Members of the Cowichan Lawn Bowling Club suited up in red and white on July 1 for the annual Canada Day Jitney.
About half of the club’s membership attended the event to honour Canada’s 151st birthday. The club was decorated appropriately, and competition kicked off with a group photo and the singing of ‘O Canada.’
The jitney itself was preceded by a “spider,” in which all players spread out around the edges of the green and simultaneously bowl toward the jack in the centre.
“Almost 50 bowls headed towards one target,” CLBC president Pat Unger reported, “with only one lucky bowl coming to rest closest to the jack, thereby assuring the owner a special prize.”
The games began after that, with rules and scoring methods determined by longtime club member Ross Bulley.
When all the bowls were finished, only one point separated the first- and second-place teams. Topping the field was the trio of Hazel Grant, Marilyn Clark and Jill Thorpe, edging out the team of Unger, Susan Higbie and Jodi Butler.
The best was yet to come, however.
“Following play, everyone enjoyed their brown bag lunch,” Unger noted. “And then, the much-anticipated Canada Day dessert extravaganza provided by our Queen of Sweets, Judith Bulley. Pies of pecan, blueberry, cherry, lemon meringue, plus carrot cake, Eccles cakes, butter tarts and brownies. What a spread!”