Yearly Archives: 2021

Temporaza & Kennish Win Keenan 4’s

On Saturday Ballaugh Bowling Club held the 32nd Keenan 4’s which was first played for in 1989. There were 35 pairs entered, the weather being fine starting cloudy but improved throughout the day.

In the top half of the draw the first quarter final was an all South Ramsey affair with Alan Moore and Glynn Hargraves taking on Stefan Kelly and Stuart Marshall. A tight game at 17 across after 13 ends Alan and Glynn sealed the win 21-18. The second quarter final was between Bob Clark (Castletown) and David Bradford (South Ramsey) versus Marown stalwarts Paul Dunn and Neil Withers 16 across after 17 ends, then Clark and Bradford won the game 21-16.

In the bottom half of the draw the third quarter final was between visitors Andrew White and Colin Crawford (Two Gates) and Glenn Moore and Tony Smart (North Ramsey). White and Crawford showed their class with a 21-10 win. The final quarter final was between home greeners John Keenan and John Maddrell against Andy Kennish (Peel Sunset) and Reg Temporaza (Onchan). Kennish and Temporaza were always ahead winning 21-12.

In the semi-finals Moore and Hargraves beat Clark and Bradford 21-15, whilst Kennish and Temporaza beat White and Clark 21-16.

In the final Kennish and Temporaza took the first four ends without reply from Moore and Hargraves giving them a buffer to win 21-13.

At the conclusion Club Captain John Maddrell thanked John Keenan for sponsoring the event for the 32nd year, Matt Moffat, the green keeper for preparing the green, Pat Mason and her team of ladies for the catering. John also thanked Richard Faragher, Maurice O’Reilly & Trevor Jones for running the competition so efficiently.

FULL HOUSE FOR MAROWN A LADIES

Last Wednesday night Marown A scored a full house at home against Peel in the ladies crown green bowling open age league. The win was helped greatly by four of the Marown ladies winning to single figures. Joyce Ogden and Mary Moffatt had a tough battle with Joyce eventually winning to 18. Douglas had a good 5-4 win away at Mooragh Park with the closest game being between Victoria Johnson (Mooragh) and Jane Lothian with the latter winning to 19.  Michelle Cowley and Paula Garrett (Douglas) plus Janet Monk for Mooragh, all won to single figures. Port St Mary travelled to Onchan coming away with a convincing 7-2 win. Two winners for Onchan were Paula Firth and Jo Smith who won to 6 and 16 respectively. Castletown derby ended with the A team just missing out on a maximum by four points. Preventing this was Linda Dobinson (B) who won to 17 against Amanda Lawler. Marown B travelled to Port Erin with the Marown ladies winning by 6 points. Jenny Cain and Jacqui Elliot (Port) plus Clare Cooper for Marown all won to single figures. Closest match of the night was Ballaugh at home against South Ramsey. Ballaugh won by three points with four of the games being won to single figures.    

Over 60s ladies league: Two rearranged fixtures were played last Thursday.  Results : Mooragh Park A 64 (1), Marown 116 (5); Onchan A 113 (4, Peel 88 (2)

On Tuesday morning Port St Mary A played Onchan B at home whilst Onchan A took on Port St Mary B. Both matches resulted in full houses for PSM A and Onchan A with PMS A winning by 67 points and Onchan A winning by 66 points.  Two teams who just missed out on scoring maximums by two points were Ballaugh and Castletown A. Ballaugh played Port Erin at home with Julie Reilly and Jane Teare for Ballaugh both losing to 20 against Voirrey Curphey and Steph Swift. Castletown A were away to Mooragh Park A with Anne Oates for Castletown just losing to 19 against Maureen Hamilton.  

The IOM September Festival commences on Monday morning.  Wishing all competitors, organisers and helpers a successful and enjoyable week of bowling.

