Noble’s Bowling Club hosted their Men’s pairs competition sponsored by Green Island Coffee on Sunday attracting 28 pairs to compete for the trophy on a much improved surface that was running well on the day.

The quarter finals had two Juniors through with Alex Hampson (Noble’s) and Ryan Hargraves (South Ramsey) before losing out to the Marown pair Phil Kelly and John Gelling, with another Marown pairing Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly getting the better of home greeners Dave Naughton and Steve Hampson. In the top half of the draw Onchan’s Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker ended the challenge of South Ramsey’s James Teare and Steven Waters, while South Ramsey team mates Glynn Hargraves and Stefan Kelly ended the hopes of Wayne Roberts and Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary).

In the semi-finals an all Marown encounter had Keggen and Paul Kelly seeing off Phil Kelly and Gelling as they won 21-15, while Hargraves and Kelly had to battle hard for their 21-20 victory over Quirk and Parker to book their place in the final.

The final was high scoring with Keggen leading well at the front and Paul Kelly playing well at the back adding to their counting bowls they made light work of South Ramsey’s Hargraves & Kelly as they scored four trebles, a double and a single to romp home with a deserved 21-13 victory in just 10 ends to win their first Men’s pairs together.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by Phil Salmon, who thanked all the club members and anyone who had helped towards the smooth running of their first competition as a number of the bowlers in the club are new to bowls. Csaba Bartha from the sponsors Green Island Coffee then presented the winners with their prizes.

The fourth game of the Canada Life International season had something new in Division One with fixtures being scheduled for Friday evening which has traditionally been used for Ladies league matches.

Marown A welcomed Castletown A to Crosby, with the home team winning 9-1, it was visiting bowler Ron Williams who prevented the whitewash as he ensured former club mate Sam Clague did not get the better of him as he took a deserved 21-15 win. Also just missing out for the visitors was Chris Lever, who has never played league bowls prior to this season who performed admirably as he lost 20-21 to Phil Kelly. For the home team four of the wins were to single figures with the captains playing each other with Paul Dunn winning 21-5 against Ian Watson, while Neil Withers, Colin Kelly and Harry Barton all won 21-9. The result seen the Crosby men hit top spot for the first time this season.

Upset of the week was without doubt the result between Peel A and Marown B with the Crosby men showing their credentials for a top four finish this season as they came away with a 2-8 victory. Home team winners were Ste Kelly who beat Jamie Joughin 21-5 and George Gadsby who won 21-14 against Brian Kelly. For the visitors Kevin Kelly upset older brother Tom Kelly with a 21-16 win, Peter Kelly inflicted a first defeat of the season on Dean Kinley 21-19, a score matched by Juan Killip who beat Peter Greenlees. Glenn Boland beat Gary Smith 21-14, John Gelling won 21-17 against Tommy McMeiken, while Matthew Keggen won 21-15 against Philip Pemberton. The result helped the Crosby men to third place leapfrogging Peel, who fell from top of the table to fourth place.

South Ramsey A rose to second place with their 9-1 home win over Port St Mary A on a superb playing surface. The visitors had to dig deep for players this week, wheeling out the Hargraves brothers, with Glenn performing well against Peter Collister early on with the score tied at 7-7, only to lose 9-21, while older brother Juan was 12-13 with Stefan Kelly before losing out 13-21. Both performed well having not picked up a bowl this season. For the home team James Teare led the way with a 21-6 win over Jordan Drewett, while Bob Clark overcame a slow start to beat Tom Collins 21-9. Dido Kelly beat Nathan Hamilton 21-10, with Hamilton being the first player to reach double figures against Kelly this season, David Bradford won 21-136 against Bernard Thackrah, both captains clashed with Glynn Hargraves getting the better of Wayne Roberts 21-13. The last game of the night ensured the visitors didn’t go home empty handed, as Trevor Quayle held off Jordan Cain to win 21-17.

