The ever-popular pre-festival Ballacashtal Cup was held on Sunday attracting an entry of 70 bowlers, made up of local and visiting bowlers. The Castletown green was in good condition, the competition was once again sponsored by ABS Solutions.

At the quarter final stages five of the eight players were locals. Losing out were South Ramsey’s David Bradford who led 20-15 and was lying two for game against Colin Kelly only for the Marown man to run out with a 21-20 win. Steve Barber (Chapel Park) made it through to his second semi-final of the weekend with a comfortable 21-12 win over Marown’s Karl Parker.

In the other half of the draw Keith Middleton (Fairfield) was lying game down at 20-20 against Jordan Cain, with Cain attempting to get a second counting bowl he slightly opened the end up to give his opponent an opportunity to get in which he duly did with a great last bowl to progress to the next round. The final game of the quarter finals saw another Marown player Neil Withers put an end to the run of Paul Bradley (Fairfield) with a 21-10 victory.

The standard in the semi-finals shifted up another gear, with Barber taking on Kelly, with the latter trailing 6-11 and 14-17, with one last big push from the local man enough to see him book his place in the final with a 21-17 win.

The second semi-final was well poised with Withers against Middleton, the game was all square at 15-15 after 13 ends. Both players scored a single and a double to level up again at 18-18, with Withers then scoring a double to lead 20-18. A single for the Fairfields man put Middleton one end away from the final, however the local man got the one point he needed to progress with a 21-19 victory.

The final had most neutrals predicting a Kelly win, however an upset looked on the cards as Withers made a strong start playing his customary shorter length to build an 18-10 lead after 11 ends.

A fight back looked like it could be on the cards with a single and a two for Kelly was stopped in its tracks with a single for Withers to lead 19-13. Another point was picked up by Kelly, as he headed straight for the corner towards the gate, but proceeded to get low with both bowls gifting Withers the opportunity to make another for game. Withers failed to make another with his second bowl falling short.

This ultimately proved to be a game changer as despite leading 20-14 Kelly got in the following end, then headed for his less preferred corners with a last throw of the dice, scoring five singles with a double in between to run out with an unlikely 21-20 victory to win the Ballacashtal Cup to claim his first singles open win of the season.

The presentation was made by Castletown Club Chairman Phil Taubman who thanked the sponsors ABS Solutions for their continued support of the competition, the ladies for the refreshments and Kath Kinley for running the competition. Upon accepting the trophy Colin noted it was another good comeback which had helped get him over the line on the day.

South Ramsey hosted the Jim Kernan Cup on Saturday afternoon, in what is traditionally the first of the pre-festival opens with a strong entry of 63. With heavy rain overnight and into the morning this took the pace out of the green, however it did help the competition finish at a reasonable time.

At the quarter final stage home greener Greg Barlow lost out 10-21 to Paul Dunn (Marown), club mates Matthew Keggen and Neil Withers (both Marown) faced each other with the latter winning 21-18. Visitor Wayne Jevons (Wirral) got the better of Finch Hill man Dave McCabe 21-14, whilst another visitor Steve Barber (Chapel Park) just got past Alan Moore 21-20.

In the semi-finals the two remaining locals faced each other, with Dunn up against Withers, as the former was quickest out of the blocks opting for a longer length to build up an eight point lead at 16-8. Withers responded to score eight of the next nine points to sit just one chalk behind at 16-17. Marown captain Dunn then finished the game off winning three of the next four ends to book his place in the final with a 21-17 win.

The second semi-final was also well contested between visiting bowlers Jevons and Barber, with the latter reaching the semi-final for a second consecutive year. The first 10 ends of the game saw just one double scored by Barber on the first end which put the score at 11-10. Jevons stepped up a gear to score four doubles to lead 20-13. Barber attempted to make a comeback with two doubles, however a great last bowl from Jevons with his opponent counting for two sealed a 21-17 win and his place in the final.

The final got underway with a crowd of almost 60 people still in attendance to see who would take home the trophy, it was local man Dunn who made the better start on a longer length to lead 11-6 after seven ends.

Merseyside man Jevons fought his way back into the game a shorter mark to sit just one point behind at 13-14. The Marown man rallied once more to see the game out with a single and three doubles to record a 21-13 victory and with it his second time of lifting the trophy, and follows on from his win in his last outing at Marown, Dunn is in fine form as we head into the festival and upcoming Manx Championship.