South Ramsey A Edge Closer To Title

In Ellan Vannin Fuels Division One the match of the week, was for a second successive week at Crosby between Marown A and South Ramsey A, with the visitors arriving in the knowledge they had already beaten Marown on their own green this season, that the home team would be looking for revenge and to close the nine-point gap between the teams at the start of play.

First off the green was Neil Withers with a resounding 21-11 win over Tony Dugdale, who was standing in for Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly. The visitors responded with David Bradford taking out one of Marown’s big hitters as he continued his good form to beat Paul Dunn 21-10. The next game off was the shock of the night as Stefan Kelly carried his Rayner Shield Final form into his game as he found an edge to play along on the park side of the green to go into a 15-8 lead against seven time Manx Champion Colin Kelly, who got in and looked to get into his trademark corners as he scored three quick-fire doubles and a single to level things up at 15-15. Stefan got back in at the perfect time and headed straight for the edge that had served him well all game to run out with a convincing 21-15 win. The last game in the first half was between Phil Kelly and Peter Collister with the latter recovering from an 8-14 deficit to go 17-14 ahead and then led 20-18 only for Kelly to muster all of his experience to respond with three singles to win 21-20 and leave the match finely poised at 2-2 at the half way stage.

The second half got underway with the excellent floodlights coming into play, it was Dean Kipling who was next off with a 21-8 win over Alan Moore as the former trailed 7-8 to go on a 14 point scoring streak to run out on his opponent playing an edge of the green. Next off was South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves who beat Matthew Keggen 21-11. Chas Grills for the second week running pulled off another great result as he beat Paul Kelly 21-18, with the latter having played the same opponent in the Rayner Shield semi-final and winning 21-5 this was a remarkable turnaround from Grills. The last game off sealed a 4-4 win on games for Marown with John Gelling recovering from a 1-9 deficit and still trailed at 8-14 to kick up a few gears to see the game out with a 21-16 win over James Teare.

The chalks could not have been closer between the teams as South Ramsey edged the aggregate by a solitary chalk (138-139) to win 4-6. The teams have been well matched in head to heads in the league this season, as whilst Marown won 7-3 at South Ramsey earlier this season they also took the aggregate by a solitary chalk. The result extends the northern men’s lead to 11 points over Marown A with four games to play.

Peel A bounced back from their two defeats the previous week to beat Douglas A 7-3 at home as they stayed in contention with an all-important home fixture to come against South Ramsey A. The home team may yet see this as an opportunity missed as they had two losers to 20-21 with Shaun Seal impressing with his win over Andy Kennish having recovered from a 11-20 deficit, while Kevin Firth also inflicted a rare home defeat on Tommy McMeiken. Ian Moore was the other winner for the Villa men as he beat Tom Kelly 21-14. All the home team wins were comfortable for Peel with George Gadsby leading the way with a 21-6 win over Keith Rise, while Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly beat Andy Cannell 21-12 with the latter tasting defeat for only the second time this season.

Castletown A were missing a couple of regulars, despite this they managed a good 9-1 home win against Ballaugh A who are in danger of being cut adrift as they sit nine points from safety.

North Ramsey A are pretty much assured of their first division status for next year following their 7-3 home win over Peel B, with the visitors edging further towards safety as they attempt to retain their top flight status for another season having just come up to Division One.

Noble’s A who are all but mathematically relegated will not have been disheartened by their 4-6 loss at home to Port St Mary A as they lost out on the aggregate by just four chalks (142-146), they will look to find their level in Division Two next year as the club looks to rebuild after a tough year. The positive attitude and efforts from the club members this season has been exemplary.

Onchan A just missed out on a whitewash as they won 9-1 at home to Marown B with Peter Kelly ‘spoiling’ the party as he won 21-19 against Frank Watson.

In Division Two South Ramsey B were quite possibly the biggest winners this week without even playing as the teams around them all dropped points.

Port Erin A went top by a point as they hit 101 points for the season, but may feel this was an opportunity missed as they lost 7-3 away to Finch Hill A who are eight points further back on the Breagle Glen men in fifth place. The Finch men may be a bit too far back to make a long awaited return to Division One with only four games remaining.