North Ramsey A picked up their first win of the season as they edged it 6-4 on the night at Mooragh Park against Onchan B, thanks in part to Rob Monk receiving a walkover after Onchan fielded an illegible player as his opponent had played for Onchan C the previous evening in the same fixture number, which will result in deducted points for the B team as thy look to stay up it could prove costly at the end of the season. This ensured the aggregate went to the home team (145-122). Winning for the home team Steve Walmsley continued his fine start to the season as he beat Mike Kelly 21-9, Allan Callow won 21-10 against Mike Alexander, while Gary Merrill beat Colin Spence 21-19. For the visitors Frank Watson, Mark Kelly and Steve Parker had fairly comfortable wins over John Cannan, Tony Smart and Paul Cannan respectively, while Bernie McPhee beat Andrew Honour 21-18.

Peel B came away from their fixture with Port Erin A at Breagle Glen on a vastly improved green with a 4-6 win. For the home team father and son Bernie and Steve Durcan both won with Bernie winning 21-17 against Michael Kavanagh, while son Steve beat David Smith 21-16. For the visitors’ captain Paul ‘Pooky’ Quirk won 21-5 against Peter Hulley, while Brian Lindsay won a close game 21-18 against Ian Taylor.

Onchan A had a close encounter at the Park with Douglas A, with the home team winning 6-4. Three big wins for the home team ensured the two-point aggregate went their way, with Phil Kerruish beating Willie Cowley 21-4, Matthew Quirk beat Gordon Wynne-Smythe 21-9, and Mike Thomas won 21-10 against Mervin Sayle. The home team’s fourth win wasn’t so comfortable with Neil Dunwell beating Jimmy Sansom 21-19. For the visitors Andy Cannell had the best win beating Will Penhallurick 21-11, Keith Rise showing he has still got it as he beat Kevin Quirk 21-12, Ian Moore got home 21-17 against Peter Slinger, while Shaun Seal got past Reg Temporaza 21-19.

In Division Two South Ramsey B went six points clear at the top thanks to a 0-10 away win over Noble’s A, with the returning Sid Bolton leading the way for the visitors with a 21-5 victory over Juan Qualtrough. The home team scored enough chalks between them as they got 103 chalks on the night.

Castletown B sit in second place as they edged a tough encounter with South Ramsey C at the Crofts 6-4 with only six chalks separating them (138-132). George Peach was the best winner for the home team as he beat Christian Caley 21-9, with David Corkill responding for the visitors with a 21-7 win over Billy Jones.

Marown C leapt over Ballaugh A thanks to their 7-3 home win to sit in third place. Rayner Plate hero Stewart Clague edged home 21-20 against Barry McDonald, while Walter McCarthy was the best winner for the home team with a 21-11 win over Edgar Cowin. For the visitors Gordie Moore was their best winner as he beat Steve Wilson 21-8, Patrick Grant beat Rob Corkill 21-18, with Richard Hainge getting their third win of the night with a 21-17 victory over Bobby Thorne.

Elsewhere Peel C romped to a 9-1 home win over Onchan C, while Douglas B inflicted another defeat on Finch Hill A as they won 7-3, while Ballaugh B also won 7-3 at home to Port St Mary B.

In Division Three Noble’s B continue their fine early season form to sit top of the table on 24 points with a solid 2-8 away win against Port Erin B, as Grahem Moore and Noel Ash both won 21-9. Home team winners were Ed Benson who beat Stephen Corkill 21-12, while Alan Crebbin won 21-10 against Alex Hampson.

A strong looking North Ramsey B sit level at the top on 24 points with Noble’s B, following their 6-4 home win over Marown D. Paul Allison won 21-6 against Richard Bregazzi, while Mike Skelly, Brian Colquitt and Mike Skelly were the other winners for the home team. Winning for the visitors were James Kelly, Jay Waters, Steve Cain and Phil Dunn.

In other fixtures Douglas D beat Castletown C with the visitors fielding four junior bowlers, with two of them winning as Junior Keggen picked up his first league win in only his second league game as he beat James Teare 21-13, while Dylan Marsh won 21-20 against Greg Brew.

Ballaugh C and Douglas C played out a rare true draw as they drew 4-4 on games and tied on chalks 124-124. For the visitors Greg Tomlinson was the best winner on the night with a 21-4 win over Brian Lace, while team mate Nick Firth beat Michael Ellis 21-8. For the home team Peter Corlett won 21-7 against John Harrison, while Paul Cubbon beat David Cowley 21-8.

