The Dreswick men’s singles took place on Thursday afternoon at Breagle Glen, this is Port St Mary’s longest running ‘Open’ competition, first played back in 1947. A good entry of 44 players took part, including 14 visiting bowlers on tour from the Owd Nell’s pub in Preston. A damp start didn’t dampen the atmosphere around the green and conditions improved throughout the day.

The fallers at the quarter final stage were Ben Mowle (Port Erin) to Paul Dunn ( Marown), Andy Tiffin (Owd Nell’s) to Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey), Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) to David Bradford (South Ramsey). The closest quarter final match was between Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) and Chris Dransfield (Owd Nells), with the game at 20-20 and a front toucher for Quayle, Dransfield managed to play into the touching wood and leave himself on to win the match 21-20.

The first semi-final was between Dunn and Hargraves, the latter started with three singles before Dunn won nine ends in a row to take an 18-9 lead. Hargraves got it back to 18-14 before Dunn finished it off to win 21-14.

The other semi-final between Bradford and Dransfield was a more one sided match, Bradford kept Dransfield down to scoring four singles to win 21-10.

The final between Dunn and Bradford was always going to be a close match, after 16 ends the score was 15-15, Bradford finished the stronger to win The Dreswick for the third time, adding to his wins from 2005 and 2022.

The prize presentation was made by Wayne Roberts thanking Port St Mary competition secretary Christine Holland for running the comp, and everyone else at Port St Mary bowling club that helped make the day a success.

In Canada Life International Division One this week Marown A travelled to the park to take on Onchan A, who sat in third place at the start of play, it looked to be a tough fixture however the visitors pulled off their best performance of the season to win 9-1. The lone winner for Onchan was Peter Slinger, who won 21-14 against Glenn Boland, whilst Gary Conwell lost 19-21 to Phil Kelly. Next closest to winning was Reg Temporaza, with Tom Kelly prevailing 21-17. A notable result was Peter Jones inflicting a rare home league defeat on Matthew Quirk 21-8, in one of three single figure wins for the visitors.

South Ramsey A hosted Castletown A, with the home team winning 10-0 for the first time this season, however the Town men could well have snatched two points on the night. George Foy trailed Glynn Hargraves 1-10, before scoring 10 chalks on the bounce to lead 11-10, then went on to lead 17-12. A spirited fightback from the South Ramsey captain ensured there was no upset as Hargraves won 21-17. This comeback was surpassed in the second half of the match as James Teare was on course for a defeat to single figures at home, trailing 8-18 to Nathan Hamilton, however a superb display from Teare saw him score 13 chalks on the bounce to win 21-18.

Peel A came away from Breagle Glen with a 4-6 win over Port St Mary A, however they could have snatched two extra points as Tony Carroon lost out 20-21 to Robbie Cooil, whilst Peel captain George Gadsby lost 19-21 to Chris Lever. The result was good enough to take Peel above Onchan to occupy third place, whilst Port St Mary got out of the bottom two, leapfrogging Castletown.

North Ramsey A played Marown C at Mooragh Park, with the home team winning 9-1. John Kelly ensured it wasn’t 10-0 as he beat Gary Merrill 21-19, whilst Sid Bolton just lost out 20-21 to Steven Waters.

Marown B beat Douglas A 7-3 at Crosby in a keenly contested match, as just two chalks separated the teams (146-144). Steve Wilson just lost out 20-21 to Kevin Firth, however the home team had the same score go in their favour as Matthew Keggen held off Shaun Seal. For the Villa men Paddy Murphy was the best winner on the night as he stepped up from the B team to win 21-8 against Brian Kelly.

In Division Two Peel B suffered a second successive defeat, as they lost 4-6 at home to Port Erin A, losing the aggregate by nine chalks (141-150) to seal their fate. The result could have been worse but for Jimmy Corlett beating Steve Durcan 21-20.

Despite the defeat Peel B didn’t sacrifice top spot, as Finch Hill A made the most of South Ramsey B missing two players to win 7-3 with 11 chalks separating the sides (140-129).

Ballaugh A are in third place, were the biggest winners in Division Two this week in more ways than one as they beat Noble’s A 8-2 in third place and close the gap on South Ramsey B to one point, with Peel B top two points ahead of the Ballaugh men.

