Author Archives: Glynn Hargraves

July CLI Players of the Month

Congratulations to July Canada Life International Award winners:- 

Men’s Player of the Month: Neil Withers – Marown  

Ladies Player of the Month: Jenny Moore – South Ramsey

Under 21’s Player of the Month: Madison McMullan – North Ramsey 

Neil or ‘Nev’ to most had reached four finals prior to July, without quite getting over the line. I did call out in my Manx Championship Finals Day Preview that he was knocking on the door. In July Nev didn’t just open the door, he knocked it down!

A second Manx Championship was picked up at Castletown at the start of the Month, coming through a tough draw as he followed up on his 2009 success. A first win in the Dreswick Cup soon followed, then two days later a third time of lifting the famous Peel Town Cup. For his club team Withers won all seven games, which included a particularly impressive 21-13 win over Kevin Quirk at Onchan.

Jenny was the obvious choice for the Ladies section this month as she picked up Manx Championship title number six, retaining the title successfully. Jenny also had success in the Spar Mixed Doubles at Ballaugh with her partner James Teare. Further individual success followed in the Jordan Cup held at Noble’s with Moore beating Jayne Smith in the final. For her club team it was eight wins out of eight games played, with Moore looking odds on to go the season unbeaten in the Ladies Night league with 18 wins from 18 games played, with just four games left in the 2023 season.

Madison had a great month as she picked up the girls Junior merit sweeping aside all opponents on the day. McMullan’s club form was particularly impressive beating some tough and experienced players throughout the month, with wins against Keith Rise in the Mixed Team Championship, Debbie Leece in the night league, and Hannah Drewett in the Jean Kelly Knockout competition. Five of Madison’s team victories during the month were to single figures.

Trio Compete In British Senior Merit

Three local bowlers competed in the British Senior Merit on Saturday at Heaton Park in Manchester.

Onchan man Peter Slinger won his first game 21-10 against John Short from Wales, before losing out 8-21 in the second round to Reece Farr (Shropshire).

Marown’s Tom Kelly just got over the line 21-20 against Joe Stockdale (Yorkshire), before suffering a 7-21 defeat to Lee Brown (Potteries & District) in the next round.

The best run of the local men was from Manx Champion Neil Withers (Marown) as he won his first game 21-16 against Yorkshire man Gordon Flower, then went on to secure an even better win in the second round as he beat Ryan Sandham (Cheshire) 21-11.

At the quarter final stage Withers came up against a formidable opponent in Simon Coupe (North Lancs & Fylde), who has won top titles all over the U.K. and also went into the event as the favourite with the bookmakers priced at 3/1 in a field of 64 players. Despite Withers efforts Coupe went on to take a 21-14 victory.

The competition was eventually won by Coupe who beat Reece Farr 21-11, the same opponent who had put Slinger out in the second round. This was Coupe’s first time winning the British Senior Merit.

Bolton & Jones Take Wins in Douglas Town Cup

Sunday saw the holding of the Douglas Town Cup Ladies and Men’s Singles hosted by Douglas Bowling Club at the Villa. The Men’s event started at 10:30 in the morning with 42 entries, with the Ladies competition starting later in the day had an entry of 19 Ladies competing.

In the Men’s singles at the quarter final stage Peter Jones (Marown) beat David Bradford (South Ramsey) 21-11, whilst Keith Rise held off a late comeback from Walter McCarthy to win 21-19. In the other half of the draw Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) won 21-8 against Rob Monk (North Ramsey), whilst Phil Kelly beat Marown clubmate Juan Killip 21-17 to progress to the next round.

At the semi-final stage Jones ensured it was the end of the road for Rise, with the Marown man winning 21-13. In the other semi-final Hargraves led 18-12 against Kelly, only for the Marown man to score seven consecutive chalks to lead 19-18. Hargraves got back in at the right time to seal his place in the final with a 21-19 victory.

In the Men’s final the rain set in as Hargraves (+6) won the first end, only to concede two doubles to Jones (+5) who was the current holder to fall 9-7 behind. Hargraves took the next three ends to go two chalks ahead at 11-9, then Jones got in to settle on a longer length as he scored seven chalks over six ends to lead 16-11.

A slice of fortune got Hargraves back in, with the South Ramsey man then closing the deficit to two chalks at 16-18, however Jones played two good bowls on the following end to lead 20-16.

