Port Erin Bowling Club hosted the F.M. Sowerbutts Memorial Trophy Mixed Doubles on Bank Holiday Monday. The competition matched the previous days entries with 26 pairs taking part despite the road closures.

Losing quarter finalists were home greeners Voirrey Curphey and Seamus Whelan 12-21 to South Ramsey pair Gill Dixon and Glynn Hargraves, while Marown duo Rebecca Teare and Peter Jones conceded 13 singles and a two in their 17-21 defeat against Jenny Moore and James Teare (South Ramsey). Another Marown pair lost out at this stage as Debbie Leece and Neil Withers were beaten 16-21 by Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) and Andy Kennish (Onchan), while Sue Gawne (Onchan) and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) lost out 19-21 to the Husband and Wife Ballaugh pairing of Paul and Michele Cubbon.

Bowing out at the semi-final stage in an all South Ramsey clash were Dixon and Hargraves to club mates Moore and Teare 16-21, whilst in the other semi-final the Cubbon’s were defeated 10-21 by Whitehead and Kennish.

The final got underway with Kennish having won the day before with a different partner looking to make it a good bank holiday weekend and a strong start followed as Whitehead and Kennish went into a 11-6 lead. Moore/Teare hit back to win three consecutive ends, one of which was a full house scoring a four to lead 13-11. Another run of three scoring ends from Whitehead/Kennish resulted in them going into the lead 16-13 only for the South Ramsey pair to score a two and a three to lead 18-16. The Port Erin/Onchan partnership hit back with a single and double to lead 19-18 only to concede a single to square up the match 19-19. A single followed from Whitehead and Kennish which put them within touching distance of victory. In truth a poor last end from all four finalists resulted in a 21-19 victory for Caroline and Andy.

The presentation was made by Janet Shilling who thanked everyone who had entered, the club members for their support along with David and Susan Inch for serving the refreshments. Upon accepting the trophy Caroline expressed her delight at winning her first mixed doubles competition.

On Sunday Ballaugh Bowling Club Held the Maddrell Mixed Doubles for the Claret Jug Trophy. Twenty six pairs entered, a little down on previous years possibly caused by the Manx Grand Prix, but it was still a long day due to the long games. The weather was fine but clouded over as the day progressed.

There was Ballaugh interest in all four Quarter Finals in the first Michele & Paul Cubbon who never got going against South Ramsey’s Gill Dixon & Glynn Hargraves losing 21-7. In the second home greeners Louise and Nigel Tebay fared a little better losing 21-11 to Onchan pair Sue Gawne and Andy Kennish.

The third quarter final was between local players Julie Reilly & John Maddrell and Margaret Tasker (Port St Mary) & Derek Allen (Onchan). For the first six ends they were within a point of each other, then Margaret & Derek moved ahead to win 21-13. In the fourth quarter final last year’s winner Clare Cooper (Marown) & Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) played Ballaugh’s Pat Mason & John Kneen. Clare & Wayne were always ahead but Pat & John rallied briefly with the final result 21-14 to Clare & Wayne.

On to the semi-finals Dixon & Hargraves played Sue Gawne & Kennish. A longer game with Sue & Andy always ahead running out 21-16. The other semi-final was between Cooper & Roberts and Tasker & Allen. Clare & Wayne took control and won 21-8.

The final was between Clare Cooper & Wayne Roberts and Sue Gawne & Andy Kennish. There was no stopping Sue & Andy with a 21-8 win.

At the conclusion the prizes were presented by Club Captain & Sponsor John Maddrell who thanked the ladies in the kitchen for their hard work, Richard Faragher & Maurice O’Reilly for running the competition so efficiently and all the competitors for making at a great day, he then presented the prizes along with the Claret Jug to Sue & Andy.

The final of the Canada Life International sponsored Inaugural Mixed Team Plate competition took place at Onchan on Wednesday evening with Noble’s and Ballaugh battling to become the first winners of this competition. With an excellent crowd in attendance there were over 110 people there in the latter stages of the evening.

From the first three games on the green Noble’s struck the biggest blow of the night with Stephen Corkill winning 21-5 against John Kneen, with Joyce Ogden followed this up using all her guile to see off Patrick Grant 21-15. Jayne Smith leapt into a commanding lead against John Maddrell, only for the latter to stage a huge comeback to level the game at 20-20. With Maddrell lying game, Smith bowled in to sneak home 21-20. With three games played Noble’s had a commanding 23 chalk lead.