The presentation was made by South Ramsey chairman Steve Moore who thanked George Brew for once again sponsoring the competition, the ladies for providing the refreshments throughout the day, along with everyone who had helped with the running of the competition throughout the day. The prizes were then presented by George’s grandson Bailey.

After a welcome week’s break due to the TT it was back to league and cup action in the Canada Life International bowling leagues. 

Match of the week in Division One was between South Ramsey B and Port St Mary A on a tricky Ramsey green. The visitors came away pleased with a 4-6 win, as they took the aggregate by a solitary chalk (136-137). Helping the home team pick up three of their four points were the Hart family with Dad Tony who beat Tom Collins 21-16, youngest son Toby beat Bernard Thackrah 21-7, Toby’s older brother Austin impressed as he inflicted a rare league defeat on Trevor Quayle 21-19, whilst Tony Dugdale picked up the fourth win as he beat Dan Mccabe 21-11. For the Port men Paul Skelly held off Ben Dugdale 21-17, with comfortable wins picked up by Wayne Roberts, Robbie Cooil and Tim Williams over Eddie Carlyle, Frank Watson and Christian Caley respectively. 

At the top end of the table Marown A hosted Castletown A at Crosby on Monday night, with the home team missing two regulars in Colin Kelly and Phil Kelly, however they still took home a convincing 9-1 win, with Ian Watson making a return to the A Team, he impressed with a convincing 21-9 win over Matthew Keggen. For Marown Dean Kipling won 21-7 against Nathan Hamilton, whilst Neil Withers beat Mike Hargraves 21-3. 

South Ramsey A had a tricky looking away game against Marown C the following evening, so it proved despite winning 1-9 on the night they had to battle for three of their wins. Bob Clark was 19-11 up on Tom Kelly, before winning 21-18, Peter Collister led 18-13 against Marown captain Stevie Rundle, with Rundle levelling up at 18-18, only for Collister to rally to win 21-18. South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves trailed 7-13, then 16-19 to Andy Kennish, with the former finishing strongly to secure a hard fought 21-19 win. Preventing the whitewash for Marown was Peter Kelly who beat James Teare 21-12. The result ensured the top two matched each other once again. 

Elsewhere Peel A had a comfortable 9-1 home win over North Ramsey A, with Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly leading the way with a 21-2 win over John Corteen, notably four of the home team wins were 17 or above. For the Mooragh Men Steve Walmsley picked up the only win as he held off Dean Kinley 21-19. 

Onchan A picked up a solid 9-1 home win over Marown B, with home captain Peter Slinger the only single figure winner on the night as he beat John Kelly 21-8. Walter McCarthy was the man who prevented a 10-0 defeat as he beat Jamie Clague 21-11. 

Douglas A hosted Peel B at the Villa, with captain Mervin Sayle winning 21-2 against Rob Middleton, whilst Gary Conwell held off Andy Mackie 21-20, with Gordon Wynne-Smythe also winning a close game 21-19 against Paul Quirk. For Peel Gordon Corrin beat Shaun Seal 21-19, whilst Dewi Bartlett continues to impress as he settles in to Island life winning to the same score against Andy Cannell. 

In Division Two third placed Castletown B are in the mix with a 7-3 home win over Ballaugh A, with two single figure wins from Ross Moore and Derek Lewney, whilst George Peach and John Matheson both scraped home 21-20. The visitors are 11 points behind league leaders Finch Hill A, however they do have a game in hand to close the gap. 

Finch Hill A came away from Onchan C with a good 2-8 win, as they stayed top of the table by two points on 70 points from 10 games played. 

Port Erin A just missed out on a 10-0 maximum by two chalks following their 9-1 home win over South Ramsey C, as Andy Morgan prevented the whitewash with his 21-19 win over Mark Stockholm. 

Elsewhere Douglas B occupy second place following their 3-7 away win over Noble’s A, North Ramsey B beat Noble’s B 7-3 at Mooragh Park, whilst Onchan B won 4-6 away to Peel B (123-127). 

In Division Three the match of the night was between two of the top teams, with leaders Ballaugh B hosting third placed Noble’s D. The visitors managed to secure five wins to claim a 5-5 draw, with the home team edging the chalks (144-142). For the home team two single figure wins from Gary Griffiths and Mike Buckeridge ensured the aggregate went in favour of the home team. 