On the next end a good lead from Jones was beaten at the first attempt, then a further single followed for Hargraves to put the score at 18-20. On the next end Jones was in after a measure as he retained the trophy for another year with a hard earned 21-18 victory in an entertaining final.

In the Ladies quarter finals Lyn Bolton (Marown) beat Michele Cubbon (Ballaugh) 21-9, Janet Monk beat Mooragh Park teammate Shannon McMullan 21-12. Marown’s Debbie Leece beat Margie Tasker (Port St Mary) 21-14, whilst home greener Paula Garrett beat teammate Katie Jacobs 21-10.

In the Ladies semi-finals Bolton got the better of Monk, with a comfortable 21-11 win, whilst Garrett won 21-14 against Leece.

The Final got underway with Bolton making the better start to lead 11-6, then Garrett closed the gap to two chalks at 10-12.

Belton stepped up another gear or two, as the Marown player restricted her opponent to scoring on only two more ends for Bolton to run out with three two’s and three singles to seal a comfortable 21-13 to win the Ladies Douglas Town Cup.

There was also a prize for the Juniors going furthest in the competition and the Junior Girls was won by Katie Jacobs (Douglas) and the Junior Boys was shared by Kian Bradford (South Ramsey) & Clark Kelly (Douglas).

At the conclusion Gordy Wynne-Smythe thanked all those who supported the event and the Douglas Club Members for a great effort in putting on the event. He then announced that they had raised funds for A Little Bit of Hope to the total of £450. He then went on to thank Jaks & Barbary Coast for sponsoring the event, with Andrew Gibbs presenting the prizes.

Hargraves & Bradford Win Nobles Cup

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the Nobles Cup Men’s Doubles on Saturday with 29 pairs taking part, on a superb playing surface which is returning to its former glory, as the club continue to move forward they had a new sponsor on board this year with Camelback Movers.

Losing out in the quarter finals were Archie Dunn & Paul Dunn (Marown) 10-21 to South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves & David Bradford, home greeners Stephen Corkill & Mikey Cooper got past the pairing of Tony Hart & Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) 21-19.

In the other half of the draw John Kennish & Peter Collister (South Ramsey) won 21-6 against Marown’s Stevie Rundle & Walter McCarthy, whilst Marown’s Juan Killip and Matthew Keggen beat Brian Lindsay & Less Brookes 21-15.

At the semi-final stage Hargraves & Bradford ensured it was the end of the road for the final home green pairing of Corkill & Cooper, with the South Ramsey men winning 21-9 to reach the final. The other semi-final was keenly contested as the Marown pairing of Killip and Keggen went 17-12 ahead against Kennish & Collister, before the Ramsey pair rallied to win five of the last six ends to run out with a 21-18 to take their place in the final.

In the final Kennish & Collister won the first end scoring a single, only for Hargraves & Bradford win the next four ends scoring seven points to take a 13-7 lead, with a three scored as Bradford played out the counting bowl perfectly.

Kennish & Collister got back into the game with two singles, only to concede their second three of the game, however they picked up a three themselves on the ninth end to trail by four chalks at 12-16.

Hargraves & Bradford rallied once more to see the game out scoring five chalks over the next four ends to take a deserved 21-12 victory to lift the cup for a second time, following their first success in 2017.

With prizes paid down to the quarter finals, there was additional prize money paid out and a trophy for Marown’s Archie Dunn for best Junior in the competition.

The presentation was made by Tina Hampson who thanked the club members for their help throughout the day, Camelback Movers for sponsoring the competition.

Photo: Mark Bradshaw

Hampson Wins Inaugural Roy Williamson Memorial Trophy

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the inaugural Junior Boys competition on Saturday morning, with a good standard of bowls from the Juniors with the games played 21 up off scratch.

At the quarter final stage Clark Kelly (Douglas) lost out 11-21 to Ryan Hargraves (South Ramsey), whilst Arran Dunn (Marown) just got the better of Andrew Tomlinson (Douglas) 21-20. Home greener Alex Hampson had a tough game with Archie Dunn (Marown), as the latter led 17-13 before Hampson prevailed 21-17, whilst Rhys Moore (Castletown) beat Robert Tomlinson (Douglas) 21-16.

At the semi-final stage 10-year-old Dunn performed well to beat 15-year-old Hargraves 21-16, whilst Hampson had a slightly more comfortable 21-15 win over Moore to reach the final.

