Monthly Archives: July 2017
Ray Watterson takes 2017 Over 60’s Championship Victory.
Wednesday and Thursday 13th and 14th July 2017 saw the qualifying rounds of the Over 60’s Championship held at Port Erin Bowling Green with the final 16 Qualifiers playing to an overall winner at the same venue on 19th July.
Although the weather for the ‘Finals Day’ was not as bad as expected it was still very overcast with spells of rain throughout the day which caused difficulties for some with the bowls slipping on their wet hands.
Despite this problem we saw an afternoon of good bowls and some surprise results and the two semi-final matches were between Peter Wallis and Bernie McPhee both of Onchan and Ray Watterson of Port St Mary against Peter Oates of Castletown.
Peter Wallis but up a brave fight against his club mate Bernie McPhee but eventually Bernie who was on great form all afternoon was just too good on the day and ran out with a 21-15 win.
In the other semi-final many expected Peter Oates who had been playing so well in the earlier rounds to beat Ray Watterson but Ray produced some great bowls and beat Peter 21-11.
In the Final Bernie started well against Ray and although the game was always close Bernie was never behind at any point until the game reached 14-14 and then he had two very rare loose ends which gave Ray the advantage.
This was Ray’s opportunity and he grasped it with both hands and despite a spirited effort from Bernie it was Ray who eventually won 21-18 to become the 2017 Over 60’s Men’s Bowls Champion.
In his Winners Speech Ray thanked every one involved in organising the Competition and thanked all his opponents for the sporting and friendly way that they had competed with him.
Castletown go four points clear at the top.
A very sunny Tuesday 18th July saw the Over 60’s matches start with all of the top teams being keen not to make a slip and so lose their momentum in the battle for the League Championship.
It was to be an afternoon however when two off the top teams were to be severely tested with Onchan A losing 5-3 to Port Erin in the South of the Island and the League Leaders Castletown A being given a fright by North Ramsey A at the Mooragh Park before eventually running out 5-3 winners.
Castletown’s B Team entertained Port St Mary A and the men from Port St Mary took a 5-3 win concentrating solely on the bowls and not the lovely floral displays at the Castletown Green.
Marown travelled along the T.T Course to Ballaugh where they took part in a match with some very close games before eventually returning to Crosby with a 6-2 win.
Peel Sunset B travelled to the Villa to play Douglas A and unfortunately for the men from the Sunset City they found the Douglas players on top form and the home side took an 8-0 victory on a Green that didn’t appear to suit the visitors.
There was better news for the Peel Club when their A Team faced Nobles B at Peel in a match that saw the Westerners win 7-1 with John Clague being the only winner for Nobles Park.
Back at Nobles Park the Nobles A Team inflicted a 6-2 defeat on Ballaugh B with Charlie Howland and Paul Bradford being the only winners for Ballaugh.
Finch Hill had a 6-2 win over Peel Sunset C while up at Onchan Park the Onchan B Team took a 5-3 victory from North Ramsey B.
Douglas B Team went to South Ramsey where they were beaten 5-3 by the Northerners on a tricky South Ramsey Green.
So as the days bowls came to a close we had Castletown A now four points clear at the top with 44 points and Peel Sunset A and Onchan A still chasing hard on 40 points.
Onchan Commissioners’ Ladies’ Doubles
Onchan Commissioners Ladies Doubles Winners 2017
Jenny & Elaine MooreThere was an entry of thirteen pairs for the Onchan Commissioner’s ladies’ doubles played on Wednesday 19 July. The competition started in cloudy conditions with the rain biding its time till the start of the semi-finals when a short heavy shower was followed by fine drizzle for the remainder of the afternoon.
Quarter-finals: Margaret Tasker and Tricia Bull 21, Elaine Dewhirst and Lil Smith 15; Lin Ruscoe and Paula Firth 21, Barbara Young and Joy Stephens 12; Elaine and Jenny Moore 21, Linda Dobinson and Ann Hollingworth 7; Lyn Bolton and Philippa Taylor 21, Josie Harding and Flo Price 14.