Port St Mary B went joint top with Ballaugh B with a 3-7 away win over Douglas C.  

Elsewhere South Ramsey D slipped to a 4-6 home defeat to end their recent good form, Noble’s C impressed with a 6-4 home win over Peel D, with the final two matches seeing a single chalk separate the teams as Finch Hill B claimed a 6-4 home win over Peel D (125-124), whilst Port Erin B drew 5-5 with Douglas D as the Breagle men managed to field a full team. 

Plumbmaster Rayner Shield 

The quarter final stages were played out on Wednesday evening on another fine evening, as the tie of the round saw South Ramsey A host Marown A.

The first two games off went in favour of the Crosby men as Colin Kelly beat James Teare 21-16, with Glenn Boland gaining revenge over Glynn Hargraves as he impressed with a 21-6 win. South Ramsey got their first win under their belt with Jordan Cain seeing off Neil Withers 21-16. Paul Kelly put the visitors 3-1 up at the half way stage getting over the line 21-17 after a spirited comeback from Stefan Kelly.  

In the second half with South Ramsey trailing by 19 chalks, their back four turned the match around with David Bradford beating Paul Dunn 21-13, Peter Collister ran out with a 21-20 win after trailing 17-20 against John Gelling. With two matches left on the green the comeback was almost complete with Bob Clark well ahead against Peter Jones, as Clark went on to win 21-12. The last game on the green was between Dido Kelly, who was making his first appearance of the season and Phil Kelly who had just returned from holiday. A good start from Dido to lead 10-0 kept his opponent at arm’s length throughout the game, as they matched each other point for point from there for Dido to win 21-11 and secure a 5-3 win for the home team to progress to the semi-final stage. The match was well contested by both teams with Marown putting in a good performance as just nine chalks separating the teams (144-135). 

Elsewhere Onchan A progressed to the next round with a solid 2-6 away win over Castletown B, with Peter Oates and Ross Moore the winners for Town. North Ramsey A made home advantage count as they won 8-0 against South Ramsey C, with four single figure wins, whilst Marown C won to the same score against Douglas B, with Stuart Garrett coming closest to snatching a consolation win for the Villa men as he lost out 18-21 to Steve Rough.  

Plumbmaster Rayner Plate 

Ballaugh A (+30) had to turn around a 20-chalk deficit against Noble’s A (+50), which they managed to do comfortably as they won by 27 chalks, with all six of their wins being comfortable which helped their cause. 

Finch Hill A (+30) hosted South Ramsey B (+40), despite the home team winning 5-3 on the night, they couldn’t make up the 10-chalk deficit as they lost by 15 chalks (156-171), as two single figure wins for the visitors from Tony Dugdale and Tony Hart, along with Ben Dugdale’s 21-10 win over Paul Dougherty were enough to get them over the line. 

First Division team Peel B (+20) hosted third division outfit Finch Hill B (+65) with the home team having to clawback a 45-chalk deficit, which they did by 17 chalks (188-171) thanks to an 8-0 victory. 

The final match of the round was held on Thursday evening between third division leaders Ballaugh B (+45) and first division side Marown B (+15) with the visitors having to make up a 30-chalk deficit… Report to follow… 

Marown Bowling Club hosted the Henry Kissack Memorial Trophy on Sunday attracting an entry of 56, which was an increase of 12 on last year’s entry of 44, with a notable absentee as the holder from last year Phil Kelly was away on holiday, as he missed out on the opportunity to defend the title. The handicaps for the competition ranged from +3 to +9, with the players enjoying another fine day after the overnight rain, which had taken a bit of pace out of the green, however the green quickened up as the day went on. 

Losing out in the quarter finals were Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly (Peel) who had his challenge ended 19-21 by Marown captain Paul Dunn, Onchan’s Matthew Quirk got the better of Tom Kelly (Marown) 21-12, Dean Kinley (Peel) just lost out 19-21 to Peter Jones (Marown), whilst Andy Kennish’s (Marown) hopes of a third win in four years were ended by South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves 12-21. 

The semi-final saw Hargraves earn his third consecutive 21-12 victory as he booked his place in the final to beat Jones. The second semi-final was keenly contested with Dunn ending the game strongly as he trailed 17-18 to Quirk to run out with two doubles to earn a 21-18 win. 