Ballaugh threatened a comeback with Louise Tebay putting in a fine performance to see off Dave Naughton 21-5 to reduce the deficit to just seven chalks.

With the pressure off Ballaugh claimed the last two games of the night with Dickie Watson beating Phil Salmon 21-10, while Michele Cubbon shone with a solid 21-11 win over Grahem Moore.

With the win secured by 18 chalks (152-134) Noble’s won 6-3 on games with the club members clearly delighted with most of them picking up their first silverware. Noble’s have been through the mill over the past couple of years, first losing their Ladies Team, along with their Over 60’s Men’s Team. In addition to this the club were struggling to put out a night league team, at one point over the winter the club were on the brink of collapsing. Thanks to the efforts of the club members they managed to field two Men’s night league teams, recruiting a number of new bowlers over the winter, with many of them taking to bowls like a duck to water, showing some real promise in their first season of bowls.

The efforts go beyond this with a new outlook from the newer club members, with social nights being enjoyed regularly under their newly installed floodlights. Noble’s are now rumoured to be looking to field a third night league team next season, they were grateful to be able to field a team in the Mixed Team competition. The next step for the club will be to reintroduce a Ladies night league team as they look to go from strength to strength. Noble’s are one of the oldest clubs on the Island and to allow it to collapse would be catastrophic for the local game, with the Noble’s greens being the focal point for the June and September Bowling Festivals, which are showing signs of returning numbers following one of the largest entries in recent years in June.

The presentation was made by Association Chairman Neil Withers who thanked Onchan for the use of the green, Noble’s captain Tina Hampson congratulated her team for their performance on the night and offered commiserations to Ballaugh, whilst also saying after everything the club had been through it was great to win a final with the club narrowly missing out in the Rayner Plate recently.

Noble’s			Ballaugh
Jayne Smith	21	20	John Maddrell
Joyce Ogden	21	15	Patrick Grant
Stephen Corkill	21	5	John Kneen
Dave Naughton	5	21	Louise Tebay
Sylvia Kennaugh	21	10	Rose Waterworth
Mark Bradshaw	21	10	Tony Quine
Tina Hampson	21	11	Maria Dimsdale
Phil Salmon	10	21	Dickie Watson
Grahem Moore	11	21	Michele Cubbon
6 Games Won	152	134	3 Games Won

The final of the Canada Life International sponsored Mixed Team Championship and the Inaugural Plate competitions took place simultaneously at Onchan on Wednesday evening with the Championship final seeing South Ramsey A take on Marown A. The floodlights were needed for the latter half of the evening on a fine night for bowls.

In the first half of the match South Ramsey were quickest out of the blocks with captain Glynn Hargraves striking the first blow with a 21-10 win over Rebecca Teare. Elaine Moore extended the lead to 21 chalks with a 21-11 victory over Philippa Taylor. Peter Collister trailed 13-14 against Debbie Leece, only for Collister to go on an eight chalk scoring streak to win 21-14. After three games South Ramsey led by 28 chalks.

Marown struck back strongly with captain Matthew Keggen winning 21-7 against Kim Hargraves, swiftly followed by Clare Cooper who performed well to beat James Teare 21-11. The deficit was reduced to just four chalks with four matches left.

In the second half of the match Jordan Cain inflicted defeat on Neil Withers once again, with Cain making a strong start he went on to secure a 21-15 win as South established a 10 chalk lead. Jenny Moore recovered from a slow start trailing 4-10 against Glenn Boland to find her groove going on to win 21-13 as Boland scored just three more chalks. Gill Dixon put the final nail in the coffin with a strong performance to beat Paul Kelly 21-13.

The last match of the night left little to play for other than personal pride with both players putting on a bit of entertainment for the crowd being the last game on the green, with Bob Clark performing well to lead 18-6 against Peter Jones, with a strong fightback from the latter to get back to 18-20, only for Clark to get the one chalk needed to secure a 21-18 win. South Ramsey won 7-2 on games, and by 29 (165-136) on the all important chalks.

South Ramsey have now claimed the Mixed Team Championship 11 times to date, have also won the title for three consecutive years.