In the first semi-final, although both pairs played some good woods, Margaret and Tricia had the edge, winning 21-13, while it was a similar story in the other where Lyn and Philippa were unable to reproduce their form from earlier rounds, Elaine and Jenny progressing to the final with a score of 21-14.
In the final Jenny and Elaine made the better start with two 2’s taking them to 10-6 after two ends, when Tricia and Margaret got three singles to close the gap to 9-10. From that point, despite some good bowls from the Port St Mary pair, the pair from South Ramsey had the upper hand, allowing the southerners to record just one more single, coming through to win 21-10.
Libby Andrade thanked all those who had entered and all the Onchan Girls who had helped in any way with the smooth running of the afternoon, before introducing Anthony Allen, Chairman of the Onchan Commissioners, to present the prizes
C Tarleton Hodgson Ladies’ League 12 and 14 July
Nobles had a successful trip to Ballaugh in the C Tarleton Hodgson sponsored ladies’ league on Wednesday 12 July, winning seven of the nine games. The two winners for the home side were Brenda Bowyer and Christine Macdonald, while Jane Teare and Barbara Graham reached 19 against Sylvia Kennaugh and Debbie Leece respectively. Top scorers on the night were Castletown at Douglas, the home side, in the person of Brenda Williams, taking just one game off them, Jan Osborne nearly adding a second as she reached 19 against Ann Hollingworth. South Ramsey played host to Marown, finishing with 7 games, three to single figures. The visitors two winners were Shirley Whelan, to single figures, and Philippa Taylor. Port St Mary had a tough battle at Mooragh Park, losing 4-5 on games, but winning the match by 7 points. Both sides had two wins to single figures, but the game of the match saw Vicky Lloyd- West come through 21-20 against Kellie Maddrell- Reeve. Port Erin were in ruthless form at Purt le Moirrey, winning 5 of their 6 games to single figures, while Peel Sunset had a 6-3 win over Onchan. There were some close games in this match, two going all the way as Sarah Quirk pipped Joanne Kelly 21-20 which was balanced by Jean Quine coming through against Pat Robertson by the same score.
Friday14 July
The top three teams had very similar scores on Friday 14 July, leaving the way open for Nobles to close the gap in fourth place. They dropped only one point in their match against Douglas as Lin Ruscoe lost out 20-21 to Kay McKiernan. Another game to go the full course saw Lisa Boland with a 21-20 advatage over Sue Caley. The top of the table battle at Port St Mary saw the home side win 6-3 on games, with Kellie Maddrell-Reeve winning to single figures. However wins to single figures by Elaine and Jenny Moore saw the league leaders take the match by a single point. Castletown were unable to take advantage of the situation at Mooragh Park, gaining just one point on Port St Mary. Despite winning six games, two to single figures, good wins by Caroline Parker, Ellie Cowell and Janet Monk kept the home side’s total down to 151
Elsewhere, on a miserable wet night, Port Erin had a good win over Ballaugh winning 6 games, three to single figures, Peel Sunset went down to Marown 4-5 with a deficit of nineteen points while Onchan lost on points to Purt le Moirrey, despite winning 5-4 on games. .
Ladies’ over 60’s matches
Peel Sunset were not daunted by having three games this week and faced Villa with all guns blazing. They took all six games, four of them to single figures, the greatest resistance for the visitors coming from Kay McKiernan who reached 15 against Pat Robertson. Port St Mary A also had a good result after their long trek “up north” to Mooragh Park, where Maureen Lacey denied them a full house. Frances Radcliffe almost gave the home side a second game, reaching 20 against Win Collister.It was a close game between Port St Mary B and Marown, ending level on games with all twelve players reaching double figures. The visitors just had the edge on points coming through 112-108.Breagle can thank Gwen Tuck for upsetting Ballaugh’s apple-cart, her win, to single figures, denying the home side a maximum although they did win five games, three to single figures.In the other two matches the visiting side won 4-2 on games, Sue Caley and Kath King being the two winners for Douglas against Castletown, Carol Kaye and Sylvia Shelbourne were the two winners for Port Erin against Nobles.
