International adventure for Peterborough lawn bowler
Kenner student Lucas Caldwell off to compete in Winnipeg in August
A local lawn bowler who competed in Wales this month is gearing up for the national championships in August.
Lucas Caldwell, 23, returned from the Wales 10 Nation Test Series in Cardiff, Wales on July 15.
He competed in men’s pairs and fours during the series.
Caldwell, who bowls with the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club, partnered with Kitchener’s Owen Kirby for pairs, but finished the round-robin winless.
Despite playing well, the duo was up against some tough competition. They played Australia, South Africa, Ireland and the United States – some of the best countries in the sport, Caldwell said.
“It had a lot to do with skill level. The competition is a lot greater when you get to the international level,” Caldwell said.
In fours, the group started off well, but were ultimately beat out of the playoffs by one point.
They beat Wales 13-11 in their first game and then lost to Ireland 16-9.
“We had a few ends where we gave up big points and that pretty much told the story of the game and we kind of got blown out,” he said.
The next day, the foursome beat Namibia 15-13 but lost 23-13 to Australia.
After Canada’s loss to Australia, Caldwell said they watched Namibia play Ireland from the clubhouse.
Had Ireland won or tied Namibia, the Canadian men’s fours would have advanced to the playoffs. But Namibia won by 1 point.
“It was a little upsetting to know that we were that close to making it through to the playoff rounds and didn’t.”
In both pairs and fours, Canada faced Australia’s Aaron Wilson, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist in singles. He’s considered one of the best bowlers in the world, Caldwell said.
It was equally nervewracking and exciting for Caldwell.
“I’d never played against somebody with that high of a standing before, or someone who has as many accomplishments.”
Although the Canadian men’s teams didn’t place, Caldwell said he walked away with many valuable experiences.
Playing skip, the Kenner Collegiate Vocational Institute student learned what it’s like to be a leader as a back-end player.
“I learned a lot on how to carry myself on the green and have good body language and be able to pick my teammates up when they’re down and just to keep your head in the game because it’s never over.”
In August, Caldwell will head to Winnipeg to compete in the 2018 Under25 Canadian Championships.
It’ll be his eighth time competing nationally, having placed in the top four in the last seven.
Though he said he’s confident going in, he doesn’t want to say he’ll end up in first place.
“I think I have a good chance to finish in the top three.”