Club Members, Events, Tournaments

Summer League Results and Winners, 8/23/2023

Jim Corr to BLBC Bowlers on 8/24/2023:

Our Wednesday evening  Summer League came to an end last night after 7 weeks of keen competition. You will recall (or not!) that the format was 12-end Pairs games with separate round robin sections for Skips and Leads—i.e., each Skip played once against each other Skip and each Lead once against each other Lead. Unfortunately, the parameters did not allow us to arrange that each Lead played with or against each Skip only once, so there was some doubling or tripling of those combinations. That said, it was a fun event and a nice way to pass a summer evening. And in the end, as shown in the attachment, the winners were: 

Skips—Cris Benton in 1st Place (with an impeccable 7 wins out of 7), Glenn Nunez 2nd Place, and Mo Shooer 3rd Place (just edging out Hugo Deaux). On the Leads’ side, Lennon Hamilton took 1st Place, aided by a victory against Cindy Moss on the final evening, who emerged 2nd, with Judy Hillyer coming up 3rd, by almost the narrowest possible margin ever. She and Gordon Beveridge were tied on win/loss points, tied on differential (points scored minus points ceded), and Judy won through the ratio of points scored to points ceded—a mere 2/1000th of a point!

Thanks to all the participants and those who participated as subs when needed due to absences. And to Cathy Dinnean for arranging snacks and drinks to round of the final week.

See you on the green.

Club Members, Events, Tournaments

Tunnel Challenge, 8/12/2023

BLBC Pres. Glenn Nunez to BLBCers on 8/14/2023:

As most of you know, this past Saturday saw our club host the annual Tunnel Challenge with our good friends – and worthy opponents – from Rossmoor LBC. Long-standing travel plans prevented BLBC’s Tournament Director from coordinating the event, but Jim confidently handed the reins to Cindy, who (if I do say so myself) acquitted herself admirably. Thanks to a crew of capable volunteers on all fronts, everything went off without a hitch.

Six teams of three bowlers from each club faced off in two 14 end matches. After a couple of routs and a couple of nail-biters, Berkeley’s squad found itself up 5-1 when the morning’s dust settled. A leisurely lunch preceded another set of games in the afternoon. The home team wasn’t about to squander its commanding lead and wound up repeating the morning’s result to handily secure victory. Once the engravers have etched “2023 BERKELEY” on the plaque, you’ll see it proudly displayed on our clubhouse walls for the first of what we hope will be many consecutive years.

Check out the pictures of everyone surrounding Aika holding the trophy and yours truly making sure Rossmoor’s President doesn’t abscond with it!

Now it’s on to the Meat Axe…

Club Members

A Little Bit of BLBC History, 8/4/2023

A couple months ago I took a walk through El Cerrito’s Sunset View Cemetery. The columbarium happened to be open, so I took a walk through the halls. As I looked around, I found the remains of one of the BLBC’s founders: Dr. J. W. Henderson, D.O., along with those of some of his family. I went to the office to confirm that this was the BLBC’s Dr. Henderson (for whom the first green — the one next to the corporation yard building–is named for). The address on file for this Dr. Henderson was the Capistrano Avenue address for the BLBC’s Dr. Henderson.

A little bit of incidental history and happenstance that I thought I’d share.

Club Members, Events, PIMD, Tournaments

And Annie makes two! Announced 7/10/2023


“… and Annie makes two!”
BLBC Pres. Glenn Nunez to BLBCers on 7/10/2023:

We’ve all known that Annie Brillhart has made a business of taking care OF the green, but she’s also quite capable of taking care of business ON the green as well.

