Bowls Canada Boulingrin Celebrates National Team Legacy with Capping Project

June 1, 2024

Bowls Canada Boulingrin is thrilled to announce the successful completion of the ‘Capping Project’, a heartfelt initiative designed to honor the legacy of our national team players, both past and present. Over the past year, driven by the enthusiasm of current athletes, dedicated individuals have worked tirelessly to document and preserve the history of our national team players.

Spearheading the research, Wayne Wright meticulously documented the players who participated in the World Bowls Championships (WB). Anita Nivala and Don Caswell expanded this effort, covering the Asia Pacific Championships (APC), Atlantic Championships (AC), and the Commonwealth Games (CG). Anita’s contribution went above and beyond our expectations, adding medal counts and full team rosters, as well as documenting the number of matches (tests) each individual played.

The Capping Project focused on major multi-nation events, including the Commonwealth Games (formerly the British Empire Games), World Bowls Championships, Atlantic Championships, and Asia Pacific Championships. Moving forward, the High Performance Committee will determine which events qualify as “Capped” events, defined as multi-nation competitions where selected individuals or teams compete against other nationally selected teams. Athletes competing in their first “Capped” event will receive a BCB cap number and a “test” for each match played.

For the men, the first Capped event was the 1930 British Empire Games, followed by the World Bowls Championships in 1966, the APC in 1985, and the Atlantic Championships in 2007. Women’s international competition began in 1969 with their first World Championships, and they participated in the Commonwealth Games starting in 1982. Recently, the first Canadian Para Athletes were capped following their participation in the 2024 International Bowls for the Disabled World Championships.

In total, the project has recognized 79 women, 110 men, and 3 Para athletes. The complete list of “Capped” players can be found on BCB’s website, providing a lasting tribute to these athletes. We acknowledge that there may be some gaps in our records due to limited archival information, and we welcome any additional information from past players or the public to help us fill in the missing details.

Below, you will find the names of our pioneering athletes along with the number of tests they completed. Further down, we list the ten athletes on the men’s and women’s sides with the most tests, their cap numbers, and their total number of tests played. Bowls Canada is committed to contacting all Capped players or their relatives to present them with a cap bearing their number, ensuring their contributions are remembered and celebrated.

Men – 1 . Harry J Allen, 1930 BEG 4

Cap Number	Name	Home Town	Year	Event	Tests Played
90	Ryan Bester	Hanover, ON	2002	CG	273
58	Bill Boettger	Kitchener, ON	1980	WB	235
74	Keith Roney	Regina, SK	1993	APC	182
49	Ronald Jones	London, ON	1974	CG	148
60	Dave Brown	North Vancouver, BC	1982	CG	130
63	Dave Houtby	Niagara Falls, ON	1984	WB	107
89	Chris Stadnyk	Niagara Falls, ON	2001	APC	106
95	Steve McKerihen	Toronto, ON	2005	APC	101
81	Mark Sandford	Toronto, ON	1998	CG	95
93	Michel Larue	Saint Jean Sur Richelieu, QC	2003	APC	94

 

Women – 1. Joyce Aitken, 1969 WB 10

Cap Number	Name	Home Town	Year	Event	Tests Played
21	Alice Duncalf	Coquitlam, BC	1982	CG	253
35	Anita Nivala	Regina, SK	1993	APC	189
36	Jean Roney	Regina, SK	1993	APC	176
60	Kelly McKerihen	Toronto, ON	2007	ABC	178
52	Leanne Chinery	Victoria, BC	2005	APC	144
25	Dorothy Macey	BC	1985	APC	129
23	Elaine Jones	Winnipeg, MB	1985	APC	118
29	Marlene Cleutnix	Winnipeg, MB	1988	WB	117
69	Jacqueline Foster	NS	2011	APC	109
38	Margaret Richards	Lachine, QC	1993	APC	106

Para 

Cap Number	Name	Home Town	Year	Event	Tests
P1	Andy Caldwell	St Thomas ON	2024	IBD	9
P2	Louise McLean	Kitchener ON	2024	IBD	12
P3	Jack Smart	Calgary AB	2024	IBD	9

 

For more information, you can contact Don Caswell, Performance Manager at dcaswell@bowlscanada.ca

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.