Author Archives: Glynn Hargraves

Grace Secures Maiden Junior Manx Championship Title

Junior Manx Champion 2023 - Grace Gawne

Photo: Arnie Withers

A healthy entry of 26 junior bowlers from all over the Island entered the Junior Manx Championship at Noble’s Bowling Club on Sunday. There was a good crowd in attendance on a hot day, with the winner of the competition having to win five games to claim the title. With several of the older Junior Bowlers now ineligible to enter, it was guaranteed to be a new winner this year.

This year, going against recent years it was more boys than girls through to the latter stages, as six boys made it through to the quarter finals and two girls, with some great bowls played by all the Junior bowlers.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Katie Jacobs (Douglas), who just lost 18-21 to Alex Colquitt (Noble’s), home greener Alex Hampson was beaten 17-21 by Clark Kelly (Douglas), Grace Gawne (Noble’s) ended the hopes of Dylan Marsh (Castletown) 21-11, whilst Castletown’s Sam Quayle came through 21-14 against Sam Colquitt (Noble’s).

In the semi-finals Grace kept up her good form as she ended the challenge of Sam, who had performed well all day, displaying great composure only to lose out 14-21. The other semi-final was between Alex and Clark, with the latter at one point looking favourite to progress to the final leading 15-10 only for Alex to work his way back into the game, and to see the game out with a 21-19 win to book his place in the final.

In the final Grace who suffered heartache last year in the final looked nailed on to win only to eventually lose out 21-18 she took the early initiative, taking the lead 4-0 after just three ends, only for Alex to settle into the game well to lead 5-4.

Grace responded to win seven of the next 10 ends scoring five doubles’, conceding just three singles to build up a commanding 16-8 lead – coincidentally the same score she led last year. Despite losing three consecutive singles Grace rallied once more to close the game out in style with a single, a two, then two further singles, beating a good first bowl from Alex on the final end to claim her first Junior title with a 21-11 victory.

The presentation was made by Association Press Officer Glynn Hargraves, who thanked Noble’s Bowling Club for hosting, Wayne Roberts for running the competition. Glynn went on to say how good the standard of bowls was along with how well all the Juniors had behaved. Grace was then presented with the Shield.

Both Grace and Alex will represent the Isle of Man at the UK Junior Individual Merit on Saturday 19th August at Essington Bowling Club in Staffordshire.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Cup Competitions In Full Swing

Pictured handing over the cheque for £1,200 are l to r Phil Kelly - Treasurer of the IOMCCGBA, Dave Reynolds - PlumbMaster Manager, Karl McMullin and Steve Grant - Haldane Fisher (IOM) Ltd Assistant Manager

Photo: Phil Kelly

PlumbMaster Rayner Shield

New sponsors for the Isle of Man Crown Green Bowls – Men’s Section are PlumbMaster who are part of Haldane Fisher. They have agreed a two-year deal sponsoring the Rayner Shield and the Rayner Plate, the Association Cup along with the Men’s Doubles Manx Championship which takes place later in the season.

Match of the night on paper was between Peel A and Marown A with the Crosby men being drawn away from home. A solid performance from the visitors resulted in a 2-6 win on the night. Colin Kelly signed off before jetting off with a 21-9 win over Pip Pemberton, Marown captain Paul Dunn shown no mercy to George Gadsby with a 21-7 victory. For Peel Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly inflicted a 21-14 defeat on John Gelling, Tommy McMeiken beat Paul Kelly 21-15, whilst Gary Smith just lost out 20-21 to Glenn Boland.

The real match of the night was between Douglas A and Onchan A at the Villa with the score 4-4 on games the match was decided on chalks, with the visitors advancing to the quarter finals with as they won by just three chalks (140-143). For Onchan Neil Dunwell was the best winner as he beat Gordon Wynne-Smythe 21-8, whilst for the visitors Merv Sayle went one better with a 21-7 win over Will Penhallurick. Claiming victories in close games for the Villa men were Keith Rise who edged it 21-20 against Phil Kerruish and Ian Moore who beat Mike Thomas 21-18. For Onchan Kevin Quirk had his work cut out to beat Mark Kneen 21-17.

Current Rayner Shield Holders South Ramsey A won 8-0 once again in their second-round match on a vastly improved Noble’s One green. Whilst they won all their games, with four of them to single figures, they didn’t have it all their own way as Alex Hampson performed well to lose out 15-21 to South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves, as did teammate Phil Salmon against Jordan Cain. Highest scorer of the night for Noble’s was Stephen Corkill as he just lost out 19-21 to Stefan Kelly.

Port St Mary A lost out 3-5 at home to Castletown B despite having home advantage, however they could console themselves slightly as they won on chalks (138-130) with the impact of missing three regulars from the team just too damaging on the night, as Dan McCabe lost 20-21 to Alan Phair, Bob Kay was beaten 19-21 by Ian Watson, and Wayne Roberts lost 17-21 to Peter Oates. Winning big for the Port men were Peter Collins and Trevor Quayle who both won 21-7 against John Matheson and Willie Corkill respectively.