Castletown B continue to struggle as they suffered a 3-7 defeat at home to Onchan B, with Phil Cannon just missing out 20-21 for the Town men, as Paul Dougherty got over the line.

 In Division Three Noble’s B remain five points clear at the top following their 8-2 won win over Peel C, with all games reaching double figures.

South Ramsey C moved up to second place following their 9-1 win over their lower ranked D Team, as Greg Barlow continues to lead the way at the top of the individual merit in Division Three.

Noble’s D won 8-2 at home to Port St Mary B to remain five points off top spot, whilst Noble’s C are just one point behind their D Team on 67 points, following an impressive 2-8 win away to Onchan C

Ballaugh B are 10 points adrift of the league leaders, following their 3-7 away win over Marown D.

In Division Four Ballaugh C remain 12 points clear at the top despite their 5-5 draw at home to Finch Hill B. Crucially the home team lost five home games to the Finch men, with four games finishing to close scores that didn’t go in their favour (17, 19, 20, 20) which ultimately cost them as they won the chalks comfortably (153-119), with all three home wins to single figures (3, 5, 6).

Douglas C beat their D Team 8-2, with four single wins keeping their lower ranked team to under 100 chalks (155-92).

Peel D brushed aside Noble’s E 8-2 in the Sunset City, with three single figure winners on the night.

North Ramsey C are well placed for a title charge following their fixture against Castletown C on Friday evening, as the Mooragh men won 8-2, have a game in hand on the top two.

Plumbmaster Rayner Shield

The second semi-final of the Rayner Shield took place between Castletown A and Marown C at the Crofts on Tuesday evening with both teams suffering heavy defeats the night before, this was always going to be a close encounter despite the Town men brushing aside Marown C 10-0 earlier in the season.

With both teams winning one game to single figures, there were four games which were keenly contested. Walter McCarthy held off George Foy 21-18, whilst the other three games went in favour of the Town men as Nathan Hamilton beat Peter Kelly 21-17, Andy Clark won 21-18 against Sid Bolton, whilst the battle of the captains was won by Jordan Drewett 21-20 against Stephen Rundle. Castletown sealed the win 5-3 to book their place in the final, with a nervy finish to the match with just eight chalks in it (146-138). Castletown A will face South Ramsey A on Friday 9^th August, with the venue to be announced shortly.

Douglas Bowling Club hosted the Association Singles on Saturday with the competition attracting 45 entries on a wet afternoon.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Neil Dunwell (Onchan) 14-21 to home greener Andy Cannell, Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) lost out 10-21 to Peter Jones (Marown). In the other half of the draw Marown’s Neil Withers beat David Bradford (South Ramsey) 21-16, whilst Paul Dunn won 21-10 against Marown clubmate James Kelly.

Both semi-finals were well contested, with Withers having a tough battle with Marown teammate Paul Dunn, with the former winning 21-18. The second semi-final was won to the same score, with Cannell leading 13-5 and 17-11 against Jones, with the Villa man going on to book his place in the final.

Withers made the better start to lead 12-6 playing his customary length. A fightback from Cannell saw the deficit close to just one chalk at 13-14, with Withers finishing the game strongly to run out with a 21-14 win to take the title.

The presentation was made by Association Competition Officer Wayne Roberts, who thanked the host club for the use of the green, providing measurers and the refreshments throughout the day.

The second half of the men’s night league season commenced this week in Canada Life International Division One with games on Monday evening being blessed with some much-needed sun.

Marown A returned to top spot following their 8-2 away win over North Ramsey A at Mooragh Park, with five single figure winners ensuring the chalks were never in doubt. The two winners for the home team were Paul Allison 21-11 over Peter Jones, whilst Steven Waters beat Sam Clague 21-14. Just missing out on a third win for the team was John Cannan who lost 20-21 to Glenn Boland, in what could prove to be a vital point for the Crosby men.

Game of the week was undoubtedly Peel A who hosted South Ramsey A. The home team led 3-1 after the first four games as Stevie Kelly beat James Teare 21-8, Pip Pemberton led 15-5 against Peter Collister, going on to win 21-17, whilst George Gadsby trailed 15-19 to Glynn Hargraves, with the former running out with a 21-19 win. Winning in the first half for the visitors David Bradford won 21-9 against the previously unbeaten Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly.

