News: Announcements
Isle of Man v Merseyside
The Isle of Man Senior Mens bowls team continued to make strides in the Senior County Championships, the highest level of the team game, with a very impressive showing against Merseyside.
In the match played over two simultaneous legs at both Onchan Park and the Unison Bowling Club in St Helens the Isle of Man showed why they now have a seat at the top table as they won the home leg and just missed out on the overall win by 22 points over 24 games with a final match score of Merseyside 438 Isle of Man 416.
It is important to compete at this level and the fact that the team won 11 of the 24 games shows they are able to do just that and if they continue improving it will not be long before they pick up their first overall win.
At home the match was tight from the off with the honours even in after eight games with four wins apiece. Neil Withers, Glynn Hargraves, Trevor Quayle and Peter Collister all winning and the rest of the team scoring well to keep themselves in contention. .
With only three games remaining it looked like a points victory on Manx soil may have eluded the team but it was a case of Kelly’s Heroes from then on as the back order of Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly, Phil Kelly and Colin Kelly all rallied delivering impressive results to edge the leg by five points scoring 221 points as opposed to Merseysides 216.
Overall Endsleigh Insuarance man of the match for the Onchan Fixture was Merseysides John Finch for an impressive 21-12 win over Isle of Man number 1 John Kennish, whilst the Gelling Man of The Match for the home side went to Dido Kelly for his very impressive 21-10 victory over Anthony Thompson.
At this level things are always difficult away from home especially as the green travelled to was alien to the entire team, and had a huge crown unlike anything they would have seen locally.
Despite not scoring a win in the first four games the Island scored well and there were some very gutsy performances to ensure they were always in with a shout. It was the middle order where the Island proved their strength in depth is growing winning three of the next four games with Paul Dunn, Aaron ‘Bob’ Clark and Matthew Quirk all winning.
The final four also played superbly well and added another win to the pile as Paul Kelly picked up his first victory at this level.
Paul Dunn picked up a well deserved Overall Endleigh Man of the Match award for a fantastic 21-9 victory over Isle of Man festival winner Terry Glover, whilst Paul Kelly pocketed the Gellings Man of the Match award for his strong 21-10 win over Steve Davies.
Overall it was a very impressive showing from the local side in only their second year competing at this level. Thanks go to main sponsors Paddy Power and new sponsors West Coast Fitness as without them the Island simply wouldn’t be able to compete in this competition.
Paddy Power Super 32 – Qualifying Event
Matthew Keggen became the first of two locals to earn a place in the highly acclaimed Paddy Power Super 32 competition which takes place in June Festival Week, attracting some of the top names in the sport.
He was the cream of a stellar crop at South Ramsey on Saturday as he produced some of his best bowls on his way to victory. In the final Matthew settled the quickest and was always in control as he got the better of Stuart Garrett 21-13. Take nothing away from Garrett as he also played some magnificent bowls on the day but Keggen was just too hot to handle in the final.
In the Semi Finals both men recorded respective 21-17 victories with Keggen eliminating Bob Clark and Garrett disposing of Neil Withers. Fallers at the quarter final stage were Stevie Kelly, Nathan Cooil, Phil Kerruish and Adrian Skinner.
Congratulations to Matthew who qualifies for the main event to be held on Friday 24th June and also to South Ramsey and green keeper George Brew for putting on the competition and providing arguably the best playing surface on the Island.
Sylvia Cashen Charity Ladies’ Doubles
There was an entry of 18 pairs for the Sylvia Cashen charity ladies’ doubles played at Port St Mary on Wednesday 4 May. The weather stayed fair and there were some close games played in good spirit.
When the semi-final stage was reached there was a possibility that Lin and Paula would be playing Lyn and Paula in the final. However Alison Keggen and Debbie Leece were determined to prevent that happening!
Semi-finals: Alison Keggen and Debbie Leece 21, Lyn Bolton and Paula Garrett 9; Paula Firth and Lin Ruscoe 21, Win Collister and Rita Callister 9.
This left three Noble’s players involved in the final.
Lin and Paula had the edge in the early exchanges taking the lead 11-8. The scores were tied at 11 across then at 14 across, at which point the younger pair got the bit between their teeth when having got hold of the jack they refused to relinquish it, coming through to win 21-14.
The presentation was made by the Lady President, Linda Dawson, who hoped everyone had enjoyed their games, and thanked everyone for raising nearly £300 for Manx Anti-cancer – an amount the club would make up to the £300.
Alison thanked her partner, and all those involved in the smooth running of the event
Top Lady
The weather stayed fair, if a little chilly, for the Top Lady event played at Noble’s 1 on Saturday 30 April.
The thirty-two ladies who had qualified to play produced some hotly contested bowls of the highest order.
Quarter-finals: Jenny Moore 21, Lil Smith 9; Elaine Moore 21, Alison Keggen 16; Anne Oates 21, Helen Martin 17; Mary Moffatt 21, Mary Alderson 8
The first semi-final saw mother, Elaine, against daughter, Jenny. Despite Jenny winning the first three ends the first half of the match was evenly contested with the scores level, 10-10, after fourteen ends. At this point Jenny took control, coming through to win 21-12.
