Lawn bowling clubs in and around Montreal roll towards June opening

Preparations are underway to get lawn bowlers onto the pitch again in the Montreal area, now that public health authorities have approved the activity as they ease some pandemic restrictions on recreation.

The president of the Quebec Lawn Bowling Federation, Bruce St-Louis, says all five clubs under the federation's jurisdiction should be open before the end of June.

There was initially some confusion over whether lawn bowling could reopen because in a briefing last week, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante only mentioned pétanque in the list of approved activities.

However, St. Louis says it was later clarified that bocce and lawn bowling fall under the same umbrella.

The federation's clubs are in Westmount, Pointe-Claire, Beaconsfield, Saint-Lambert and Pierrefonds, and it's now up to each of those municipalities to decide when they can reopen.

"We're hoping that we can get up and running between mid- and late June," said St. Louis, who is also the president of the club in Westmount. "That's the target."

Wayne Chen, the president of the Beaconsfield club, says Beaconsfield has given the club the go-ahead, and he hopes it will be open by June 1.

The lawn bowling club in the Town of Mount Royal, which is not part of the federation, got approval to open starting May 27, according to club president Valerie Carrie.

Expect a less social game

When clubs open, there will be a new list of guidelines for members to follow.

St. Louis says the protocol, drafted in collaboration with Bowls Canada and other international partner associations, will require players to arrive wearing masks, complete a health questionnaire before playing and clean all the equipment when they are done.

All club houses will be closed. Bookings will be done online, and there will be no other social activities.

"We're optimistic that as science takes hold and other things happen, we will perhaps go back to something close to normal," said St. Louis. "But for the time being, we are going to be extremely careful."

The number of players allowed on the pitch will also be drastically reduced.

St Louis says in Westmount, only eight players will be permitted on the pitch at one time — down from the usual maximum capacity of 50 or 60 players.

Despite the new reality, St. Louis said he expects there will be a lot of enthusiasm for lawn bowling this summer.

"If you're well, if you don't have any injuries that prevent you from bending over or kneeling, it's a sport for everyone," he said.

"Come in and enjoy; get a bit of sun, and get a bit of fresh air — and most importantly, get some exercise."