South Ramsey C made home advantage count as they won 5-3 at home to Peel C, with Lee Dawson making his first night league appearance of the season as he impressed massively as he continues his road to recovery with a 21-2 win over Jeff Wilson, whilst Anthony Kelly ensured the match didn’t go down to chalks with his 21-20 win over Phillip Clarke.

Division Three side Douglas C hosted first division team Marown C, with the visitors coming away with a 1-7 win, claiming four single figure wins on the night. Preventing the whitewash was John Ferguson who beat Kevin Kelly 21-17, whilst teammate Juan Readshaw was on the wrong side of a 20-21 against Dan Smith.

Douglas B who are ticking along nicely in Division Two hosted Division One strugglers Castletown A, it was the Villa men who caused a mini upset as they won 6-2 on games with the chalks telling a different story as they won by just one chalk (140-139). Nathan Hamilton was the best winner for Town as he beat William Cowley 21-4, whilst Stuart Garrett won 21-9 against Jordan Drewett.

Port St Mary B welcomed North Ramsey A to Breagle Glen with the visitors easing to a 1-7 victory, however two of the wins to 21-20, with Steve Walmsley and Allan Callow beating Nicholas Peterson and Derek Cain respectively. Bernard Thackrah prevented the whitewash for the Port men.

PlumbMaster Rayner Plate

With handicaps awarded based on League placings the match of the week in the last 16 of the Plate was between Peel B (+20) and South Ramsey D (+70) as the match finished 177-177 with the Peel men clawing back 50 chalks to tie, only to advance to the quarter finals as they won 7-1 on games, since they couldn’t be separated on chalks. Lone winner for the visitors was Frank Feeney as he beat Gordon Corrin 21-10, whilst Peel’s best winner was Dougie Allan who won 21-4 against Geoff Collier. Dewi Bartlett made it four wins from four games played defeating South Ramsey captain Franz ten Donkelaar, with Bartlett rumoured to have played bowls to a high standard in Wales.

Another epic encounter was between Marown D (+50) and Ballaugh B (+60) at Crosby with the home team just sneaking home by two chalks (188-190), with Ryan Holdaway turning out once again as he won 21-9 to help his team progress to the next round.

Finch Hill A (+45) progressed with a 27-chalk victory (178-205) away to Noble’s C with the Noble’s men performing admirably as Lee Greggor and Dean Sowerby won 21-20 against Stephen Oates and Brian Murphy respectively, whilst Terry Bates did well to beat Dave McCabe 21-15.

Port Erin A (+30) drew 4-4 on games, only to lose out by 16 chalks (174-190) to Noble’s A (+50) as Bernie Durcan beat Mark Bradshaw 21-8, with David Cain winning 21-9 against John Andrew as they attempted to claw back the chalks.

Finch Hill B (+50) overturned a 15 chalk deficit on the handicap at home to Peel D (+65) as they won by 13 chalks helped by winning 6-2 on games, as Peter Woods won 21-9 against Will Mitchell, whilst four of his Finch teammates won 21-15, and the final win 21-14 was claimed by Tony Jones as he beat Mike Ashmole.

South Ramsey B (+25) had a dominant home win against second division side North Ramsey B (+60) as they won by 62 chalks (193-131) despite having to give the Mooragh men a 35-chalk start, they won all eight games on the night, with five games being won to single figures.

Ballaugh C (+50) were crushed 0-8 at home to Marown B (+15), with the Crosby men winning on the by 38 chalks (145-183).

Ballaugh A (+30) made light work of visitors Port Erin B (+70) despite having to give the Breagle men a 40-chalk start as they won by 33 chalks with three single figure wins helping claw back the chalks.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Championship

In Group A Marown A welcomed North Ramsey A to Crosby with the home team winning three games to single figures in their 29-chalk victory (152-123) as Neil Withers, Paul Kelly, and Glenn Boland beat Steven Waters, Madison McMullan, and Rosemary Quirk respectively, whilst Janet Monk won 21-6 against Rebecca Teare for the visitors.

In the other match in Group A Ballaugh A hosted Douglas A, it was the visitors who picked up the two points as they won by just one chalk (154-155) despite losing 6-3 on games.

In Group B Port St Mary had the visit of Peel to Breagle Glen as the home team by 35 chalks, despite the games being a lot closer going 5-4 in favour of Port St Mary.

The other fixture in Group B was between Noble’s A and South Ramsey A, with the home team winning two games as they lost out by 43 chalks to the current holders. Winning for the home team were Mark Bradshaw who performed well to beat James Teare 21-18, whilst Stephen Corkill won 21-8 against Fiona Kennish.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Plate

In the Plate competition in Group A Noble’s B took on Finch Hill at home with the visitors coming away with the victory by 20 chalks (156-176) as they won 3-6 on games.

North Ramsey B had the visit of a relatively inexperienced Marown B with the Mooragh men winning by 25 chalks, Katie Johnson was the best winner for the home team, whilst James Kelly and Phil Dunn were both single figure winners for Marown as they beat Joe Kneale and Bailey McMullan respectively. Just losing out 19-21 was Ryan Holdaway to Olivia Johnson.

