The Islands premier doubles competition was hosted by Peel Bowling Club on Sunday on a much slower green than that enjoyed for the recent Peel Town Cup. The competition was played 21 up off a handicap of +3 for all competitors. The event was well supported with 32 pairs entering in a bid to win the coveted title.

An all South Ramsey affair had Lee Dawson and Tony Hart lose 9-21 to Glynn Hargraves and David Bradford, while Port St Mary duo Wayne Roberts and Trevor Quayle were 14-14 against Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly and son Stevie Kelly (Peel) before losing 14-21. An all Marown tie was won 21-15 by Neil Withers and Paul Dunn against Colin Kelly and Juan Killip, while South Ramsey’s Tony Dugdale and James Teare lost 12-21 to Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly (Marown).

In the semi-finals Hargraves and Bradford got off to a good start taking an 8-3 lead over Barney & Stevie Kelly with the latter pairing getting a run of ends playing along the edge in front of the clubhouse to turn the game around to lead 16-8. Hargraves and Bradford dug in to recover the score to just one point behind at 16-17, only to concede a double and a single, then picked up a single themselves and were lying one only for Stevie to play a great reaching bowl to win the game 21-17. The other semi-final was much more straightforward with Withers and Dunn winning comfortably 21-8 against Keggen and Kelly.

In a repeat of the 2020 final Withers and Dunn won six of the first seven ends to lead 10-4, with Withers playing over the middle of the green. The Peel pair responded with two doubles to sit just two points behind at 8-10, this kicked the Marown men into gear as they scored a three, two doubles and a single to take control of the game 18-8. A huge comeback appeared to be on the card as a single allowed Barney to get into the corners with two successive ends scoring three pulled the score back to 15-18, however Withers and Dunn dug deep to take a double and a single to win 21-18 as they retained the title they won at Port St Mary last year in another entertaining final.

The presentation was made by Association Competition Secretary Steve Moore, who thanked Peel Bowling Club for the use of the green and its members for providing helpers throughout the day. Upon accepting the prizes Paul Dunn thanked everyone involved in the running of the competition, their opponents and also his playing partner.

There was a fascinating encounter on Monday evening in Ellan Vannin Fuels Division One with 22- time league champions Onchan A visiting Marown A at Crosby, who themselves have 13 league title wins in the bag. Whilst Onchan A have not challenged for the title in recent years, they do still have the players who can damage anyone on their day as they took five points off Marown in a 5-5 draw.

Onchan only had three winners, however they all won convincingly as visiting captain Peter Slinger stormed home 21-3 against Matthew Keggen, while Reg Temporaza won 21-11 against Phil Kelly, with Kevin Quirk also beating Juan Killip to the same score with the game finely balanced at 11-11 Quirk took 10 consecutive points to see the game out.

For the Crosby men they had three 21-18 winners with Neil Withers fighting back from a 11-17 deficit to beat Matthew Quirk. Dean Kipling has returned full time to the team and was in good form as he beat Jordan Cain with the latter battling back from a 0-9 deficit with Paul Kelly the last of the 21-18 wins with his victory over Steve Parker as he was trailing 5-13 before kicking into gear. Captain Paul Dunn won 21-13 against Mark Kelly, while Colin Kelly romped home 21-5 against Frank Watson. 

Onchan secured an impressive draw as they took the two-point aggregate by five chalks (130-135) thanks in part to the high scoring from three of their losers to inflict a potentially damaging result to Marown as they look to retain the league.

Douglas A made the most of an extremely tricky home green as they beat Marown B 9-1 with the whitewash prevented by Bobby Thorne as he fought back from an 8-19 deficit taking 13 consecutive chalks to beat Gordon Wynne-Smythe 21-19. The next closest to picking up an extra point for the Crosby men was Glenn Boland who lost out 17-21 to Mervin Sayle. Kevin Firth stepped in for the home team once again and he was the biggest winner as he beat Darren Kerruish 21-6.

Castletown A had their star man Bob Clark missing from their home game with Noble’s A with Clark extending his trip off island, however this didn’t stop the home team from recording a 9-1 win on the night. Winning to single figures for the Town men were captain Ian Watson who beat Stephen Hampson 21-4, while Nathan Cooil picked up his second successive win as he beat Martyn Hobson 21-7. For Noble’s Steve Cook was the only winner as he beat stand in Jeff Kinley 21-17 with the latter making his first night league appearance of the season.

Ballaugh A closed the gap on nearest rivals Peel B to eight points with a game in hand as they faced off at the Ballaugh green, with the home team taking a 6-4 win thanks to winning the aggregate by six chalks (136-130). Edgar Cowin beat the ‘real’ Paul Quirk 21-9, with team mate Richard Hainge mastering his home green with a 21-5 win over David Proctor. Young Patrick Grant got home with a 21-18 win after a tough battle with Brian Lindsay. Visiting captain Paul ‘Pooky’ Quirk won 21-7 against Tony Quine, while Robert Middleton just edged out Barry McDonald 21-18.

