The Plumbmaster Limited Rayner Shield final between South Ramsey A and Marown C was held at Noble’s Bowling Club on Friday evening on a superb playing surface. The draw took place 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. League leaders South Ramsey were the clear favourites on the night, however the Marown men would have been hoping to pull off a huge upset.

First off the green for South Ramsey was Jordan Cain who beat Peter Kelly 21-6, with Cain helped by a 11 point scoring streak over eight consecutive ends. Next off was David Bradford who beat Sam Clague as he finished the game in just 19 ends with a solid 21-7 victory.

The next game off the green was a hard earned win from South Ramsey, with both players performing well as James Teare was level with Kevin Kelly after 14 ends at 10-10, as Teare went on to build up an 18-14 lead. Two singles for Kelly closed the deficit to two chalks at 16-18, then Teare closed the game out with three singles to earn a 21-16 win.

The last game off in the first half ended up a good contest. South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves was fully in control as he went into a 14-6 lead over Tom Kelly, keeping the latter down to six singles at that point. On the 18th end the momentum of the game shifted, with Hargraves counting for two a fortuitous hit from the Marown man on his own bowl hit the jack, which then ricocheted off Hargraves’ bowl and fell kindly for Kelly to count two. Kelly went on to turn the game around performing brilliantly to score nine chalks over five ends and briefly went into the lead at 15-14, only for Hargraves to get back in before eventually going on to close the game out 21-17, on the final end lying two down a reaching bowl from Hargraves came off Kelly’s bowl furthest away from the jack, to spring Kelly’s bowl onto the jack, with a measure called this went in favour of Hargraves.

With South Ramsey 4-0 up and dominating the chalks, this didn’t take anything away from the support given by the spectators around the green, as Marown captain Stevie Rundle pulled off the shock of the night as he went into a 16-0 lead against Dido Kelly. The South Ramsey man started to work his way back into the game, however with little margin for error Rundle held his nerve to see the game out with a 21-12 win as he put in a captains innings. The sixth game off the green resulted in South Ramsey’s fifth win and officially sealed the Rayner Shield heading back north as Peter Collister beat Jamie Joughin 21-16, with the latter leading 11-10 at the half way point in the game, before the South Ramsey man’s experience came through to seal the victory.

Game number seven resulted in the biggest win of the night as Bob Clark romped home 21-5 against Steve Rough, with Clark leading 19-1, the Marown man managed to get another four chalks on the board. The last game on the green was on for the some time after game seven came off , with the score 9-6 to Crosby man Dan Smith who was up against Stefan Kelly. The South Ramsey man fought back to lead 10-9 after 15 ends, only for Smith to score five singles over six ends to lead 15-11. Kelly started to find his length, as he managed to see the game out with 10 chalks scored, losing just two of the last nine ends to win 21-18. Smith performed admirably to give the South Ramsey man a scare.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Matthew Keggen, who thanked Plumbmaster for sponsoring the competition, Noble’s Bowling Club for the use of the green and their club members for assisting throughout the evening. The Rayner Shield was presented to South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves, who offered his commiserations to Marown who had put up a spirited performance and congratulated his side for a superb team performance. South Ramsey’s win sees them take their 7th win in the competition, along with retaining the Shield to hold the title for a third consecutive season.

South Ramsey A			Marown C
Jordan Cain	21	6	Peter Kelly
David Bradford	21	7	Sam Clague
James Teare	21	16	Kevin Kelly
Glynn Hargraves	21	17	Tom Kelly
Peter Collister	21	16	Jamie Joughin
Dido Kelly	12	21	Stevie Rundle
Bob Clark	21	5	Steve Rough
Stefan Kelly	21	18	Dan Smith
7 Games Won	159	106	1 Game Won

After a day of rain, which was at times heavy all league fixtures went ahead on Monday evening in Canada Life International League Division One.

Marown A took on their C Team with the lower ranked team manging to claim one win and scoring over 100 chalks in their 9-1 defeat (155-106). The lone winner for the C Team was Kevin Kelly, who beat Phil Kelly 21-8. The only single figure winner for the A Team was John Gelling who beat Jamie Joughin 21-6, whilst the other six wins for the A Team were comfortable.

