B.C. champion James MacGowan of Burnaby and Jonathan Braun are the new Canadian men’s pairs bowls champions.
The Kerrisdale Bowling Club duo faced severe Manitoba weather and a four-time national championship team from Nova Scotia before winning a first-ever outdoor Canadian title 18-14 over an Alberta pair at the St. James Bowling Club in Winnipeg last weekend.
The win avenged an earlier loss to the Wild Rose B team of Stan Nelson and Jeff Dobson in the opening round of the national championships that was hampered by cool temperatures and record rainfalls that postponed some the round-robin matches over the six-day event.
Trailing Nova Scotia by two points and with the final bowl, MacGowan pulled off what turned out to be the shot of the week in the team’s final game of the round-robin to finish in first-place with a 7-2 record, two points ahead of both Alberta B and Manitoba.
B.C.’s only two losses at the nationals came against the two 6-3 teams Alberta and Manitoba, making MacGowan’s final shot even more pressure-packed.
“It was one of those last bowl, nerve-wracking pressure shots. I moved the jack back to win three, which put us into the final,” said MacGowan. “Overall, it was an amazing weekend.”
The 31-year-old MacGowan, who is better known for his indoor game on the international pro circuit, last competed at the outdoor nationals at the under-25 championships.
“Playing so much at international competitions just prepared me for that,” MacGowan said, adding that playing with Braun, who only took up the sport just three years ago, made winning the pairs title even more of a rarity.
The twosome also recorded a rare eight, when all eight bowls are closest to the jack and scoring points, to get back into the game against Nova Scotia.
In July, the pair also won the men’s B.C. provincial pairs title in New Westminster, winning all seven games they played.
“I wanted to win a title like this,” added MacGowan. “It’s difficult to get to this level.”
B.C. also won a gold medal in the men’s fours and a silver in the women’s triples at the nationals in Winnipeg.
The provincial women’s fours, including Josephine Lee of Burnaby, took home a bronze medal following 24-6 win over Manitoba.