Castletown Bowling Club hosted the Charity Cringle Fours men’s open competition on Sunday attracting 18 pairs to compete for the trophy on a green that was running well on the day.

The quarter finals were well contested with the lowest losing score being 16-21 with Shaun Seal (Douglas) and Collin Holland (Castletown) losing out to the South Ramsey pairing of James Teare and Steven Waters, while home greeners Alan Phair and Cliff Clague were beaten by the Marown/Peel combination of Sam Clague and Dean Kinley 19-21. In the bottom half of the draw Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) and Alan Moore (South Ramsey) ended the challenge of Jimmy Sansom (Douglas) and Andy Kennish (Peel) 21-16, with Nathan Hamilton (Port St Mary) and Stefan Kelly (South Ramsey) just edging home 21-20 against South Ramsey pair David Bradford and Glynn Hargraves.

The high scoring games continued into the semi-final as Teare and Waters put paid to the challenge of former home greeners Clague and Kinley 21-17, with their score helped with a three and a four early on in the game. In the other semi-final Roberts and Moore looked favourites to progress to the final as they were ahead 13-8 and 18-15, also led 20-18 only for a single and a double from Hamilton and Kelly being enough to progress through to the final with a 21-20 win.

The final started with it tough to call who would be favourites, however the younger pairing of Hamilton and Kelly took control of the game with eight ends played to lead 16-10 thanks to a full house scoring four. Teare and Waters got back into the game taking five consecutive singles to sit just one chalk behind at 15-16 only for Hamilton and Kelly to find another gear despite winning one end fewer throughout the match than their opponents as they took a deserved 21-17 win and with it Hamilton’s first open win.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by Phil Taubman, who thanked Kath Kinley and the club members for the smooth running of the competition & announced that £232 had been raised for Manx Blind Welfare Society. Presenting the prizes was Murray Cringle, son of long term sponsor Noel Cringle who passed away last year.

Port Erin Bowling Club hosted the Association Singles on Sunday with the competition attracting a perfect 32 entries on a much improved green, which was running well.

The first two quarter finals were well contested with Neil Withers (Marown) losing out 18-21 to South Ramsey’s David Bradford, whilst Matthew Keggen (Marown) just lost 19-21 to Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary). In the bottom half of the draw it was a lot more straightforward with Colin Kelly (Marown) seeing off Peter Greenlees (Peel) with a 21-11 win, whilst Marown captain Paul Dunn had his challenge ended by South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves with the latter taking a 21-9 victory.

In the semi-finals Bradford took on Roberts with the game well contested throughout, the scores were tied at 15-15 after 14 ends, with Bradford going on to take four of the last six ends to secure his place in the final with a 21-17 win. In the other semi-final between Kelly and Hargraves it was the latter who was the quickest out of the blocks taking a 11-6 lead early on only for Kelly to draw level at 13-13 after 11 ends. From there Hargraves took control of the game to win the next five ends scoring seven chalks in the process to lead 20-13. Kelly threatened a comeback with four successive singles, however Hargraves got the single point needed to win 21-17.

The final got underway between the two long time team mates, with Hargraves settling into the game well to hold a three chalk lead over Bradford after eight ends with the score at 11-8. From there Hargraves never fell behind in the game, playing good length bowls to build a 16-12 lead, only to concede a double to leave the game finely poised at 16-14. Hargraves immediately bounced back with a double after a poor end from Bradford. Three good leads over the next three ends were enough for Hargraves to secure a 21-14 win and with it the first Men’s singles competition title of the 2022 season.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Matthew Keggen, who thanked Port Erin for the use of the green, the club members for providing helpers and refreshments throughout the day and the competition committee for the smooth running of the competition.

With the first round of fixtures for the 2022 Canada Life International season getting underway this week all three divisions started with the a double week to get into the swing of things.