Thursday 13 July
It was Port St Mary A’s turn to register a maximum on Thursday July 13, as Douglas struggled to get to grips with either the green or the players, there best performance seeing Moire Turner reach 17 against Win Collister. Castletown had the better of Port Erin, 4-2 on games, in a high scoring match where every player reached double figures, the closest tussle seeing Voirrey Curphey come through 21-19 against Joy Stephens. Ellie Cowell spoiled the party for Onchan as her win saved Mooragh Park being white-washed, but things were closer in the other three games. Peel Sunset had a successful foray down south winning 4-2 on games while for Breagle Gwen Tuck came closest to levelling the game score in a tough battle against Heather Horsburgh. Villa played host to Port St Mary B and won by three points in a match that ended level on games, Roma Ware just failing to give the visitors a fourth game as she lost out 20-21 to Kay McKiernan. In the final match Nobles ended with a 2 point advantage over Ballaugh depite losing 2-4 on games.
Games played Monday 10 July
There were three games played on Monday 10 June, two to catch up on games postponed because of inclement weather, and one brought forward because of the unavailability of the Port St Mary green due to the mens’ Dreswick Open taking place on that day.
Nobles played host to Onchan and won four of the six games, the two winners for the visitors being Lynda Clarke and Rita Callan. There was a ding-dong battle between Sylvia Kennaugh and Maureen Payne with Sylvia eventually coming through 21-19.Pauline Worrall spoiled the party for Peel Sunset, winning her game to prevent them posting a full house, while Brenda Bowyer was the fly in the ointment for Port St Mary A, winning her game to deny them a maximum. Peggy Griffin almost added a second game for Ballaugh reaching 19 against Kath Looney.
Ladies’ Millenium Fours
It was all go at Onchan Park on Saturday 15 July, with Onchan fair, and the ladies’ Millennium Fours event, taking place. The entry was ten teams of four and in each match players were drawn, two to play singles, the other two making a doubles combination. The three games were played to 15 off scratch, the team with the greatest total over the three games progressing to the next round.
Between the fine weather and the background music from the fair, which had spectators dancing round the green, there was some fine bowling played in a carnival atmosphere.
In the first semi-final a South Ramsey team consisting of Fiona Kennish, Kim Hargraves, Bethany Kennish and Jenny Moore took on a Mixed team of Mary Alderson, Lynda Cadamy, Philippa Taylor and Ann Gale. Fiona and Kim were drawn to play the doubles against the Mary and Lynda combo, the Mixed team pair having the advantage 12-15.In the singles Philippa beat Bethany 15-5 while Jenny beat Ann 15-7, giving South Ramsey a total of 32 points and the Mixed team, who went through to the final, a total of 37 points.
In the second semi-final Noblesconsisting of Clare Cooper, Paula Firth, Rebecca Teare and Lin Ruscoe, played a combined South Ramsey and Marown team made up of Elaine Moore, Jill Quayle, Lil Smith and Rosie Winckle. Clare and Paula came through 15-12 in the doubles against Rosie Winckle and Jill Quayle while the singles were shared, Rebecca Teare beating Lil Smith 15-1 and in reply Elaine Moore beat Lin Ruscoe 15-7, giving Nobles 37 points and South Ramsey / Marown 28.
This set up a Nobles v Mixed team final. The three games were on the green at the same time and the singles finished with Philippa Taylor winning 15-4 against Paula Firth, while Lin Ruscoe replied with 15-6 against Mary Alderson, leaving the final result in the hands of the doubles pairings. With Clare Cooper and Rebecca Teare coming through 15-9 against Lynda Cadamy and Ann Gale, Nobles took the title once again with a final score of 34 points to 30.
Association president, Rosie Winckle thanked Onchan for the use of their green and their ladies for helping, and providing refreshments during the afternoon. She also thanked Elaine and Heather for organising the event and running the sheet.
