The Juan de Fuca Lawn Bowling Club paid a tartan tribute to a pair of fallen members on Sunday in Colwood.
Club members got together for the 12th annual Earl/McCue Memorial Scotch Doubles Tournament, with many players wearing tartan in honour of Gibson “Gibby” Earl and Bob McCue, Scottish expatriates who exemplified the positive aspects of the club membership.
“They were both my partners over the years,” said David Mathie, past-president of the club and current women’s national team coach. “They were both gentlemen on the green. We played the game for fun and we never talked afterward about how it could have gone better, or anything like that.”
Both men were said to love the game. When they died of cancer within a month of each other in early 2004, their wives, Jeanette Earl and Betty McCue, felt compelled to host a tournament in their honour. The first one happened that summer and has continued since, despite the passing of Betty in March 2005.
On Sunday, skip Steve Foster and lead Pei Mei Chia emerged as winners, with skips Joe Busby and Betty Walshaw, and lead Donna Harding finishing as runners-up.
The JdF club now prepares to host the men’s and women’s provincial pairs championships, July 24 to 26 at the club in Colwood. The public is invited to come down and check out the competition. For more about the club, visit juandefucalbc.ca.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com