South Ramsey A continued where they left off last week putting pressure on the top three with a magnificent four points away at Onchan A. This really is an indication that the northerners mean business and are in great form as they pushed the champions all the way drawing on games but just losing out on the aggregate points to go down 6-4.

There are a lot of positives for the Ramsey outfit to draw on and non-more so that the signs that former greats Andy Kennish and Peter Collister are now getting back to their best and a match for anyone on their day. They entertain third placed Douglas A tonight and a win by over 4 points would see them leapfrog their rivals into the much coveted third spot.

Onchan A surrendered top spot despite beating South and will be hoping to regain it tonight with a maximum against Peel A at home. The Govags beat Onchan last time out and the champions have along memory and will be hoping to right that wrong at the Park.

Marown A put in another strong display with a 9-1 victory over Castletown B to regain top spot with a game in hand over their closest rivals. They face Port St Mary A at home tonight and will be hoping that they can do enough to at least match Onchan’s result to allow them to maximise the effect of their game in hand next week.

If they win big tonight and next week I honestly think that there will be too much daylight between them and the chasing pack and that the championship will be heading to the memorial playing fields.

Douglas A won away from home 7-3 at Ballaugh A to keep them in the hunt for minor places ahead of their showdown with South tonight. If they escape with 4 or more points it will a great result for the Villa Men.

Castletown A remain in fifth place after a solid 7-3 home win over Port St Mary A, but have a game in hand on both South and Douglas and will want their rivals to take points off each other to allow them to close the gap. Town travel to North Ramsey A and will have their work cut out after North picked up a good 7-3 victory over Peel A last week to find some form.

I see this week as a turning point in the season a lot of the top outfits have the chance to throw down the gauntlet to their rivals and this week’s results could be fundamental in determining  the fate of the top 3 place.

Division 2 leaders Port St Mary B put in a blistering performance to defeat fourth placed Finch Hill A 9-1 to extend their lead at the top and give themselves some breathing space in the title race. They face second placed Castletown C tonight at home and a big win will put them firmly in the driving seat for top honours.

Town C will be up for a challenge and after picking up a good 6-4 win last week away at the tricky Finch Hill B will hope to get some really valuable points from tonight’s top of the table match up.

Third placed Port Erin A won 6-4 at the battling Castletown D and find themselves equal on points with town C and will be hoping they can take advantage of their rivals facing off with a big win at home over Ballaugh B to move them up the tree.

Nobles Park A remain at the summit of division 3 after battling to a 6-4 win away at South Ramsey B last week.

North Ramsey B are the surprise package of this division and as this talented bunch of mainly new players find their feet they could become the force to be reckoned with. They picked up  brilliant 7-3 away win over then second placed Onchan C to swap places with their rivals and move into the promotion places for the first time.

Onchan C were the early pace setters in this division and a recent slump have form has seen them falling down the table they really need to get hold of this soon if they are to genuine contenders for promotion. They have the time and quality to do this but they need to start now and a win away at Nobles Park B on Tuesday would be a good place to start.

Report by Mark Kneen

Champions Onchan A turned on the style on Monday evening as they brushed aside genuine contenders Douglas A with relative ease, effectively ending any real hopes the Villa men had for top honours.  The 8-2 score line mirrored that of their first encounter earlier in the season however the match was anything but similar as Douglas were up against it from the off and lucky to escape with two points.

There was something different about the post-festival champions. They had a competitive edge that had thus far eluded them this season, and every single one of them played every bowl as if their lives depended on it.  I still think Marown will pip them to the post this year, but this performance has put doubts in my mind. If Onchan do go down, they will go down fighting and the odds of them defending their title for the 11^th consecutive time have shortened dramatically after this display.

Marown A kept momentum behind their title bid as they picked up 9-1 win away at Peel Sunset A to close in on the champions. This solid, workman like performance leaves them one point adrift of the champions, but with a game in hand.  They will be hoping to better the performance of the champions tonight and return to the top of the tree.

There is definitely something different about the Marown team this year and there seems to be a synergy around this particular line up which had been missing in recent seasons. Their ability to pick up big wins is what has made them stand out from the crowd and could be what sees them to their first title in over a decade.

South Ramsey A took advantage of Castletown A sitting out and a big 9-1 win at Town over the B team sees them move into 4^th place. They are now only one point behind Douglas in the battle for third and with all their players firing on all cylinders they could be the ones to watch in the battle for the minor places. They travel to Onchan A tonight and this performance should show us where they are in terms of improvement and progression.

Port St Mary A now have fire in their bellies and their 9-1 win over Ballaugh A has seen them move up the table and away from the relegation places. They need to keep this going tonight and at least try and pick up some good points away at Castletown. If they can string some form together they should be able to finish the season in a mid-table position allowing them to build on it next year.

The final match of the division was a cracker with Nobles Mixed A and North Ramsey A tying 5-5 after the Northerners won on games but just missed out on the aggregate points by 9 chalks. Both these teams sit in the relative safety of 6^th and 7^th places and if they continue to pick up points in the second half of the season should start next year in the top flight.

Division 2 leaders Port St Mary B remain in pole position after a good 8-2 win away at Ballaugh B sees them consolidate top spot.  Castletown C put in the performance of the day to move into second place, just 3 points behind the Spaniards, after they put in a devastating display to demolish Peel B 10-0 at the crofts.  Town C have the class to stay challenging for top spot and the thought of making history and having 3 teams from the same club in the top division could become reality.

Port Erin A are still very much in the hunt and are in third spot on equal points with Town C after they beat Port St Mary C 8-2.  The fate of this title is still finally in the balance and I can’t call who will be crowned champion come September.

There are new leaders in division 3 for the first time this year with Noble Park A now occupying first place thanks to a brilliant 9-1 win over Douglas C. Long-time leaders Onchan C have slipped down into second after suffering a shock 6-4 loss at home to Ballaugh C.

Report by Mark Kneen