Marown C took four vital points off third placed Onchan B, as they were defeated 4-6 at home with the visitors on 99 points, the Onchan men are well placed to return to Division One for the first time since the ‘noughties’.

Castletown B are a bit further back on 94 points, they suffered a mini disaster as they lost 6-4 away to Douglas B, losing out on the aggregate by just two chalks (132-130), while Peel C won 8-2 at home against South Ramsey C.

With the club in its 100th year Port St Mary B played their last ever home match on their current green and they signed off with a 10-0 home over Finch Hill B, with the club now looking to the future with some positive news hopefully to come shortly, with work having already started on clearing the site (see picture). Also pictured is Louis Callister (3rd from right) the clubs oldest member, who has been around for 93 years of the clubs 100 year existence.

In Division Three Onchan C stayed in top spot on 114 points despite suffering a second straight 7-3 away from home to Douglas C.

Ballaugh B won 7-3 at home to Marown D, the home team sit in second place behind Onchan with a game in hand and more importantly with a 14-point lead over third placed Ballaugh C who have played a game more, it should merely be a formality for both teams to be promoted barring a mini disaster.

Elsewhere in Division Three South Ramsey D enjoyed a good week with an 8-2 home win over Douglas C, Castletown C beat Ballaugh C 7-3 at the Crofts, while Port Erin B won 6-4 at home to Peel D.

September Festival Preview

The Isle of Man Bowls Festival gets underway next week with a host of top names from across the game hoping to be the lucky winner who gets their name on the trophy and the winners cheque for £3,000. The event is being held for the first time since September 2019, with three festivals not taken place since then due to the pandemic and border restrictions.

On the first page of the draw five-time winner local man John Kennish is in the draw but unlikely to be taking part, whilst three-time winner Ian Nicholson (Hale) will be looking forward to his return to the island as he goes for win number four.

In the next section is David Jackson (Houghton) who won the coveted trophy in 1998, whilst South Ramsey’s David Bradford was a teenage winner in September 2002, soon after the finals moved from the Villa to Noble’s will be in the mix.

Paul Bailey (Thongsbridge) winner in 2007 and current holder John Bailey (Castlefields) who has two wins to his name from 2017 and 2019 are the stand out names on the next page with a potential match up in the fifth round providing they navigate their way safely through the early rounds.

Alan Gilpin (Hale) won the Festival as far back as 2004 whilst Jack Dyson (Thongsbridge) won more recently in 2019 could face each other in their 2nd round game

The following page is littered with previous winners and big hitters with two-time winner Martin Gilpin (Hale), Callum Wraight (Castlefields) is seeking his first festival win, 1990 winner Kevan Shaw (Red Lion) and Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly (Peel Sunset) whose success came in June 2000 are likely to face off throughout the week.

Dave Phillips (Lloyd Hotel) is the only previous winner in his section of the draw, but there are several names who are more than capable of causing an upset.

Marown’s Neil Withers won the June Festival in 2013, whilst you have to go back a lot further for Onchan’s Phil Kerruish win which was back in 1991, with the two local men possibly facing each other in the 3rd round.

Colin Kelly, who won the Champion of Champions at the famous Waterloo Bowling Green in Blackpool in late September 2019, won the Festival in 2008 and is one of the unlucky few to be in the preliminary round.

Aside from those already mentioned there are some top names from the game, who have won some of the biggest competitions across, whilst others are capable of raising their game to cause an upset.

With six greens in use and several different competitions throughout the week, there is plenty of bowls for everyone it should make for a great week of bowls.

Have a great week!

Moore & Teare Go One Better to Win Sowerbutts Trophy

Port Erin Bowling Club hosted the F.M. Sowerbutts Memorial Trophy Mixed Doubles on Bank Holiday Monday. The competition was well supported.