In Group B another team fielding several new Bowlers was Douglas B who were at home to Port Erin with the home team losing out by 32 chalks, as Paul Cowley lost out 20-21 to Jean Thackrah, whilst Junior bowler Clark Kelly performed well only to lose out 18-21 to Steve Durcan.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Bradford Wins ‘Villa Classic’

Competition Organiser Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly with Winner David Bradford who took home the £300 first prize

Photo: Arnie Withers

With a free date in the Bowls Calendar Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly took the opportunity to hold a competition open to all with players paying £25 for the privilege, resulting in an £800 prize fund. The location of choice was Douglas Bowling club, with the competition being touted as the Villa Classic. The weather was fair all day, with music being played it made for a good atmosphere around the green, with 32 players taking part and plenty of spectators in attendance.

Losing out at the quarter final stage to earn themselves £40 each were Bob Clark (South Ramsey) who lost out 17-21 to Neil Withers (Marown), Rebecca Teare (Marown) was beaten 15-21 by Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey), Glenn Boland (Marown) was heavily defeated 6-21 by David Bradford (South Ramsey), whilst Peel man Stevie Kelly lost out 15-21 to Paul Dunn (Marown).

At the semi-final stage it was South Ramsey versus Marown in both games. Losing out to collect £90 were Hargraves, who was well beaten 11-21 by Withers, whilst Dunn fell to Bradford 15-21.

The final still had almost 50 people in attendance. It was Bradford who got off to a flier, was always in control of the game as he built up a lead of 13-4 after seven ends playing a mark over the middle of the green. Bradford never relented as he managed to claim a solid 21-10 victory over Withers and with it the first prize of £300, whilst the Marown man could console himself with £160 for his effort on the day.

The presentation was made by competition organiser Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, who thanked Douglas Bowling Club for the use of the green and for the refreshments, Brian Kelly for helping run the competition and everyone who had entered.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Lead At Top Changes Hands Twice

Onchan A who lost 4-6 to South Ramsey A on Monday night, bouncing back on Friday

Photo: Arnie Withers

Another round of fixtures took place across all three divisions this week in the Canada Life International sponsored bowling leagues.

In Division One it was very much a case of as you were at the end of the week, however the lead did change hands briefly as Marown A picked up their first 10-0 win of the season as they beat Douglas A at Crosby to hit top spot. Three single figure wins were claimed by Paul Dunn who beat Merv Sayle 21-6, John Gelling won 21-7 against Mark Kneen, whilst Glenn Boland beat Keith Rise 21-8. The highest scorer for the visitors was Gordon Wynne-Smythe who lost 16-21 to Peter Jones.

South Ramsey A had their toughest test of the season as they faced Onchan A at the Park. After a tough game the reigning league champions came away with a 4-6 win, with the visitors claiming the aggregate by just five chalks (140-145). First league defeats of the season were inflicted on the four losers for South Ramsey as Alan Moore lost 12-21 to Phil Kerruish, Bob Clark was beaten 16-21 by Matthew Quirk, David Bradford lost to the same score to Kevin Quirk, whilst Jordan Cain was defeated 17-21 by Peter Slinger. Winning for the visitors were South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves who won convincingly 21-10 against Reg Temporaza, James Teare beat Jamie Clague 21-12, Peter Collister recovered from a 7-14 deficit to run out with a 21-14 win over Neil Dunwell, whilst Stefan Kelly held his nerve to win 21-20 against Will Penhallurick to reverse last season’s score line.

Elsewhere on Monday evening North Ramsey A claimed their biggest victory of the season beat Port St Mary A 9-1 at Mooragh Park, Peel A got the better of Marown B 8-2 in the Sunset City, whilst South Ramsey B claimed a vital 7-3 home win against fellow strugglers Castletown A.

On Friday evening the clash of the season took place with South Ramsey A hosting Marown A on a tricky green. The home team made home advantage count early as South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves claimed a resounding 21-4 win over Glenn Boland, whilst Bob Clark showed no mercy to Paul Kelly as he matched his captains score to put the home team 2-0 up and leading by 34 chalks. David Bradford was next off with a 21-20 victory over Phil Kelly, with the former recovering from an 8-14 deficit to sneak home. With Peter Jones missing due to injury standing in for Marown was Tom Kelly who recovered from 10-15 and 14-18 behind to win 21-19 against Peter Collister.

In the second half of the match Marown captain Paul Dunn performed well against James Teare as he won 21-10. Tony Dugdale who was filling in for Jordan Cain performed brilliantly to beat Neil Withers 21-13, Colin Kelly was always in control with his 21-9 victory over Alan Moore, whilst Stefan Kelly had to dig deep for the second time this week as he got home 21-18 against John Gelling to secure a 7-3 home win and with it restore the three-point lead at the top of the table for South Ramsey.

Castletown A stayed firmly rooted to the bottom of the table following a 2-8 home defeat to Onchan A, with Jordan Drewett and David Quayle the two winners for the Town men.

Elsewhere on Friday evening Douglas A won 8-2 at home to Marown C, with Ian Moore returning following a shoulder injury to beat Andy Kennish 21-20 who was making his first night league appearance of the season, North Ramsey A continue to climb the table thanks to a 2-8 victory over Peel B, Peel A came away from Breagle Glen with a 4-6 victory over Port St Mary A by just three chalks (139-142), whilst Marown B won 7-3 at home to South Ramsey B.

