Marown hosted the ever popular Tynwald Day R & A Grimshaw Pairs Trophy on Bank Holiday Tuesday. 28 pairs took part and the competition was sponsored for the first time by Investasure Financial Services Ltd.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Alex Hampson (Noble’s) and Ryan Hargraves (South Ramsey) 10-21 to Brian Kelly (Marown) and Harry Kelly (Peel), James Teare (South Ramsey) and Andy Kennish (Onchan) were beaten 9-21 by Colin Kelly (Marown) and Tom Kelly (Peel). In the other half of the draw Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker (both Onchan) edged home 21-20 against Marown pair Stephen Rundle and Walter McCarthy, whilst another Marown duo Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly beat Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) and Jamie Joughin (Marown) 21-18.

At the semi-final stage Quirk and Parker took on Keggen and Paul Kelly with the Marown pair trailing 7-12, they went ahead after scoring a two and a four to lead 13-12, then conceded a single for the game to go level. A good run did see the Crosby men go 20-13 up, despite giving three points away they got the single they needed to win 21-16 to take their place in the final.

The other semi-final featured four Kelly’s, with Brian and Harry up against father and son Colin and Tom, with the latter pair having a straightforward 21-12 win.

The final got underway with three of the finalists being home greeners, whilst Tom Kelly has played for the club previously. The game went on to have everything you could hope for with good lead bowls, strikes, dead ends and great last bowls when under pressure.

On the first end a loose end from Keggen and Kelly was fully punished with a four scored by Colin and Tom to jump into a 10-6 lead. The Marown pair responded immediately to win five of the next six ends  scoring an impressive three on the 6th end as they crept ahead 13-11, were then counting for three only for Tom to pull off another fine hit to clear the jack off the green for a dead end, with Tom’s hit rate throughout the day being outstanding. Over the next five ends the father and son pairing played extremely well to jump into a 19-14 lead and seemingly take control of the game as they picked up a single, two doubles and a three.

Keggen and Kelly weren’t done there and regrouped, despite Colin being on his famous ‘cabbage patch’ the former picked up a vital three with Keggen grabbing the jack to count for two and Kelly then put in another bowl himself, which they followed up on the next end with a single after counting for four and game only for Tom to save three. With the score now 18-19 to the Marown pair, two good bowls from Colin, with the second widening the target meant they were lying game themselves, with Paul having no hesitation in taking his turn to save the game by taking the jack off the green to kill the end. 

A single followed on the next end after once again Keggen and Kelly were counting three for game only for Tom to play a great pressure bowl to stand on the brink at 20-18. On the next end Keggen and Kelly had a free shot to make three for game but the last bowl agonisingly pulled up short with an opportunity missed.

With the score 20-20 a good lead bowl from Keggen, soon became about protecting what they had, with a back bowl in place Paul attempted to put blockers in the way. Unfortunately for Colin and Tom they were unable to find a way through, which secured the title for Keggen and Kelly for the first time after having lost in this final on more than one occasion, it was truly entertaining to watch.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by competition secretary Philip Kelly, who thanked the sponsors for their support, everyone who had helped with the running of the competition and the Marown Ladies for the refreshments provided. Martin Corkish from Investasure Financial Services Ltd was then introduced to present the prizes.

The final stages of the Canada Life International Manx Championship was played at Ballaugh Bowling Club on Sunday afternoon, with the qualifying rounds having taken place the previous weekend in very wet conditions, which improved as the day went on. Better weather was experienced this week for an afternoon of bowls in front of a good crowd.

At the quarter final stage Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) back to back winner in 2012 and 2013 was ruthlessly disposed of by Peel man Stevie Kelly who performed brilliantly to win 21-6, whilst current holder and seven time champion Colin Kelly (Marown) lost out to 2015 winner David Bradford (South Ramsey) 17-21. Peel veteran Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly ended the challenge of Matthew Keggen (Marown) with the scores tied at 10-10 Kelly went on to win 21-13, whilst Jordan Cain managed to see off 2009 Champion Neil Withers (Marown) 21-16 despite going on the green cold.

At the semi-final stage the matches were expected to be well contested, however it was quite the opposite as Stevie Kelly had his hopes of etching his name on the trophy for the first time extinguished by Bradford, with the latter winning 21-10 to end any hopes of a first father and son Manx Championship final. In the other semi-final Barney Kelly made light work of Cain as he progressed to the final thanks to a 21-6 victory.

