Awards handed out to local lawn bowlers

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Lawn Bowling Club final tournament held recently was sponsored by Wes Turner, a long-time member of the club.

This fun event was followed by a Hawaii-style barbecue dinner of ribs, kebabs and pork loin, says club member Judi Allen, with prizes presented to the winning teams.  Member Wig Baldauf provided musical entertainment, including some Don Ho songs to go with the theme for the evening.

The last  club activity for this year was the 2024 awards night held on Tuesday Oct, 15, at the community centre — the club's lawn-bowling facility is tucked away at the back of building.

“We were so pleased to have such a large turn-out for this event. We know we serve a valuable service to the community in providing health, social and community benefits of lawn bowling in Niagara-on-the-Lake,” says Allen. “But we also know that we are a somewhat hidden gem within the community given that we have virtually no drive-by nor walk-by visibility. “ 

Along with several certificates presented to high scoring bowlers the following trophy’s were presented: 

The 4-3-2-1 Top Bowler Award.  The 4-3-2-1 bowling event takes place every Tuesday night.  “We had an excellent turn-out this year with some 30 bowlers participating throughout the season,” says Allen. “Last year we presented for the first time, to honour the long-time convenor of the event, the Jack Hazel Top Player Award for the 4-3-2-1 event.”This year convenors Rose Connolly and Jenny Ley presented the award to Vic Klassen, the winner of the Jack Hazel trophy for 2024.

The Friday League Open Pairs Award.  The Friday Night Pairs league ran with two round robin events with the two separate winners facing off for the championship trophy.  The Executive Committee decided to rename the winners’ trophy to honour long-term organizers of the league.  The trophy is now called the Pettit Open Pairs Championship in honour of Ray and Heather Pettit. Ray and Heather were delighted to present the award to the team of Rosa Connolly and Dick Stoddart winners of the 2024 award, says Allen.

The Good Sportsmanship Award.  The Good Sportsmanship Award is voted by members for the person they found most helpful in developing their bowling skills, or enjoyed bowling with or against during the season. “It is our longest-serving trophy dating back over 20 years. Paul McHoull was happy to present the trophy for 2024 to Vic Klassen,” says Allen.

The award ceremony was followed by a celebration dinner of Indian food — the end to a successful year, she added.