In Division Two Ballaugh A hit top spot again thanks to a strong week with an 8-2 win over Noble’s A, then bettered that result with a 9-1 home win over Onchan C as the visitors scored just 68 chalks, explained by the Onchan men being three players short on the night. Ballaugh man Steven Grant leads the way in the individual merit with eight wins from eight games played.

Castletown B will be pleased with their weeks work as they beat South Ramsey C 8-2 at home on Monday evening keeping the visitors to 99 chalks as they claimed four single figure victories. The Town men won to the same score on Friday night as they beat Onchan B 2-8 away from home, with all players from both teams getting into double figures to sit on 56 points after eight games played.

Finch Hill A occupy third place despite losing 7-3 away to Douglas B at the start of the week, they bounced back to trounce Noble’s A 10-0.

Douglas B are by no means out of the race to get promoted as they followed up their victory at the start of the week with a 1-9 away victory over Noble’s B, with Juan Drinkwater the lone winner 21-16 against Andy Foster.

Ballaugh B lead the way by eight points in Division Three despite suffering a 4-6 home defeat to Douglas D, with two 7-21 defeats for the home team sealing their fate as they lost by nine chalks (127-136). The Ballaugh men bounced back on Thursday night with a 2-8 ‘away’ victory over their C Team.

Port St Mary B are making a decent attempt at going straight back up, as they won 8-2 at home to Peel D, then went one better in their next fixture as they won 1-9 at Crosby against Marown D with Junior Keggen winning 21-19 against Chris Williamson.

South Ramsey D are having one of their most impressive seasons to date, as they claimed back-to-back 8-2 victories, starting the week beating Noble’s D at home, then finishing the week with victory away to Peel D.

Noble’s D and Noble’s C clashed for the first time on Thursday evening, it was the D Team who took the spoils with a 7-3 win. For the D Terry Bates beat Steve Cain 21-14, Sam Colquitt held on to beat Lee Price 21-20, whilst Roy Moore beat Kevin Airey 21-1. Responding for the C Team were Andy Greggor who beat Andrew Bell 21-20, Lee Greggor beat Alex Colquitt 21-11, whilst Mike Caley won 21-14 against Kevin Moore.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Junior Team Competes in St Helen’s

The Junior Island Team who Competed at Windle Bowling Club in St Helen’s on Sunday

Photo: Tina Hampson

The Isle of Man Junior Team took part in the British Crown Green Bowling Association six-a-side Championship at Windle Bowling Club in St Helens on Sunday, on what turned out to be another good day for the team. With three of last years’ Junior Team now ineligible to play it was an opportunity for younger Junior bowlers to gain experience representing the Island competing on a different green.

The format was six players in a team in a group of five teams all playing each other, it was a positive start as they won the first game 5-1 against Lancashire by a comfortable margin of 18 chalks (87-69) with Grace Gawne winning 15-6 against Wade Hunting, whilst Ryan Hargraves beat Matthew Finch 15-9.

The second round was against last year’s group winners Cumbria the same side that the team lost out to by a single chalk, however it was a tough fixture as the team won just one game (1-5) with Grace Gawne again winning to single figures 15-8 against Sam Brannon as the team losing out by 43 chalks (40-83).

In the third round the team bounced back in style beating Cheshire 5-1 and by a margin of 37 chalks (83-46) with all of the wins to single figures. Grace Gawne and Alex Hampson won 15-3 against Kannikaa Duncan and Megan Hulme respectively, Sam Colquitt beat Holly MacPake 15-7, whilst Madison McMullan beat Lawrence McNeela 15-9, with Ryan Hargraves matching that win as he beat Max Blackburn.

In the final round they faced South Yorkshire, this game was a lot closer as the team claimed a 4-2 win on games and winning by 12 chalks (80-68). Birthday Boy Ryan Hargraves who was celebrating his 15th Birthday beat Keira Fox 15-11 to secure his third win of the day, Madison McMullan won 15-5 against Jacob Morgan, Alex Hampson claimed another single figure win beating Liam Dickenson 15-9, whilst Victoria Johnson just got the better of Isaac Cook 15-13. The defeats in this game were also high scoring to help the team claim the win on chalks as Alex Colquitt battled well before losing out 9-15 to Grace Rhodes, whilst Grace Gawne lost out 11-15 against Harley Baker.

The Group was topped by an all-conquering Cumbria on eight points, with two points awarded for a win on chalks, closely followed by the Isle of Man who finished runners up in the group with six points.

The Juniors all did themselves and the Island proud in the way that they performed and more importantly the way they behaved on and off the green. Thank you to everyone who came to support, the Development Committee for organising the travel & accommodation, Team Manager Tina Hampson who was assisted on the day by Steve Hampson, along with Andy Kennish for the transport.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Bradford Wins Association Cup

Association Cup Winner 2023 - David Bradford

Photo: Glynn Hargraves

North Ramsey Bowling Club hosted the Association Cup on Sunday afternoon with the competition sponsored by Plumbmaster attracting 33 entries. The predicted rain arrived a bit later than forecast, with the North of the Island appearing to escape the worst of it.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Stephen Oates (Finch Hill) who lost out 10-21 to Marown man Colin Kelly. South Ramsey teammates Glynn Hargraves and David Bradford clashed with the latter getting the better of his captain 21-14.

