Isle of Man County Crown Green Bowling Association

The Canada Life International Club Team Championship was concluded at Nobles Park on Thursday evening with the semi-finals being played three days earlier on Monday night. The format for the competition – being played for the fifth time was unchanged with four drawn doubles and six drawn singles with 14 bowlers eligible to play. With nine clubs entering the competition this year, the four teams reaching the semi-finals were Marown, Port St Mary, North Ramsey, and Castletown.

The first semi-final was held at Castletown, between Marown and Port St Mary, the same team they faced at this stage in 2020 and 2022, with the Crosby Team running out winners by 56 chalks (196-140), as Port St Mary won just two games on the night, with Trevor Quayle performing well to beat Tom Kelly 21-12. The other win arrived in the doubles as Robbie Cooil and Mavis Franks beat Rebekah Kelly and Sid Bolton 21-16. Two single figure wins from Marown set them on their way to victory as Lyn Bolton beat Bernard Thackrah 21-7 in the singles, whilst Glenn Boland and Juan Killip beat Wayne Roberts and Tim Williams 21-8.

North Ramsey made the trip to Crosby as they took on Castletown in a match that went down to the wire, with the Mooragh team winning 6-4 on games this proved crucial to the overall result as they won by just two chalks (172-170). A big win arrived from Jordan Drewett for Town as he beat Joe Kneale 21-9, with North Ramsey hitting back with a 21-9 win in the doubles as Tony Smart and Rob Monk beat Ron Williams and Nathan Cooil 21-6. There were several close games with John Piekalns beating Aaron Richardson 21-19, Hannah Drewett held off Madison McMullan with a 21-18 victory, whilst Caroline Parker edged home 21-20 against Town captain Alison Kearsley.

The final got underway with North Ramsey looking to cause a huge upset, however Marown were favourites to retain the title despite missing several key players this week as they were able to utilise their strength in depth in the club.

Marown didn’t disappoint putting in a good performance in the first half of the match to take control. In the three singles games Tom Kelly had a good run on the edge of the green on a short mark to beat Allan Callow 21-6, with Karl Parker following closely with a 21-7 win over Brian Colquitt. The vastly experienced Jimmy Moffatt hit back with a 21-13 win over Marown C Team captain Stevie Rundle with a 21-13 victory, with Steven Waters and Bailey McMullan responding for North Ramsey as they performed well to beat Sid Bolton and Paul Kelly 21-11. Marown got their third win of the night with Lyn Bolton and Glenn Boland helping establish a 19-chalk lead at the halfway point (87-68) with a 21-13 win over Paul Allison and Madison McMullan.

In the second half of the match Marown knew they just needed to score well, avoiding any heavy defeats to ensure the title was theirs for a fifth successive year. Any hopes of a comeback from North Ramsey quickly faded away as a 21-13 win in the doubles from Clare Cooper and Rebekah Kelly against Ray Skelly and Joe Kneale was swiftly followed by a 21-5 win by Peter Jones over John Piekalns.

Caroline Parker managed to pick up North Ramsey’s only win in the second half of the match with a hard fought 21-18 win over Juan Killip. Rebecca Teare could have had a game on her hands with Mooragh man Steve Walmsley, however a 21-11 win for Teare ensured there was no upset on the cards. The last match on the green saw Jayne Smith and Walter McCarthy win a close game 21-19 against Tony Smart and Rob Monk as Marown won the match by 52 chalks (189-137), whilst also winning 7-3 on games in a resounding and deserved victory for Marown.

The presentation was made by Association Competition Committee Officer Steve Moore who thanked Nobles Bowling Club for hosting the final, providing refreshments to the players and spectators. Marown captain Paul Kelly congratulated his team for their performance, whilst also offering his commiserations to North Ramsey.