The final started with Kelly winning the toss of the coin and with it the opportunity to head for a corner, however he pushed the jack too far, with the jack just trickling off the green. Bradford headed for a mark over the middle of the green and won the first end to punish the mistake of sending the jack off. From there he settled into the game swiftly to storm into a 8-0 lead, before Kelly got in after a loose end from Bradford, who got back in immediately beating a good lead bowl to regain his eight chalk lead at 9-1. Another poor end from Bradford to his own jack gifted Kelly an easy two, who then proceeded to get into the corners to score a further three doubles on the bounce.

With the match now level at 9-9 it was game well and truly on. On the next end Kelly pushed his jack right up to the edge and was counting for two, with Bradford playing a good second bowl which just stayed on the green to count. Kelly hit back to take the next three ends with singles to lead for the first time in the game by two chalks at 12-10. Kelly was back in the corners, however a good first bowl earnt Bradford a point to get back in.

A single followed on the next end to level things up at 12-12. Kelly edged ahead once again to lead 13-12, from there Bradford found a new determination as he shifted up a few gears on a mark over the middle of the green, but in a different direction to which he had started the game on as he won six consecutive ends with three singles and three doubles to run out with a deserved 21-13 victory to seal his second Manx Championship, with his delight clear to see to those spectating, with the victory made even more special with the win arriving on the green that he learnt his trade at as a youngster.

The presentation was made by competition committee officer Steve Moore who thanked Ballaugh Bowling Club for preparing the green, providing the refreshments and measurers. In his speech Bradford thanked the green keeper for preparing an excellent surface, everyone who had helped run the competition and said he was chuffed to win the Championship on the green that he started at over 30 years ago. To make the win even more special his Dad was watching on, along with many of the bowlers who still play at the club to this day who were clearly delighted for him. Both Bradford and Kelly now go onto to represent the Isle of Man on Saturday 30th July at Hawcoat Park BC in Cumbria.

With T.T. fortnight and the Isle of Man Bowls Festival only two league games took place in the month of June in Canada Life International Division One with the most recent round of matches being played this week as we head into the second half of the season.

South Ramsey A won 10-0 at home to Douglas A, with Peter Collister being pushed all the way before getting over the line 21-19 against Andy Cannell. Whilst the result was a whitewash it seems a strange thing to say that the home team struggled on the night, with the visitors next highest scores being to 12 with Steve Cook, Gary Conwell and Willie Cowley losing out to Jordan Cain, Bob Clark and Glynn Hargraves respectively, with David Bradford winning 21-10 against Merv Sayle. The rest of the wins were straightforward with single figure wins from Stefan Kelly, James Teare and Dido Kelly.

Marown A came away from Breagle Glen with a solid 2-8 victory over Port St Mary A, with three single figure wins from Peter Jones, Dean Kipling and Colin Kelly, whilst Neil Withers had to battle for his 21-17 win over Wayne Roberts, as did Sam Clague who beat Jordan Drewett 21-20. For the home team Nathan Hamilton had a fairly comfortable 21-14 win over Harry Barton, while Trevor Quayle managed to see off Paul Kelly 21-17.

Onchan A kept in touch as they won 9-1 at home to Port Erin A with four single figure victories, followed up by two 21-17 wins with Phil Kerruish beating David Cain and Steve Parker seeing off Peter Addison. The lone winner for Port Erin was Seamus Whelan who beat Onchan captain Peter Slinger 21-18.

Peel A were in better spirits at their temporary home as they beat Castletown A 7-3 at Noble’s 2 green. Winning for the visitors were Ian Watson who beat Dean Kinley 21-17, Mark Moorley took out George Gadsby 21-7, while Chris Lever left Gary Smith punch drunk with his 21-14 win over the Peel captain. For Peel Tom Kelly and Tommy McMeiken both won to single figures, with their other three wins being comfortable.

Marown B returned to full strength for the first time in what seems an eternity as they brushed aside Onchan B 9-1 at Crosby. Brian ‘Boothy’ Kelly was the best winner as he won 21-3 against Paul Clinton, whilst John Gelling beat Mike Kelly 21-9. Three of the home team wins were close with Darren Kerruish, Karl Parker and Juan Killip all being pushed close before getting over the line 21-18. Mark Kelly prevented the whitewash with his 21-19 win over Jerome Surridge.