Peel A hit top spot with South Ramsey’s postponed fixture thanks to their 10-0 home win over North Ramsey A. Winning to single figures for the home team were Peter Greenlees, Tommy McMeiken, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly and Gary Smith. The closest visitor to picking up a point was Paul Cannan who lost 18-21 to Tom Kelly.

South Ramsey A had their home fixture with Port St Mary A moved to Tuesday 3rd August.

Ballaugh A and Marown A caught up on a previously postponed fixture with the Ballaugh men losing out 4-6 and the aggregate by just three chalks (136-139). Glenn Boland’s 21-2 win over Barry McDonald was the most damaging to the Ballaugh men for the chalks.

In Division Two Port Erin A were the latest team to hit top spot as they won 2-8 away to Finch Hill B, with Seamus Whelan just missing out on adding an extra point for the Breagle Glen men as he lost 19-21 to Peter Woods, while Frank Christian beat Derek Cadamy 21-11. The biggest winner for the visitors was Bernie Durcan as he beat Chris Thompson 21-9.

The closest match of the night was between rivals Onchan B and Castletown B as the visitors won 4-6 and just claiming the aggregate by a solitary chalk (141-142). For Onchan Neil Dunwell beat Ron Williams 21-19, while Mike Thomas was the biggest winner as he beat Dave Hollingworth 21-11. Paul Clinton just lost 19-21 to George Foy while Will Penhallurick cruelly lost 20-21 to Peter Oates. Collin Holland helped the visitors cause as he beat Mike Kelly 21-8.

South Ramsey B had their hopes of being promoted damaged following their 3-7 away defeat at the hands of Marown C as they had father and son Tony and Ben Dugdale unavailable. For the visitors Steven Waters beat Keith Watterson 21-2, Bryan Corner won 21-5 against Gary Cooper, while Austin Hart beat Carey Dewhirst 21-12. For the Crosby men Walter McCarthy stepped back down to the C team after last week turning out for the B Team as he beat Toby Hart 21-8, while Jamie Joughin beat George Brew 21-7. The winners for Marown were to low double figures to ensure the chalks went in favour of the home team (124-115).

Port St Mary B couldn’t make home advantage count on an extremely tricky green as they lost 3-7 against visitors Douglas B. Visiting captain Andy Foster had his first win on Port St Mary as he beat Andy Sykes 21-18, while Pat O’Donohue was the biggest winner of the night with his 21-9 win over Bernard Thackrah. Home captain Ken Karran just got over the line 21-20 against Bob Callow, while Peter Collins took the kitty home thanks to his 21-11 win over Geoff Mayles. Derek Cain had a tough encounter with Rob Matthews with the former winning 21-17.

Peel C hosted Finch Hill A in the Sunset City, however the home team lost 4-6 on the night with the worst loser for Finch scoring 15, whilst the Finch Hill winners all won comfortably with Paul Dougherty and Peter Hughes both winning 21-11 against Ian Pendlebury and Kevin Mort respectively, while Dave McCabe won 21-14 against Harry Kelly, with Arthur Halsall beating Jeff Wilson 21-14. For Peel Mike Ashmole battled well to win 21-19 against Tony Epifani, while Phillip Clarke beat Paddy Murphy 21-18.

In Division Three South Ramsey D won five games away to Douglas D but just missed out on the aggregate by a solitary chalk (137-136) resulting in a 5-5 draw with Douglas D. Nick Firth continues to impress with a 21-4 win over Jay Moore, with Juan Readshaw beating Ryan Hargraves 21-7, while David Cowley just got the win 21-20 against Matthew Corkill. For the visitors Richard Davies beat John Ferguson 21-9, with Steve Kelly beating Trevor Latus 21-11.

Ballaugh C won 8-2 at home to Douglas C with three single figure wins from the home team from Nigel Tebay, Gordie Moore and Richard Green. For the visitors Junior bowler Clark Kelly won 21-13 against Brian Lace while Michael Knowles won 21-16 against Mark Dimsdale.

Noble’s B picked up their fifth win of the season following their 6-4 home victory over Marown D. For the home team Phil Salmon beat Rob Hammond 21-6 with Stephen Corkill winning 21-3 against Alex Colquitt. For the visitors captain Phil Dunn beat Terry Bates.

Onchan C won 7-3 at home to Peel D with three big wins from Sid McKnight, Lawrence McMullen and Jamie Clague, while Roger Payne inflicted a second league defeat of the season on Philip ‘Pip’ Pemberton.

Castletown B and Ballaugh B was another fixture that was postponed with a new date to be set.
The first semi-final of the Rayner Shield took place on Wednesday evening with Peel A sweeping aside Castletown B 7-1 in the Sunset City. The only winner for Town was Peter Oates with a 21-20 victory over Darren Young. All the home wins were comfortable with three 21-12 wins and four 21-15 wins as the holders Peel A took their place in the final for a second successive season.