In the final Hampson, who is the more experienced bowler performed well as he went 10-1 ahead scoring five doubles in the first six ends. Dunn had to dig deep and didn’t let his head drop as he performed well in the second half of the game before eventually losing out 10-21 to Hampson, who became the first winner of this competition.

The presentation was made by Tina & Kerry Hampson, who introduced Jackie Williamson to present the prizes, with all competitors receiving a prize. It was a proud and emotional day for the Hampson family, with winner Alex being Roy Williamson’s Grandson, as he became the first winner of the new trophy.

Six Games to Go In Men’s Night League

Match number 16 of the Canada Life International took place this week as league leaders South Ramsey A edged another point ahead of second placed Marown A in Division One, with just six games left to play – with a visit to Marown yet to come following their 9-1 home win over Peel A. The lone winner for the visitors was Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly whose 21-13 win was never in doubt against Stefan Kelly, whilst the only other close games for the visitors were two 17-21 defeats for Dean Kinley against James Teare and Tommy McMeiken against Bob Clark. Winning to single figures for the home team were Peter Collister who won 21-3 against David Proctor, whilst Jordan Cain beat Gary Smith 21-8.

Marown A had a short trip to the Sunset City as they took on Peel B who managed to take two games off the Crosby men, with wins from Dewi Bartlett who beat Glenn Boland 21-8, whilst Dave Smith beat Paul Kelly 21-15. Michael Kavanagh just missed out on snatching a third point for Peel as he lost 20-21 to John Gelling. Winning big for Marown were Colin Kelly who beat Andy Mackie 21-4, whilst merit leader Paul Dunn beat opposing captain Paul Quirk 21-8.

The closest match of the night took place between Douglas A who were at home to bottom side South Ramsey B, as the teams played out a 5-5 draw, with the visitors only winning three games they will have been delighted to take the aggregate by four chalks (149-153) in what was a high scoring contest the Ramsey men could quite easily have picked up more points as their worst defeat was to 17-21, with Eddie Carlyle and Toby Hart losing to Keith Rise and Andy Cannell respectively. Tony Hart lost out 18-21 to Jimmy Sansom, whilst Austin Hart lost out 19-21 to Ian Moore, with Christian Caley losing to the same score to Gordon Wynne-Smythe. All three wins for the visitors were comfortable, which together with their high scoring defeats helped their cause with the aggregate as South Ramsey captain Ben Dugdale beat Gary Conwell 21-12, Frank Watson returned to the team as he picked up his second win of the season as he beat Mark Kneen 21-16, whilst Tony Dugdale won to the same score against Shaun Seal.

Castletown A continued their climb up the table as they won 7-3 against North Ramsey A at the Crofts. For the home team David Quayle finished strongly to beat Steve Walmsley 21-20, whilst Aaron Richardson was another man to pick up his second win of the season as he beat Gary Merrill 21-7. Also picking up good wins for Town were Nathan Cooil and Nathan Hamilton with both men winning 21-11 against Steven Waters and Paul Allison respectively, whilst George Foy made light work of Mooragh captain Rob Monk with a 21-12 win. For North Ramsey Allan Callow returned to winning ways as he beat Ron Williams 21-13, Jimmy Moffatt won 21-16 against Chris Lever, whilst John Cannan beat Town captain Jordan Drewett 21-18.

Marown B sit in seventh place following their 7-3 home victory over Port St Mary A. There is no stopping Crosby captain Darren Kerruish who picked up his second consecutive league win of the season as he beat Dave Saxon 21-13. Walter McCarthy was the best winner for the home team as he won 21-6 against Bernard Thackrah, whilst Karl Parker had to earn his 21-18 victory over Robbie Cooil. Trevor Quayle was the best winner for Port as he won 21-10 against Matthew Keggen, Dan McCabe wasn’t too far behind with a 21-13 win over Juan Killip, whilst captain Wayne Roberts beat John Kelly 21-18.

On Tuesday evening Marown C hosted Onchan A, with the game ending 4-4 on games, however the visitors earned the two bonus points as they took the aggregate by just six chalks (128-134). For the home team Sam Clague picked up the most impressive result of the night as he beat Peter Slinger 21-15, with Tom Kelly winning to the same score against Phil Kerruish. Jamie Joughin was the best winner for the Crosby men as he beat Mike Thomas 21-8. For the visitors Kevin Quirk was the only single figure winner as he beat Marown captain Stevie Rundle 21-6, with teammate Neil Dunwell continuing his good form as he beat Peter Kelly 21-12.