South Ramsey A tighten their grip
South Ramsey A tightened their grip last week on retaining champions status in the Isle of Man crown green bowls league. In week 14 of the Ellan Vannin Fuels sponsored league, Monday evening saw them romp to a 10-0 victory over Ballaugh A with a (168-84) aggregate scoreline telling the story, they increased their lead at the top by another point on the chasing teams.
Marown A had an impressive 9-1 win away against Port Erin A to keep them in second place, Seamus Whelan was only winner of the night for the home side. Onchan A hosted Douglas B and matched Marown with a 9-1 win, they are now on top form but as good as they may be playing still lost ground on the champions elect.
North Ramsey A were at home to Port St Mary A and secured a 6-4 win by taking the aggregate (155-132). Peel A were the vistors to Douglas A and were looking to bounce back after last weeks disappointment, both teams had regular players missing but a 7-3 win for Peel A puts them back on track and allowed them to leapfrog Port St Mary back into fourth place.
Castletown A and B faced each other in the Town derby, it was A team that came out on top with a 7-3 win and keeps them a respectable seventh place in the league.
Division Two
Division two leaders Onchan B were away at Finch Hill A and came away with a 6-4 win, second place Marown B were away to Noble’s B and secured a 7-3 victory this puts them level Onchan B at the top on 92 points.
Peel B had a storming 10-0 win at home over Port St Mary C and are now in fourth place, Port Erin B had an identical 10-0 win over Douglas C and are now one point behind Peel B in Fifth. North Ramsey B versus Noble’s B was a very close affair, it ended 5-5 with Nobles B taking the aggregate (134-135). Port St Mary B had a good 9-1 win over Onchan C.
Division Three
Peel C had a 10-0 home win over Finch Hill B and puts them six points clear at the top. Douglas D hosted Castletown C and suffered an 8-2 defeat, Marown C won by the same margin at home to Ballaugh C and means the two teams are level on 73 points second and third respectively. South Ramsey had a 6-4 home win over Noble’s C and Ballaugh B had a solid 8-2 win over South Ramsey D.
Onchan Step Up Their Challenge
Onchan A 2017
Back: Kevin Quirk, Peter Slinger, Rob Cowley, Mike Thomas, Phil KerruishFront: Jordan Cain, Robert Monk, Adrian Skinner, Matthew Quirk
Onchan showed last week how they are ready to mount a serious on the two sides above them in men’s crown green bowling league. In week 13 of the Ellan Vannin Fuels-sponsored league, they turned out a very strong team at Castletown B on Monday night when they came away with a 10-0 victory. In doing so they closed the gap on the leading two Division One sides by a single point.
The whitewash included an impressive 21-3 win for Mike Thomas and identical 21-9 score lines for Robert Monk, Jordan Cain and Matthew Quirk.
The problem for the chasing teams is that reigning champions South Ramsey A don’t look like they are about give any ground away to the teams below them. Last week they took on local rivals North Ramsey A at the Mooragh and handed out a clinical 9-1 beating, Steve Walmsey won 21-13 for the North but that was there only joy of the night as they were firmly put in their place.
Second placed team Marown A took on Douglas B at the Villa and ended the night with nine points which included impressive 21-3 and 21-4 wins for Bob Clarke and Paul Dunn respectively.
Peel A were held 5-5 by Castletown A over in the Sunset City, a good result for the visitors but the home side were left feeling they should have done better after losing ground on the teams above them.
South Ramsey B entertained Port St Mary A but could only manage two winners on the night as the away side powered to an 8-2 win with Trevor Quayle maintaining his unbeaten run. Ballaugh A were at home to Douglas A with the Villa men having much the better of the evening with a solid 8-2 win .
In Division Two league leaders Onchan B were at home to Peel B and ended the night with 7-3 win, but second placed Marown B had an impressive 9-1 win over Finch Hill A closing the gap to One point on the leaders.
Noble’s B in third place looking to close in on the top two teams had a 8-2 home win over Port Erin B to keep up their challenge. In the remaining games Post St Mary C had a good 8-2 win over Onchan C, Port St Mary B defeated North Ramsey B 7-3 at the Mooragh.