The final started with both players off a +3 handicap, as the two captains battled it out for the trophy. Hargraves took the first end with a single only for Dunn to score four consecutive doubles moving around the green to take control of the game to lead 11-4. Hargraves responded to level the game up 11-11 after 10 ends as he played a straight peg mark over the middle of the green.  

Dunn managed to prevent his opponent from taking the lead as he scored three singles to lead 14-11. Hargraves battled back once beating a good lead bowl from Dunn along the river edge, as he went on to take the lead 15-14. The following end was a key turning point in the final as Hargraves played two good bowls inside two feet, only for the Marown man to use his home green knowledge to change his peg and bowl in to level things up at 15-15, which was followed by a single to edge ahead 16-15. 

The South Ramsey man then scored a good double to re-take the lead 17-16. A poor end from Hargraves was fully punished by Dunn. On the next end a poor lead from Dunn was punished by Hargraves only for a great change of peg to rescue Dunn with his second bowl. Hargraves managed to kill end as he hit his opponents bowl to spring the jack off the green.  

Dunn headed for the river edge and a good lead secured a single to put the score 19-17 in favour of the Marown man. Heading back on the same mark they had just came from a good lead from Dunn put the pressure on. Hargraves looked to have a good first bowl going in only to promote his opponent’s bowl, as Dunn played a great second bowl to count for game. A play through from Hargraves pegged away early as Dunn secured a hord fought 21-17 win in an entertaining game. 

The presentation was made by Marown President Peter Kelly, who thanked the club members for assisting throughout the day, the team in the kitchen for the refreshments and the green keeper for preparing the green. 

With evening T.T. practice sessions underway last week league fixtures were held as local as possible week as Marown A had an ‘away’ fixture against their B Team on Tuesday night in Canada Life International League Division One.

The Crosby men took the opportunity to close the gap on league leaders South Ramsey A to just two points following their 1-9 victory. With Colin Kelly missing Dean Kipling stepped back in for the A Team, it was like he has never been away as he was the best winner on the night with a 21-7 victory over Sid Bolton. Peter Jones just edged home 21-20 against Juan Killip, whilst Matthew Keggen was the lone winner for the B Team as he beat Phil Kelly 21-18.

South Ramsey A hosted Douglas A with the green proving tricky for both teams, however the home team prevailed 8-2, with the Ramsey men just four chalks off a 10-0 win, however it could just as easily have been 6-4 on the night. Winning for the Villa men were Jimmy Sansom who recovered from a 9-18 deficit against South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves to score 12 consecutive chalks to win 21-18 as Sansom claimed his first night league win of the season. Also winning was Andy Cannell who got the better of James Teare 21-20. For the home team Bob Clark had to work for his 21-17 win against Mervin Sayle, whilst Alan Moore was pushed further as he won 21-19 against Gary Conwell.

Onchan A came away from Breagle Glen with a 3-7 win over Port St Mary A. For the visitors Kevin Quirk won 21-7 against Robbie Cooil, only for his captain Peter Slinger to win 21-4 against Tim Williams. Returning the favour for the Port men Wayne Roberts beat Jamie Clague 21-4, whilst Dan McCabe won 21-8 against Will Penhallurick, with Trevor Quayle picking up the third win as he beat Reg Temporaza 21-12.

Peel A were in no mood to do their B Team any favours as they won 9-1 in the Sunset City to go joint third with Onchan A on 54 points. Gordon Corrin was the lone winner for the B Team as he beat Peter Greenlees 21-14, whilst teammate Michael Kavanagh just missed out 20-21 to Pip Pemberton. For the A Team George Gadsby was the best winner with a 21-7 victory over David Smith.

North Ramsey A continued their climb up the table to move in to fifth place, thanks to a 8-2 home win against neighbours South Ramsey B. For the Mooragh men captain Rob Monk faced off against South Ramsey captain Ben Dugdale, with the former winning 21-6, whilst Steven Waters got the better of Tony Dugdale 21-19. For the visitors Frank Watson stormed home 21-4 against Gary Merrill, whilst Bryan Corner beat Brian Colquitt 21-10.