In Division Two second placed Ballaugh A had the opportunity to close the gap as they hosted league leaders Finch Hill A. Whilst they did claim a 6-4 home win, they would have hoped for a bigger win to close the gap further. For the home team Mike Spooner won 21-3 against Paul Dougherty, Richard Hainge beat Mark Taylor 21-9, John Keenan just got over the line 21-20 against Les Brookes, whilst Nigel Tebay took a good scalp as he inflicted a first league defeat of the season on merit leader Dave McCabe 21-17. For the visitors Pat Maher won 21-10 against John Maddrell, Stephen Oates impressed with a 21-13 win over Ballaugh captain Phil Quayle, Tony Epifani held on to beat Patrick Grant 21-20, whilst Dave Jones won his game 21-18 against Tony Grant.

Port Erin A sit in fourth place with a game in hand on third placed Castletown B, as they closed the gap to 10 points with a game in hand following their 8-2 home win at Breagle Glen. Ed Benson was the best winner for the Breagle men as he won 21-9 against Ray Harris, whilst Mark Stockham got the better of George Peach 21-20, with Steve Durcan also winning a close game as he beat Willie Corkill 21-19. For the Town mean Peter Oates beat Ken Horsley 21-15, with Ross Moore winning 21-11 against David Cain.

Third placed Douglas B are well placed in the league as they came away from Onchan B with a hard earned 4-6 win at the park, winning the aggregate by 11 chalks (125-136). Single figures victories from Bob Callow and Stuart Garrett over Paul Callister and Mike Alexander helped their cause with the aggregate.

Noble’s B occupy ninth place, but aren’t fully out of danger yet, as they are just five points away from the relegation places, however they kept Peel C in the danger zone as they inflicted an 8-2 win on the Western men with three 21-20 wins going in their favour, along with two single figure victories from Stephen Corkill and Phil Salmon.

South Ramsey C had a better week as they beat Noble’s A 7-3 at home, as they missed out on a further two points with Mark Quinn just getting the better of home captain Dave Corkill 21-20, Jim Collister beat Jay Moore 21-18, with Mark Bradshaw picking up a comfortable 21-12 win over James Moore. For the home team Ian Moore was the best winner with a 21-11 victory over Dave Naughton, with Andy Morgan winning a close game 21-19 against John Andrew.

In Division Three Ballaugh B came away from Breagle Glen with a 3-7 win over Port Erin B as they remain in top spot. For the home team Ben Mowle won 21-17 against Mike Buckeridge, Nigel Haymes beat Gary Griffiths 21-18, whilst Alan Crebbin eased to a 21-11 win over Stephen Swift.

Noble’s D kept themselves within touch of Ballaugh B, following their 7-3 home win over Douglas C (pictured). Winning for the Villa men were David Caley who beat Stan Cooper 21-2, Juan Readshaw, and Steve Gregg. For the home team winning to single figures were Terry Bates, Kevin Moore, and Andrew Bell.

South Ramsey D sit in fourth place, as they continued one of their most impressive seasons to date, following their 2-8 victory over Douglas D at the Villa. Greg Barlow won 21-2 against Junior bowler William Cowley, whilst another Junior bowler Ryan Hargraves beat Mark Clarke 21-20, with Billy Blair beating David Manley 21-19. For the home team Bob Banning ensured he cancelled out the 21-2 win from the opposition as he beat Chris Brown to the same score.

Marown D took the spoil with a 4-6 away victory over Peel D (133-142). Mike Ashmole was the best winner for the Peel men as he beat Ryan Holdaway 21-10, Andy Jackson held off James Kelly 21-19, whilst Joshua Trickett won 21-17 against Keith Watterson. For the Crosby men Alan Gault eased to a 21- won over William Quirk, whilst Jay Waters beat Own Crompton 21-17.

Ballaugh C welcomed Port St Mary B, as the visitors slipped to a 7-3 defeat to the Ballaugh men, as Juan Hargraves made a rare appearance on a bowling green, as he won 21-7 against Brian lace, a result matched by Nicholas Peterson who beat Tom Waterworth, whilst Ken Karran got over the line 21-20 against Jamie Kelly.

