"When you buy in Florida, there's all sorts of stuff in the house from furniture to Christmas decorations," said Smith. "There were tennis racquets, too, so I decided to take up tennis but the lawn bowling lessons started before the tennis lessons so I started lawn bowling and never did get to the tennis."That was four years ago and the resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake for the past 40 years proved to be a quick learner, and this summer has won the District 6 ladies singles championship as well as the mixed doubles title along with partner Hugh Bertram.

Smith, a former elementary school teacher in NOTL, won the ladies singles crown in Niagara Falls a couple of weeks ago by defeating Elaine Houtby from the host club 21-12 in the final. She will represent District 6 (an area that includes clubs in Niagara as well as Dunnville) in the provincial championships this weekend in Kitchener at the Heritage Greens Lawn Bowling Club.

Smith says she has been playing well this summer but wasn't over-confident by any means entering the District playdowns.

"I never go expecting to win, but at some point during the game you think 'maybe I can win' and last weekend we had a round-robin and you had to play everybody who was there," said Smith. "I won all my games on Saturday, so I went into Sunday with no losses while everybody else had at least one loss so I thought I might be able to do this."

Despite being only one of two novices (less than five years experience) in the field and playing against some of the top bowlers in one of the province's toughest districts, Smith said she wasn't nervous.

"I was focused," she says. "I wasn't nervous and I think that's the big thing. I think if you go expecting to win, that's when you get nervous."It was the last weekend in June when Smith and Bertram teamed up to win the District 6 mixed doubles title at the Beamsville Lawn Bowling Club.

They had joined forces last year, but failed to win the district and figured they would try again this year.

"We won against (former) Canadian champions and Ontario champions," said Smith. "We beat some really good teams," added Bertram.

"I think we're a good combination because neither one of us expect to win," said Smith. "You go, play the game and if you win it's a bonus. That's the way you have to look at it."

Smith and Bertram will compete for an Ontario title August 9-10 in Uxbridge.

"If we get past there we go to Penticton, B.C., and that would really be nice," said Bertram, noting the pair would have to finish first or second to earn the trip west. "But we'll be up against the cream of the crop. It's an honour just to get there because our district is one of the best in the province."

Bertram. a resident of NOTL for 35 years, has been lawn bowling since 2000 when he gave up racing pigeons -- a hobby he first took up as a 12-year-old boy in his native Scotland.

"I decided I wanted something different and took a chance on lawn bowling," said Bertram. "I really enjoy it, it's relaxing and the people are great."