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Bowls Canada Boulingrin Announces New National Squads

Ottawa, ON | November 13th, 2018

Bowls Canada Boulingrin (BCB) is pleased to announce the selection of the 2018-2020 Senior and Development Squads. Both Senior and Development Squads will be in place until after the completion of the 2020 World Bowls Championships.

Ryan Bester (Hanover, ON) will once again lead the men’s Senior Squad after an impressive 2018 year, including a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and an Australian Open Singles title. His Commonwealth Games teammates Greg Wilson and Cameron Lefresne will also return to the Senior Squad.  The many new faces to the men’s Senior Squad bring a wealth of international experience.  Veteran bowlers Pat Bird and Jonathan Pituley are returning to the Senior Squad with renewed focus and a sharp technical intensity.

 

Transitioning to the Senior Squad from the Development and Youth Squads are Lucas Caldwell, Rob Law, David-James Smith and Braeden Campbell.

With veterans Kelly McKerihen, Leanne Chinery, Pricilla Westlake, Joanna Cooper, Shirley Fitzpatrick-Wong, Jackie Foster, Jackie Foster, and Jordan Kos all returning to the Women’s Senior Squad, this group is looking to continue the momentum they generated in 2018.  Semi-finalists in every event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and medalists at the 2018 Wales Invitational, this squad is ready to prove that Canada is a force to be reckoned with on the international stage.  The seven veterans will be joined by youngsters Emma Boyd and Baylee van Steijn. Previously on the Development Squad, both vanSteijn and Boyd are coming off of successful performances at the 2018 North American Challenge. 

"After a robust selection process, we have brought together a squad, that consists of the wise and experienced, along with a new bunch of enthusiastic athletes,” said National Senior Squad Coach Terry Scott. “We are confident that we have a group of players who will continue to build on the success that we have achieved over the past 18 months. As we lead into our next major events, the 2019 Asia Pacific Championships and the 2020 World Bowls Championships, we need to continually challenge ourselves and compete at the highest level to ensure that we produce the desired results on the International Stage."

Nine athletes from across Canada were selected to the Development Squad. This squad is part of the Bowls Canada athlete development pathway and as such focuses on those athletes who have potential to compete internationally in the near future. It also provides an opportunity to introduce up and coming talent to the structure and demands of a high performance environment. National Development Coach Darryl Fitzgerald had this to say about the new Development Squad “I am excited to work with these athletes over the next two years.  It is great to see athletes successfully transitioning through the bowler development pathway. We have a great mix of experience and youth as well as strong potential for success.” Full roster lists follow below.

For more information on the criteria and process used to select these squads, please visit https://www.bowlscanada.com/en/hp/SelectionCriteria.html

 

Women’s Senior Squad	Men’s Senior Squad
Boyd, Emma (Delta BC) Tsawwassen Bowls Club (BC)	Bester, Ryan (Hanover, ON) Hanover LBC / Broadbeach Bowls Club (AUS)
Chinery, Leanne (Victoria, BC) Windsor LBC / Wiseman Park Wollongong City Bowling Club (AUS)	Bird, Pat (Calgary, AB) Calgary LBC
Cooper, Joanna (Calgary, AB) Stanley Park LBC	Caldwell, Lucas (Peterborough, ON) Peterborough LBC
Fitzpatrick-Wong, Shirley (Winnipeg, MB) Sargent Park Lawn Bowling Club	Campbell, Braeden (Paradise, NS) Bridgetown LBC
Foster, Jacqueline (Bridgetown, NS) Bridgetown LBC / Wanderers LBC	Law, Rob (Winnipeg, MB) Norwood LBC
Kos, Jordan (Regina, SK) Regina LBC	Lefresne, Cameron (Enfield, NS) Wanderers LBC
McKerihen, Kelly (Toronto, ON) James Gardens LBC / Clayton Bowls Club (AUS)	Pituley, Jonathan (Regina, SK) Regina LBC
vanSteijn, Baylee (Gore’s Landing, ON) Cobourg LBC	Smith, David-James (Montreal, QC) Westmount LBC
Westlake, Pricilla (Delta, BC) Tsawwassen LBC / Pacific Indoor Bowls Club	Wilson, Greg (Burlington, ON) Calgary LBC

Development Squad
Larking, Cathy (Scarborough, ON)   Cosburn Park LBC	Bezear, John (Kitchener, ON)   Kitchener LBC
MacDonald, Jennifer (Calgary, AB)   Rotary Park LBC / Calgary LBC	Galipeau, Erik (Toronto, ON)   Port Credit LBC
Santos Richards, Mary Lou (Toronto, ON) Cosburn Park LBC	Kirby, Owen (Kitchener, ON)   Heritage Greens LBC
McNorton, Mike (Kitchener, ON) Heritage Greens LBC	Watson, Brandon (Regina, SK)   Regina LBC
Watson, Carter (Regina, SK)   Regina LBC

For more information, please contact: Matthew Nafe (mnafe@bowlscanada.com), Operations & Communications Coordinator, Bowls Canada Boulingrin

About Bowls Canada Boulingrin -- Bowls Canada Boulingrin (BCB) is the governing body responsible for lawn bowls in Canada.  The BCB mission is to advance the sport of bowls in Canada.  For more details on Bowls Canada Boulingrin and the sport of lawn bowls, visit www.bowlscanada.com.