Bowing out at the semi-final stage were Marown Pair Debbie Leece & Neil Withers to Elaine Moore & Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey), whilst in the other semi-final it was an all-South Ramsey affair with club mates Fiona Kennish and Steven Waters who were beaten by Jenny Moore & James Teare.

In a repeat of the 2020 final Jenny and James got off to the better start with Elaine and Glynn the current holders of the trophy taking the first end then lying four in the corner only for James to play a great counting bowl. From there Jenny and James took control of the game to go into a 16-6 lead. Elaine and Glynn got back in to score a single, a four in the corner and another single to pull the deficit back to 12-16 to threaten a comeback. With the comeback on Jenny and James responded with two singles and a double to go 20-12 ahead and then conceded a single. On the last end Jenny and James were counting two, with Elaine being slightly unlucky with her last bowl connecting with the jack but carrying it through to Jenny’s bowl to secure the one point they needed to take a 21-13 victory and in doing so went one better than the previous year.

The presentation was made by Janet Shilling who thanked everyone who had entered, the club members for their support & providing the refreshments. In his speech James thanked Port Erin for running the competition along with Janet Shilling for sponsoring the competition in memory of her father.

Cooper & Roberts Win Maddrell Mixed Doubles

On Sunday Ballaugh Bowling Club held the Maddrell Mixed Doubles. There were 36 pairs entered, the weather being fine but generally cloudy perfect for playing bowls.

In the top half of the draw the first quarter final was Grace Gawne (Onchan) & Kevin Firth (Douglas) against Paula Firth (Onchan) & Sid Bolton (South Ramsey). Paula & Sid took an early lead which they kept winning 21-15. The second quarter final was between Rebecca Teare (Marown) & Nathan Hamilton (Castletown) and South Ramsey’s Elaine Moore & Glynn Hargraves. A high scoring game after nine ends it was 15-12 to Elaine & Glynn they then scored another four chalks to reach 19. They then lost the jack and in 5 ends Rebecca & Nathan reached 21 with a final score 21-19.

In the bottom half of the draw the third quarter final was between Tina Hampson (Onchan) & Dave Naughton (Nobles) and Clare Cooper (Marown) & Wayne Roberts (Port St. Mary). Clare and Wayne scored steadly to win 21-13. The final quarter final was Philippa Taylor (Marown) & Alec Taylor (Peel Sunset) and Sue Gawne (Onchan) & Andy Kennish (Peel Sunset). Another steadily scoring game saw Philippa & Alec win 21-14.

Both semi finals were one sided affairs, with the same score 21-9, Rebecca & Nathan beat Paula and Sid, while Clare & Wayne beat Philippa and Alec to go through to the final where Cooper & Roberts were the winners 21-11.

At the conclusion Club Captain & Sponsor John Maddrell thanked everyone for supporting the event Matt Moffatt, the green keeper for preparing the green, Pat Mason and her team of ladies for the catering plus John Bolton, Dickie Watson and Paul Davies for the barbeque. John also thanked Richard Faragher, Maurice O’Reilly & Trevor Jones for running the competition so efficiently.

South Ramsey A Secure Rayner Shield

The highlight of the men’s team calendar, the Rayner Shield final sponsored by Canada Life International was held at the Villa (Douglas Bowling Club) on Thursday evening between Peel A and South Ramsey A on a superb playing surface. The northern men who are currently top of the league started as favourites, with Peel being the current holders of the Shield. For the third year running both captains agreed to do the draw ahead of the night, this once again generated considerable interest with a fantastic crowd in attendance on a fine evening for bowls.

First off the green with a win for South Ramsey was David Bradford, who is enjoying a fine season built up a 12-4 lead over Tommy McMeiken. Bradford maintained the lead to win 21-12. Next off was veteran Chas Grills who caused a mini upset with his game finely poised at 17-17 against Peel captain Gary Smith, with Grills running out to record a 21-17 win to put South Ramsey 2-0 ahead on games.