Lying at the bottom of Division Two Douglas C suffered a crushing 10-0 home defeat at the hands of Noble’s A which sets them three points adrift at the foot of the table.
Division Three fixtures saw Peel D take on Peel C in what turned out to be a well supported and fiercely competitive game, it resulted in 5-5 draw with Peel D down 3-5 on games but winning the aggregate but the five points keep Peel C level with Ballaugh C at the top of the table. At the wrong end of the table Finch Hill B and Douglas D both suffered heavy defeats.
Trend sponsored over 60’s league
Heavy rain on Tuesday 27 June saw just one match being played as Mooragh Park made the long journey south to Port Erin to play Breagle. Both teams are to be commended for playing in the inclement conditions. Moira Anderson won her game for the visitors to deny the home side a maximum score
Monday 3 July
Villa and Douglas played their match, postponed from Tuesday 27 June on Monday 3 July. The “visiting side“ had the better of the encounter, winning 4-2 on games, with three of their wins being to single figures. Pat Kelly and Muriel Cain were the two winners for Villa, Muriel winning to single figures, while Pat came through a tough tussle against Patsy Rush 21-19..
Thursday 6 July
After the chaos caused by the weather the previous week, it was a relief to get back to normal with all matches being played on Thursday 6 July. The only complaints about the weather were that it was “too hot” ! Top scorers of the morning were Nobles, who were denied a full house by Jan Osborne, while Port Erin won 4-2 on their travels to Breagle, three of their wins being to single figures. They did not have it all their own way as Sylvia Maddrell and Gwen Tuck posted good wins for Breagle. Onchan recorded two wins, courtesy of Libby Andrade and Maureen Payne against Port St Mary, while Lynda Clarke reached 18 against Val Macfarlane The match between Marown and Peel was a high scoring battle with all twelve players getting into double figures, the visitors just having the advantage 4-2 on games and a lead of 12 points. Castletown won four games, two to single figures, while Mooragh Park had two wins by Ellie Cowell and Linda Morgan to single figures. It was a nail-biter at Villa with the home side winning three games, one to single figures and the visitors, Ballaugh doing the same. The closest game of the match saw Ann Gale come through 21-19 against Pat Kelly. In the end Villa snatched victory by just 3 points.
Ladies’ League Friday 7 July
It was a night of devastation and destruction, if not quite murder and mayhem, in the C Tarleton Hodgson sponsored ladies’ league on Friday 7 July. Douglas travelled to Port St Mary where the reigning champions, buoyed by their cup win the previous day, were in ruthless form, winning all nine games, five of them to single figures. The visitors’ main resistance came from Jan Osborne who reached 19 against Margaret Tasker. Ballaugh put up a bit more resistance on their visit to Castletown but still ended on the wrong end of a full house. Six of their players reached double figures, with Voirrey Oates reaching 15 against Kim Foy and Alison Millard taking Hannah Drewett all the way before going down 20-21.Onchan were another team who failed to pass the 100 point mark when faced by a rampant Port Erin who won seven games, five of them to single figures. Onchan avoided a white-wash with two winners in Libby Andrade and Sue Gawne. Nobles Also won 7-2 on games, with Paula Firth and Rebecca Teare winning to single figures, while Purt le Moirrey had two winners in Roma Ware and Lesley Coker and very nearly made it four as Edwina Reid and Tracy Moore both lost out 20-21 to Debbie Leece and Clare Cooper. Mooragh Park entertained Marown and won 5-4 on games with Julie Reilly winning to single figures. The closest match-up saw Aalish Hawarth just lose out 19-21 to Margaret Scarffe. Peel and South Ramsey squared up at Peel, but the visitors had the better of the encounter 5-4 on games. A win to single figures by Jenny Moore was balanced by one to Joyce Kelly, but most of the other games were more closely contested , with Jill Quayle reaching 19 against Lynda Wilson and Mary Moffatt coming through 21-20 against Fiona Kennish