In the other half of the draw Peter Jones progressed as he got through his game with Marown club mate Matthew Keggen 21-17, whilst Paul Dunn ended the challenge of South Ramsey’s Jordan Cain with a 21-11 victory to progress to the next round.

In the semi-finals Bradford ruthlessly took full control as he opted for a longer length also preferred by Kelly as he booked his place in the final with a 21-8 win. The other semi-final looked like it good go close between Dunn and Jones, with the latter opting for a longer length whilst Dunn was performing well across the middle of the green, with this mark enough to see Dunn advance with a 21-18 win.

The final got underway with both players not able to get a run of the jack, with Dunn scoring four singles over the first seven ends, whilst Bradford scored two doubles and a single to lead 10-9.

On end eight Bradford scored a single then headed straight for the corners, after trying in the early ends of the game to get into his preferred corners, this time he headed for the opposite corners to those played in previous rounds.

This worked a treat as the South Ramsey man ran out with four doubles and three singles to claim victory with a 21-9 win, finishing in style with two great bowls on the last end. This was Bradford’s second time lifting the trophy in this competition following on from his 2014 win.

Competition Secretary Matthew Keggen thanked North Ramsey Bowling Club for preparing a much improved green, the club members for providing helpers and refreshments throughout the day and the Steve Moore for the smooth running of the competition.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

South Ramsey A Stretch Lead

Marown A beat Marown C 8-2 this week

Photo: Arnie Withers

In Canada Life International League Division One early pacesetters South Ramsey A faced their lower ranked B Team this week, with the higher ranked team winning 9-1 on the night. Winning comfortably to single figures were Glynn Hargraves, David Bradford, Bob Clark, and James Teare. Alan Moore was made to work for his 21-19 victory over Tony Dugdale. Preventing the whitewash for the B Team was Tony Hart who continued his good form to beat Stefan Kelly 21-17. Tougher tests come next week with Onchan A away on Monday night and Marown A at home on Friday evening.

Onchan A had tricky fixture against Douglas A, however the visitors came away with a 3-7 victory. The best winner for Onchan was Matthew Quirk, as he beat Gary Conwell 21-9. Comfortable wins were claimed by Kevin Quirk, Peter Slinger, and Reg Temporaza, whilst Jamie Clague impressed with a hard earned 21-19 win over Keith Rise. Winning for the home team were Andy Cannell, Mervin Sayle, and Gordon Wynne-Smythe with the latter edging home 21-19 against Mike Thomas.

Castletown A slumped to a 2-8 home defeat against Peel A at the Crofts. For the Town men captain Jordan Drewett beat Dean Kinley 21-16, whilst Nathan Cooil was in good form as he beat Andy Mackie 21-3. Suffering close defeats for the home team were Chris Lever 18-21 to Gary Smith, Mike Hargraves who lost out 19-21 to David Proctor, whilst Aaron Richardson also lost to the same score to George Gadsby.  For the visitors Tommy McMeiken was the best winner as he beat Nathan Hamilton 21-10, Peter Greenlees won 21-13 against Ron Williams, with international jetsetter Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly flying in to make a guest appearance as he beat David Quayle 21-14.

Peel B and Port St Mary A played out the closest contest of the night in the top tier as the Western men claimed a 7-3 home win, with just six chalks separating the teams (146-140). For the home team Colin Moore was the best winner as he beat Tim Williams 21-12, Pip Pemberton performed well to win 21-17 against Paul Skelly, whilst Dougie Allan beat Robbie Cooil 21-18 to earn his win. For the visitors Trevor Quayle won 21-10 against Peel captain Paul Quirk, whilst Dan McCabe beat Andrew Cover 21-17.

Marown B hosted North Ramsey A at Crosby with the home team winning 7-3 as they missed out on a full house by just six chalks as John Kelly lost 18-21 to John Cannan, Dean Kipling played his first game of the season to just lose out 20-21 to Rob Monk, whilst Brian Kelly also lost 20-21 to Paul Allison. Winning to single figures for Marown were Harry Barton and Walter McCarthy who beat Gary Merrill and Adrian Skinner respectively, whilst Karl Parker got home with a 21-18 win over Steve Walmsley.

On Tuesday night Marown C had the unenviable task of taking on their higher ranked A Team. The lower ranked side did manage to claim two wins on the night in their 2-8 defeat, with veteran Peter Kelly showing he hasn’t lost his touch as he beat Paul Kelly 21-4. Sam Clague was the second winner as he impressed with a 21-12 win over John Gelling. For the A Team Paul Dunn and Neil Withers won to single figures, Peter Jones managed to clawback a huge deficit to win 21-17 against Kevin Kelly, whilst Colin Kelly got the better of his son Tom Kelly with a 21-16 victory.