The closest match of the week took place at the Crofts between bottom of the table Castletown A and Marown C, with the home team claiming the all-important aggregate chalks (148-142) winning 6-4  to close the gap on the teams above them. Town Captain Jordan Drewett was the best winner as he beat Dan Smith 21-4, Chris Lever won 21-17 against Jamie Joughin, Nathan Hamilton beat Tom Kelly 21-18, whilst Nathan Cooil beat Marown captain Stephen Rundle 21-19. For the visitors Peter Kelly beat Ron Williams 21-16, with Conor Keenan winning to same score against Aaron Richardson, whilst Kevin Kelly beat Mike Hargraves 21-17.

In Division Two Finch Hill A had a tough home fixture against Castletown B, however the Finch men prevailed 8-2 to leapfrog their opponents on the night to hit top spot. Four single figure wins from Dave McCabe, Stephen Oates, Mark Taylor, and Tony Epifani helped the home team. Having to work hard for his 21-20 win was Les Brookes who beat Ian Watson. For Town Alan Phair beat John Qualtrough 21-14, whilst John Matheson continued his good form as he beat Brian Murphy 21-11.

Douglas B stayed firmly in the race for promotion as they beat Onchan C 9-1 at the Villa. The lone winner for Onchan was Denis Maxwell who beat Steve Cook 21-17, whilst Bernard Galka just missed out 20-21. For the home team Andy Foster beat Ray McMullen 21-4.

Port Erin A will have been pleased to take an 2-8 away win over Onchan B. For the Breagle men Bernie Durcan beat Steve Parker 21-6, whilst David Cain won 21-19 against Mark Kelly. For Onchan Mike Alexander had a comfortable 21-10 win over Chris Dent, whilst Paul Callister picked up their second win as he beat Mark Stockham 21-18.

Noble’s B managed to take three points off their A Team with Phil Salmon beating Juan Qualtrough 21-15, Jay Elliott won 21-6 against John Short, whilst Stephen Corkill beat John Andrew 21-7. Responding for the A Team Jim Collister beat Alex Hampson 21-3, Martyn Hobson won 21-9 against Michael Cooper, whilst Alex Yates beat Michael Johnson 21-18.

North Ramsey B sit safely in mid table as they won 7-3 at home to South Ramsey C on Thursday evening. For South close games were won by Jay Moore who beat Adam Greenwood 21-17, and Paul Routledge also won to the same score against Lee Christian, whilst captain Dave Corkill eased home with a 21-7 win over Joe Kneale. For the Mooragh men Ray Skelly beat Anthony Kelly 21-19 and Tony Smart won 21-8 against Tony Marler.

In Division Three league leaders Ballaugh B gave the chasing pack the opportunity to close the gap, as they slipped to a 4-6 away defeat to Peel D with just four chalks separating the teams (130-126). Winning to single figures for Peel were James Lee who won 21-5 against John Kneen, whilst Kevin Murray won 21-7 against John Looney. For Ballaugh Fred Waggett was the best winner as he won 21-7 against Charlie McMeiken.

Port St Mary B made up ground on Ballaugh B following their 10-0 win over Port Erin B, who weren’t helped as they were three players short, with just two of their players reaching double figures as Dylan Marsh lost 14-21 to Nicholas Peterson and Ben Mowle was beaten 10-21 by Thomas Keggen.

Douglas C just lost out 4-6 at home to Ballaugh C, with the visitors winning the aggregate by five chalks (134-139). Paul Cubbon was the best winner for Ballaugh as he beat Les Quayle 21-8, with Mark Dimsdale winning 21-17 against Greg Brew. For the Villa men Dave Corkish beat Tom Waterworth 21-6, whilst Mark Clarke just got the better of Tim Merriman 21-20.

Marown D welcomed Noble’s C to Crosby, with the visitors coming away with a 3-7 win, with 12 chalks separating the sides (122-134). Winning for the home team were Jay Waters who beat Dean Sowerby 21-7, with Eddie Rough winning to the same score against Paul Moore, whilst Phil Dunn beat Andy Greggor 21-15. For Noble’s Steve Brennan won 21-9 against Bobby Kerruish, Lee Price beat James Kelly 21-7, with Lee Greggor beating Richard Bregazzi 21-19.

Noble’s D stayed in the mix as they sit in third place following their 8-2 home win over Finch Hill B. For the home team Terry Bates beat Sam Stannard-Duke 21-16, Alex Colquitt won 21-17 against Chris Wilson, whilst Roy Moore cruised to a 21-6 win over John Smith. For Finch Peter Woods beat Sam Colquitt 21-8, and their second win was courtesy of a walkover due to Noble’s being a man short.