The last two games from the first half went to the wire and gave Peel some real hope with Dave ‘Barney’ getting over the line against South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves, with Kelly recovering from falling behind several times in the game with the latter playing crucial reaching bowls throughout to stay in the game and to eventually win 21-20.

Within 15 seconds of the third game finishing the match was level at 2-2 on games with George Gadsby playing an unbelievable last bowl against James Teare with the latter fighting back from a 15-19 deficit and counting for two at 20-20. Gadsby played a perfect bowl to count for game and snatch a crucial 21-20 win.

The match appeared to be finely balanced, however hope soon faded for the western men with South Ramsey taking big leads in the final four games as Dave’ Dido’ Kelly took a 15-7 lead over Andy Kennish, whilst Dido’s son Stefan Kelly stormed into a 15-3 lead against Peter Greenlees with both father and son playing their renowned corner to crown and back marks brilliantly. Alan Moore and Stevie Kelly was the last match on with Moore quick out of the blocks taking a 9-0 lead.

With three games falling heavily in the Ramsey men’s favour there was a sense of lost hope for Peel, with the fifth game on the green between Peter Collister and Tom Kelly coming to a conclusion with the score at 20-18 to Collister who finished the game off by playing a brilliant length bowl for South Ramsey to lead 3-2.

With enough points on the board for South Ramsey it was a case of when the win would be officially secured, this came fairly quickly with Dido Kelly capping off a fine performance as he beat Andy Kennish 21-7 to secure the Rayner Shield win on the night and the clubs fifth win overall.

Dido’s son Stefan ensured the outright win on games as he kept his focus to see the game out with a superb 21-9 win over Greenlees to put the match score at 5-2.

The last game on the green between Alan Moore and Stevie Kelly became difficult, with both players knowing the match was over, however this didn’t stop the game from going to the wire with Kelly recovering from a 0-9 deficit to lead 17-12 and then 20-14, only for Moore to respond with three quick-fire doubles and was counting one for game only for Kelly to play a good last bowl to secure Peel’s third 21-20 win of the night.

The result cannot be argued with South Ramsey winning three games comfortably, whilst winning the other two games to 17 and 18, with all three of South Ramsey’s defeats being to 20 the northern men also won by 39 chalks (165-126).

The presentation was made by competition committee officer Steve Moore, who thanked Canada Life International for their continued sponsorship of the competition and Douglas Bowling club members for assisting throughout the evening. Association President John Ryder was then introduced to present the Rayner Shield to South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves who congratulated his team, offered commiserations to Peel, thanked their green keeper for preparing a superb surface and to everyone who had turned up to watch.

Results
Photo: Arnie Withers

All to Play For – Marown A Make Their Move

In Ellan Vannin Fuels Division One the match of the week was undoubtedly the game at Crosby between Marown A and Peel A with the home team starting the match two points behind their opponents. The Crosby men made home advantage count as they reversed the result from the away fixture to win 8-2. The two winners for the visitors were Tom Kelly who stormed home 21-5 against Juan Killip, while George Gadsby just got over the line 21-20 against Matthew Keggen. Just losing out 19-21 were Peter Greenlees and Andy Kennish to Phil Kelly and Paul Kelly respectively. For the home team Neil Withers impressed with his 21-9 win over Tommy McMeiken, Colin Kelly beat Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly 21-10, while the two captains Paul Dunn and Gary Smith were up against each other with Dunn winning 21-15. John Gelling also picked up a win for his team as he beat Stevie Kelly 21-16. Marown have now crept up to second place and are well positioned for the run in with four of their five fixtures on their home green.

Noble’s A hosted league leaders South Ramsey A who extended their league with a 1-9 victory. Lone winner for the Noble’s men was Mark ‘Postie’ Quinn who delivered a resounding 21-12 win over Stefan Kelly. Next highest scorer for the home team was Sam Stannard-Duke who lost 14-21 against South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves. Winning to single figures for the visitors were Peter Collister, David Bradford, James Teare and Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly. Whilst South have a nine point lead they know all too well that a tough run in with away fixtures to Marown A, Peel A and Douglas A, their lead could soon slip away.