Association Competition Secretary Matthew Keggen thanked Onchan for the use of the green. South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves congratulated his team for their performance on the night, offered commiserations to Marown, whilst also congratulating Noble’s on their win in the Plate competition.

South Ramsey A			Marown A
Glynn Hargraves	21	10	Rebecca Teare
Elaine Moore	21	11	Philippa Taylor
Peter Collister	21	14	Debbie Leece
Kim Hargraves	7	21	Matthew Keggen
James Teare	11	21	Clare Cooper
Jordan Cain	21	15	Neil Withers
Jenny Moore	21	13	Glenn Boland
Gill Dixon	21	13	Paul Kelly
Bob Clark	21	18	Peter Jones
7 Games Won	165	136	2 Games Won

The Onchan Commissioners Any Combination Doubles took place on Sunday with a good field of 35 pairs taking part on a tricky green despite the rain on Saturday.

At the quarter finals stage father and son Colin Kelly and Kevin Kelly (Marown) ended the challenge of Sylvia Kennaugh (Onchan) and Terry Bates (Noble’s) 21-14, another Marown pair Clare Cooper and Walter McCarthy just got over the line 21-20 against Port St Mary’s Tom Collins and Tim Williams, while an all-South Ramsey tie was edged by Glynn Hargraves and Bob Clark 21-20 against Jenny Moore and James Teare. Sue Gawne (Onchan) and Tracy Moore (Castletown) lost out 17-21 to home greeners Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker.

At the semi-final stage the Kelly’s got the better of club mates Cooper and McCarthy 21-15, while Quirk and Parker won 21-16 against Hargraves and Clark to take their place in the final.

The final got under way with the Onchan men racing into a 15-7 lead after just five ends, however the Marown duo responded over the next four ends scoring a three and a four to edge ahead 16-15. A good last bowl from Parker in the corners levelled the match up 16-16, the home greeners then scored a damaging four on the next end to lead 20-16. Despite the best efforts of the Marown pair a single on the last end was enough to secure a 21-16 victory for Quirk and Parker and their second successive win together following their win in the Ken Parker Memorial Trophy last weekend.

The presentation was made by Competition Secretary Mark Kelly, with the trophy & prizes presented by Kathryn Williams, Chair of Onchan Commissioners to whom the Club are grateful for the continued support. In his speech Quirk thanked the Commissioners for their support of the club in providing an excellent green, the Onchan Ladies for the refreshments and his playing partner Steve Parker.

The dream of achieving a first ever Junior League on the Isle of Man was finally realised, as the Phil Johnson Memorial Trophy was brought into a new format having been used in a number of different guises over the years, with a Junior League being the ultimate goal. The Isle of Man is well blessed with Junior bowlers, given the relatively small number of bowlers the Isle of Man can certainly boast healthy numbers when compared to most other counties that are under the umbrella of the British Crown Green Bowling Association (BCGBA).

To get the juniors involved in the teams before play got underway, they were tasked with coming up with four team names, with the names settled on being Summerlanders, The Chasms, The Calves of Man and The Millennium Oakwoods. Teams were picked based on age and availability with normal crown green bowling rules applied with matches being played 21 up off scratch.

The opening night had a brilliant attendance with over 100 people around the two Noble’s Greens being used by the four teams. Summerlanders topped the scoring in their first match as they defeated the Chasms by 10 chalks (138-128), while The Millennium Oakwoods got their first win under their belt as they edged out The Calves of Man by just five chalks (123-118).

The second round of matches saw Summerlanders top the scoring once again as they beat The Calves of Man by 18 chalks (146-128), while The Millennium Oakwoods also triumphed, this time against The Chasms by 14 chalks (137-123).

The final round of matches played on Monday evening saw the top two Summerlanders (284) and The Millennium Oakwoods (260) battle it out, with all to play for with just 24 chalks separating the teams before play got underway. Sitting in 3^rd place were The Chasms (251) with The Calves of Man just five chalks further back on 246. Summerlanders ensured their place at the top of the table as they won their match by 21 chalks against The Millennium Oakwoods (126-105). The Chasms topped the scores for the night seeing off The Calves of Man by 15 chalks (139-124).