North Ramsey A came away from their home fixture with an 8-2 win over Peel B, with Paul Allison just edging over the line 21-20 against Brian Lindsay to maintain his fine win percentage this season, whilst their five other winners were all comfortable. For the visitors Michael Kavanagh won well 21-13 against Paul Cannan, while Andy Mackie continues to impress as he held off the challenge of Adrian Skinner to win 21-19.

In Division Two South Ramsey B managed to extend their lead at the top with their 4-6 away win over Douglas B. The home team will have been delighted to get three winners home in close games as Geoff Mayles beat Tony Dugdale 21-19, Kevin Firth beat Steven Waters 21-20 as did Andy Foster with his win over Ben Dugdale. For the visitors Alan Moore, Chas Grills, Sid Bolton and Austin Hart all won.

The following evening after a day of heavy rain South Ramsey C did their B Team a huge favour as they defeated Ballaugh A 7-3 at home with four of their wins being close. David Corkill and Lee Dawson both won 21-17 against Tony Quine and John Keenan respectively, Anthony Kelly won 21-19 against Richard Hainge, whilst Tony Hart crept home 21-20 against Patrick Grant. For the visitors Phil Quayle was their best winner with a 21-9 win over Peter Kennaugh, with John Maddrell winning 21-19 against Ian Moore.

Marown C closed the gap on the teams above them as they beat Port St Mary B 8-2, as the Crosby men were were restored to a full strength team, they just missed out on a maximum by just six chalks with both games lost being 18-21 in the visitors’ favour.

Also matching the Marown result to stay in touch were Castletown B, who themselves dropped just eight chalks in their home 8-2 win over Onchan C.

Noble’s A had a good week in their bid to stay in Division Two as they had an outstanding 3-7 away win over Peel C, who were playing on the bottom green at Noble’s. For Noble’s Jay Elliott carried on his weekend form as he beat Harry Kelly 21-12, while for Peel Jimmy Corlett and Phil Clarke both won 21-8.

Finch Hill A came away from their visit North with a 2-8 win as they took on Ballaugh B. Dave McCabe was the best winner for Finch with a 21-7 win over Fred Waggett, whilst John Looney won 21-13 over Dave Jones for the home team.

In Division Three League Leaders North Ramsey B were one of three teams to max out 10-0 on Tuesday evening, maybe in part due to the conditions with all greens being heavy as they beat South Ramsey D at Mooragh Park with the visitors scoring just 71 chalks.

Noble’s B also won 10-0 in their home fixture with Douglas C, with Juan Readshaw and John Ferguson the Villa men who came closest to picking up a win.

Rounding off the 10-0 ‘wins’ were Marown D who ensured no ground was lost on League Leaders North Ramsey B, as Port Erin B had to forfeit the game due to being unable to field a team.

The most impressive result of the week was not Castletown’s 7-3 home win over Ballaugh C, but the performance of their Junior bowlers. Dylan Marsh and Freddie Palmer both scored well as they lost out 13-21 to their opponents, whilst Junior Keggen picked up his second ever win as he beat Jamie Hinchcliffe 21-19, whilst Rhys Moore won his first ever game with a superb 21-9 win over Michael Ellis.

Peel D came away from Breagle Glen with a 3-7 victory despite being a player short they edged the chalks (123-127).

Mixed League Competitions

The half way point was also reached in the Mixed league this week. In Group A in the Championship South Ramsey A show no signs of letter up with their 3-6 away win over Onchan A winning by 35 chalks (131-166), whilst Castletown A won 7-2 at home to North Ramsey A as they won by 21 chalks (159-138).

In Group B Marown A show no signs of taking their foot off the gas, with this 8-1 home win over Douglas A, with Andy Cannell the lone winner with a good 21-15 win over Neil Withers. In the other fixture in the group Port Erin A played host to Port St Mary A, despite the home team winning 5-4 on games it was the visitors who took the spoils by 20 chalks (142-162)

In the Plate competition in Group A Noble’s good form continued as they won by 27 chalks (170-143) at home to Peel. Castletown B performed well against North Ramsey B with five individual wins, they lost out by 35 chalks (150-115) at Mooragh Park with the visitors cause not helped by being a player short on the night.

