The Islands premier doubles competition was hosted by South Ramsey Bowling Club on Sunday on a tricky green in scorching weather. The competition was played 21 up off a handicap of +3 for all competitors. The event was well supported with 26 pairs entering in a bid to win the coveted title.

In one half of the draw it was an all South Ramsey affair as Tony Hart and Lee Dawson lost 15-21 to John Kennish and Alan Moore, while Jordan Cain and Bob Clark seen off David Bradford and Glynn Hargraves 21-12. In the other half of the draw Derek Allen (Port Erin) and Alec Taylor had their challenge ended by Marown pair Neil Withers and Paul Dunn 10-21, whilst Peel pair Stevie Kelly and Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly edged a tough battle with Marown’s John Gelling and Phil Kelly 21-18.

Dunn and Withers didn’t get off to the best of starts against the Kelly’s, who they faced in the 2020 and 2021 finals as they trailed 3-8 in their semi-final, before going on to keep their opponents to just four more singles as the Marown men ran out 21-12 winners. The other semi-final also had Kennish and Moore jump into a 10-3 lead against Cain and Clark, who bounced back with two four’s to tie the game at 11-11 after six ends. The game was keenly contested from there, with the score at 18-17 to Cain and Clark a three secured their place in the final with a 21-17 win.

Cain and Clark got off to a flier to lead 11-3 with five ends played, only for Dunn and Withers to pick up their first point on a tight measure. A change in the playing order saw Withers go to the front as he took the jack. The South Ramsey duo immediately responded with a two to lead 13-4. From there the Marown pair found their length and with it restricted their opponents to one more scoring end as they scored six doubles and five singles over 12 ends to win the title for a third successive year, following their wins at Port St Mary in 2020 and Peel in 2021.

The presentation was made by Association Competition Committee Officer Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, who thanked South Ramsey Bowling Club for preparing the green and their members for providing refreshments and helpers throughout the day, along with Wayne Roberts for the smooth running of the competition.

The final of the 3R’s Limited sponsored Rayner Plate took place at Finch Hill Bowling Green on Friday evening in fine conditions, with both teams looking to etch their name into the history books with Division Two Side Noble’s A (+45) taking on first division team North Ramsey A (+15).

The Mooragh Park men were favourites on the night, however they would have been wary of their opponents who have formed a good team bond, as the club continues to rebuild.

North Ramsey got off to a solid start with Rob Monk and Allan Callow both winning 21-7 against Mark Quinn and Martyn Hobson respectively to quickly reduce a 30 chalk deficit to just two two chalks. Paul Allison was next off for North as he had to battle for a 21-17 victory over Juan Qualtrough, with captain Gary Merrill following with a hard earned 21-19 win over Yates to put North Ramsey four chalks ahead (99-95) at the halfway stage.

In the second half of the match the next two blocks off went in favour of Noble’s with Mark Bradshaw performing well to beat Brian Colquitt 21-19. The next game off was Jim Callister who at one point led 18-3 and was lying two against Adrian Skinner only for the latter to pull out a huge bowl which completely changed the complexion of the match. Skinner dug deep to pick up another 15 chalks, with Callister not doing a lot wrong as he eventually won 21-18. At this point Noble’s had just edged ahead by one chalk.

With the last two blocks on the green, Dave Naughton led 18-15 against Steve Walmsley, with John Cannan leading 18-13 against last minute stand-in Steve Hampson. Walmsley managed to get over the line thanks to two doubles followed by two singles to claim a 21-18 win over Naughton to put the Ramsey men two chalks ahead. John Cannan only needed to get to 19 against Steve Hampson to secure the win on the night, as his team had already won five games. Cannan managed to see the game out with a 21-15 win, with Hampson performing well in the second half of the match having recovered from a 0-10 deficit to put up a decent fight.

