
Jose tending the machineryJanie and the big blower
After a very brief break, phase 2 began. One group of workers stood in the sandbox and shoveled sand into buckets. A second group transported full buckets to the green so that a third group could dump the sand into Jose’s mechanical spreader as it travelled slowly across the green. A fourth group carried the empty buckets back to the sandbox to be refilled and the process repeated itself until the entire green was covered in sand. Once again, the coordination was perfect as the sand spreader remained in constant motion.
In the final phase, Jose dragged a metal mesh with his tractor to distribute the sand evenly on the green while a few volunteers swept sand into the corners.
Ethan kept track of the workday as a workout – and earned a kudos from someone.
The entire workday effort was completed in just under five hours, allegedly the fastest in BLBC recorded history.
A hearty shout out to our volunteers (listed in random order):
Douglas Frey, Mike O’Leary, Annie Brillhart, Ben Carson, Stephanie Upp, Chris Davis, Phil Watson, Rolly Coe, Thomas Birt, Phillip Andrews, Gary Samonsky, Cindy Moss, Leslie Engler, Cathy Dinnean, and Mo Shooer.
Our Daniel Gorelick will bowl with Calvin Darling to represent PIMD in the Men’s Pairs competition at the US National Championships to be held at the Laguna Beach LBC in October. Consider that a warm up as Daniel and his teammate Bill Brault (SWD) just won the US PBA Men’s Pairs Qualifying Tournament held at Cambria this weekend. So Daniel will be making the trip to England in January to compete in the World Indoor Bowls Championship at Potters Resort in England.
Scottie Marzonie posted a video of Daniel’s and Bil’sl championship game on Facebook:
Incidentally, Daniel was also in the championship game playing Loren Dion for the singles qualifying spot for the UK Open. Meanwhile, SFLBC’S Calvin Darling, also a dual member at BLBC, won the Singles Qualifying Tournament for the World Indoor Bowls Championships. These guys are getting the job done – respect.
For the third Saturday in a row, BLBC bowlers gathered for an intra-club tournament. In this case, it was the Aussie Pairs match-up, which quickly filled to capacity with 28 bowlers. Bowling started promptly at 9 a.m. on greens that had been well prepared by our hard-working greenskeeping team. For this tournament, there were no handicaps and a random draw to establish opponents and rink assignments.
Bowling proceeded at a brisk pace during the morning with some very competitive games. After the completion of round two, there were only two teams standing with a 2–0 record – Andrew Keeler playing with Michael O’Leary and Ethan Bortman playing with Art Kotoulas. Not far behind with a record of one win and one tie were the teams of Phil Grattan and Philip Andrews as well as Lesle Engler and Ben Corson. So, these were the teams to watch going into round three.
Mo, Judy, Janie and CindySal and LennonArt and EthanMark and SteveSara and JaniceGlenn and Gordon
In the third round, Ethan and Art faced Cris Benton and Glenn Nunez. It was a close game in the beginning, but Cris and Glenn slowly pulled away in a tightly bowled game with many good shots. Meanwhile, Andrew and Mike were playing Janice Bell and Sarah Allday. They had to work to win this one, but they eked out a 11–8 win and with that accomplished, they won the tournament. Phil and Philip came in second in the tournament, followed by Leslie and Ben, and then Jim Corr and Mark Hanusin.
The victors – Andrew and Mike.
Kudos to the groundskeeping team for their extra efforts preparing the green. As always, the hospitality team did a great job, providing refreshments and keeping the clubhouse in good order.
GreenGreenskeepersCris keeping score
For those interested in detailed results here are the games scores and standings (click to enlarge):
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.
Game results from the Vet-Novice Tournament
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.
BLBC is preparing for the Annual Fall Workday for the Green, scheduled for Sunday September 14, 2025. This aeration (tining), seeding and sanding is critical for maintaining a healthy green.
Work day on Sunday, 14 September, 2025
In preparation for the upcoming fall Greens Maintenance workday, nearly 6 tons of special sand was delivered to the club. The greenkeeping crew helped guide the truck onto the premises and the sand drop was perfect. At $1700+ for the load, it was important that nary a speck was lost. So, the stage is set and we could use some help.
Tight quartersSand at the ready
The Greenskeepers need your help with various steps including plug removal and sand application/removal, among other tasks. There are also some light duty tasks in addition to those that are outlined below. As many of you know, this is a great opportunity to learn more about how our green is maintained and to meet other members you may not know.
We will be providing pizza and light snacks for those who volunteer, please let us know if you will join for that.
Below is an outline of main tasks and timing. We hope to be done by early afternoon and can use your help even if for a short period of time.
Starting around 8:30 we need 6 volunteers to shovel the plugs from Jose’s tining into wheelbarrows.
View of tining plugs, numbering over 200,000, being swept up for removal.
Starting around 10:00 we need 4-8 volunteers to shovel sand into wheelbarrows and then use buckets to dump the sand into the mechanical spreader. The larger number of volunteers would allow for breaks.
Starting around 10:30 we need 2-4 volunteers to sweep sand into the plug holes along edges and corners only. Jose will use the tractor with a broom/mat to sweep the sand from most of the green.
The club has most of the equipment, but we could use snow-type shovels and sturdy dollies. Please bring them along if you have those.
Spreading sand to fill the holes created by tining.
We do have some work/gardening gloves, but please bring your own if you have those.
Please reply to the Greenskeepers via email (greensblbc@gmail.com) by Sunday September 7 to let us know that you can join and what time slot, or to let us know any questions.
Following the workday the green will be closed for approximately one month for continued maintenance.
Income from rental events helps balance our annual BLBC budget. I know it is inconvenient to have the green closed from time to time but rental events are great outreach to the community, and we rely on the income they generate. So far in 2025, the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club has hosted 7 rental events.