In the Rayner Plate quarter final Marown C (+27) put Port St Mary B (+54) to the sword with a 38 point victory 194-156 as they won 7-1 on games despite the visitors having a 27 point start.
A round ahead of them Port St Mary A (scr) hosted Marown B (+24) with the home team winning all eight games and securing the win by 45 chalks (168-123) as they secured their second successive appearance in the Plate final.

There was an excellent entry of 57 who took part in the last Dreswick Cup at Port St Mary’s current bowling green. The competition was once again sponsored by The Albert Hotel – Port St Mary. The hottest day of the year and an extremely tricky green led to an excellent afternoon of bowling.

In the quarter finals the current holder and home favourite Trevor Quayle lost out 12-21 to Bob Clark (Castletown), with another home greener Wayne Robert’s also losing 12-21 to Colin Kelly (Marown). In an all Peel tie Gary Smith got the better of teammate Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly 21-16, while Karl Parker (Marown) performed well before losing out 18-21 to Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey).

In the first semi-final Clark got the better of Kelly with a 21-15 win to take his place in the final, while in the second semi Hargraves looked dead and buried trailing 9-17 to Smith, however and not for the first time that day Hargraves fought back to run out with a 21-18 win.

In the final Clark started off the quicker of the two as he took a 10-6 lead with two doubles. With excellent bowling from both players, Hargraves responded to take the lead 13-10 playing a tricky mark over the crown. A double for Clark had the match finely poised at 12-13 before Hargraves moved up another gear to take firm control of the match to lead 20-14 and within touching distance of the win, however two quick fire doubles then three singles over the next five ends from Clark, who never played the same mark twice was enough to complete a remarkable comeback to win The Dreswick Cup for the first time in what was an entertaining final. This was Clark’s first singles title this season having come close on a number of occasions this season.

At the presentation Club President Peter Collins thanked the Port St Mary ladies for their usual excellent catering, Wayne Robert’s for preparing the green and running the competition along with anyone else that helped on the day. Long standing sponsor of the competition Pat O’Meara from the Albert Hotel was then introduced to present the prizes.

Peel Sunset Bowling club hosted the popular Peel Town Cup, attracting a perfect entry of 64 men. The green was in fantastic condition with a smooth and tricky surface to add to the hottest day of the year. With handicaps ranging from +3 to +9 it made for an interesting day with some shock results. There were a number of high profile casualties early on with some excellent ties.

Losing out at the quarter-final stage were Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey), who lost out 18-21 to Nathan Hamilton (Castletown), home greener Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly was heavily defeated 8-21 by Dean Kinley (Castletown, while Allan Kennaugh (Onchan) fought back from a 15-20 deficit before losing out 20-21 to Stefan Kelly (South Ramsey). Tommy McMeiken (Peel) performed well to end the challenge of Neil Withers (Marown) to book his place in the semi-final.

Incredibly by the semi-final there was not just going to be a new name on the trophy, but also a first time men’s singles open winner with Stefan Kelly’s previous success a few years ago being a mixed singles in the Thurlwell Bowl. Kelly had a tough battle with McMeiken before eventually getting over the line 21-18. In the other semi the two Castletown men also had a close game with Kinley building up a good lead before eventually winning 21-17 against team mate Hamilton to reach his first final.

The final was both players sixth game of the day, with Kinley (+6) only having a slight start on Kelly (+5) it was Kelly who made a good start to lead 9-6 after three ends, before Kinley took four of the next five ends to lead 12-10. Kelly responded with three singles to lead 13-12. Kinley was playing well as he took three ends in a row to once again take the lead at 16-13.

The rest of the game was tense with both players scoring singles all the way as Kinley took three of the next four ends to lead 19-17 he was just one end away from his first open title and was lying game only for Kelly to bowl a winner.

On the next end Kelly forfeited the jack due to not playing his jack far enough, despite this Kelly won the end on a measure along the seaside edge with a good second bowl. Kelly headed for the crown, as he had enjoyed good success playing these marks throughout the day. Once again a great second bowl won the end for Kelly to go 20-19 ahead.

On the final end Kelly put up a superb lead, which Kinley attacked with his first bowl and just missed. Kelly played his second bowl short and in the way to protect his bowl. Kinley once again played a reaching bowl this time on the round peg and took the bowl out cleanly, however with both his own bowl and Kelly’s bowl going off the green it meant Kelly’s short bowl was the one that counted to secure his first men’s singles competition title and the £160 first prize.

Kelly only scored one double throughout the final, with Kinley scoring three doubles proving how well contested the game was. Kelly proved to be a popular winner and showed great composure and maturity all day.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by competition secretary Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, who thanked the sponsors IOM Seafoods for their support, Club Chairman Dougie Allan was then introduced to present the prizes, he thanked the team who work on the green for what made an interesting day of bowling, the club members for assisting throughout the day.