Whilst a lot of the plaudits must go to North Ramsey who picked up their second Rayner Plate following their last win in this competition in 2005, a special mention to Noble’s who put up a fantastic fight on the night to make for a good final. The Noble’s team can take pride in their performance as they continue to rebuild having nearly collapsed on more than one occasion over the past few years, the club still has another final to look forward to in the Mixed Plate competition later this month. The presentation was made by Competition Committee Officer Wayne Roberts, who thanked Finch Hill Bowling Club for the use of the green and for their hospitality, whilst also mentioning how well the handicap system had worked to make for a good final. Rob Matthews from 3R’s Limited then presented the trophy to the North Ramsey captain Gary Merrill, who offered his commiserations to Noble’s and complimented them on how far they had come with the challenges they have faced.

North Ramsey A	+15	+45	Noble’s A
Rob Monk	21	7	Mark Quinn
Allan Callow	21	7	Martyn Hobson
Paul Allison	21	17	Juan Qualtrough
Gary Merrill	21	19	Alex Yates
Brian Colquitt	19	21	Mark Bradshaw
Adrian Skinner	18	21	Jim Callister
Steve Walmsley	21	18	Dave Naughton
John Cannan	21	15	Steve Hampson
6 Games Won	178	170	2 Games Won

In Canada Life International Division One this week Marown A hosted long time league leaders South Ramsey A at Crosby as they looked to avenge their 8-2 away defeat earlier in the season and a 5-3 defeat in the Rayner Shield Final on Friday evening. The northern team started the match four points ahead of their opponents.

South Ramsey struck the first blow of the night with visiting captain Glynn Hargraves winning 21-7 against Phil Kelly. Neil Withers hit back with a solid 21-15 win over Dido Kelly, while team mate Colin Kelly performed well to see off Bob Clark 21-9, with the score at 11-9 to Kelly a 10-chalk streak got him over the line, whilst Marown captain Paul Dunn had a convincing 21-12 victory over Stefan Kelly as he gained immediate revenge for Friday’s Rayner Shield result.

In the second half of the match Paul Kelly trailed 15-16 against James Teare, with the former running out with a 21-16 win. Another matchup from Friday saw Peter Jones claim a 21-19 win over David Bradford with Jones performing well to reverse Friday’s result. South Ramsey did pick up their second win of the night with Peter Collister recording a good 21-13 victory over Dean Kipling, while Harry Barton ensured it was an unhappy trip home for the visitors as he sealed an 8-2 victory for his team with a nail-biting 21-20 win over Jordan Cain. Just 13 chalks separated the teams (146-133) on the night. Marown now sit top, two points ahead of South Ramsey with just four games left to play the title is now within their grasp.

Perhaps the surprise result of the night was Port St Mary A with their visit to take on Onchan A, as they recorded a 4-6 away victory over the Onchan men. Two single figure wins to 21-8 from Paul Skelly and Tim Williams over Sid McKnight and Neil Dunwell respectively was enough to seal the aggregate by seven chalks (132-139), along with a good performance from Nathan Hamilton who beat Andy Kennish 21-13. Dan McCabe picked up their fourth win as he held off Mike Thomas 21-19. For Onchan Reginald Temporaza performed well as he beat Trevor Quayle 21-14, with Kevin Quirk seeing off Wayne Roberts 21-12.

Not far behind in causing an upset on Monday were Castletown A who beat Marown B 5-3 on games but lost the aggregate by five chalks (138-143) to ensure the Crosby men didn’t go away with a defeat to leave the result 5-5 on the night. The chalks for Marown were helped massively by John Gelling with his 21-5 win over Chris Lever doing the damage to the Town men. Glenn Boland impressed with a 21-12 victory over Mark Moorley, while captain Darren Kerruish beat Juan Kermode 21-16. Winning for Town were Peter Oates as he beat Brian Kelly 21-13, with Nathan Cooil seeing off Jerome Surridge 21-18, while Ron Williams got home 21-19 against Karl Parker.

Peel A were just five chalks off recording a 10-0 win at home to North Ramsey A, with Gary Merrill beating Geoff Rice 21-18 for the visitors, with team mate Rob Monk winning 21-19 against George Gadsby. For Peel two 21-6 wins from Dean Kinley and Tommy McMeiken helped their cause, while Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly was pushed the hardest with his 21-17 win over John Cannan.