New formed team Noble’s C pulled off a great 2-8 victory away to Finch Hill B. The best winner for the visitors Nigel Hinds who beat Samson Smith 21-7, with Finch Hill captain Kevin Stannard responding with a 21-2 win over Dean Sowerby.

Port St Mary B rearranged their match at home to Douglas D, as they ended their week on a high as they hit top spot by two points thanks to a 9-1 win. Greg Brew ensured the visitors picked up a point as he beat Pete Collins 21-13.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Championship

In Group A Marown A hosted Ballaugh at Crosby as the home team eased to victory by 86 chalks (189-103), whilst North Ramsey A took the win over visitors Douglas A by 43 chalks (172-129).

In Group B current holders South Ramsey A took on Peel with the home team taking a comfortable victory by 79 chalks (180-101). In the other fixture Noble’s A fell to defeat at home to Port St Mary A by just seven chalks (147-154) as the visitors won 4-5 on games.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Plate

In the Plate competition in Group A Finch Hill took on the youthful Marown B at Kensington Road, with the hosts taking the win by 43 chalks (169-126), whilst Noble’s B beat North Ramsey B by 58 chalks (171-113).

Group B consists of just three teams as the fixture took place between Douglas B and South Ramsey B at the Villa the visitors won 4-5 on games and secured the all important chalks by 21 in a high scoring game (157-178).

Withers Wins 3rd Peel Town Cup

Peel Sunset Bowling club hosted the popular Peel Town Cup on Saturday afternoon. The competition returned to its home venue after being played on Ballaugh last year, with the Peel green vastly improved on last year the competition attracted 55 entries, despite the poor weather forecast the rain held off for most of the day. With handicaps ranging from +3 to +9, it certainly made for an interesting day with some shock results. There were a number of high profile casualties early on.

Losing out at the quarter-final stage were James Kelly (Marown) who was beaten 13-21 by clubmate Neil Withers, Sammy Clague (Marown) who lost 18-21 to South Ramsey’s Tony Hart, Nathan Cooil (Castletown) was well beaten 13-21 by Glenn Boland (Marown), whilst another Marown man Colin Kelly eased past Dave McCabe (Finch Hill) 21-10.

The first semi-final was well contested between Withers (+3) and Hart (+6), with the latter leading 15-8 after 12 ends, before a flurry of two’s from Withers ensured he reached the final with a 21-17 victory. In the other semi-final Boland had his work cut out with Kelly, as the latter ran out with a 21-14 win.

Both finalists have clashed a number of times on the green this season, with the match a tough one to call, with both players having enjoyed success on the Peel green over the years. After 10 ends the score was 10-10 with the players having tied the score on five occasions up to that point of the game, only for Withers to make the first move to go 16-12 ahead, then extending the lead by another point to go 19-14 and within touching distance of victory.

On the 20th end Kelly picked up a two following a measure to close the gap to three points. With Kelly intent on heading for the corners Withers capitalised on a poor lead from his teammate to count for one, with Kelly not beating this bowl Withers had the opportunity to make two for game, which he did to seal a 21-16 win and with it his third time lifting the famous trophy, with his previous titles picked up in 2013 and 1996, which was the first time that Withers had won a singles open.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by Peel President Lynda Wilson, who thanked the new sponsors Central Bar & Bistro for their support, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Arran & Archie Dunn for helping to run the competition and the club members for assisting throughout the day.

South Ramsey A Extend Lead

In Canada Life International League Division One, the biggest clash of the night was between Onchan A and Marown A at the Park as the home team were defeated 4-6 but made a good fight of it, losing the aggregate by just nine chalks (138-147) with a couple of high profile upsets thrown in by Onchan, as Jamie Clague beat Dean Kipling 21-17, whilst Will Penhallurick got over the line 21-20 against seven time Manx Champion Colin Kelly 21-20, with Kelly having room to get in on the last end he was short with his last bowl. Other winners for Onchan were Matthew Quirk who beat Paul Kelly 21-8, whilst Peter Slinger had to dig deep for his 21-18 victory. For the Crosby men Glenn Boland had it all to do as he trailed Neil Dunwell before edging over the line 21-20, Peter Jones beat Mike Thomas 21-10, Paul Dunn won 21-11 against Reg Temporaza and Neil Withers performed well to beat Kevin Quirk 21-13.