League Leaders South Ramsey A took on their B Team who are bottom of the league, with the rain stopping and the sun making an appearance just in time for the start of play, as conditions improved as the evening went on, by which time the green was running well. The higher ranked team took a 10-0 win to stretch their lead to nine points, as they kept the B team down to just 86 chalks. South Ramsey A captain Glynn Hargraves beat Tony Dugdale with the former trailing 6-8 to run out with a 21-12 win. Dido Kelly beat Toby Hart 21-9, a score matched by Jordan Cain who beat Frank Watson, whilst David Bradford was the best winner on the night as he beat Tony Hart 21-4. The highest scorer for the B team was Christian Caley who got to within three chalks of James Teare at 16-19, before conceding a two to lose 16-21.

Over at Mooragh Park North Ramsey A took on Marown B, with the home team claiming a 7-3 victory. Two big wins were taken by Rob Monk who beat Harry Barton 21-2 and Steven Waters who also won 21-2 against Darren Kerruish, Steve Walmsley beat Brian Kelly 21-7, whilst Jimmy Moffatt beat Matthew Keggen 21-13. For the visitors two of their wins were close as Tom Kelly pipped John Cannan 21-18, Juan Killip held off Gary Merrill to win 21-19, whilst Walter McCarthy beat Allan Callow comfortably 21-11.

Peel A hosted Castletown A in the Sunset City, as the home team took an 8-2 win. Winning for the visitors were George Foy who beat Tony Carroon 21-9 and Ian Watson who won 21-15 against Peter Greenlees. For the home team Stevie Kelly beat Aaron Richardson 21-11, whilst his father Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly won 21-11 against Nathan Hamilton. The result leaves Castletown second from bottom of the league with five games remaining, however they aren’t too far from safety.

Onchan A drew 4-4 on games at home to Douglas A, however a superior chalks difference secured the two points for the aggregate (137-117) for a 6-4 home win. For Onchan Kevin Quirk, Will Penhallurick and Matthew Quirk all won to single figures against Ian Moore, Keith Rise and Merv Sayle respectively. For the Villa men Andy Cannell beat Peter Slinger 21-11, whilst Gary Conwell beat Neil Dunwell 21-18.

Port St Mary A drew 5-5 at Breagle Glen against fellow strugglers Peel B who were a man short. The Port men lost five games, however they secured the draw thanks to winning the aggregate (140-123). Winning for the home team were Robbie Cooil who won 21-7 against Rob Middleton, Trevor Quayle beat Mick Kavanagh 21-11, with Dan McCabe being the lucky recipient of the walkover. Just missing out to a 19-21 score line were Wayne Roberts, Tim Williams, and Tom Collins against Paul Quirk, Dewi Bartlett, and Dougie Allan respectively. For Peel Dave Smith beat Juan Hargraves 21-6, whilst Andy Mackie won 21-14 against Paul Skelly.

In Division Two league leaders Finch Hill A show no sign of slipping up in their chase for a return to the top flight following their 7-3 home win over Noble’s B. Les Brookes was the best winner for the Finch men as he beat Alex Hampson 21-8, whilst three hard earned wins were claimed by Kevin Anderson 21-17 against Noel Ash, Dave McCabe won 21-18 versus Jay Elliott, and Paul Dougherty just edged his game 21-20 against Ciaran Broad.  For the visitors Grahem Moore beat Tony Epifani 21-13, Stephen Corkill won 21-16 against Pat Maher, whilst Mikey Cooper beat Mark Taylor 21-18.

Castletown B could well be heading for promotion, as they won 8-2 at home to North Ramsey B. Winning for the visitors were Andrew Honour, who beat George Peach 21-19, and Ray Skelly who won 21-15 against Alan Phair. For the home team Peter Oates had a tough battle with Brian Colquitt before prevailing 21-20, Junior bowler Sam Quayle beat new bowler Joe Kneale 21-17, whilst Derek Lewney was the best winner as he beat Euan Christian 21-5.