Yesterday, Annie carried BLBC’s flag to San Francisco for the PIMD Women’s Singles Playdowns to determine its representative for the 2023 U.S. National Championships. It was a one-day, round-robin, winner-take-all event and Annie’sfirst game was, as they say, “a real nail biter.” She quickly found herself down 7-0 to the eventual runner-up before rallying to an even position a dozen points in. From there the two women traded winning shots until they came to the ultimate end tied 17-17. That’s where Annie, in her own words, “snuck one on the jack” and then waited nervously to see if it would hold for the victory. It did. A couple of observers remarked that it was among the best games they’d ever witnessed. Annie then handily won her final two matches, emerging as the day’s only undefeated competitor and punching her ticket to Florida.

With Jim Corr’s matching honors from last month’s Men’s Playdowns, BLBC can now proudly lay claim to having BOTH of our division’s singles participants in this fall’s prestigious event in Florida. Annie and Jim are superb bowlers and we’re extremely pleased for – and proud of – both of them!

Congratulations, Annie. You’ve put in the work over the years, so you’ve earned this reward. Best of luck in Sun City!

Club Members, Events, PIMD, Tournaments

Jim Corr is going to Florida! Announced 6/11/2023

“Jim Corr is going to Florida!”
BLBC Pres. Glenn Nunez to BLBCers on 6/11/2023:

I just got word from my inside sources at Rossmoor that our very own Jim Corr has won the Men’s Singles section of the PIMD Playdowns and will be representing our division at this year’s U.S. National Championships in Sun City, Florida from October 29th to November 4th. Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club could not be any prouder!

This event started last weekend, as fourteen entrants were whittled down to the six who would come back yesterday to begin a two-day, five-match round robin. Jim took care of business Saturday, winning all three of his 21 point matches. He dropped his first match this morning, but came back to win his second with a few points to spare. A nail-biting wait followed as he watched the remaining two bowlers battle to a 19-19 deadlock before everything fell the right way on their final end, guaranteeing that our hero would be the only competitor to wind up four and one over the two days. Jim had booked his ticket!

Those of you who have watched Jim over the past several years know this is no fluke. Even after all his experience, he continues to practice and work hard on the physical aspects of his game. On the equally important mental side, he’s always thinking about the nuances of each situation he finds himself facing, weighing the pros and cons of every shot selection. His even temper serves him well, as he never gets overconfident while simultaneously never beating himself up should things go awry. If you’re looking for someone to emulate on the green, here’s your man.

Jim, we’re all extremely happy for you. Best of luck in Florida.

Score with Corr!!

Club Members, Events, Tournaments

2023 Howard Mackey Jamboree Winners, 3/18/2023

2023 Howard Mackey Jamboree Winners:

Skips:
1st Place: David Usher (Palo Alto)
2nd Place: Bing (aka Gary) Burns (San Francisco; dual member Berkeley)
3rd Place: Andrew Keeler (San Francisco)
4th Place: John Grimes (San Francisco)

Vices:
1st Place: Lennon Hamilton (Berkeley)
2nd Place: Cris Benton (Berkeley)
3rd Place: Billy Wilson (San Francisco)
4th Place: Luis Zapata (San Francisco; dual member Berkeley)

Leads:
1st Place: Carrie Chiang (San Francisco)
2nd Place: Lydia Zapata (San Francisco; dual member Berkeley)
3rd Place: Mei Chan (San Francisco)
4th Place: Ginger Cheng (Berkeley)

Club Members, Community

10 very Berkeley date ideas, Berkeleyside, 2/14/2023

Excerpt from Berkeleyside article “10 very Berkeley date ideas”:

“Yes, lawn bowling

Hear us out. This ancient cousin to indoor bowling is an excellent outdoor activity for not-so-perfect weather (Lawn Bowling is enjoyable even under a drizzle). This date idea is also a perfect chance to test your crush’s frustration threshold, as getting the hang of this deceivingly simple-looking game requires patience and good coordination skills. Tucked in the Poet’s Corner in West Berkeley, the bowling green has been part of the city for almost 100 years. For just $5, visitors can play a game. The club offers snacks and soft drinks, but feel free to bring your sandwiches and snacks.”

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