The experience gained by the Junior bowlers will stand them in good stead in future, with some picking up their first ever wins playing a 21-up game, which can serve as a huge confidence boost as they look to improve their game. In total 45 Juniors took part, the number could have been even higher but for some well-deserved family holidays while some younger bowlers who attend the Junior Clubs did not take part.

Thursday evening was presentation night, with a fantastic crowd in attendance with the emphasis being on having fun. A number of triples games took place, followed by a roll up at the end, it was great to see so many Junior bowlers having fun despite the wet weather.

The prize presentation was made by Lead Coach Phil Kelly, with all players who took part receiving a medal with their names on. A huge amount of thanks must go to Phil Kelly, who has put a huge amount of work to get to this point, along with fellow coaches Tracy Moore, Sonya Mercer, Brian Kelly, Rob Matthews and Merv Sayle.

This would also not be possible without the Islands Bowling clubs and the Coaches who put on weekly sessions across the Island, which also gives the Juniors an opportunity to play in a number of Junior competitions, with a good number of the older Juniors playing in night league teams. Thanks also to Noble’s Bowling Club for providing the refreshments on all four nights of play.

Presenting the prizes were Mike Johnson on behalf of the family, along with Dave Grisdale on behalf of the Sponsors Canada Life International, who have been supporters of bowls on the Isle of Man for over a decade. The company is keen to promote opportunities for young people on the island to get involved in active sports with this Junior League being a great success.

Junior League Results 4^th August

Summerlanders (138), The Chasms (128): Shannon McMullan 21, Grace Gawne 7; Charlie Bell 8, Madison McMullan 21; Dylan Marsh 10, Sam Quayle 21; Ryan Hargraves 17, Lacey McMullan 21; Sam Colquitt 21, Aalish Moore 7; Erin Quayle 21, William Fenton 11; Bailey McMullan 21, Katie Jacobs 19; Emily Jacobs 19, Ruby Keggen 21

The Calves of Man (118), The Millennium Oakwoods (123): Rebekah Kelly 5, Toby Hart 21; Lily Gawne 10, Alex Hampson 21; Lola Tebay 21, David Manley 11; Graiagh Smith 21, Bella Losh 4; Charlie Elliott 12, Olivia Johnson 21; Clark Kelly 21, Junior Keggen 3; Melody Marsh 11, William Cowley 21; Bobby Kerruish 17, Evan Leece 21.

Junior League Results 11^th August

Summerlanders (146), The Calves of Man (128): Shannon McMullan 12, Rebekah Kelly; Ryan Hargraves 21, Graiagh Smith 12; Dylan Marsh 19, Lily Gawne 21; George Gosden 21, Melody Marsh 9; Grayse Blencoe 12, Bobby Kerruish 21; Emily Jacobs 19, Rhys Moore 21; Bailey McMullan 21, Freddie Palmer 12; Ryan Hargraves 21, Lola Tebay 11.

The Chasms (123), The Millennium Oakwoods (137): Luke Kenna 18, Toby Hart 21; Grace Gawne 21, David Manley 10; Madison McMullan 21, Olivia Johnson 1; Luke Kenna 13, Alex Hampson 21; Aalish Moore 15, Alex Colquitt 21; William Fenton 17, Evan Leece 21; Lillie Barrett 3, Junior Keggen 21; Lacey McMullan 15, Alex Colquitt 21.

League Results 15^th August

The Calves of Man (124), The Chasms (139): Lola Tebay 11, Grace Gawne 21; Lily Gawne 8, Madison McMullan 21; Charlie Elliott 15, Aalish Moore 21; Victoria Johnson 21, Lacey McMullan 14; Clark Kelly 21, Katie Jacobs 19; Bobby Kerruish 21, William Fenton 15; Freddie Palmer 21, Lillie Barrett 7; Rhys Moore 6, Enya Christian 21.

Summerlanders (126), The Millennium Oakwoods (105): Shannon McMullan 12, Toby Hart 21; Charlie Bell 7, Alex Hampson 21; Ryan Hargraves 21, David Manley 10; George Gosden 21, Olivia Johnson 6; Sam Colquitt 21, Bella Losh 4; Grayse Blencoe 16, Alex Colquitt 21; Emily Jacobs 7, William Cowley 21; Bailey McMullan 21, Evan Leece 1.