The second half of the match flipped the other way, as Jordan Cain beat David Proctor 21-13, Dido Kelly won 21-4 against Peter Greenlees, whilst Bob Clark won 21-8 against Tommy McMeiken. Winning for the home team in the second half Gary Smith beat Stefan Kelly 21-14. South Ramsey did manage to secure the chalks comfortably (118-142) to secure a 4-6 away win.

Douglas A took on Port St Mary A at the Villa, with the home team winning 8-2. Andy Cannell won 21-3 against Chris Lever, with Dave McCabe winning 21-8 against Tim Williams, whilst Mark Kneen got over the line 21-20 against Dan McCabe. For the Port men Trevor Quayle beat Gordon Wynne-Smythe 21-19, whilst Wayne Roberts won 21-15 against Andy Foster.

Marown C took on their higher ranked B Team on Tuesday evening in poor conditions, in complete contrast to the night before. The C team did manage to take three games off their club mates, with wins from Jamie Joughin, James Kelly, and Steve Rough, with the latter winning 21-6 against Karl Parker. For the B Team Walter McCarthy and Matthew Keggen won to single figures, which helped secured the aggregate on chalks (128-145).

In Division Two Peel B surrendered top spot for the first time this season, as they lost 8-2 away to South Ramsey B, with both teams tied on 67 points. Captain Ben Dugdale led the way for his team with a 21-7 win over Gordon Corrin, with Dougie Allan matching this for the visitors as he beat Christian Caley.

Third placed Ballaugh A (61 points) kept in touch with the top two following their 3-7 away win over North Ramsey B, as both teams won games 21-6 and 21-9 to cancel each other out.

Finch Hill A continue to be something of a Jekyll and Hyde side, as they lost 9-1 away to Onchan B, with Les Brookes the lone winner for the Finch men as he beat Mike Kelly 21-16.

Noble’s A won 5-3 on games at home to Castletown B, however they lost out on the aggregate by three chalks (151-154) to draw 5-5 in a high scoring contest, as four of their five wins were keenly contested with wins to 20, 19, 19, and 18. Two of the three wins for the visitors ultimately made the difference on chalks.

Douglas B managed to win 7-3 at home to Port Erin A, despite having to give a game away to the visitors, with three of their players winning big to ensure they took the aggregate comfortably by 16 chalks (128-112).

In Division Three Noble’s B are five points clear at the top following their 3-7 away win against Port St Mary B at Breagle Glen, as they missed out on a bigger win as they lost two games to 18-21 and 19-21.

South Ramsey C sit in third place following an impressive 2-8 win away to Peel C, with Colin Moore and Andrew Cover the two winners for the home team.

Noble’s D lost ground on their B Team following a 6-4 defeat away to Ballaugh B, with two single figure defeats for the visitors sealing their fate on the aggregate.

South Ramsey D picked up their second successive win, as they beat Onchan C 6-4 at home, taking the aggregate by just two chalks (126-124). Single figure wins from Austin Hart and Alan Moore, along with good wins from Geoff Collier and Steve Kelly helped secure the win.

In Division Four Castletown C hosted Ballaugh C at the Crofts, with young Freddie Palmer continuing to progress as he sealed his third league win of the season, with a 21-18 victory over Paul Cubbon, whilst Kieran Krypner who only took up the game last season beat Dan Kelly 21-17.

Finch Hill B hosted Douglas D on Tuesday evening, with the Finch men conceding a game 0-21 due to being a player short, this didn’t stop them from securing a 7-3 home win, as single figure wins from Tony Epifani and Peter Smith helped them win by six chalks on the aggregate (129-123)

Plumbmaster Rayner Shield

The first semi-final of the Rayner Shield took place on Wednesday evening with players from both sides agreeing an earlier start time to ensure they could watch England take on the Netherlands. The home team were huge favourites going into the match, so it proved with five single wins, conceding just 22 chalks, whilst James Teare, Dido Kelly, Stefan Kelly had to work a bit harder for their wins over Sam Clague, John Gelling and Karl Parker respectively.