In Division Two Ballaugh A dropped from top spot to third place as they suffered a disastrous 4-6 home defeat to Douglas B losing out on the aggregate by nine chalks (121-130). For the visitors Nick Firth impressed with a 21-9 win over Nigel Tebay, Steve Cook also win to single figures as he beat john Keenan 21-8. For Ballaugh Steve Grant performed well to beat David Pease 21-6, Richard Hainge recovered from a slow start to beat Stuart Garrett 21-15, with captain Phil Quayle also winning to the same score against Paddy Murphy.

Finch Hill A took advantage of Ballaugh’s defeat as they won 3-7 away to Noble’s B to hit top spot. For the Finch men Dave McCabe was the only winner to single figures on the night, Paul Dougherty beat Graham Moore 21-18, whilst Pat Maher held his nerve to beat Stephen Corkill 21-20. For Noble’s Ciaran Broad won 21-16 against Tony Epifani, Phil Salmon won to the same score against Mark Taylor, whilst Michael Johnson won 21-13 against Dave Jones.

Castletown B missed an opportunity as they were well beaten 8-2 away to North Ramsey B. For the Town men Peter Oates won 21-16 against Adam Greenwood, whilst Ian Watson beat Lee Christian 21-18. For the home team Tony Smart was the best winner as he beat Derek Lewney 21-5, whilst Ray Skelly won 21-9 against George Peach.

South Ramsey C gave themselves some breathing space at the lower end of the table as they crushed Onchan C 10-0 at home keeping the visitors to just 89 chalks. Three single figure victories were claimed by Anthony Kelly, James Moore, and Jay Moore. Denis Maxwell came closest to picking up a point for the visitors, however Tony Marler managed to win 21-19.

Not to be outdone Port Erin A beat Peel C 10-0 at Breagle Glen, with two of their wins were hard earned as Ed Benson beat Jeff Wilson 21-19, and Steve Durcan just got the better of Kevin Mort 21-20. Single figure wins arrived from Derek Cadamy, Seamus Whelan, and Bernie Durcan.

Onchan B hosted Noble’s A with the home team getting the better of the visitors with an 8-2 win. Four single figures wins came from Sid McKnight, Steve Parker, Colin Spence, and Mike Alexander. Alex Yates responded for Noble’s with a 21-5 win over Bernie McPhee.

In Division Three league leaders Ballaugh B won five games away to Finch Hill B, as the visitors lost out by four chalks (137-133) to draw 5-5 on the night. Sam Stannard-Duke beat John Kneen 21-10, whilst Chris Wilson was the only single figure winner as he beat Richard Green 21-8. For Ballaugh Mike Buckeridge and Gary Griffiths won 21-17 against Peter Woods and Finch Hill captain Kevin Stannard respectively.

Peel D are ticking along nicely as they won 8-2 at home to Douglas C. For Peel Dewi Barlett had a debut to remember as he won 21-8 against John Ferguson to claim the team kitty. James Lee beat Ashley Halsall 21-19, whilst Charlie McMeiken won 21-18 against Trevor Latus. The two winners for the Villa men were John Harrison who beat William Quirk 21-14, whilst Greg Tomlinson beat Mike Ashmole 21-20.

South Ramsey D came away from Ballaugh C with a solid 2-8 victory. Greg Barlow continues to perform well as he beat Maurice O’Reilly 21-5, with the next best win coming from Junior bowler Ryan Hargraves who won 21-10. For Ballaugh Paul Cubbon won 21-4 against Chris Brown, whilst Steve Bassil beat Frank Feeney 21-17.

Port Erin B made the most of being able to field a full team as they drew 4-4 on games at home to Marown D, as they edged the all-important aggregate by just five chalks (141-136) to win 6-4. Alan Crebbin was the best winner for the Breagle men as he beat Keith Watterson 21-10, whilst Phil Dunn responded for Marown with a 21-7 win over Robert Woodford.

Noble’s D kept in touch at the top after seeing off Port St Mary B 7-3 at home, with all players from both teams reaching double figures, as the home team claimed the bonus points by eight chalks (144-136). Roy Moore had to scrap for his 21-20 win over Nicholas Peterson, whilst all of the visitors’ wins were all to a 21-13 score line from Mike Keggen, Peter Collins and Derek Cain.

Noble’s C continue to impress in their debut season, despite missing their captain Steve Cain this week as they took on Douglas D at the Villa, as the visitors came away with a 3-7 win. Winning for the Noble’s men were Lee Greggor, Lee Price, Dean Sowerby, Kevin Airey, and Andy Greggor, with Mike Caley just losing out 20-21 to Greg Brew, whilst Paul Moore was beaten 18-21 by James Teare.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Clark Wins Ballaugh Men’s Singles

Bob Clark - Ballaugh Singles Winner 2023

Photo: Glynn Hargraves

The first Men’s singles open competition of the 2023 season took place at Ballaugh Bowling Club on Saturday, with some spare dates in the bowling calendar Ballaugh were the lucky recipients of the extra open. The competition attracted an entry of 43 on a good day, with the green running particularly well for the time of year.

The first two quarter finals had South Ramsey players progress to the next round as David Bradford came through 21-16 against Matthew Keggen (Marown). Also progressing was Bob Clark who ended the hopes of another Marown player, Brian Kelly with a 21-9 win.