Final 2022 IOMCCGBA Junior League Table

Place	Team	Points
1st	Summerlanders	410
2nd	The Chasms	390
3rd	The Calves of Man	370
4th	The Millennium Oakwoods	365

Congratulations to July Canada Life International Award winners:-

Men’s Player of the Month: David Bradford – South Ramsey

Ladies Player of the Month: Jenny Moore – South Ramsey

Under 21’s Player of the Month: Grace Gawne – Onchan

David was a no-brainer pick for the men this month, winning all his Canada Life International Division One games, which included an impressive 21-1 victory against a fellow Top 10 ranked player in the semi-final of the Rayner Shield. More impressively Bradford went on to win the Manx Championship for a second time, his good form didn’t end there as he lifted the Ken Williamson Memorial Trophy, then swiftly followed this up with the Dreswick Cup.

Jenny had a great month on the green winning the Ladies Manx Championship, on her home turf with a resounding 21-10 victory over Janet Monk in the final. For her club team South Ramsey Jenny won six games in various competitions to single figures. The best of these single figure wins had to be a 21-6 victory over Lynda Cadamy in the final of the Jean Kelly Memorial Shield as the team went on to claim victory by just six chalks to retain the title.

Grace came through a field of 15 Junior Girls to claim her first Junior Manx Championship. With the competition being played in a round robin format, Grace safely navigated her way through the group stages to reach the final where she faced Mooragh Park’s Madison McMullan, the same player Gawne beat in the semi-final of the Mixed Junior Manx Championship in May. Grace managed to get the better of Madison once again to emerge victorious.

In glorious conditions in the Mooragh Park on Saturday North Ramsey Bowling Club hosted the Ken Parker Memorial Rose Bowl. This year the club were pleased to welcome on board Blackford Financial Services as new sponsors of the event. A 33 strong field competed in the Any Combination Doubles event.

With the green looking brilliant and playing well this ensured that we were all in for an excellent afternoons bowling. Close games in the first round saw home greeners John Garrett & Lee Christian, Irene & John Cannan winning through to the next round by a single chalk.

In the second round the closest games saw North Ramsey pairing of Allan Callow & Steve Walmsley lose out to Caroline Parker (Mooragh Park) & Alex Yates (Noble’s) to 17, also losing out to Onchan’s Kevin Quirk & Steve Parker by the same score was Victoria Johnson (Mooragh Park) & Grace Gawne (Onchan).

The quarter final stage was as far as defending champions Wayne Roberts & Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) could manage this year as they lost 16-21 against Caroline Parker & Alex Yates. Kevin Quirk & Steve Parker ensured there would be a Parker in the final by securing the second semi-final place in the top half of the draw by beating Sue Gawne (Onchan) & Tracy Moore (Castletown) 21-16.

In the bottom half of the draw Steve Waters (South Ramsey) & Paul Allison (North Ramsey) eased past the South Ramsey pairing of Austin Hart & Alan Moore 21-12. Dave Naughton & Tina Hampson (Noble’s) were leading well and had a 17-10 lead against Sid & Lyn Bolton. However losing the jack proved costly as Sid & Lyn ran out playing longer marks.

In the first semi-final Kevin & Steve quickly secured the win over Caroline & Alex winning seven of the 11 ends eventually winning 21-14. The second semi-final saw Sid & Lyn Bolton get off to a flying start, taking a 17-6 lead against Steven Waters & Paul Allison. Despite a mini revival by ‘Geordie’ & ‘Nuts’ it was the South Ramsey pair who secured their place in the final.

In the final it was Quirk & Parker who had a strong start racing into a 17-7 lead. Sid & Lyn replied scoring five over the next two ends. However it was Kevin & Steve who sealed the victory by picking up single chalks in four of the following five ends to eventually win 21-13. It seemed very fitting that Kevin & Steve secured the victory, as the trophy was put up in memory of Steve’s father Ken Parker. Kenny was a member of both North & South Ramsey clubs and is fondly remembered by many.    

North Ramsey competition secretary Gary Merrill presented the prizes on behalf of Blackford Financial Services Ltd. Gary thanked everyone that had helped organise and arrange the day. Kevin thanked North Ramsey for running the competition and in particular the ladies in the Beehive who had worked tirelessly though out the day for both this event and the Rheuben Thomas Memorial Junior event held earlier in the day. Steve reiterated what Kevin had said and was moved to have secured the trophy in his father’s memory.