North Ramsey A welcomed local rivals South Ramsey A to Mooragh Park with the home team taking four games off the current league champions in their 4-6 home defeat. In the first half the South men had three single figure wins from Dido Kelly, Jordan Cain and Glynn Hargraves as they beat Allan Callow, Mike Skelly and Jimmy Moffatt respectively. David Bradford was the only winner for the visitors in the second half of the match as he beat Gary Merrill 21-14. For the home team Steven Waters beat fellow Newcastle fan Bob Clark 21-9, captain Rob Monk beat Stefan Kelly 21-12, Steve Walmsley performed well to win 21-15 against James Teare, whilst Paul Allison just got over the line 21-20 against Peter Collister after leading 20-14.

Port St Mary A eased their relegation fears with a 7-3 win against Castletown A at Breagle Glen, as they won the aggregate by seven chalks (147-140), just missing out on a further two points as Dave Saxon lost 18-21 to George Foy, whilst Robbie Cooil lost to the same score against David Quayle. Nathan Hamilton was the third winner for the Town men as he beat Bernard Thackrah 21-6. For the home team Wayne Roberts and Trevor Quayle won comfortably against Ian Watson and Jordan Drewett respectively, Tim Williams beat Nathan Cooil 21-16, Tom Collins won 21-17 against Aaron Richardson, whilst Dan McCabe held off Chris Lever 21-18.

Peel A had the visit of Douglas A, with the home team winning five games this wasn’t enough to secure the chalks as two heavy defeats cost them the aggregate for a 5-5 draw (136-149). Winning big for the Villa men were Andy Cannell who beat Peter Greenlees 21-8 and Merv Sayle who won 21-6 against Dean Kinley. Ian Moore picked up a third win as he beat George Gadsby 21-17. In contrast all the home team wins were to high scores as David Proctor beat Shaun Seal 21-15, Pip Pemberton won 21-17 against Mark Kneen, with three 21-18 wins claimed by Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Gary Smith and Tommy McMeiken against Gary Conwell, Jimmy Sansom, and Keith Rise respectively.

Marown B took immediate revenge on Peel B at Crosby on Monday night just four days after they were put out of the Rayner Plate by just six chalks, thanks to a 7-3 home victory over the Peel men, also winning the chalks comfortably (151-124) to show home advantage goes a long way. Captain Darren Kerruish played his 12th game of the season and in doing so claimed his first league win of the season as he beat Thursday night hero Mick Kavanagh 21-9, whilst Harry Barton won 21-5 against Geoff Rice. Two 21-17 wins from Karl Parker and Walter McCarthy over Rob Middleton and Paul Quirk helped the home teams cause. For Peel Andy Mackie and Dave Smith took comfortable 21-13 wins against Brian Kelly and Juan Killip respectively, whilst Dewi Bartlett continues to impress as he beat Matthew Keggen 21-20.

South Ramsey B are rock bottom after another home disaster as they lost 3-7 to Marown C, who are moving ever closer to safety. Winning for the home team were Tony Hart who beat Steve Rough 21-19, Tony Dugdale won 21-16 against Sam Clague, whilst Eddie Carlyle won his game 21-15 against Dan Smith. For the visitors Kevin Kelly was the best winner on the night as he beat Christian Caley 21-4, Jamie Joughin beat Toby Hart 21-11, with Stevie Rundle, Peter Kelly and Tom Kelly all winning their games comfortably.

South Ramsey A played their rearranged home fixture with Port St Mary A on Wednesday evening with the league leaders extending their lead to seven points following a 10-0 victory as they kept the visitors below 100 chalks (168-95). Two games could have gone the other way, as Peter Collister fought back from a 2-9 deficit against Trevor Quayle to win 21-19, whilst Glynn Hargraves held his nerve to win his game 21-20 against Wayne Roberts after leading 14-7 before a spirited fightback from the Port Captain levelled the game at 20-20, only for Hargraves to secure the point on the deciding end.

In Division Two Finch Hill A are 13 points ahead of the second placed team as they beat Onchan B 7-3 at home. For the Finch men Dave McCabe was made to work for his 21-18 win over Mark Kelly, whilst Mike Kelly ensured it wasn’t a bigger win for Finch Hill as he beat John Qualtrough 21-19.

