​The opening in-club tournament of the season, the Coach’s Cup, is always a special event, especially since it is sponsored by Edward Cunnington of “Meet at 66 King  East” who is also a member of the club. Edward was hoping to play in the tournament which was held on Saturday May 28th but his busy schedule did not allow that. However he was on hand to present the prizes and is pictured with the winning team skipped by Jo Carleton (l-r are Dave Hickey, Nancy Fargo, Jo Carleton and sponsor Edward Cunnington).
 
Twelve triples teams competed in the tournament of three eight end games and this slightly shortened format was appreciated by the competitors given the beautiful but hot conditions. A contrast to the opening day two weeks earlier when members were huddled in the club house trying to keep warm!
 
Many of the first round games were very close with Jo Carleton’s team winning 5-4. The exception to the low scoring was the team skipped by Ralph Stoffers with a twelve point win and he continued in that vein in the second round with a seven point win to lead the field at that stage with two wins and 24 points. Jo's  team also had two wins but trailed by 10 points. The other two game winner was Roy Thorneycroft’s team with seventeen points.  Ralph and Roy played off against one another in the final round which was won by 7-6 by Roy to finish with 3 wins and 24 points. However it was not good enough to win the trophy as Jo finished with a big win, scoring twelve points, enough to win the trophy by two points. Special congratulations to rookie Nancy Fargo playing in her first tournament
 
The full result is on the results page and more photos on the photos page. 

The District Playdowns for the Ontario Fours championships were also held last weekend and in the ladies tournament Cobourg members Pauline Hill, Pat Gemmell and Kathleen Shirley teamed up with Oshawa’s Nicky Chamois. They were, however, the only ladies team entered so received a bye and will represent District 14 in the East Regional championships to be held at James Gardens on June 11/12th. 

We provided Northumberland Today with an article on the opening of the 2016 season. It was published, as submitted, on Monday May 16th. It is repeated here for your information.

COBOURG LAWN BOWLING CLUB – SOGGY START TO THE SEASON
 
The Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club officially opened for its 109th season on Saturday May 14th but the bowling gods were not kind with the weather and a cold, wet day put paid to plans for the first club game (known as a jitney) of the season.
 
Traditionally the club holds a pot luck lunch followed by a jitney and whilst members kept warm and enjoyed an excellent lunch in the club house the afternoon game had to be cancelled, the first time for many years that this has happened.
 
The rain did relent sufficiently enough for the guest of honour, Deputy Mayor John Henderson to formally open the season by rolling the first bowl. 
 
During the opening ceremony Henderson, an ex member of the club, spoke about how he may return to the sport in time. He also congratulated the club on how good the club house was looking after recent improvements with a new railing on the veranda and new eaves troughs. He noted what a busy season the club has ahead with so many tournaments; hosting the District play downs for the Ontario senior games; and hosting the Ontario Under 18 championships at the end of June, an event that he hoped to attend and which he would ask Council to help publicise.
 
The busy schedule that Henderson referred to starts immediately with a schools programme commencing this week and the District 12 senior games play downs on May 19th. And then on Saturday May 21st the club will host an open house (10.00 am until 4.00 pm) at which anyone can drop by and obtain information about lawn bowling, as well as getting on the greens to ‘Give it a Try’
 
The start of a new season is always a joyous occasion for lawn bowlers but the start of this season is tinged with great sadness at the death of member Bob Tough last week. Bob was a willing volunteer, looking after property repairs at the club for many years. He was a fine bowler and always encouraged others and passed on his knowledge to them. But more than that he played with a smile and a laugh and made the game better for those he was with. He will be sadly missed.
 

We provided Northumberland Today with an article on the upcoming season. It was published, as submitted, on Friday May 6th. It is repeated here for your information.​

COBOURG LAWN BOWLING CLUB – READY TO ROLL AGAIN

If you have walked through Victoria Park recently you will probably have seen the grass being cut at the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club; or people taking down the shutters from the windows; you may even have spotted a few people getting in some early season practice. It can only signify one thing – summer is on its way and the lawn bowlers will once again be a common sight in Victoria Park as they have been since 1907. The predecessor to this newspaper reported in April 1907 that 75 bowlers had met to form the club and a decision was made to locate the club in Victoria Park. That report described lawn bowling as “the most sociable sport in the world”; a description which can still be applied today albeit with a friendly sense of competition.

Next weekend members will get together for the annual clean-up of the club and grounds in preparation for the opening on May 14th. The 2016 President, Steve Haslam, hopes that the club can build on the success of the last few seasons in increasing membership and providing the opportunity for people of Cobourg and the surrounding area to experience the sport. Lawn bowling is a sport that can be enjoyed by all ages. Last year the club had just over 100 members aged from 8 to over 90. It is a sport that can be played at any age and it is never too late to take up the game.  The season runs from May to September and the club holds games during the day and in the evenings so there are times to bowl that meet all needs. The level of competition also varies. Club events - known as jitneys - are the staple of the club and are friendly competitions held five times a week. The club also holds a number of tournaments during the season solely for club members which are slightly more competitive but still basically fun events. Then there are Open tournaments which are open to any bowler affiliated to the Ontario Lawn Bowls Association. There really is something for everyone from the social bowler to those who wish to play more competitively.

In the early weeks of the season the club will be holding an open house (on May 21st); providing free introductory lessons (every Wednesday evening in June); and introducing youngsters to the sport through a programme for schools.
Another early season event takes place on May 19th when the club will host the District 12 play downs for the Ontario Senior (+55) Games.  There are mixed doubles and triples competitions and the winners will go forward to the Ontario games in Midland.

One of the highlights of the forthcoming season will be on June 25th and 26th when the club will host the Ontario Junior (Under 18) Championships. In 2015 Ben van Steijn of the Cobourg club won the boys gold medal in this event and his sister Baylee won silver. Ben is excited to be defending his title on his home greens especially since this is his final year as a junior. This should be an excellent  weekend of lawn bowling showcasing Ontario’s best juniors.
Baylee van Steijn’s fourth place finish at the Canadian Nationals in 2015 qualified her for the Canadian junior development squad and later this month she will be going to Vancouver to attend the 2016 National Training Camp alongside the Canadian National and senior development squads.  This is a great learning opportunity for her and another big step in the development of her bowling career.

The Cobourg club is one of 228 clubs in Canada all of whom have coaches and members ready to get people started on this wonderful summer sport. And what makes Cobourg one of the best of those 228 clubs is the wonderful location in Victoria Park – what better place to spend time this summer?  The club encourages the people of Cobourg to come out and “Give it a Try”.