Douglas A hosted Peel B at the Villa, with the home advantage being used to good effect with a 9-1 win. Gordon Corrin was the lone winner for the visitors as he beat Alistair Lothian 21-3. For the Villa men Kevin Firth beat Michael Kavanagh 21-6, while Keith Rise won 21-9 against Dougie Allan.

The bottom two teams faced off at Breagle Glen on Monday night with the home team Port Erin A getting the better of Onchan B 6-4, however the result did neither team any favours in their bid to get out of trouble. David Cain trounced Bernie McPhee 21-1, with Bernie Durcan winning 21-6 against Colin Spence. For the visitors Mark Kelly was their best winner as he beat Derek Allen 21-9.

In Division Two South Ramsey B now have a 17-point advantage over second placed Ballaugh A, following their 10-0 home win over Onchan C on a tricky home green. Three of their players are in a battle for the individual merit with Tony Dugdale, Alan Moore and Bryan Corner occupying the top three spots. 

It is a two-way fight for second place after third placed Marown C closed the gap to second by a point following their8-2 home win over Castletown B, while Ballaugh A came away from Breagle Glen with a 3-7 win over Port St Mary B.

Elsewhere Peel C slipped to a 4-6 home defeat to South Ramsey C, losing the aggregate by 4 chalks (140-144), Finch Hill A came away from Noble’s Park with a 3-7 win over Noble’s A, while Ballaugh B won 7-3 at home as they edged the chalks (141-137) to take the aggregate.

In Division Three the top two clashed at Mooragh Park, with North Ramsey B seeing off Noble’s B 9-1 to all but end the visitors hopes of winning the league. Phil Salmon prevented the whitewash with a 21-17 win over Geoff Porter. 

Marown D couldn’t fully capitalise on the heavy defeat inflicted on Noble’s B, however they did win 4-6 away to Finch Hill B to close the gap by five points to sit just three points off second spot. Jay Waters stayed firmly in the hunt for the individual merit with a 21-17 win over Peter Woods.

Elsewhere South Ramsey D returned to winning ways with a good 8-2 home win over Peel D, while Castletown C took five games off Douglas C at the Crofts with young bowlers Junior Keggen and Sam Quayle both impressing with 21-13 wins over David Beynon and Ashley Halsall respectively. The Villa men won the aggregate by 10 chalks (129-139) to secure a 5-5 draw on the night.

Mixed Team Championship

South Ramsey A topped Group A to make it six wins out of six, as they beat Onchan A 8-1 at home by 80 chalks (181-101).

North Ramsey A signed off their campaign with a 7-2 home win over Castletown A, as they won by 43 chalks (181-138).

In Group B Marown A also kept up their 100% win record, as they won 2-7 in their away fixture with Douglas A, winning by 27 chalks on the night (138-175).

Port St Mary A and Port Erin A clashed at Breagle Glen, with the PSM team taking six individual victories and winning by 29 chalks (177-148).

Mixed Team Plate

In Group A Noble’s dodged a heavy defeat away to Peel to top the group in their 5-4 defeat as they lost out by just six chalks. With both teams finishing on 10 points a superior chalks for and against for Noble’s was enough to reach the final.

Castletown B signed off with a 6-3 win over North Ramsey B, taking the chalks by 38 (158.120).

In Group B Ballaugh marched on to top the Group with 12 points following their 9-0 win away to Marown B, although the Crosby Team did score well (126-189).

South Ramsey B also finished the group with a win by the smallest of margins (152-153) as they beat Douglas B at the Villa. The home team could take some consolation as they won 5-4 on games.

South Ramsey A now face Marown A in the final of the Championship, while Noble’s take on Ballaugh in the Plate final on Wednesday 24^th August with the venue to be confirmed.