Second placed Ballaugh A bounced back from defeat in their last outing with a 10-0 home win over Noble’s B who scored just 80 chalks, as the home team secured five single figures victories. Mike Spooner had a game on his hands against Alex Hampson, with the latter just losing out 20-21 to the Ballaugh man.

Castletown B are in fourth place just five points off second place with a game in hand following their 7-3 home win over Peel C, as Willie Corkill won 21-2 against Steven Bradley, with Ross Moore also winning to single figures as he beat Kevin Mort 21-9.

Elsewhere in Division Two Noble’s A took home a solid 8-2 win over North Ramsey B at home, with John Andrew and Alex Yates helping secure two points with their hard-fought wins.

Douglas B made sure it was an unhappy journey home over the mountain for South Ramsey C with the Villa men winning 7-3. Willie Cowley was the best winner for the home team as he beat Richie Davies 21-5, Stuart Garrett won 21-6 against Anthony Kelly, whilst Greg Barlow stepped in for the visitors to beat Les Quayle 21-7.

Onchan C welcomed Port Erin A to the Park as the home team won 5-3 on games and edged the chalks (136-135). There were two single figure wins for the home team and two for the visitors. Winning close games for Onchan were Colin Brown who won 21-17 against Derek Allen, Brian Aspden won 21-19 against Christopher Dent and Denis Maxwell edged his game with David Cain 21-20, as Mark Stockham reversed the 21-20 for the visitors against David Tait.

In Division Three it was another night of wet weather, as league leaders Ballaugh B came away from Noble’s C with a 7-3 defeat (143-134) as the newly formed team caused on of the upsets of the season. Steve Cain continues to impress as he beat Fred Waggett 21-2, whilst their four other winners were Lee Price, Lee Greggor, Dean Sowerby and Steve Brennan.

South Ramsey D were at home to Finch Hill B, this resulted in a 6-4 win for the home team (142-132). Losing close games 18-21 for South Ramsey were Hakim Thomas and Frank Feeney to Chris Thompson and Chris Duggan respectively, whilst Steve Kelly beat John Smith 21-6. The best winner for Finch was captain Kevin Stannard who beat Geoff Collier 21-9.

Marown D welcomed Noble’s D to Crosby, the visitors came away with a 4-6 victory, with the potential to win more points missed as they lost games to 17, 18 & 20.

Peel D secured their best win of the season with a 9-1 home win over Port Erin B. Charlie McMeiken won the battle of the juniors as he held off Dylan Marsh 21-20, whilst Ken Horsley ensured there was no whitewash as he beat Joshua Trickett 21-11.

Port St Mary B postponed their fixture against Douglas D due to the weather, will have the opportunity to hit top spot.

Moore & Teare Win Spar Mixed Pairs

Ballaugh Bowling hosted the Spar Mixed Doubles on Sunday afternoon with 34 pairs taking part with the rain holding off for the entire competition.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Douglas pair Pauline and Willie Cowley, who lost 14-21 to Marown’s Lyn Bolton and Peter Jones, Clare Cooper (Marown) and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) were well beaten 8-21 by South Ramsey’s Jenny Moore and James Teare. Home green pair Rose Waterworth and Paul Cubbon put paid to the hopes of Marown duo Rebecca Teare and Paul Dunn with a 21-16 win, whilst another South Ramsey pair Gill Dixon and Stefan Kelly won 21-10 against Margaret Tasker (Port St Mary and Les Brookes (Finch Hill).

The first semi-final saw Moore and Teare up against Bolton and Jones, with the Marown pair building up a four point lead after 10 ends at 15-11. The South Ramsey pair rallied over the next three ends scoring two consecutive three’s and a single to lead 18-15. Bolton and Jones responded with three singles to level the game up at 18-18, then three consecutive singles of their own saw Moore and Teare win 21-18 to reach the final.

In the other semi-final Waterworth and Cubbon took on Dixon and Kelly with the latter pair scoring just three doubles on their way to a hard earned 21-16 victory.

The final was expected to be a tight match with both pairs performing well all day. Dixon and Kelly scored a double first end to lead 8-6, then lost six consecutive ends as Moore and Teare scored heavily to go within touching distance of victory. A two for Dixon and Kelly on the eighth end for them into double figures at 10-20 and they were lying four on the following end only for Moore to find a gap and score the one point needed to secure victory.