Noble’s A are in a solid mid-table position with scope to rise a couple of places following their 8-2 win at home to Onchan B. Winning for the visitors were Colin Spence who beat John Andrew 21-12, and Steve Parker just got over the line 21-20 against Mark Bradshaw. The home team claimed a 21-20 win in their favour, with Juan Qualtrough holding off Mark Kelly, with the other five wins for the Noble’s men being comfortable.

Douglas B slipped to a 3-7 home defeat to Ballaugh A, with the visitors result helping them to stay in second place. Ballaugh captain Phil Quayle beat Stuart Garrett 21-8, Tony Quine won 21-2 against Geoff Mayles, whilst Patrick Grant beat Andy Foster to secure a 21-6 win. Winning close games for Ballaugh were Mike Spooner who won 21-20 against Bob Callow, with Edgar Cowin beating Nick Firth 21-18. Just missing out picking up additional points for the visitors were Nigel Tebay who was beaten 19-21 by Paddy Murphy, whilst John Keenan lost out 18-21 to Steve Cook.

Bottom side Onchan C are still 11 points adrift of the next placed team despite their 8-2 home win over South Ramsey C, with both teams still in danger of relegation. Winning close games for the home team were Colin Brown who beat Ian Moore 21-19, whilst Neil Taylor won to the same score against Paul Routledge. The two winners for South Ramsey were James Moore who won 21-16 against Ken Clarke, whilst Richie Davies beat Roger Payne 21-19.

Peel C picked up a good 6-4 home win over Port Erin A, to damage the visitors hopes of promotion. Winning for the home team were Jeff Wilson, Jimmy Corlett, Andrew Cover and Kevin Mort. For the visitors Ed Benson and Seamus Whelan ensured it wasn’t a bigger win for Peel as they won their games 21-18 against Phil Clarke and Harry Kelly respectively.

In Division Three Ballaugh B beat Finch Hill B 6-4 at home with 12 chalks separating the teams, however they would have been hoping for a better result at home against a team in ninth place, with Gary Griffiths losing out 18-21 to Guy Smith, and Fred Waggett was beaten by Kevin Stannard 18-21. For the home team Dicky Watson was the best winner as he beat Samson Smith 21-4.

Noble’s C are improving with each game, as they picked up a resounding 9-1 home win over Douglas D, cruelly missing out on a first ever 10-0 by a single chalk as Junior bowler was the hero for the visitors as he beat Kevin Airey. Nigel Hinds beat Les Quayle 21-20, Andy Greggor won 21-19 against Bob Banning, whilst Paul Moore beat Mark Clarke 21-18. Winning to single figures were Mike Caley, Lee Greggor and Steve Cain.

Marown D won 9-1 at home to Port Erin B, with the Crosby men being awarded three walkovers due to the Breagle Men only being able to field five players. Ben Mowle was the lone winner as he beat Richard Bregazzi 21-9, whilst Alan Gault own to the same score against Mark Finlay. Winning close games for Marown were Ryan Holdaway who beat Alan Crebbin 21-18 an Eddie Rough who beat Nigel Haymes 21-17.

South Ramsey D lost 2-8 at home to Ballaugh C, as the lost by just six chalks (144-150). Three games went in favour of the visitors 21-20 as Tim Merriman, Mark Dimsdale and Dan Kelly beat Billy Blair, Frank Feeney, and Hakim Thomas respectively. Winners for South Ramsey were captain Franz ten Donkelaar who beat Steve Bassil 21-8, and Steve Kelly who won 21-16 against Chris Pedley.

Port St Mary B welcomed Noble’s D to Breagle Glen with the home team winning 7-3, as they edged the aggregate by just three chalks (148-145) in a high scoring contest. Nicholas Peterson won 21-20 against Roy Moore, Ray Maddrell and Derek Cain both won their games 21-18 against Charlie Bell and Alex Colquitt respectively, whilst Colin Leece beat Sam Colquitt 21-17. Best winner for the home team was Thomas Keggen who beat Steve Colquitt 21-9, while the best winner for the visitors was Kevin Moore with a 21-7 victory over Pete Collins, with the other two wins for Noble’s coming from Terry Bates as he won 21-18 against Ken Karran, with Andrew Bell winning to the same score against Junior Keggen. The result leaves Port St Mary B top by three points ahead of Ballaugh B.