The Isle of Man Team took part in the 2022 BCGBA Senior Supplementary County Championship which was held on Sunday at Fox Lane, Leyland with the team returning to this format of the competition after last playing in it in 2014, having played in the Crosfield Cup in 2015 and 2016 the men have not had the opportunity to represent the Island for six years in a team competition.

Drawn in Group 1, as expected the opposition was tough with South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire awaiting.

In the first round of matches the eight man team were up against South Yorkshire, with the Manx men drawing 4-4 on games with Jordan Cain, Bob Clark, Neil Withers and Matthew Quirk all winning, with the latter the best winner. Paul Dunn just missed out 20-21 as the team lost out by just 12 chalks (142-154).

In their second round match Greater Manchester were the opposition, once again they managed to win four individual games with the winners being Jordan Cain, Bob Clark, Paul Dunn and Neil Withers with the latter winning 21-8. Losing out in close games were Glynn Hargraves (19), Colin Kelly (18) and Matthew Quirk (15) as they lost this one by a margin of just four chalks (145-149).

In their final match they faced Cheshire. The team didn’t let their heads drop after two narrow defeats as this time out they dug deep to pick up a 5-3 victory on games and ultimately win the all important chalks as they won by a healthy margin of 23 chalks (140-117) to pick up two points for the victory. Individual wins to single figures arrived from David Bradford and Bob Clark, while Colin Kelly, Jordan Cain and Neil Withers also won.

South Yorkshire ended up topping the group, going on to the reach the final where they came up against Derbyshire who prevailed in Group 2, in a group that included Potteries, Cumbria and North Midlands. In the final South Yorkshire edged out Derbyshire as they won by just five chalks (145-140) to take the title home.

The Isle of Man Team who were managed by Phil Kerruish and assisted by Juan Kermode finished in a very respectable second place in the group to match their best performance in this competition, as they also finished +7 on aggregate chalks to show they can compete with other counties. In the first two rounds of matches they lost out by 16 chalks – just two chalks a man to show the very fine margins between victory and defeat.

To put this into perspective the Isle of Man have just 13 bowling greens available on the Island, with a limited pool of bowlers to choose from. Whilst other counties have hundreds of greens to play on and thousands of bowlers to pick from, it could well be argued that the Isle of Man are punching above their weight.

A great team effort overall, with Jordan Cain, Bob Clark and Neil Withers each winning all three games played on the day. The day can be considered a success for the Island Team, who demonstrated a good team spirit and togetherness as they went unbeaten on match games in all three rounds. Thanks must also go to everyone who helped organise the trip.

The 3R’s Limited Rayner Shield final was held at Castletown Bowling Club on Friday evening, between South Ramsey A and Marown A, with the current top two teams on the Island going head to head, with many neutrals predicting a 4-4 result with the match to be decided on chalks.

As now is commonplace for team finals both captains agreed to do the draw ahead of the match, with a short video of the draw put together to generate a bit of interest. This appeared to pay off with over 120 spectators in attendance to watch events unfold, on a fine evening for bowls with fantastic support for both teams.

First off the green for South Ramsey was captain Glynn Hargraves who was 4-4 early in the game with Sam Clague. Hargraves went on a good run against Clague who scored just one more point as the South Ramsey man changed the mark played every end to win 21-5. Next off to level things up on games was Marown’s top man Colin Kelly who was up against Dido Kelly with the Marown man leading 12-3 in the corners Dido played well to fight back to 11-12, only for another good run from Colin in the corners resulted in a 21-13 win for the Crosby man.

Marown went 2-1 ahead thanks to Dean Kipling who led 14-8 against James Teare, with both players scoring seven chalks each from there this was enough for Kipling to win 21-15. The last match of the first half was a blockbuster of a game between Manx Champion David Bradford and new signing Peter Jones, with the latter being familiar with the Castletown green having played in the Ballacashtal many times over the years. The big difference in this game was Bradford was able to score a double on five occasions, with Jones scoring two doubles Bradford edged home 21-17 in a good quality game. At the half way stage it was 2-2 on games with South Ramsey ahead by just five chalks (69-64).

