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.

The Rheuben Thomas Memorial Junior Trophy was played for on Saturday in very hot conditions at North Ramsey Bowling Club. This is its second year of competition and attracted 28 junior bowlers.

The competitors were divided into seniors and juniors dependent on age. The juniors were then divided into two groups, A and B, who then played a round robin format of seven ends. The winner of Group A was Bailey McMullan and the winner of Group B was Olivia Johnson. Both girls then played a seven end final which was very close with Bailey McMullan just finishing in front to claim the under 11 round robin title.

The senior group of 17 bowlers played a knockout competition of 11 ends with some excellent bowling on display for the large number of spectators to watch. The early rounds left eight bowlers in the quarter finals. Grace Gawne beat Clark Kelly 10-6, Madison McMullan beat Shannon McMullan 13-3, Ryan Hargraves beat Alex Hampson 8-6, while Aalish Moore beat Alex Colquitt 7-6.

The semi-final between Ryan and Aalish was very close with Aalish winning 9-7 but a more convincing win in the other semi between Madison and Grace 13-3 took Madison through to the final.

The final was played over 13 ends and Madison managed to maintain the quality of bowling she had shown all morning winning 17-2 however the score does not reflect how well Aalish had played all morning in tough matches to reach the final.

At the end of the competition Rheubens wife Heidi presented the prizes along with a bronze medallion for each competitor to mark the occasion. Her daughter, Milli, thanked North Ramsey Club for running the event and all the competitors for taking part.

Quality over quantity was the order of the day at Finch Hill as the Apollo Blinds sponsored mixed pairs competition was played out on a lovely warm afternoon.

At the quarter final stage there were a couple of epic battles with South Ramsey’s Elaine Moore and Alan Moore edging out Marown duo Rebecca Teare and Peter Jones. With the match tied at 20-20, a fortuitous final wood from Alan courtesy of a couple of wicks saw the jack settle nearest to their poorest bowl to claim the tie.
Marown pair Walter McCarthy and Jayne Smith got the better of Steven Waters and Fiona Kennish (both South Ramsey) in an entertaining match 21-19. In the other matches Marown’s Debbie Leece and Glenn Boland defeated Mark Kelly and Sandra May (both Onchan), while South Ramsey’s Jenny Moore and James Teare beat Philippa Taylor (Marown) and Alec Taylor (Peel).

The semi-final match between Alan & Elaine and Debbie & Glenn was nip and tuck all the way before Debbie and Glenn got over the line 21-18. The other semi-final was a comfortable win for Jenny and James over Philippa and Alec.

In the final, after a tight first six ends Debbie and Glenn powered ahead after a couple of triples and successive doubles to win 21-13.

Richard White from Apollo Blinds was on hand to present the prizes and Glenn thanked everyone involved in putting on the competition.

Sunday saw the holding of the Douglas Town Cup Ladies and Men’s Singles hosted by Douglas Bowling Club at the Villa. The Men’s event started at 10:30 in the morning, with the Ladies competition starting later in the day and at the start the Green was quite heavy after a night of heavy rain.

In the Men’s Singles at the Quarter Final stage we saw Neil Withers (Marown) beat Club mate Harry Barton 21-9 while Tom Collins (Port St Mary) lost 20-21 to Brian Kelly (Marown). We then saw Tony Hart (South Ramsey) beat Matthew Keggen (Marown) 21-15 and Peter Jones (Marown) beat Walter McCarthy (Marown) 21-13.

The semi-finals saw Neil Withers beat Brian Kelly 21-11 and Peter Jones beating Tony Hart 21-13.

This led to a great final with both players producing some excellent shots to keep the spectators who stayed on the edge of their seats but eventually it was Peter Jones who took the win 21-19.

In the Ladies Quarter Finals we saw Paula Garrett (Douglas) lose out to Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) 21-13 and Sue Gawne (Onchan) beat Rebecca Teare(Marown) 21-11. In the remaining two games Debbie Leece (Marown) beat Jane Lothian (Douglas) 21-10 and Janet Monk (Mooragh Park) took a 21-14 win against Fiona Kennish (South Ramsey).

In the Ladies semi-finals we saw some absolutely wonderful bowls with Jenny Moore beating Sue Gawne 21-15 and Janet Monk beat Debbie Leece 21-16.

Once more we saw a fantastic Final with Jenny leading well but Janet also found some great shots but in the end Jenny was just too strong on the day and she won 21-16.

There was also a prize for the Juniors going furthest in the competition and the Junior Girls was won by Katie Jacobs (Douglas) and the Junior Boys by Alex Colquitt (Marown).

At the conclusion Douglas Bowling Club Chairman Norman Kneen thanked all those who supported the event and thanked the Douglas Club Members for a great team effort in putting on the event. He then announced that at this event they had raised funds for the Manx Gateway Club and had raised monies to the total of £550. He then went on to thank Rob Matthews and his company 3R’s Ltd for sponsoring the event and handed over to Rob Matthews to present the prizes.

South Ramsey hosted the Kennish Cup Mixed Doubles on Sunday with 25 pairs taking part to play in mixed conditions throughout the day in what started in glorious sunshine, it rapidly deteriorated with heavy showers for a brief period and blustery conditions which remained for the duration of the competition.

Losing out in the quarter finals were Marown pair Jayne Smith and Walter McCarthy who lost 17-21 to South Ramsey’s Elaine Moore & Glynn Hargraves. Clare Cooper (Marown) and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) were well beaten 7-21 by Paula Firth (Onchan) and Alan Moore (South Ramsey). Another Marown and South Ramsey contest went in favour of the Crosby pair Debbie Leece and Neil Withers who edged home 21-19 against Fiona Kennish and Steven Waters, whilst an all South Ramsey clash went in favour of Jenny Moore and James Teare who beat Sue and Geoff Collier 21-4.

The semi-finals were straightforward for one pairing with Jenny and James winning 21-9 against Debbie and Neil. The other semi-final went on for a considerable amount of time, it was Paula and Alan who were always in control of the game as they led 18-12 before a bit of a fight back from Elaine and Glynn fizzled out as the latter pair lost 17-21.

The final appeared to be one way traffic early on as Jenny and James leapt into a 9-4 lead, scoring four singles and a double.

Paula and Alan fought back to win four of the next five ends with a two and a three helping boost their score as they went ahead 11-10, only to lose the next two ends as they fell behind 11-13.

The Onchan/South Ramsey pair rallied once more to win the next three ends, scoring a three on the 17th end, only to lose the next three ends but vitally kept their opponents down to singles. With the score now tied at 16-16 Paula and Alan went on another run with Paula leading well at the front all day and Alan providing the firepower at the back when they were in trouble as they scored three singles and a double to run out with a 21-16 victory to prevent Jenny and James from picking up the trophy for a third straight year.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by Fiona Kennish, who thanked the club members who had helped with the running of the competition and the Ladies for the refreshments provided. Upon accepting the trophy Paula thanked the Kennish family for their sponsorship, and her partner Alan Moore for asking her to play. This competition was the qualifier for the BCGBA Mel Evans MBE Centenary Mixed Pairs at Heaton Park BC with the number of pairs qualifying to be confirmed at a later date.