J.D. PotiÉ
Shawville
Nov. 23, 2019
The Shawville Curling Club was packed to the rafters on Saturday, as 48 curlers from all . . .
over the Ottawa Valley participated in the annual Governor’s Bonspiel.
Hosted by the Shawville Lions Club, the event was an opportunity for members of different Lions clubs from the Valley to congregate while raising funds for the curling club.
The event’s main organizer Dalton Cluff explained that it was Shawville’s second time hosting the bonspiel, noting that the yearly tournament is hosted by the winners of the previous edition.
“We won it last year in Morrisburg [Ont.],” he said. “Whoever wins it has to host it.”
Boasting 12 teams, all composed of members from different Lions clubs, the tournament drew players from Richmond Ont. all the way to Quyon and even from Ottawa.
Consisting of a two-draw event, each team played two six-end games and the team with the best overall result ended up as the worthy winner.
“If you win your first game, you play the top team that won their first game as well,” he said. “Then, it goes overall, plus-minus and points.”
Once the action on the ice was settled, participants and spectators gathered inside the lobby for an awards ceremony over a sit-down dinner with all sorts of delicious dishes, including lasagna, garlic bread and fresh salads.
Cluff believes the event was very beneficial for the Lions club and the community at large because of how it united so many people for a great cause on a beautiful day.
“It’s a nice place for everyone to get together,” he said. “We invite everybody to come for the supper in the local community. It really helps out the curling club. Luckily, we had a great day with great weather for the people travelling back.”
When it was all said and done, Shawville-1 made up of Eric Smith, Jim Abrams, Rob St. Amour and Elwyn Lang won it all, effectively engraving their names on the tournament’s holy grail.