Rental events introduce lawn bowling to an bunch of folks.
Our events have included two large corporate outings of 40-60 guests and a handful of smaller functions ranging from birthday parties to smaller corporate team building gatherings. Several have involved returning customers including Caribou Bioscience and Ava Community Energy, who you may notice on your PG&E bill.
InstructionCateringEnthusiasm
A great time has been had by all, bowlers and BLBC coaches alike. We have produced some amazing first or second time bowlers! This is a fine endorsement of our awesome volunteer BLBC coaches who have given their time and expertise to make the events so successful. These include alphabetically:
Sarah Allday, Cris and Claudia Benton, Gordon Beveridge, Ethan Bortman, Annie Brillhart, Russell (Rolly) Coe, Cathy Dinnean, Leslie Engler, Patricia Erwin, Phil Grattan, Janie Hillyer, Judy Hillyer, Martin Kershaw, Art Kotoulas, JoAnn and Marty Lorber, Charlie McFerran, Cindy Moss, Glenn Nunez, Ben Steinberg, Ashok Verma.
And then there is special thanks to Sarah Allday who is our head coach and Ethan, Patricia and Janie who occasionally fill in for Sarah.
If you are interested in coaching one of these rental events or know of someone who would like to host an event at the BLBC, please contact Claudia Benton at 510-384-4255 or chbenton@sonic.net.
The 2025 4-Bowl Pairs took place on August 23, with a full house of 28 bowlers filling the seven playable rinks on the green. Bowlers were assigned positions–Skip or Lead–by the Tournament Committee (TC), taking account of preferences to the extent practicable. The TC also assigned a limited amount of handicaps.
Skips drew their Leads, and first round rink assignments, by random draw. Thereafter, we used the strength v strength format, with the top two teams after each round facing each other, third v fourth, and so on.
Tournament scoring (click to enlarge)
By the conclusion of the third round, only two teams had won all three of their games, so the Final pitted Cris and Janine against Mo and Judy. The result was as closely contested a 10-end game as you could get without it actually resulting in a tie. The first nine ends were won with single points, each side outdoing the other with superb bowling along the way. But Mo and Judy had taken six of those ends to Cris and Janine’s three, leaving the latter down three going into the final end. Cris and Janine were holding two in the final end when Mo, with characteristic calm, drew the third shot. It came down to the last bowl but Cris’s efforts to best Mo’s shot fell short. So, Mo and Judy won the game 6-5 and with it the tournament.
Mo Shooer and Judy Hillyer smiling broadly after a fine day of bowling
Congratulations to Mo Shooer and Judy Hillyer as BLBC 2025 Pairs Champions!
And thanks, as always, to our greenskeepers, and to our wonderful hospitality crew
As bowling greens in the Bay Area go, Berkeley is looking pretty good. We enjoy bowling on a fast rink and our green attracts dual members from across the Bay Area. It’s hard to overstate the energy and dedication required to keep the green in good shape. Take, for instance, rolling the green to improve its speed and consistency. Our current crew of Greenskeepers have been selflessly performing this task multiple times a week and my introduction to the process this week reveals that it is far from trivial.
Greenskeepers Patricia and Janie instruct our rolling neophytes
On Monday, six green rolling newbies (Cris, Charlie, Mark, Glenn, Philip, and Janine) attended the first of three training sessions led by Greenskeepers Janie and Patricia. The goal is to have a trained team who assume green rolling duties by the end of the year.
The gas-powered roller
We are currently using an older gas-powered roller, but will soon receive a new electric model from Australia. Rolling the green involves several steps. Arriving at 8 AM, the process begins with a walking inspection of the green. It’s important to clear debris, often dropped from neighboring trees, from the green so that it doesn’t get embedded in our turf by the rolling machine. On some days, this is a quick process but on others, say after a brisk wind, it could be a two-hour job. Nevertheless, it must be done before rolling and it makes sense to have two or more people in the rolling crew.
Simple but effective logbookThe equipment shed
Rolling proper begins with opening up the equipment shed, hauling out the roller, and making notations in a small logbook about direction and date of rolling. After a close inspection, the somewhat heavy roller is then wheeled onto the green through a gap in the backboard. The machine is lowered onto the green by carefully rotating a big yellow frame. One then adjusts the choke and throttle to start the machine’s engine, and then rolling begins.
Patricia coachingPhilip at the joystick
As one sits on the roller, it moves left and right perpendicular to the body position of the operator. This takes a bit of getting used to. It also has a turning radius that is wider than that of an automobile. So maneuvers to change direction require some forethought. The roller is first run around the perimeter of the green where tolerances in missing the ditch are tight. It is then reversed back-and-forth in parallel paths to cover the entire green surface. This requires approximately 80 passes and can follow an orthogonal or diagonal pattern depending on the day’s bowling direction and prior rolling.
Groping for thatchA look under the machineThatch harvested from rollers
Driving the machine is challenging at first, but also kind of fun. Not fun is stopping to clear thatch that accumulates on the rollers. When the rollers pick up debris, the machine must be stopped, turned off, tilted back onto its transport wheels, and carefully cleaned by hand which requires (for me) lying on the ground to reach underneath. On good days this might happen once or twice, after a verticutting session it might happen a half dozen times (groan.)
Lifting the machine to clear thatch
I have come away from my inaugural training with great admiration for the effort our Greenskeepers have put into their rolling program to date. It’s a good thing that we have folks signing up to help out for this aspect of greenskeeping alone is a significant job. Here’s a pat on the back for those who have volunteered.
We promote the game of lawn bowling for the enjoyment of new and experienced players alike.
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