Peel B took one step closer to safety as they won 7-3 at home to Port St Mary A. For Peel captain Paul ‘Pooky’ Quirk won 21-9 against Will Cain, with team mate Dave Smith claiming the biggest win of the night 21-5 against Paul Russell. Port lost two games to 20-21 with Ray Watterson and Tom Collins on the wrong end of the result to Brian Lindsay and Robert Middleton respectively. For Port Robbie Cooil beat Michael Kavanagh 21-14, Wayne Roberts eased to a 21-11 win over Gordon Corrin, while Trevor Quayle had to fight for his 21-19 win over David Proctor.

Onchan A kept visitors Ballaugh A under 100 points as the visitors were well beaten 9-1. The only Ballaugh winner was Richard Hainge who is playing his first season in the top division with Hainge pulling off a stunning 21-11 win over Reginald Temporaza, who has proved a tough opponent for many bowlers this season. Four home winners ran out with single figure wins from Frank Watson, Phil Kerruish, Jordan Cain and Kevin Quirk.

North Ramsey A and Marown B battled it out at Mooragh Park with the home team winning 6-4 with only eight chalks separating the teams (145-137). The wins from the home team were comfortable. For the visitors Steve Wilson stepped in for the Crosby men, he impressed with his 21-15 win over Geoff Porter, Glenn Boland beat captain Gary Merrill 21-12, while John Kelly won 21-20 against Allan Callow.

Castletown A had a solid 7-3 home win over Douglas A. Winning for the visitors were the in-form Andy Cannell and Shaun Seal with comfortable wins, while Jimmy Sansom beat Town captain Ian Watson 21-19. Bob Clark recorded the best win for the home team with his 21-9 win over Merv Sayle, with Sam Clague, Nathan Hamilton and Aaron Richardson also taking good wins, while Dean Kinley beat Kevin Firth 21-19 in a close game.

In Division Two league leaders South Ramsey B bounced back from the previous weeks’ poor result as they won 10-0 at home to Finch Hill B with the result never in doubt with the highest scoring Finch Hill players reached 15 chalks. The visitors scored 65 chalks overall on the night, not helped by being a man short.

Port Erin A helped their cause for promotion with a good 8-2 win at Breagle Glen over Castletown B with three single figure wins from Peter Addison, Seamus Whelan and Harry Minor, whilst their other three wins they had to work for as Bernie Durcan beat Ross Moore 21-18, Ken Horsley won 21-19 against Ron Williams, while Derek Cadamy just snatched a 21-20 win against Peter Oates. The two losses for Port Erin could also have gone the other way with David Cain losing 19-21 to Collin Holland and Derek Allen was beat 20-21 by George Foy.

Onchan B are seven points further back on the league leaders with a game in hand following their 4-6 away win over Douglas B. The result could just as easily have ended up 2-8 to Onchan as they lost two games 20-21 with Will Penhallurick and Mike Kelly losing to William Cowley and Rob Matthews respectively. The match was one of the highest scoring games of the season with just five chalks separating the teams (149-154).

Port St Mary B had a tough time at home as they lost 2-8 to South Ramsey C. Their two winners were Peter Collins who beat Paul Routledge 21-15 and Derek Cain who won 21-10 against Tony Marler, while Nick Peterson lost 20-21 to South Ramsey captain Tony Hart. The visitors had two single figures winners with James Evans beating Andy Sykes 21-5, with team mate Andy Morgan winning 21-9 against Ray Maddrell.

Marown C carried the feel good factor from the Rayner Plate final into their home fixture with Peel C, with Walter McCarthy beating Phillip Clarke 21-2, Kevin Kelly won 21-17 against Alan Cromwell with captain Stephen Rundle having to dig deep to beat Harry Kelly 21-20. Winning for Peel were Mike Ashmole as he beat Jamie Joughin 21-14, while Kevin Mort beat Stephen Storey 21-16.