In the second half of the match the two new South Ramsey players proved their determination to pick up their first Rayner Shield win with their new team as Bob Clark surged into a 13-5 lead against Phil Kelly, Clark performed well on his former home green to win 21-12. Jordan Cain performed brilliantly on the night as he went 20-7 ahead against Neil Withers, with the latter having to play a lot of reaching bowls just to stay in the game. Three quickfire doubles from Withers pulled the score back to 13-20 as he threatened to get a run of ends together. A great last bowl from Cain secured a good 21-13 victory to put South Ramsey 4-2 up on games and 22 chalks ahead (111-89).

The match was effectively over at this point with both of the remaining games for South Ramsey well into double figures, with Peter Collister trailing Paul Kelly 13-14 the South Ramsey man went 16-14 ahead only for Kelly to run out with a 21-16 win as he scored seven chalks over four ends. The last game of the night saw Stefan Kelly who was perhaps the underdog in his game with Marown captain Paul Dunn, yet Kelly put in a good performance playing corner to crown and back to lead 9-3. Dunn responded brilliantly hitting some good strikes as he went into the lead 17-16 by end 28. Kelly kept his composure and refocused to score five consecutive singles to win 21-17, with the result sealing a 5-3 victory (chalks 148-127) for South Ramsey and ultimately proving to be a good confidence boost for Kelly.

The presentation was made by competition committee officer Steve Moore, who thanked Rob Matthews from 3R’s Limited for sponsoring the competition, Castletown Bowling Club for the use of the green and their club members for assisting throughout the evening. Rob Matthews of 3R’s Limited was then introduced to present the Rayner Shield to South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves, who offered his commiserations to Marown and congratulated his side for a superb team performance. South Ramsey’s win sees them take their sixth win in the competition, along with retaining the title they picked up last season.

South Ramsey A			Marown A
David Bradford	21	17	Peter Jones
Dido Kelly	12	21	Colin Kelly
Glynn Hargraves	21	5	Sam Clague
James Teare	15	21	Dean Kipling
Bob Clark	21	12	Phil Kelly
Jordan Cain	21	13	Neil Withers
Peter Collister	16	21	Paul Kelly
Stefan Kelly	21	17	Paul Dunn
5 Games Won	148	127	3 Games Won

In Canada Life International Sponsored Division One this week fourth placed Marown B stunned their nearest league rivals Onchan A at Crosby with the home team winning 9-1 to close the gap on the Onchan men to just seven points. For Marown Matthew Keggen was the only single figure winner as he beat Neil Dunwell 21-9, with Jerome Surridge beating Phil Kerruish 21-17, Brian Kelly won 21-18 against Reg Temporaza while John Gelling had to use all his home green knowledge to see off Kevin Quirk 21-19. Matthew Quirk was the lone winner for Onchan, as he beat Glenn Boland 21-15.

South Ramsey A had a short trip down the road as they took on local rivals North Ramsey A at Mooragh Park on a wet and blustery evening. After the first half of the match the score was 2-2, with Paul Allison having a superb last two ends against Stefan Kelly to win 21-20, while John Cannan beat James Teare. It could have been a lot worse as David Bradford held his nerve to beat Steve Walmsley 21-20. In the second half South Ramsey dominated as they won three games comfortably, with Peter Collister pushed the furthest by Adrian Skinner who lost out 18-21 to ensure the league leaders took a solid 2-8 win on the night.

Second placed Marown A had their away game with Douglas A rearranged to Wednesday evening due to a waterlogged Villa green, however they ended the week matching the league leaders with their own 2-8 away win. All of the away wins for Marown were comfortable with 15 the highest their losers could get to. The two winners for Douglas were Keith Rise who beat Neil Withers 21-18, while Gordon Wynne-Smythe also won 21-18 against Harry Barton. Marown A now host South Ramsey A at Crosby on Monday night as they look to close the gap.

