Men’s Pairs and Triples at the 2019 Asia Pacific Championships
Ottawa, Ontario | June 14, 2019
Play begins next week at the Asia Pacific Championships in Gold Coast, Australia. As a qualifier for the 2020 World Championships, this event will be extremely important for Team Canada.
The first half of the event will feature men’s pairs and triples and women’s singles and fours. With a two hour and fifteen-minute time limit, games will take place at 8:45am, 12:00pm, and 2:45pm local time each day from June 18 to June 20 for the round robin games, followed by playoffs and finals on June 21 and 22.
Men’s Pairs
Making his Asia Pacific Championship debut, Rob Law (Winnipeg, MB) will be teaming up with Ryan Bester (Hanover, ON) in the men’s pairs. Law has competed on the Gold Coast several times before, and Bester is a current resident, making this pair a favourite to advance out of their 10-team section. It won’t be easy though, as New Zealand’s Shannon McIlroy and Gary Lawson will be eager to claim the top spot. Keep an eye out for Hong Kong/China as well. At the last Asia Pacific Championships they made it to the quarterfinals, and will be hungry to improve on that result. This will be the first time Bester and Law compete at an international event together, so the first few games may prove challenging as this duo learn each other’s playing habits. How long it takes this pair to gel will be one of the main keys to where they finish at the end of the round robin.
Men’s Triples
After a successful Commonwealth Games showing, Cameron Lefresne (Enfield, NS) and Greg Wilson (Cochrane, AB) will now team up with Pat Bird (Calgary, AB) in the triples. With the likes of New Zealand, Malaysia, and Norfolk Island in their 10-team section, this trio will need to bring their A-game in order to advance to the playoffs. Expect a grudge match as Lefresne and Wilson will be looking to get their revenge against Norfolk Island after losing to the Islanders 19-16 in the bronze medal match at the Commonwealth Games. The Canadian trio will also need to watch out for Fiji: at the 2015 AP Championships, the Fijians lost a tight semifinal match to New Zealand, making them a team you don’t want to sleep on. If the Canadians can win 2 of their games against New Zealand, Fiji, Malaysia, and Norfolk Island, they should have a fighting chance to get into the playoffs.
Live streaming can be found on Bowls Australia’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BowlsAustralia
For standings and results: https://www.bowls.com.au/events-page/international-events/2019-asia-pacific-championships/
2019 Asia Pacific Championships Team Canada Roster
Men’s Singles: Ryan Bester (Hanover, ON)
Men’s Pairs: Ryan Bester, Rob Law (Winnipeg, MB)
Men’s Triples: Cameron Lefresne (Enfield, NS), Greg Wilson (Cochrane, AB), Pat Bird (Calgary, AB)
Men’s Fours: Cameron Lefresne, Greg Wilson, Pat Bird, Rob Law
Women’s Singles: Kelly McKerihen (Toronto, ON)
Women’s Pairs: Kelly McKerihen, Joanna Cooper (Calgary, AB)
Women’s Triples: Leanne Chinery (Victoria, BC), Jordan Kos (Regina, SK), Jackie Foster (Bridgetown, NS)
Women’s Fours, Leanne Chinery, Jordan Kos, Joanna Cooper, Jackie Foster
About 2019 Asia Pacific Championships
The 2019 Asia Pacific Championships will take place on the Gold Coast, Queensland from June 18 to 28 and feature teams from 18 countries. The event will be held at the Broadbeach Bowls Club, Club Helensvale and Musgrave Hill Bowls Club. The Asia Pacific Championships is a qualifying event for the World Bowls Championships 2020 which will also be held at the same venues in May and June next year.
About Bowls Canada
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.
For more information, please contact:
Anna Mees
Executive Director, Bowls Canada
Email: amees@bowlscanada.com