The presentation was made by Chairman Gordie Moore, who thanked Maurice O’Reilly and the club members for helping run the competition along with the ladies for providing the catering throughout the day. In his speech James passed on his condolences to the members of Ballaugh Bowling Club following the recent loss of a great club man Richard Faragher, with a minutes silence held before play got underway for the day.

Over 60’s Manx Championship Preview

The final stages of this years’ Over 60’s Manx Championship will be played to a conclusion at Peel Bowling Club on Tuesday afternoon with action getting underway from 1pm. BCGBA dress code applies. Get yourself there for what promises to be an intriguing afternoon of bowls.

Peter Collister vs Neil Dunwell

Collie is the most decorated player in the field, there isn’t much bigger an accolade than being a June Festival and Tourism winner at the tender age of 21 in 1983. Forty years on he is vying to get his hands on the Over 60’s Manx Championship. Collie came through his qualifying games with a 21-6 win over Bernard Thackrah and a hard fought 21-20 victory over Onchan man Kevin Quirk.

Dunwell should not be written off, as he is more than capable of an upset, he will quietly fancy his chances after taken out Peel’s Andy Kennish 21-16 to qualify for finals day, following a 21-7 win over South Ramsey’s Hakim Thomas in his first game. A keen competitor as he now plies his trade for Onchan A in the night league and Over 60’s.

Whilst Collister is clearly favourite, don’t write off Dunwell, who is more than capable of an upset,

Brian Lindsay vs Derek Allen

Lindsay is getting back into his bowls after a recent mysterious injury, if anyone ever finds out the real reason his arm was bandaged, please do let me know! One of two home greeners in the field, Lindsay has won eight of his last 10 games for Peel, came through qualifying with a 21-12 win over Ray Beattie, then beat David Buck 21-14 in his second game and just got over the line 21-20 against George Foy to reach the quarter finals.

Allen splits his bowls between Port Erin in the night league and Onchan in the Over 60’s, he will be hoping to go one better than 2020 when he reached the final only to come up against Barney. Derek gets in every competition going, is a good supporter of the open competitions all over the island. Allen came through his qualifying games as he beat Over 60’s Onchan clubmate Mark Kelly 21-11, then held his nerve as he held off night league teammate Seamus Whelan 21-20.

An evenly matched contest, could home advantage prove to be the difference?

Lee Dawson vs Brian Colquitt

‘Dawsy’ to most is a former home greener, so has good knowledge of the Peel green, he particularly enjoys playing the edge of the green, although he did start his bowls at Ballaugh. It is great to see Lee back on the green after a difficult winter. Dawson has won an open competition many moons ago, he came through qualifying following three tough games, beating Brian Aspden 21-18, Steve Parker to the same score and then beat Port Erin man Bernie Durcan 21-16 to qualify.

Brian Colquitt is a tough man to shift, he is a former Over 60’s Manx Champion and the only previous winner in the field having picked up the title in 2019. Colquitt came through his qualifying games with a hard fought 21-20 win over South Ramsey’s Bryan Corner and went on to beat Peel man Phil Clarke 21-8 to qualify.

An all-Ramsey battle, this is a tough one to call.

Dougie Allan vs Peter Slinger

Dougie is the second home greener in the draw, is a tough opponent and should not be under-estimated on Peel or indeed any green. Allan is in good form for Peel with nine wins from his last 10 games, with recent wins over James Teare, Tony Dugdale and a crucial 21-9 victory over Harry Barton in the Rayner Plate on Friday night, which went a long way to securing the win for his team. Dougie came through his qualifying games with two comfortable victories. Write Dougie off at your peril.

Onchan night league captain Slinger is in as good form as he has been for some time, with his run to the semi-finals of the Manx Championship taking the scalps of Peter Jones with a 21-5 win and Peter Collister 21-6. In the qualifying third spot play off the Onchan man beat Colin Kelly to secure a place in the British Senior Merit Finals at the end of the month. On Thursday Slinger came through his games with three single figure victories, with his most notable being his qualifying game to reach the quarter finals as he beat home greener Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who was the three-time champion and the current holder 21-7, despite trailing 5-2, Peter took apart Barney on home turf, later that day Slinger beat Alan Moore in the Rayner Shield semi-final in his fourth game of the day.

This could well be the tie of the round.