Onchan B slipped to a heavy 1-9 home defeat to Peel A, with Dave Smith the best winner for the Peel Men as he won 21-1 against Mike Kelly. Preventing the whitewash was Steve Parker who edged home 21-19 against Michael Kavanagh.

Peel B look a good bet to remain in the top division as they beat Castletown A 7-3 at home. Peel captain Paul Quirk beat Juan Kermode 21-11, with Robert Middleton their best winner as he won 21-6 against Derek Lewney. All three wins for Castletown from Ian Watson, Ron Williams and Mark Moorley were to a 21-15 score line.

With just five games left to play Port Erin A are barring a miracle heading for an immediate return to Division Two, as they are 25 points from safety following their 10-0 defeat to Port St Mary A at Breagle Glen. David Cain and Bernie Durcan were the best scorers in their 17-21 defeats to Dan McCabe and Tom Collins respectively. Trevor Quayle was the best winner 21-5 against Steve Durcan.

In Division Two league leaders South Ramsey B show no signs of relenting as they beat bottom team Ballaugh B 9-1 at home, with the visitors needing to pick up some good results soon with just five matches left to play.

Marown C suffered a huge upset the following night with a strong South Ramsey C Team winning 9-1 at home. The experienced Peter Kelly was the only winner as he beat Anthony Kelly 21-11, while his son John just lost out 20-21 to Christian Caley. For the home team captain Tony Hart won 21-8 against 2021 Rayner Plate hero Stuey Clague.

Ballaugh A reclaimed second spot from Marown B thanks to their 8-2 home win over Noble’s A. John Keenan handed out a tough lesson to Jim Callister with the latter slipping to a 21-1 defeat. The two winners for Noble’s were Alex Yates who beat Barry McDonald 21-12, a score matched by Martyn Hobson who seen off Gordie Moore.

The closest match in Division Two was between Onchan C and Port St Mary B at the Park with the visitors coming away with a 4-6 win. The Port men won the crucial two-point aggregate following a 4-4 draw on games courtesy of two 21-9 wins from Derek Cain and Ken Karran who beat Brian Aspden and Kelvin McNicholl respectively.

Castletown B recorded a solid 8-2 home win over Douglas B, while Finch Hill A beat Peel C 7-3 at home as they snatched the aggregate by just one chalk (142-141).

League leaders North Ramsey B aren’t home and dry just yet in Division Three, after their 3-7 away win over Peel D. Ian Gray impressed for Peel as he beat Tony Smart 21-12, while Andy Jackson just edged it 21-20 against John Corteen. For the Mooragh men their best winner was Brian Colquitt who beat Charlie McMeiken 21-11.

Second placed Noble’s B closed the gap on the league leaders by two points as they beat Ballaugh C 9-1 at home. Just missing out on a 10-0 win with Paul Cubbon beating Michael Johnson 21-19. Three single figures victories from Terry Bates, Ciaran Broad and Stephen Corkill, along with a 21-14 win from junior bowler Alex Hampson helped their cause on the night. Noble’s still have a game in hand on North Ramsey as they look to close the gap further.

Third placed Marown D needed a better result than their 7-3 home win over Castletown C to make up ground on the teams above them. Richard Bregazzi was their best winner as he beat Gerry Bradley 21-2, while individual merit leader Jay Waters stayed on course with a 21-8 victory. Juan Drinkwater was the best winner for the visitors with a 21-6 victory over Keith Watterson.

Finch Hill B recorded a solid 8-2 home win over Douglas D with Sam Stannard-Duke, John Harris and Peter Woods all winning to single figures. For Villa Clark Kelly impressed with a 21-17 win over Guy Smith.

The final match of the week was between Douglas C and South Ramsey D at the Villa, with the home team winning 8-2. John Ferguson recorded his first ever 21-0 win in the league to hand out a tough lesson to Ryan Hargraves, while Nick Firth beat Frank Feeney 21-9. Captain Franz ten Donkelaar tried to show his team the way with a 21-6 win over Trevor Latus, however Chris Brown was their only other winner as he beat Ashley Halsall 21-20.