Champions Onchan A turned on the style on Monday evening as they brushed aside genuine contenders Douglas A with relative ease, effectively ending any real hopes the Villa men had for top honours.  The 8-2 score line mirrored that of their first encounter earlier in the season however the match was anything but similar as Douglas were up against it from the off and lucky to escape with two points.

There was something different about the post-festival champions. They had a competitive edge that had thus far eluded them this season, and every single one of them played every bowl as if their lives depended on it.  I still think Marown will pip them to the post this year, but this performance has put doubts in my mind. If Onchan do go down, they will go down fighting and the odds of them defending their title for the 11^th consecutive time have shortened dramatically after this display.

Marown A kept momentum behind their title bid as they picked up 9-1 win away at Peel Sunset A to close in on the champions. This solid, workman like performance leaves them one point adrift of the champions, but with a game in hand.  They will be hoping to better the performance of the champions tonight and return to the top of the tree.

There is definitely something different about the Marown team this year and there seems to be a synergy around this particular line up which had been missing in recent seasons. Their ability to pick up big wins is what has made them stand out from the crowd and could be what sees them to their first title in over a decade.

South Ramsey A took advantage of Castletown A sitting out and a big 9-1 win at Town over the B team sees them move into 4^th place. They are now only one point behind Douglas in the battle for third and with all their players firing on all cylinders they could be the ones to watch in the battle for the minor places. They travel to Onchan A tonight and this performance should show us where they are in terms of improvement and progression.

Port St Mary A now have fire in their bellies and their 9-1 win over Ballaugh A has seen them move up the table and away from the relegation places. They need to keep this going tonight and at least try and pick up some good points away at Castletown. If they can string some form together they should be able to finish the season in a mid-table position allowing them to build on it next year.

The final match of the division was a cracker with Nobles Mixed A and North Ramsey A tying 5-5 after the Northerners won on games but just missed out on the aggregate points by 9 chalks. Both these teams sit in the relative safety of 6^th and 7^th places and if they continue to pick up points in the second half of the season should start next year in the top flight.

Division 2 leaders Port St Mary B remain in pole position after a good 8-2 win away at Ballaugh B sees them consolidate top spot.  Castletown C put in the performance of the day to move into second place, just 3 points behind the Spaniards, after they put in a devastating display to demolish Peel B 10-0 at the crofts.  Town C have the class to stay challenging for top spot and the thought of making history and having 3 teams from the same club in the top division could become reality.

Port Erin A are still very much in the hunt and are in third spot on equal points with Town C after they beat Port St Mary C 8-2.  The fate of this title is still finally in the balance and I can’t call who will be crowned champion come September.

There are new leaders in division 3 for the first time this year with Noble Park A now occupying first place thanks to a brilliant 9-1 win over Douglas C. Long-time leaders Onchan C have slipped down into second after suffering a shock 6-4 loss at home to Ballaugh C.

Report by Mark Kneen

Onchan A remained at the summit of Isle of Man Bank Men’s league division one on Monday night after coming back from the brink to tie 5-5 with early pace setters Marown A at the memorial playing fields, and the only question in my mind is how long can they stay there? It is not a question of if, but simply when will they surrender pole position to their closest rivals?

Home Captain Neil Withers played his hand magnificently. After assessing the draw he put the four games onto the green that he thought were most likely to result in wins for his team, and after sailing into a 4-0 lead at the half way stage was completely vindicated for his decision. What he could not have allowed for was the fighting spirit in the away sides back order as one by one they mercilessly went about the business breaching the deficit.

Glynn Hargraves, David Bradford and Phil Kerruish all put in blistering performances for the champions showing incredible resolve to keep their campaign on track, and with seven of the eight games played they now only trailed 4-3 on the night, with the battle for the two additional aggregate points now swinging in their favour.

With only one game left there was all to play for with arguably the strongest players from each side being drawn against each other, in a fight to the finish line. Five times Island Champion Colin Kelly was in no mood to be messed with as he took out double Manx Champion Kevin Quirk 21-16 to add another point to his team’s tally; however whilst not winning the latter man achieved his secondary objective in the process, scoring enough points to ensure his side picked up the two additional aggregate points.

You have to give credit to the champions for pulling something out of the bag on this occasion, however I think they are living on borrowed time as I see challengers Marown, who have a game in hand, replacing them at the top of the table in the not too distant future and staying there. I am going to call it early and say the that title will be with Marown at the memorial playing fields in September and the era of Onchan’s dominance will be over.

Third placed Douglas A must be absolutely delighted with their 7-3 away win at Castletown A. Both these sides are leading the charge for the minor places and this is definitely first set to the Douglas. Not many teams will leave the crofts with a victory this year so credit should be duly given to the elixir drinking mercenaries. This result nicely sets up a showdown next time out between the high achieving upstarts from the Villa against reigning champions Onchan, and with the encounter taking place on their own turf I honestly think Douglas could get something out of this tie. If they do beat the champions their focus will shift from third place and they will have one eye on second spot.

South Ramsey A remain in fifth spot despite unexpectedly losing 6-4 away at Ballaugh A on a tricky green which has recently undergone heave maintenance. The points will be invaluable to the home side as they fight to stay in top tier, however the away side will be gutted to have dropped points on the tricky playing surface.
Noble Mixed A moved into sixth spot and have now found themselves some breathing space in the battle for survival after a solid 8-2 win over Peel A at home. North Ramsey B now occupy seventh spot after a 6-4 win over Castletown B saw them leapfrog their opponents up the table.

Controversy reigned in division 2 as Castletown D battled hard to defeat league leaders Port St Mary B 7-3, however the town side fielded an ineligible player meaning that they were stripped of that result, which in turn cost them the aggregate points changing the result to a 6-4 win in favour of the visitors who have now extended their lead at the top of the table.

Second Placed Port Erin A failed to capitalise on their rivals potential dropped pointes as they went down 7-3 away at Peel B. Third placed Castletown C lost by the same score line away at the ever improving Onchan B meaning that despite losing the town lads are still only two points off a promotion place.

Division 3 league leaders Onchan C had to fight hard to beat South Ramsey C 6-4 and remain on track for the title, however challengers Nobles Park A are now only one point adrift after a magnificent 9-1 victory over Port Erin B.