In Group B South Ramsey B will have been buoyed by their 7-2 home win over Douglas B, winning by a 37 chalk margin (182-145) with Junior bowler Graiagh Smith getting on the right side of 21-20 against Billy Blair. Marown B once again fielded a team of Junior and new bowlers in their fixture with Ballaugh, with Sam Colquitt being the standout performer on the night as he won 21-4 against Ali Millard to help his team hit the 100 point mark as they performed well despite losing 1-8 and by 72 chalks overall, the experience gained from playing these games should not be underestimated.

The ever-popular Ballacashtal Cup was held on Sunday attracting an entry of 69, made up of local and visiting bowlers. The Castletown green was in excellent condition, with the green running as well as it has done for a long time, with the blustery conditions making for a tricky green.

At the quarter final stages six of the eight players were visitors, with some excellent bowling and the green still running well as the shade started to fall on the green. Losing out were Marown’s Neil Withers who was heavily defeated 9-21 by former Ballacashtal Cup winner Charlie Roberts (Dukinfield Central), with Brian Thompson (Crescent) also losing to the same score to Steven Barber (Chapel Park). Wayne Ditchfield (Kirkham) the self-styled ‘Beast’ led 16-8 against James Higgins (Meersbrook) with the latter going on to score 13 chalks over the last 11 ends to win 21-19, while Jamie King (Wrockwardine Wood) knocked out the last standing home greener Nathan Cooil with a convincing 21-12 win to progress to the next round.

The standard in the semi-finals shifted up another gear, with doubles partners Roberts and Barber facing off, with the latter getting the better of his opponent on this occasion as he booked his spot in the final with a 21-18 win, while Higgins and King were nip and tuck throughout the game with Higgins leading 20-17, he couldn’t get the one he needed with his opponent scoring two quick-fire doubles to sneak home 21-20. King’s four doubles to Higgin’s two doubles ultimately made the difference in the game.

Both players were making their first appearance in the final of this competition, the final got underway with King making the stronger start taking an early 12-7 lead, only for Barber to punish a poor second bowl from his opponent as he played out the counting bowl to score two to bring the score back to 12-9. King went on to score seven singles to lead 19-14, with Barber clawing his way back in to the game winning four consecutive ends with three singles and a double to level the game at 19-19. A good lead from Barber putting him in the driving seat, with his second bowl not counting, King had the option to strike at the counting bowl, however he opted to play in with a perfect bowl to lead 20-19. A good second bowl on the last end which wasn’t beaten secured a 21-19 victory to win the famous trophy as he made a fantastic start to his week with his family arriving in time to see him claim the win.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Kath Kinley, who thanked the sponsors ABS Solutions for their continued support of the competition. Upon accepting the trophy and £300 first prize Jamie thanked everyone who had helped on the day, stating he was delighted to win the trophy on his first visit to the green.

South Ramsey hosted the Jim Kernan Cup on Saturday afternoon, in what is traditionally the first of the pre-festival opens with a fair entry of 46, on a superb playing surface and ideal conditions to play bowls.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary), who just lost out 19-21 to Neil Withers (Marown), home greener Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly beat visitor Andy Mailer (Meersbrook) comfortably 21-13, with another home greener Peter Collister just losing out 20-21 to team mate James Teare. Peel man Tom Kelly had his run ended with a 16-21 defeat to Steve Barber (Chapel Park).

In the semi-finals Withers was quickest out of the traps against Kelly taking an early lead 10-7, with the latter responding to win nine of the next 10 ends scoring 14 points to run out with a 21-11 win to book his place in the final, while Teare was always in control against Barber with his 21-13 win taking him through to his first singles final.

The final started between the South Ramsey team mates with Teare winning the toss of the coin and heading for the mark that he had been playing throughout the day, however Kelly got in immediately and took a single on the following end. Over the next seven ends the player who won the end scored a double, with five of them being scored by Kelly he leapt into a commanding 16-8 lead playing his customary short length. Teare hit back with three singles, only to concede another two doubles to be staring down the barrel at 11-20. On the next end Kelly was lying game, with Teare taking the jack off the green to kill the end to hang in the game, he then picked up a single in the middle of the green, with no choice but to head into the corner, Kelly jumped in at the opportunity to win the game and secure the title with a 21-12 victory.

The presentation was made by South Ramsey chairman Steve Moore who thanked George Brew for once again sponsoring the competition, along with everyone who had helped with the running of the competition throughout the day. During his speech Kelly said he was delighted to pick up the trophy, with not entering many competitions over the past few years.