In Division Three Onchan C stayed in top spot with a five-point lead despite losing 7-3 away to Ballaugh B. The northern team do have a game in hand on the leaders and are well placed to return to the top of the league.

Port Erin B and Marown D played out a 5-5 draw at Breagle Glen as the visitors only won three games but took the chalks courtesy of a walkover which resulted in them taking the aggregate by just four chalks (133-137).

South Ramsey D lost 4-6 at home to Ballaugh C. For the Ballaugh men Nigel Tebay was relentless with his 21-2 win over Robert Snape. For the home team Jay Moore was the best winner as be won 21-8 against his Uncle Gordie Moore, while Junior player Ryan Hargraves recovered from a 11-18 deficit to run out with a 21-18 win over Richard Green.

Peel D kept visitors Douglas C to just 92 chalks as then won 8-2, thanks to three single figure wins, with Douglas getting one single figure win as Greg Brew won 21-8 against Owen Crompton.

Douglas D lost 3-7 at home to Noble’s B losing the aggregate by just six chalks (140-146). The home team wins came from Nick Firth, Juan Readshaw and David Cowley.

MOORAGH PARK SHINE AT PEEL

In the Ladies Crown Green Bowling Open Age League, Mooragh Park recovered from their defeat last week with a good 7-2 away win at Peel on Friday night. Result was helped by Mooragh’s junior ladies bowling well with Shannon McMullan, Victoria Johnson and Aalish Howarth winning to 8, 16 and 15 respectively with their youngest bowler, Lacey McMullan, losing to 18 against Celia Smith. Closest game was between Louise Horsfall (Peel) and Pat Lenton with the latter winning to 19. Ballaugh also played well away to Castletown B winning by 42 points. Michelle Cubbon, Louise Tebay and Cath Harvey (Ballaugh) all won to single figures, as did Rachel Palmer for Castletown B. Toughest games of the night pitched Pat Rigby, Joy Stephens and Ann Hollingworth (Castletown) against Maria Dinsdale, Christine McDonald and Barbara Graham with Pat winning to 19, Joy to 20 and Barbara to 18. 

In the ladies Over 60s league on Tuesday morning, Port St Mary home derby resulted in a full house for the ‘A’ team ladies. Four of the six games were all won to single figures with the closest result being a 21-15 win for Mavis Franks against Chris Holland.  Castletown A played host to Onchan A and although the match finished three all on games, Castletown won by 12 points. Peel also had a good home win against Mooragh Park A only dropping five points. Given these results and with both Peel and Onchan A having a game in hand, the title is still up for grabs. 

CASTLETOWN A LEAD THE WAY IN THE OVER 60S AND OPEN AGE LEAGUES

With only six league matches left to play in the Over 60s ladies league it couldn’t be closer at the top of the leader board with only 80 points separating first and third. Currently Castletown A are in first place, followed by Peel and then Port St Mary A. Castletown’s lead was greatly helped by a five-one win at home to their B team. It could have been a full house, but preventing this was Pat Rigby who won 21-20 against Barbara Young. Port St Mary A kept up the pressure with a good away at Peel. All games went into double figures with the closest game being Mary Moffatt against Trish Bull with Mary running out 21-18.  

In the Open Age league, with only five fixtures remaining, there is a similar picture evolving as above with Castletown A currently in the lead followed by Port St Mary and then Marown A; a total of only 228 points separating first and third. Castletown A extended their lead slightly with a home win against Peel last Friday night. Kim Foy, Alison Kearsley and Tracy Moore, with Terri Berry for Peel all won their games to single figures. Port St Mary, keeping up the pressure, also had a good away win at Marown B. Closest game was between Helen Withers (Marown) and Trish Bull with the latter winning to 20. Marown A travelled to the Mooragh Park coming away with a good six-three win having to give a game away due to being a player short.