The remaining fixture is on Tuesday (16th July) with Castletown A hosting Marown C, as South Ramsey A await their opponents, with the final to be played on Friday 9th August. Town are also huge favourites, having won their home league fixture 10-0 earlier in the season.

Plumbmaster Rayner Plate

First division side Peel A hosted second division side Finch Hill A on Wednesday evening, despite having to give the visitors a 45 chalk start on the night, they managed to win by 11 chalks (154-143). Sam Stannard-Duke was the lone winner for Finch, as he beat Mike Ashmole 21-7.

Ballaugh B (+50) hosted South Ramsey C (+60), with both sides in the third division a close match was expected, so it proved as the home team won 5-3, however the Ballaugh men were unable to recover the 10 chalk start they had to give their opponents, as they lost by just two chalks (182-184).

South Ramsey C will face Peel A on Friday 2nd August, with the venue to be confirmed at a later date.

Following his previous win in 2014 Glynn Hargraves overcame a strong field to pick up his second Ramsey Town Cup trophy a decade later.

With a total entry of 52 bowlers from across the island, eight of whom are currently in the top 20 on the Island, a great day’s bowling was in prospect. With a dry start and a superbly prepared green the preliminary rounds kicked off on schedule at 12 noon with no great shocks, however in the 1^st round of 32 there were some very tight games and a few shock results. Greg Barlow (South Ramsey) overcame Tom Kelly (Marown) 21-20, home greener Steve Walmsley beat Dave Naughton (Noble’s) 21-20, John Cannan (North Ramsey) just failed to oust Stefan Kelly (South Ramsey) 20-21 and unfancied John Piekalns (North Ramsey) defeated one of the competition favourites Paul Dunn (Marown) 21-16.  

The best game of the 2^nd round of 16 was the game between family rivals Stefan and Dido Kelly (both South Ramsey). After 17 ends Stefan was 20-15 ahead and looked certain to get across the finishing line in style however Dido won the next four ends to make it all square at 20 each. Following a nervy 22^nd end Stefan finally managed to get the one chalk to achieve the win.

In the first of the quarter finals David Bradford (South Ramsey) faced off against teammate John Kennish. The game was nip and tuck all the way through with neither player able to make a decisive break with the final result being a win for David Bradford 21-19. The second quarter final saw home favourite Rob Monk paired with Stefan Kelly. This again was a very tight match with both players trading blows until end 17, with the score standing at 17-16 in Stefan’s favour he managed to win four ends in a row to win 21-16.

The third quarter final featured Dean Kinley (Castletown) against home player Paul Allison. The game was tit-for-tat all the way through with the scores standing at “all-but” across after 19 ends. However, it was Paul who managed to hold his nerve to get across the line 21-20. In the last of the quarter finals in another all South Ramsey clash Peter Collister met Glynn Hargraves. Whilst the first six ends were shared Glynn upped his game and finally ran out as the 21-10 winner.

In the first of the semi-finals between Bradford and Kelly after eight ends Stefan was leading 14-8 and looked set to romp home to victory, however last year’s champion David is made of sterner stuff and by end 14 was just one chalk behind at 15-16. In the following ends the players traded blows to reach “all-but” across after 22 ends with David winning the 23^rd end to take the match.

The second semi-final between Paul Allison and Glynn Hargraves was a much more clear-cut affair. With Paul struggling to find line and length and Glynn always in close proximity to the jack Glynn ran out as the winner 21-9 after just 13 ends.

As was to be expected with the top two players in the competition competing in the final this was a fine end to an excellent day’s bowling. After eight ends David and Glynn were tied on 11 chalks each. At this point a shower of rain possibly affected the characteristics of the green which Glynn was better able to adjust to enabling him to win eight of the next nine ends to stretch the score to 20-12 in his favour. Whilst David managed to pick up three chalks in the next two ends Glynn managed to win the 20^th end to secure the game and the Ramsey Town Cup for the second time.

Rob Monk, President of North Ramsey Bowling Club, introduced Tim Pressley representing the sponsors Corkhill and Callow Ltd and thanked him and the club members who organised the competition and provided catering and raffle support for their efforts. He then presented prizes to the losing quarter and semi-finalists, runner up and winner. The trophy was then presented to Glynn Hargraves by Tim Pressley.