In the bottom half of the draw Neil Withers overcame Marown clubmate Karl Parker 21-17 in a close game, whilst Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) held off Castletown man Nathan Hamilton 21-15.

In the semi-finals Clark was just too good for Bradford with the former running out with a 21-10 win to book his place in the final, whilst Neil Withers went one better as he beat Roberts 21-9 to claim his spot in the final.

The final got underway with Withers fully punishing Clark on the first end as the latter passed up the opportunity to make two as the Marown man played out Clark’s counting bowl, only for Clark to respond with a two. On the third end Clark once again didn’t make two, with Withers once again taking advantage to score a single and tie the game at 8-8.

Clark then got into his groove as he played brilliantly to pick up two singles then three consecutive doubles to shoot ahead 16-8 . Withers threatened a comeback as he jumped in on a poor lead from Clark the following end to claim a two, then started to work his way around the green scoring two more singles.

The South Ramsey man clicked back into gear pouncing on a poor lead from Withers, as Clark scored a single then made certain of the victory with two good ends to run out with a well-deserved 21-12 victory.

The presentation was made by competition organiser Gordie Moore, who thanked he club members for providing helpers and refreshments throughout the day.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

April CLI Players Of The Month

Congratulations to April Canada Life International Award winners:-

Men’s Player of the Month: Paul Dunn – Marown

Ladies Player of the Month: Jayne Smith – Marown

Under 21’s Player of the Month: Sam Quayle – Castletown

Paul was the obvious choice in the men’s game during April, having won all five games for Marown, with success both on and off island in various doubles competitions. Dunn won the opening mixed doubles competition of the season with Rebecca Teare, then enjoyed a great run to the final with Cumbria man Matty Stewart at Fleetwood in the Derek & Sheila Pairs, then the following weekend enjoyed success on consecutive days in the Men’s doubles, winning the Lancaster Cup at Peel with Neil Withers, then the following day a late entry in the Noble’s Cup with Stephen Rundle resulted in a second trophy of the weekend as Dunn displayed his ability to perform well playing with four different partners over the month.

The pick from the Ladies Section this month was again straightforward, Jayne picking up her first Player of the Month award, following a strong contribution towards her night league team Marown. Where Jayne really excelled during the month was in the Open competitions as Jayne won the Non-Winners’ Cup to claim her first open title, then kicked on from there performing brilliantly to win the Ladies British Merit Qualifier for which she will represent the Isle of Man later in the season.

Junior bowler Sam impressed heavily during the month of April as he stepped up to Division Two after previously plying his trade in Division Three with Castletown C. Sam picked up four wins, all of which were to single figures conceding just 23 chalks in the process against older and more experienced players. Quayle shown he is one to watch out for in the future. Sam suffered just one defeat, as he lost out by just two chalks 19-21 in a tough fixture away to Peel C.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Top Two Pull Away from Chasing Pack

Castletown A who travelled to Mooragh Park to take on North Ramsey A this week

Photo: Phil Cain

It was a return to action in Canada Life International League Division One this week, with Marown A hosting Peel B at Crosby. The visitors were impacted by players moving up to the A Team with players missing from both of Peel’s A & B Teams the Crosby men took full advantage winning 9-1, with Dougie Allan the hero or the villain on the night as he recovered from a 2-16 deficit to John Gelling to creep ahead 17-16, then gave away two successive singles to go behind 17-18, only for the Peel man to rally once more to run out with a 21-18 victory. Marown had four single figure winners and Paul Kelly was the lucky recipient of a walkover. The next closest Peel came to picking up another point was Jeff Wilson, who lost out 17-21 to Glenn Boland.

South Ramsey A maintained their two-point lead at the top of the table courtesy of a 1-9 away win over a hugely understrength Peel A. Preventing a home whitewash was Peter Greenlees who performed well to defeat Stefan Kelly 21-9, whilst Stevie Kelly lost out 17-21 to James Teare. For the visitors Bob Clark and Glynn Hargraves won to single figures against Rob Middleton and Andrew Cover respectively, with the rest of the wins for South Ramsey in the low double figures.

Third placed Onchan A are already 15 points behind second placed Marown A after just five games following their 8-2 home win over Marown C. Winning for the visitors were Peter Kelly who beat Mike Kelly 21-17, while Tom Kelly beat Steve Parker 21-10. The next two closest to picking up points for the Marown men were Sam Clague who lost out 19-21 to Phil Kerruish and Conor Keenan who was beaten 17-21 by Kevin Quirk.

South Ramsey B stepped out of the bottom two following their first win of the season after they beat Douglas A 7-3 at home. Toby Hart was the best winner on the night as he beat Ian Moore 21-6, Toby’s brother Austin won 21-15 against Merv Sayle and Dad Tony beat Jimmy Sansom 21-17. For the Villa men Gary Conwell continues to impress with a 21-7 win over Eddie Carlyle, Andy Cannell beat Frank Watson 21-15, while Shaun Seal ensured it wasn’t a heavier defeat with his 21-20 win over Christian Caley.