In the other semi-final after a cagey beginning, Mary won four ends in a row, then Anne did the same levelling the score 7-7. After another single each Mary prevailed, booking her place in the final 21-11.
In the final Mary had the advantage 6-5 after nine ends, then levelled the scores at 12 all. From that point Jenny just had the upper hand, although Mary did not make it easy for her, coming through to take the title 21-16.
Those who had braved the cold to stay and watch the final saw an excellent match and congratulations should go to both players.
The Association president, Rosie Winckle, made the presentation, and Jenny thanked Noble’s for the use of their facilities, the measurers and markers, and those responsible for the refreshments

Live: IOM vs Merseyside Scorecards & Away Blog

Isle of Man County Team Announced
It’s hard to believe that this is our second year in the Senior County Championships, the highest level of the team game, and after some strong performances last year I genuinely believe we can go from strength to strength as we search for our first overall match victory.
There are some exciting new initiatives this year; however, one constant that allows us to make this happen is the partnership we have with main team sponsor Paddy Power. Our thanks go to them once again as without them we would not be able to make this project happen and literally wouldn’t be able to get off the ground to travel to the UK.
I am also delighted to announce that we have a new partner for this initiative in the form of West Coast Fitness, whose name will become synonymous with performance excellence as soon as they open the doors to their new purpose built Gym in Peel on 29 April, symbolically the weekend of our first match. As well as being match day sponsor for all 3 home games they will sponsor a new 40 player super league which will play a pivotal role as a development and selection tool for the Islands top players. More information will follow on this new and exciting venture but our thanks go to them for the belief they are showing in supporting us.
Once again Gellings will sponsor our man of the match awards and we can’t thank them enough for their continued support as it has been so important as we start our journey at the top level.
Our First Match will be on 1st May against Merseyside with the home leg being played at Onchan Park and the away leg being played at Unison Bowling Club in St Helens. Thanks and praise must go to Onchan Commissioners as their hard work in getting the green in excellent condition is one of the main reasons we have chosen this venue and hopefully if we can get as many people down to support our team as possible this will repay them.
Home Team | Away Team |
---|---|
Name (Playing Order) | Name (Playing Order) |
John Kennish | Dean Kipling |
Glynn Hargraves | Kevin Quirk |
Neil Withers | Matthew Keggen |
Paul Skelly | Phil Kerruish |
Trevor Quayle | Paul Dunn |
Ian Moore | Aaron Clark |
Peter Collister | Alan Moore |
Stuart Garrett | Matthew Quirk |
Ewan Cooil | Jordan Cain |
Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly | Paul Kelly |
Phil Kelly | John Gelling |
Colin Kelly | Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly |
Reservers (Alphabetical) | Reservers (Alphabetical) |
David Cain | Michael Collister |
Robbie Cooil | Gary Conwell |
Juan Hargraves | Merv Sayle |
Mark Moorley | Adrian Skinner |
Chris Oates | |
Jerome Surridge |
Mens Night League Kicks Off
Monday will see the return of the Mens Night League.
North Ramsey’s green – Mooragh Park – is unavailable and all North Ramsey home matches will be played on <strong>Nobles 2 Green</strong>.
North Ramsey C have withdrawn from the League leaving 11 teams in Division 3 so one team will sit out on each numbered game round. Finch Hill A receive a bye into the second round of the Rayner Shield.
<strong>Captains</strong> please remember straight after your match to send a photo of your signed Results Card to Matthew Keggen. Captains who are unable to do this please see if a member of your team or the opposing captain can do this on your behalf.
Result Cards can be sent by:
Email: <a href=”mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a>
Facebook: <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.facebook.com/iombowlsresults/”>iombowls.com Results Post Box</a>
Picture Message: 425242
2016 Fixtures
The website has been updated with all fixtures and competitions for the 2016 season.
Just click on Mens/Ladies etc and you will see the first set of matches. The menu on the right will allow you to see the full fixture list and don’t forget you can click on a team and link to see the fixtures/results for just that team.
If anyone wants to download the league fixtures or opens in Excel format which may help clubs with their own books please use the links below
Download -> Opens
Download -> Men Night League
Download -> Ladies Night League
Download -> Men Over 60s League
Download -> Ladies Over 60s League
Download -> All 2016 League Fixtures
We are working on providing further content on the website (e.g. Association/Exec, Development, County etc) and further updates will hopefully be made before the new season commences. In the meantime a summary of the areas updated on the website is below.
Website Updates (8th March)
- Opens
- List of opens (Further update for full open details once clubs return info)
- Men
- League Fixtures
- Rayner Shield Draw
- Captains (awaiting some clubs still)
- Rayner Shield/Plate Rules following EGM
- Men Over 60s
- League Fixtures
- Ismay & Mini Cup Draw
- League Rules
- Ismay/Mini Cup Rules
- Captains
- Ladies
- League Fixtures
- Jean Kelly Draw
- Captains
- Rule Changes
- Ladies Over 60s
- League Fixtures
- Captains
- Rule Changes
IOMCCGBA Charter
The IOMCCGBA Charter documents have been published and are available on this post