Peel A who finished third last year got off to a flier this week with a 2-8 away win on Monday over Castletown A. The Western team followed this up with a storming 10-0 win over Douglas A, with four single figure wins from Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, George Gadsby, Tommy McMeiken and Gary Smith. Dean Kinley who was rumoured to be going into Peel’s B Team this season, has played both games for the A Team so far, could well remain there having won both of his games, this included a return to his old stomping ground for the first game of the season. The highest scoring visiting player was Jimmy Sansom as he lost 14-21 to Peter Greenlees.

Occupying second place are South Ramsey A, having a solid week with a 2-8 away win over Douglas A who were unlucky not to take two points more off the visitors as Bob Clark battled back from a huge deficit to get over the line 21-20 against Shaun Seal, whilst fellow new signing Jordan Cain also got home with a 21-20 win over Ian Moore. Winning for Douglas were Andy Cannell with a 21-20 win over Glynn Hargraves, with Jimmy Sansom taking a 21-18 win over Peter Collister.

On Wednesday South Ramsey A were at home to Peel B, with the weather changing swiftly as they started in sun, with heavy hailstone and then rain arriving, with the weather clearing just as quickly again. The wins for the home team were comfortable, with stand-in Andy Mackie stepping up from the D Team and proving his appearance in the final at the Marown Floodlit competition recently was no fluke as he beat Stefan Kelly 21-19 to save the whitewash as he won 18 ends to his opponents 12 ends.

In third place are Marown A as they too started the season strongly with a 9-1 home win over Port St Mary A, with Port’s new signing Nathan Hamilton taking a brilliant 21-14 win over Manx Champion Colin Kelly. For the home team Harry Barton has made the step up from the B Team and he won 21-15 against Tim Williams, with Sam Clague who has joined from Castletown inflicting a 21-14 defeat on Trevor Quayle.

On Wednesday Marown A had a tough away trip to Onchan A, would have been happy to come away with a 3-7 win, with Colin Kelly returning to winning ways, Marown captain Paul Dunn showing a return to form with a 21-9 win over Matthew Quirk, which was matched by Neil Withers beating Mike Thomas. Will Penhallurick has stepped up from the B Team and he made it two wins from two games with a 21-14 win over Paul Kelly, with Phil Kerruish and Reg Temporaza both winning 21-11 against Sam Clague and Phil Kelly respectively.

Elsewhere Castletown A have had to move a number of players up from the B Team following the exodus of five of their younger players of the winter, they bounced back from their opening fixture defeat to Peel A by beating Port Erin A 3-7 at Breagle Glen on Wednesday evening.

North Ramsey A start the season with a run of away fixtures due to not having floodlights, their form will no doubt pick up once they get a run of home fixtures, as they suffered back to back 3-7 defeats at the hands of a strong looking Marown B and Peel B.

Newly promoted Onchan B currently sit in mid table on eight points as they lost 2-8 at home to Marown B, they quickly picked up their first win of the season on Wednesday, 6-4 at home to Port St Mary A, whilst Port Erin A weren’t able to capitalise on home advantage as they lost both of their opening fixtures.

In Division Two Finch Hill A are the early leaders with 15 points after two games, with South Ramsey B hot on their heels just one point off top spot following a good 8-2 home win over Douglas B on Monday, and a 4-6 away win over a strong looking Marown C who themselves will be looking for promotion.

Last year’s relegated teams Ballaugh A beat South Ramsey C 7-3 at home, only to suffer a 6-4 loss away to Castletown B, whilst Noble’s A are finding their feet with a 7-3 win at home and a 7-3 defeat away to Ballaugh B who were promoted from Division Three over the winter. The Noble’s members have recruited a number of signings over the winter as they look to take a step forward and rebuild the club, with some great effort and enthusiasm I would like to wish them all the best.

In Division Three Douglas C are the early pacesetters following two 8-2 victories at the expense of Noble’s B and Port Erin B as they hold a four-point lead over North Ramsey B and Ballaugh C.

It was great to see Noble’s field a second team once again this season after a winter of doubt, with the B team fielding a full team in both fixtures.

Ballaugh C will once again look to be in the mix for promotion, having finished last season in third place.

Elsewhere Castletown’s C team survived, despite the exodus from their A Team over the winter, whilst Peel D will look to continue their improvement with a full seasons experience now under their belt.