Port St Mary A and Marown B played out the closest match in Division One as they drew 4-4 on games with the visitors edging the chalks by a single point (137-138) to win 4-6. There were just two single figure wins with Trevor Quayle beating Darren Kerruish 21-7, while Harry Barton hit back for Marown with a 21-8 win over Tim Williams. Paul Skelly is getting back to winning ways thanks to his 21-19 win over Brian Kelly, whilst Juan Killip managed to see of Port St Mary captain Wayne Roberts 21-17.

North Ramsey A remain in bottom place despite claiming up their first win of the season as they beat Castletown A 8-2. Allan Callow picked up his first ever 21-0 victory in Division One as he beat Alan Phair, Rob Monk won 21-7 against Aaron Richardson, whilst Steve Walmsley and Steven Waters both won 21-17 against Chris Lever and Nathan Cooil respectively. Winning for the visitors were Nathan Hamilton who beat John Cannan 21-15, whilst Town captain Jordan Drewett beat Adrian Skinner 21-17.

In Division Two Castletown B hit top spot following their 7-3 home win over local rivals Port Erin A with Collin Holland winning 21-7 against Steve Durcan. Junior bowler Sam Quayle continues to impress with a 21-8 win over Derek Cadamy, whilst John Matheson just edged home 21-20 against Ed Benson. For the Breagle men the evergreen Derek Allen was the best winner with a 21-14 win over George Peach, Ken Horsley beat Derek Lewney 21-18, whilst Harry Minor held off Ian Watson 21-19.

Finch Hill A closed the gap on their opponents on the night Ballaugh A to just one point after they made home advantage count with an 8-2 victory. For the Finch men Paul Dougherty was the best winner as he beat Mike Spooner 21-8, with Richard Hainge responding for the visitors with an even better 21-7 win over Dave Jones. Also winning for Ballaugh was Steve Grant who beat Tony Epifani 21-12.

Noble’s A hosted South Ramsey C with the home team taking apart the Ramsey men 9-1, with three single figure wins from Mark Quinn, Dave Naughton, and Alex Yates. Ian Moore was the lone winner for the visitors as he beat Martyn Hobson 21-16, Andy Morgan lost out 19-21 to Juan Qualtrough and Billy Blair was defeated 18-21 against John Andrew.

Douglas B are in the mix as they have some experienced bowlers turning out for them as they are in fourth place following their 8-2 home win over Onchan B. For the Villa men Stuart Garrett, Mark Kneen and Steve Cook all won to single figures, whilst Paddy Murphy beat Bernie McPhee 21-19. David Tait and Sid McKnight were the two winners for Onchan as they beat Alistair Lothian and David Pease respectively.

North Ramsey B had a better week as they came away from relegation rivals Onchan C with a 4-6 win, winning by a single chalk (128-129) despite suffering two single figure defeats. Winning for the visitors were Ray Skelly, Lee Christian, John Corteen and Brian Colquitt who was the only winner to single figures for the Mooragh men.

Peel C hosted Noble’s B on Tuesday evening, with the visitors coming away with an impressive 2-8 win they are looking well equipped to handle life in Division Two. Junior bowler Alex Hampson was the best winner for the visitors as he beat Bob Berry 21-7, whilst Paul Baker won 21-5 against Michael Cooper for Peel.

In Division Three Ballaugh B continue to set the pace at the top as they are 10 points ahead of their nearest rivals following their 9-1 home win over bottom team Port Erin B. Gary Griffiths was the best winner for the home team as he beat Robert Woodford 21-2.

Port St Mary B hosted Ballaugh C at Breagle Glen with the home team winning 8-2. Peter Collins was the only single figure winner as he beat Tim Merriman.

The remaining four fixtures were all 6-4 wins for the home teams, with South Ramsey D seeing off Douglas D. For the home team winning to single figures were Greg Barlow, Geoff Collier, and Frank Feeney. Responding for the visitors Greg Brew beat Steve Kelly 21-7, whilst Bob Banning beat South Ramsey captain Franz ten Donkelaar 21-20.

Marown D hosted local rivals Peel D at Crosby with just eight chalks separating the teams after a 4-4 draw (136-128). For the Marown men Phil Dunn and Eddie Rough won to single figures whilst Junior bowler 11-year-old Bobby Kerruish played his first game of the 2023 season and had a night to remember thanks to his 21-20 win over Kevin Murray.

Nobles C won by 13 chalks (140-127) as they hosted Finch Hill B. For the home team Lee Greggor continued his fine start to bowls as he won 21-8 against John Smith, Lee Price beat Chris Thompson 21-10, a result matched by Steve Brennan who beat Guy Smith, whilst captain Seve Cain made it five wins from five games. For the visitors Sam Stannard-Duke won 21-6 against Kevin Airey, with Peter Smith and Sefton Dent just winning 21-19 against Paul Moore and Andy Greggor respectively.

Rounding off the fixtures for the week Douglas C beat Noble’s D at the Villa by 10 chalks (144-134). Greg Tomlinson beat Roy Moore 21-8, whilst David Caley just missed out 20-21 against Terry Bates. For the visitors Andrew Bell beat Tony King 21-19, Kevin Moore beat Rob Tomlinson 21-12, with Steve Colquitt the best winner for the visitors with a 21-9 victory over Trevor Latus.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves