News: General

June Festival Preview

The Isle of Man June Bowls Festival gets underway next week with a host of top names from across the game hoping to be the lucky winner who gets their name on the trophy and the winners cheque for £3,000. The event is being held for the first time since June 2019, with Jack Dyson the current holder looking to defend the title.

On the first page of the draw David Poole (Pudsey) makes a long awaited return to the island, hoping to go one better than in 2000 when he lost out in the final to Andrew Spragg, while Billy Speed is one of the stand out names in the top half of the page. Another familiar name is previous winner Geoff Telford (Budenbergs), with his success in this competition arriving 25 years ago with a victory in the final over Norman Fletcher one of the legends of the game, while Merseyside man Dave McDermott (Birchleigh St Marys) will be hoping for a good week.

In the next section is a former Ballacashtal Cup winner Charlie Roberts (Dukinfield Central) who takes on North Lancs & Fylde County man Ashleigh Woof (Parkfield) in the first round. Ben Gloag (Grapes Hotel) could face two previous winners as early as the third round with Martin Gilpin (Hale) taking on Paul Bailey (Thongsbridge) in what could be the game of the first round, with some potentially explosive ties on the Thursday afternoon should the top names get through with Gareth Herbert (Woodman) also appearing on the page.

Owen Jackson (Parkfield) is another name who hasn’t been over for some time, he will be hoping to get through to the latter stages, while Marown captain Paul Dunn could play previous Festival winner John Bailey (Llanrwst) in the third round.

On page four Dan Jones (Llanrwst) could face off against Matt Kelly-Walley (Stretton Anglesey) in the second round, while current holder Jack Dyson should be able to navigate his way through his half of the page to make the Thursday afternoon session to reach the last 32.

Kez Smith (Crossgates BC) is another man to have his name etched into the history books in this competition, he will have to get past the likes of Chris Bly (Hopwood) and Conor Chamberlain (Stretton Anglesey) just to reach the latter stages of the competition.

The absence of bowls has obviously attracted a host of previous winners back to our shores, with one of the top names in the game Graeme I Wilson (AEU) making a long awaited return since his defeat to Jack Hargreaves in the final in June 2011, as Wilson looks to add to his four Festival titles. In the top half of the draw Craig Shore (Eastwood Park), James Wilcox (Crossgates BC) who picked up the title in 2017 and Stuart Mort (Parkfield) could all clash in the early rounds, while on the bottom half of the page Richie Goddard (Llanrwst) could face off with 2010 winner Wayne Ditchfield (Kirkham) in the second round at Onchan, with the latter having a tricky first round fixture against 1996 winner Carl Armitage (St Oswalds). There are a further two previous winners on the page with Ian Nicholson (Hale), Colin Kelly (Marown) in the mix. Danny Barwise (Birchleigh St Marys) has the unenviable task of taking on the Marown man in the first round.

On page seven Robby Fitzpatrick (Hoylake Central) the winner in 2012 may have to face Merseyside man Peter Jones (Wirral) with the latter having just relocated to the Island. On the bottom half of the page South Ramsey’s Jordan Cain will be hoping for a good week, while Jon Guess (Fairfield) will be in the mix.

June 2013 winner Neil Withers (Marown) could clash with another previous winner as early as the second round with David Jackson (Knutsford) potentially awaiting, while the rest of the page contains no previous winners this could be the chance for a new name to be etched on the famous trophy.

The runner up from June 1990 Colin Price (Dukinfield Central) will be looking to enjoy his week with a good run, while September 2002 winner David Bradford will be looking to juggle work commitments to be able to participate this week. Chris Kelly (Thongsbridge) will be looking to pick up his first Festival title to become yet another man from his club to have picked up the coveted title, however he will have to see off the challenge of Tommy King (Kirkham) in the first round.

On page 10 Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who won the title at the Villa in June 2000 with a 21-15 win over Kevan Shaw, could face Crossgates man Mark Hughes as early as the second round, while Lee Johnstone (St Oswalds) who is the son of one the top players in the game Tommy Johnstone, with Lee a good player in his own right he will be looking to go far, however there could be some tricky ties awaiting against some experienced bowlers just to reach the last 32 on Thursday afternoon.

Towards the bottom of the draw Andrew Spragg (Eastwood Park) winner in September 2000 and two-time runner up has to get past Joseph Cranston (Crossgates BC) to progress.

On the final page current holder of the September title Callum Wraight (Llanrwst) starts three points back on his opponents due to the handicap, with this unlikely to faze Wraight, as he looks to win back to back festivals having won his first Festival last year. Alan Gilpin (Hale) won the Festival 18 years ago, he may well clash with Nick White (Thongsbridge) in the second round, whilst Gareth Lally (Crossgates BC) will be looking to repeat his June 2015 success.

With a bumper entry of 374 in the Men’s event – the highest we have seen for a number of years along with a host of top names returning for the first time in a long time, it promises to be one of the best festivals for a long time.

With six greens in use and several different competitions throughout the week, there is plenty of bowls for everyone it will undoubtedly make for a great week of bowls. Have a great week!

Canada Life International Players of the Month – May 2022

The IOMCCGBA in partnership with Canada Life International are looking to recognise high performance across the sport each month.

Congratulations to May Award winners: –

Under 21’s Player of the Month: Shannon McMullan – Mooragh Park

Men’s Player of the Month: Matthew Quirk – Onchan

Ladies Player of the Month: Sue Gawne – Onchan

Shannon had a superb month winning three out of four games in the league for her night league team, starting the month in good form whilst representing the Isle of Man Junior Team in St Helen’s, again winning three games out of four scoring 54 points out of a possible 60 to help the team finish runners up in the group on what was a successful day. To top the month off Shannon came through a field of 29 players to win the Junior Manx Championship for the second time, following her previous success in 2019, after looking down and out in the final Shannon dug deep to recover from an 8-16 deficit to finish in style with a deserved 21-18 win on what her last opportunity to compete for the title. Shannon now goes on to represent the IOM in the BCGBA Junior Individual Merit at Royton Cricket, Bowling & Tennis Club in Oldham on Saturday 20th August.

Matthew received the award from the Men’s section for his performances in May, as he won eight games from eight played, with six league wins and two Rayner Shield victories. To evidence what good form he was in, Matthew comfortably defeated the previously undefeated Dido Kelly 21-10, with the latter having won the award the previous month.

Sue picked up the award as decided by the Ladies section having won eight games out of eight, having previously qualified for the British Senior Merit Finals to be played at Brighouse Sports Club in July. Sue also picked up a win in the Onchan Commissioners Cup picking up the title with Lynda Cadamy, whilst further success in the doubles arrived more recently winning the Port St Mary Cup with Andy Kennish.

Gawne & Kennish Win Port St Mary Cup Mixed Doubles

20 pairs took part in this year’s Port St Mary mixed doubles open competition held at Breagle Glen on Thursday afternoon, with the competition having a new sponsor this year with Cooil’s Dairy sponsoring the competition.

There were some good close matches in the early rounds with an all Port Erin contest of Philomena Dobson & Nigel Haymes who took on Pauline Worrall & Alan Crebbin, with this game taking over one and a half hours to complete, this was eventually won by Pauline & Alan.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Margaret Tasker (Port St Mary) and Derek Allen (Onchan) 17-21 to South Ramsey’s Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves. Castletown pair Tracy Moore and Ross Moore succumbed to Onchan’s Sue Gawne and Andy Kennish 12-21. Home greener Caroline Whitehead and Mark Kelly (Onchan) lost out to Philippa Taylor (Marown) and Alec Taylor (Peel) 15-21, while Clare Cooper (Marown) and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) were well beaten 12-21 by Lyn Bolton (South Ramsey) and Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary).

The first semi-final between Moore/Hargraves and Gawne/Kennish was quite even early on with the score 13-11 after nine ends to Gawne/Kennish, with a four on end 10 putting the latter in control of the match as they went on to win 21-15. The second semi-final between the Taylor’s and Bolton/Quayle was a bit more one sided, with the latter always in control and scoring a four on the final end to win 21-10.

The final was expected to be a tight match with two strong pairs that have won several competitions between them. After 10 ends the score was 11-11, Gawne/Kennish then had a good run over four ends scoring two doubles, a single and a three to lead 19-11, Bolton/Quayle fought back well getting back to 20-17 before Gawne/Kennish got the single point they needed to secure the win.

The presentation was made by Club President Margaret Tasker who thanked the sponsors Juan and Kirstie Hargraves at Cooil’s Dairy, everyone at the club that helped on the day, Ed Benson for preparing the green and all the players that took part.

Canada Life International – Players of the Month

IOMCCGBA: Canada Life International Players of the Month – April

The IOMCCGBA In partnership with Canada Life International are looking to recognise high performance across the sport each month.

With that in mind we are introducing the Player of the Month award for Ladies, Men and Under 21 player. League results as well as competition success will be considered.

We hope that this new initiative will help promote our sport and reward individuals who have had a great month on the green.

Congratulations to April Award winners:-

Ladies Player of the Month: Mary Moffatt – Peel Sunset

Men’s Player of the Month: Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly – South Ramsey

Under 21’s Player of the Month: Glenn Boland – Marown

Mary has had a fabulous start to the season with 4 wins from 4 games in the night league which left her top of the Individual Merit in April. In addition to this Mary dropped just one chalk in six games in the Over 60’s League.

Dido also maintained a 100% record in the men’s night league as he conceded just 26 chalks in his four matches and sits top of the Division One individual merit, whilst also recording a great win in the first round of the Rayner Shield.

Glenn has started off the season strongly with 3 wins out of 4, dropping just four chalks in his only loss with a superb win in the Rayner Shield match to top off a great month. Whilst not in April but worth a mention on 1st May Glenn won the inaugural IOMCCGBA Non-Winners Trophy at Nobles to pick up his first men’s singles open title.

Dunn and Withers Win Lilian Slinger Pairs

In glorious sunshine and on a much-improved green 31 any combination doubles bowlers played in the Lilian Slinger competition at Mooragh Park. It was lovely to see so many coming from so many clubs and getting to the green before the roads closed for a 12noon start. The competition was watched by members of Lillian’s family for most of the afternoon and they were able to witness some great games taking place.

The opening rounds saw some close games. Lilian’s daughter Janet Monk and Shannon McMullan (Mooragh Park) very nearly knocked out Marown Pair Neil Withers and Paul Dunn being 18-11 up at one point but just losing out 20-21. Last year’s winners Trevor Quayle and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) were seen off by Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly (Marown) 15-21. 

In the quarter finals a South Ramsey squad of Billy Blair and Bryan Corner played Sue Collier and Judy Kelly winning 21-15. Home greeners Brian Colquitt and Ray Skelly were seen off by Eddie Carlyle and James Teare (South Ramsey) 6-21. Home team Gary Merrill and Allan Callow ended Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly’s run 21-14 and Dunn and Withers won convincingly against Steve Waters (South Ramsey) and Steve Walmsley (North Ramsey) 21-7.

In the first semi-final we saw a very close game between the Corner and Blair pair who were pipped at the post by Carlyle and Teare 19-21, but the second semi-final was not so close with Merrill and Callow being seen off by Dunn and Withers 10-21.

With the sun still shining and a good crowd remaining the final was played. Dunn and Withers continued with their good form taking an early lead ahead of Carlyle and Teare who played very well but just could not retain the jack and lost 21-13.

The prizes were presented by Lilian’s daughter Janet who was thanked by one of the competition organisers, Mike Skelly, for sponsoring the event and providing the winners and runner ups with individual trophies to keep. Neil thanked the club for organising the event and his partner for a great competition and congratulated North Ramsey for the improvement of the green and everyone who had taken part in the competition.

Haldane Fisher Pairs win for Jenny and James

On Saturday the Haldane Fisher Mixed Pairs Competition was run by Douglas Bowling Club on a lovely day at the Villa Marina. There was a good turnout of bowlers on a green that was running well.

At the quarter final stage we saw South Ramsey pair Jenny Moore and James Teare beat Margaret Tasker (Port St Mary) and Derek Allen (Port Erin) 21-16, while a superb performance from Louise and Nigel Tebay (Ballaugh) saw them beat Onchan pair Sue Gawne and Andy Kennish also 21-16. Home greeners Paula and Stuart Garrett beat Ballaugh’s Michelle and Paul Cubbon 21-12 and Kim and Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) beat Marown duo Rebecca Teare and Paul Dunn 21-18.

The semi-finals saw two great games with Jenny and James beating Louise and Nigel 21-15 and Paula and Stuart beating Kim and Glynn 21-17.

In the Final Paula and Stuart started well to take a 10-8 lead and then Jenny and James levelled the score to 10-10. Paula and Stuart then went into an 11-10 lead but from this point on Jenny and James piled on the pressure to win 21-11.

The trophies were presented by Douglas Bowling Club Competition Secretary Andy Cannell and on receiving the trophy James thanked the sponsors Haldane Fisher and Douglas Bowling Club for putting on the event. He also thanked the Greenkeeper for a superb playing surface and those who ran the competition throughout the day.

Shannon Wins Second Junior Manx Championship Title

A fantastic entry of 29 junior bowlers from all over the island entered the Junior Manx Championship at Onchan Bowling Club on Sunday. There was a good crowd in attendance with numbers approaching 100 at one stage. Once again there were more girls than boys through to the latter stages, which was fantastic to see, with some great bowls played by all the juniors.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Graiagh Smith (Douglas), who lost 8-21 to Madison McMullan (Mooragh Park), whilst home greener Grace Gawne ended the hopes of Toby Hart (South Ramsey) who was defending the title he won last year with a 21-17 win. In the other half of the draw Shannon McMullan (Mooragh Park) seen off club mate Grayse Blencoe with a 21-5 victory, while another Mooragh Park player Victoria Johnson got a bye due to her opponent feeling unwell.

In the semi-finals Grace was up against Madison, with the score 7-5 to Grace after the first 12 ends with both players managing to keep their opponent to singles. From there both players picked up two’s, however it was Grace who prevailed with a 21-15 win over Madison, scoring five doubles to take her spot in the final. In the other semi-final Shannon made light work of her team mate Victoria with a 21-9 win.

In the final Grace with home advantage made the better start over Shannon, with the latter having won the title in 2019, Grace took a 6-2 lead after five ends. After 17 ends Grace who was playing extremely well, had built up a big lead at 16-8 to go strong favourite for the title, however Shannon with a bit more experience dug deep to work her way back into the game to win six consecutive ends on a longer length to reduce to the deficit to just one chalk at 15-16. Grace responded just in time, scoring a good two to lead 18-15. Shannon responded immediately to score three consecutive two’s over the middle of the green to see the game out and be crowned Junior Manx Champion for the second time with a 21-18 win. Credit must also go to Grace for her part in a good final. Grace will get another couple of chances to win the title, with this the last time that Shannon is eligible to play.

The presentation was made by Association Competition Committee Officer Steve Moore, who thanked all the juniors for taking part, Onchan Bowling Club for providing the refreshments and measurers. Association President Philip Kelly then presented the prizes, congratulated the juniors on the standard of bowls throughout the day.

Marown A Bounce Back – Mixed League Continues

In Canada Life International Division One this week Marown A bounced back from defeat in their previous outing with a 10-0 win (168-69) over Peel B. Just two of the visiting players made it into double figures, with Paul Quirk losing out 13-21 to Neil Withers and David Proctor was the highest scorer as he scored 16 against Paul Kelly. Phil Kelly was the best winner for the home team as he bounced back from his heavy defeat the previous week to beat Philip Pemberton 21-5.

League leaders South Ramsey A had a good 2-8 away win as they took on Peel A in the Sunset city. Winning for the home team were Dean Kinley with a 21-19 win over Jordan Cain, while George Gadsby was pushed all the way and got over the line with a 21-20 win against Bob Clark. Dido Kelly kept up his unbeaten start to the season with a 21-18 win over Peter Greenlees.

Marown B remain in third place, they came away from the Villa with a 3-7 win over Douglas A. Kevin Kelly stepped into the B Team and did not look out of place in any way as he won 21-6 against Shaun Seal. For the home team Andy Cannell was the best winner with a 21-8 victory over Jamie Joughin.

Onchan A sit in joint third place with Marown B, as they took on Onchan B, following their 8-2 victory with three single figure wins, while the two winners for the B were Bernie McPhee who beat Neil Dunwell 21-13, and Mike Alexander who beat Mike Thomas 21-19.

Port Erin A had their spirits lifted as they claimed their first league win of the season as they beat North Ramsey A 7-3 at Breagle Glen. Allan Callow was the best winner on the night as he beat Steve Durcan 21-8, Adrian Skinner won 21-12 against Peter Hulley and Paul Allison made it four wins from four games played as he continues his comeback having not played league bowls for five years.

Castletown A hosted Port St Mary A at the Crofts, as they managed to scrape a 7-3 home win taking the aggregate by a solitary chalk (144-143). For Town Mark Moorley beat Trevor Quayle in a good quality game. For the visitors Paul Skelly picked up only his second league win of the season, as did Jordan Drewett who returned to his former stomping ground as he scrambled home with a 21-20 win over Ron Williams, while it wasn’t such a happy return for Nathan Hamilton who lost out 18-21 to George Foy.

In Division Two South Ramsey B kept the foot on the throttle with a 9-1 win over third placed Ballaugh A as they used home advantage to good effect despite the heavy rain overnight and the showers throughout. Austin Hart returned to the team with a 21-7 win over Gordie Moore, captain Ben Dugdale beat Richard Hainge 21-18, while Alan Moore was staring down the barrel at a 0-9 deficit against Patrick Grant, before recovering only to be lying two down at 20-20 and bowled in to win the game 21-20. Preventing the whitewash was Barry McDonald who beat Eddie Carlyle 21-13.

Marown C remain in second spot thanks to another 7-3 home win over Douglas B on Tuesday, with Walter McCarthy winning 21-7 against Stuart Garrett, while Dan Smith had it all to do as he beat Mark Kneen 21-20. For the Villa men it was good to see the return of Gary Conwell, who made it two wins from two played as he beat Peter Kelly 21-14.

Noble’s A had a tough time on Monday evening as they hosted South Ramsey C, with the visitors coming away with a 2-8 win. For the visitors’ captain Tony Hart led the way with a 21-5 win over Martyn Hobson, while Jim Collister was the best winner for the home team as he beat Anthony Kelly 21-15, with Alex Yates not far behind as he won 21-16 against James Evans.

Onchan C came away from taking on Ballaugh B with a vital 2-8 win to go level on points with their opponent on the night. Their cause was helped by Brian Aspden’s 21-7 win over Mike Buckeridge, while Sid McKnight won 21-20 against Ray Parry.

Finch Hill A stayed in the hunt as they are in fourth place following a good 1-9 away win over Port St Mary B. Individual merit leader Paul Dougherty just about held on to his unbeaten record as he beat Peter Collins 21-20. The Finch men just missed out on a 10-0 win by four chalks as Nicholas Peterson managed to see off Tony Epifani 21-17.

In Division Three North Ramsey B kept a firm grip on top spot as they beat Port Erin B 9-1 at Mooragh Park. The visitors cause not helped by being two men short as they failed to score 100 chalks (164-78) with Ed Benson the only winner for the visitors as he beat John Piekalns 21-17.

Marown D are well placed in second spot, just eight points behind the league leaders with 47 points and a game in hand as they won 2-8 away to Douglas D. Jay Waters continues to lead the individual merit following his 21-7 win over Mark Clarke, while Charlie Bell who is relatively new to the game beat William Cowley 21-6.

South Ramsey D weren’t able to make home advantage count against Noble’s B, with some doubt as to whether the match would go ahead due to the heavy rain. For South Matthew Corkill continues his fine start to the season as he made it six wins from seven games as he beat Michael Johnson 21-10. Richie Davies won 21-16 against Noel Ash, while Ryan Hargraves edged the battle of the Juniors as he won 21-20 against Alex Hampson. For the visitors Ciaran Broad having just taken up bowls this season also made it six wins from seven, as he beat Billy Blair 21-11 to claim the best win for his team.

Castletown C had a tough night at home to Peel D as they lost 3-7. Colin Moore was the best winner for the visitors with a 21-4 win over Dylan Marsh. For Town Paul Cromwell was their best winner as he beat Charlie McMeiken 21-7.

There were two matches called off last week due to the weather – In Division Two Peel C were due to host Castletown B, while in Division Three Finch Hill B were due to play Douglas C.

The second round of fixtures in the Mixed League group stages were played on Wednesday evening with both matches in Group A being won 6-3 by the home teams. North Ramsey A beat Onchan A at Mooragh Park by 46 chalks (159-113), while on the other side of Ramsey South A beat Castletown A by 27 chalks (164-137).

In Group B Marown A came away from another visit to Breagle Glen with a 3-6 win over Port St Mary as they won by 29 chalks (136-165). Douglas A also won 6-3 at home to Port Erin with the home team winning by 40 chalks (172-132).

In the Plate Competition in Group A, Noble’s appear to be shaping up as favourites in their group as they beat North Ramsey B 7-2 at home, winning by a margin of 59 chalks (171-112). Peel recorded a solid 2-7 away win over Castletown B winning comfortably on chalks (125-165).

In Group B Marown B hosted South Ramsey B at Crosby with the young home team just falling short by six chalks (154-160), with some good individual performances from the juniors and new bowlers on both teams, with the visitors winning 3-6. Ballaugh recorded the biggest win of the night as they won 7-2 at home to Douglas B, as they won by 62 chalks (176-114).

Manx Juniors Proudly Fly The Flag

An Isle of Man Junior Team took part in the British Crown Green Bowling Association six-a-side Championship at Windle Bowling Club in St Helens on Sunday, on what turned out to be a fantastic day.

Every single one of them did themselves and the Island proud in the way that they performed and more importantly the way they behaved on and off the green, not to mention how well turned out they all were.

They won the first game 5-1 on games against North Lancs & Fylde by a landslide 51 chalks 88-37, the second game was also won 5-1 against Cheshire by 12 chalks (77-65), and the third game won 4-2 against Greater Manchester B to win by 40 chalks (77-37).

In the final round Cumbria won on games 4-2, cruelly edged the game by a single chalk (73-72) as they topped the group with 8 points.

With 2 points for each win the team finished on 6 points to finish in second place overall in the group and now qualify to play at Heaton Park in Manchester on Sunday 10th July.

Thank you to everyone who came to support, it was great to have more supporters than players there to help cheer the Juniors on.

Leagues Take Shape – Mixed Underway

League action returned this week in Canada Life International Division One with game five of the season with the league table starting to take shape.

