Kaitlin & Dylan Saskatoon Bound

Come on you young'uns. Practice this game called lawn bowls and see Canada.

Kaitlin Ryan and Dylan Jacobs did just that and captured the gold medal and the right to play in the Canadian Championships in Saskatchewan in August. Now mind you by entering it isn't automatic that you receive an OLBA $1000 subsidy and a wonderful summer trip. Oh it's true about the money but you have to beat a talented 18 and under age group to reap the benefits offered.

And it may not happen immediately. Both of the gold medalists finished 2nd last year in the Ontario finals and both took the next big step up the medal ladder. From the files in 2008, "Kaitlin is an up and coming 15 year old." [ That makes her 16 now and an opportunity to own the podium for two more years. However there may be the group right behind with a different idea in mind.]

" Her backhand draw is beauty in motion.". A young bowler with the technique to take her game to a higher level.

I said Dylan was a 'tall lad' last year. He has continued his growth both in stature and game. He was on the Brian Fowler District 2 Fours team in this year's Ontario Championships and I can attest personally that he can play. He was a key player in knocking our team out in the Sunday morning 1/4 finals. From 2008, he has " a deft touch. He will win a lot in the future ". I wasn't thinking of it being so soon and against us.

Go, play, have fun and enjoy the hospitality of the people of Saskatoon.

FINAL RESULTS

Girls

Gold - KAITLIN RYAN

SILVER - CASSANDRA TRUDEL

Bronze - COURTNEY POSTMA

Boys

Gold - DYLAN JACOBS

Silver - JESSE CALDWELL

Bronze - PAUL TREVOR

Caldwell settles for soggy silver at provincials

Posted By DALE CLIFFORD , EXAMINER STAFF WRITER

Posted 4 hours ago

History was made in the rain at the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club (PLBC) yesterday.

London's Dylan Jacobs and host club's Jesse Caldwell achieved new heights in reaching the final of the Ontario Lawn Bowling Association (OLBA) under-18 boys championships.

With a 21-19 win over the 16- year-old Caldwell, Jacobs, a year older, won his first provincial gold medal and fifth medal in his fifth-consecutive Ontario championship appearance. He earned two silver medals and two bronzes in the previous four affairs.

For Caldwell, it was his first trip to a final and first medal following five journeys to the provincial set.

The local club wasn't finished there as 19-year-old Paul Trevor bested Nepean's Zachary Steel 15-2 to claim the bronze. There were no local bowlers on the girls' side.

Jacobs heads to Saskatoon, Sask., for the national championships and world qualifier Aug. 5-8.

With Ontario sending two representatives, he will be joined by Simcoe' s Kody Olthof, last year's Ontario Summer Games (OSG) champion.

Kitchener's Kaitlin Ryan defeated Niagara Falls's Cassandra Trudel 21-9 in the girls' gold-medal final while Tilbury's Courtney Postma beat Brighton's Stephanie Miller for the bronze. Both Ryan and OSG champion Miller head to Saskatchewan.

There was also competition in U25 with Milton's Kelly Mckerihen edging the Peterborough club's Katie Patenaude 2-1 in the girls' best-of-three final and Burlington's Trevor Whyte getting past Brighton's Steve Miller 2-1 in the boys' final.

They play 21-point games in U18 (15 if they request in some instances including weather), best-of-three seven-end sets in U25. In U25, they all qualified for Saskatoon because it is an open event and there were only four players in the category.

Jacobs finished with a 6-0 record while Caldwell ended up 6-1 in the 18-player boys' field. Caldwell had the extra game because he was in a larger pool. There were 12 in the girls' section. The top two in pools advanced.