Marown A retained top spot thanks to a solid 2-8 away win at Mooragh Park following their second visit in the space of a week with Dean Kipling recording the best win on the night with a 21-9 win over Gary Merrill. For the home team Allan Callow continued his fine start to the season with a 21-12 win over Neil Withers, who suffered a rare defeat, while Paul Allison beat Harry Barton 21-13. The next closest to picking up another point for the home team was Adrian Skinner who lost out 18-21 to Marown captain Paul Dunn.

Marown B defeated Port Erin A 9-1 at Crosby, with Bernie Durcan the lone winner for the visitors with a 21-20 win over John Gelling, with son Steve Durcan next highest as he lost out 18-21 to Jerome Surridge. For the home team Glenn Boland beat Derek Cadamy 21-5, with Karl Parker their second single figure winner as he beat Alan Crebbin 21-9.

Peel A came away from Breagle Glen with a 2-8 win over Port St Mary A. Winners for the home team were Trevor Quayle who had a comfortable 21-13 victory over Robert Middleton, while Robbie Cooil seen off Peter Greenlees with a 21-17 win. For the Peel men Tom Kelly performed well to beat Wayne Roberts 21-16, a result matched by Stevie Kelly who beat Paul Skelly. Dean Kinley beat Nathan Hamilton 21-17, while the best winner on the night was Tommy McMeiken who trounced Jordan Drewett 21-3.

South Ramsey A managed to stay in touch with the league leaders Marown A, coming away from the Park with a 1-9 win over Onchan B to sit just a point behind the league leaders. Chas Grills returned to the A Team, recovering from a slow start to win 21-16 against Colin Brown, was backed up by four single figures winners from David Bradford, Dido Kelly, Jordan Cain and Glynn Hargraves. Mike Alexander prevented the whitewash with his 21-17 win over James Teare.

Douglas A continued their rise up the table after a difficult start to the season with a 9-1 home win over Castletown A with some hard fought wins from Andy Cannell 21-18 over George Foy, Willie Cowley and Merv Sayle won 21-19 against Juan Kermode and Mark Moorley respectively, while Ian Moore won 21-17 against Town captain Ian Watson. Jimmy Sansom and Shaun Seal had more straightforward victories over Derek Lewney and Peter Oates as they won to single figures. For the visitors Nathan Cooil had a fairly comfortable 21-14 win over Keith Rise.

The closest match of the night was out West as Peel B hosted Onchan A with the visitors snatching a 4-6 win as they won the aggregate two points by 14 chalks (135-149) with the wins fairly comfortable with Phil Kerruish the best winner as he beat Andy Mackie 21-8. Two of the home team wins were close with Paul ‘Pooky’ Quirk beating Neil Dunwell 21-18, Brian Lindsay won 21-19 against Will Penhallurick, while the most notable win was from Philip ‘Pip’ Pemberton who beat Reg Temporaza 21-16.

In Division Two league leaders South Ramsey B dropped three points at home to Port St Mary B, with Tony Dugdale and Bryan Corner leading the race for the individual merit as they maintained their unbeaten start to the season, while Christian Caley was the best winner on the night with his 21-6 win over Bernard Thackrah. The three winners for the visitors were Steve Franks with a 21-10 win over Austin Hart, Derek Cain beat Ben Dugdale 21-16, while Ray Maddrell won 21-18 against Sid Bolton.   

Castletown B remain in second place and closed the gap on the leaders to four points as they beat Ballaugh B 9-1 at the Crofts, with four single figure wins from George Peach, Willie Corkill, Alan Phair and Collin Holland. For Ballaugh Dicky Watson was the only winner with a 21-17 win over John Matheson, while John Looney battled hard before losing out 18-21 to Billy Jones.

Peel C made the short trip along the coast as they took on Ballaugh A. The home team recorded a 7-3 win, Steve Grant just edging home against Philip Clarke, while John ‘Shirt’ Keenan won 21-8 against Eddie Convery. For the visitors Tony Carroon was in good form as he beat Peter Graham 21-3, while Harry Kelly and Alan Cromwell both won 21-17 in their wins against Richard Hainge and Nigel Tebay respectively. Just 11 chalks separated teams as the Ballaugh men took the aggregate (142-131).

Finch Hill A lost out 4-6 at home to Marown C with the visitors taking a deserved win, helped by Kevin Kelly won beat Mark Taylor 21-5. The visitors closest win was from Peter Kelly, who beat Paddy Murphy 21-19, while three of their defeats could have gone the other way as John Kelly lost 19-21 to Paul Dougherty who remains unbeaten, Conor Keenan missed out 18-21 to Les Brookes, while Stewart Clague fell short 17-21. Captain Stephen Rundle returned to the fold following his recent holiday as he helped his team with a 21-14 win over Dave Jones.

South Ramsey C managed to snatch a 6-4 home victory over Douglas B by just three chalks (142-139) with Lee Dawson their best winner as he beat Keith Fearnley 21-10. For the visitors Andy Foster won to single figures as he beat Andy Morgan 21-8, Steve Cook seen off Toby Hart 21-19, while Dave Pease just got over the line 21-20 against Tony Hart.

Onchan B made home advantage count as they beat Nobles A 6-4 with two single figures wins from Ken Clarke and Kelvin McNicholl making the difference on the aggregate as the home team won by 19 chalks (144-125). For the visitors Martyn Hobson beat Denis Maxwell 21-10, Jim Collister beat Paul Callister 21-14, Jay Elliott won 21-16 against Sid McKnight, while Alex Yates dug deep to win 21-20 against Roger Payne.

In Division Three North Ramsey B went top as they took advantage of Noble’s B taking their turn to sit out with the second true draw of the season following their 5-5 draw away to Douglas C, who themselves sit in second place, with the Villa men able to call on Tommy Collister and Kevin Firth, who both won their games, while Nick Firth picked up a fine 21-15 over Brian Colquitt while Ashley Halsall picked up their fourth win of the night. Winning for the visitors were Ray Skelly, Tony Smart, Lee Christian and Mike Skelly.

Marown D recorded a 7-3 win over South Ramsey D on Tuesday, helped by two big wins from Steve Rough, who beat Chris Brown 21-3, while Alan Gault won 21-9 against Steve Kelly. Best winner for the visitors was Matthew Corkill as he beat Keith Watterson 21-4.

Finch Hill B kept the visitors Castletown C to under 100 chalks with their 7-3 win. Five single figure victories helped their cause with Frank Christian, Stephen Oates, Kevin Stannard, John Smith and Sam Stannard-Duke all winning comfortably.

Elsewhere Peel D lost out 4-6 at home to Ballaugh C as they lost the aggregate by a solitary chalk (134-135), while Port Erin B took a comfortable 8-2 win at home to Douglas D.

The Mixed League group stages got underway on Thursday evening with the match of the night in the Championship Group A going right to the wire with North Ramsey A winning 5-4 on games, however the visitors got the two points available on the night as they edged the chalks (151-152). The other match in the group was also close with Onchan A beating Castletown A by 13 chalks (160-153).

In Group B Marown A came away from Breagle Glen with a 1-8 win over Port Erin as they dropped just 10 chalks winning by a 50-point margin (129-179). Douglas A Hosted Port St Mary A with the visitors winning by 28 chalks (130-158)

In the Plate Competition in Group A Peel seen off visitors North Ramsey B by 22 chalks (180-158), while it was great to see Nobles field a mixed team as they won comfortably by 59 chalks (108-167) against a Castletown B side fielded to give Juniors an opportunity to gain experience.

In Group B Marown B also fielded a team packed with Juniors and new Bowlers as they performed admirably winning four games on the night only to lose out by 24 chalks (132-156) to Douglas B at Crosby, while Ballaugh top the group thanks to a 32 chalk away win (133-165) over South Ramsey B.

North Ramsey A Mixed Team prior to their match against South Ramsey A on Thursday night
Photo: Phil Cain