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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

Marown Bowling Club were the host club on Saturday as they held the Marown Magic Carpets Mixed Singles for the second time attracting an entry of 56. The competition was played in a big smash style format, which has proved popular in the U.K. and is played over 15 ends with ends 5, 10 and 15 played as ‘power’ ends with the points scored counting double. Players were given a handicap ranging from 0 to 3. If scores were tied after 15 ends a one bowl shootout would take place to decide the winner of the game.

Losing quarter finalists were Bernie Durcan (Port Erin) who lost 7-15 to home greener Matthew Keggen, Frank Watson (Onchan) had his run ended by Marown captain Paul Dunn 10-17, Jordan Cain stormed into a huge unassailable lead to beat South Ramsey team mate David Bradford 17-7, while Rob Middleton did enough to ensure he progressed to the next round with a victory over Stefan Kelly with the latter falling too far behind to play the last end with the score at 12-7 to Middleton.

In the semi-finals club mates Keggen and Dunn clashed, with Dunn doing enough to reach the final courtesy of a 14-10 win, while Middleton just edged home 15-14 against Cain in a nervy finish.

The final started with Dunn conceding the first end with a single and starting three behind on the handicap, he ensured he did not under-estimate his opponent who had taken some good scalps throughout the day. Dunn then clicked into gear to take the next eight ends to lead 14-4 after nine ends. Middleton scored a single on the power end to count for two on end 10 to go eight chalks behind at 14-6. Dunn made sure of the victory over the next few ends with a single and a double to ensure he retained the title he won last season with a well-deserved 17-8 victory.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by club members Brian Kelly and Clare Cooper, who thanked Magic Carpets for their continued sponsorship, the Ladies for the refreshments, the players for entering, and all who came to support. In his speech Dunn reiterated his thanks to the sponsors.

South Ramsey Bowling Club were the hosts for the Jim Senior Any Combination Triples with the format change appearing to prove popular amongst the Islands bowlers as 26 teams – 78 bowlers taking part on a superb playing surface. The competition has a change of sponsor this year with Quay Fitness Gym Ramsey supporting the competition.

Navigating their way through the early rounds to reach the semi-finals were the Marown Trio of Clare Cooper, Debbie Leece and Rebecca Teare, who kept their opponents down to scoring on four ends throughout the game as they secured a comfortable 21-13 win over Wayne Roberts, Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) and Marown’s Glenn Boland.

In the other semi-final it was looking like it could go to the wire between two South Ramsey teams with James Teare, Alan Moore and Jenny Moore up against Glynn Hargraves, Stefan Kelly and Dido Kelly with the score tied at 12-12 after nine ends, however a run of four scoring ends for James, Alan and Jenny with two singles, a three and a four was enough to secure their spot in the final with a 21-12 win.

In the final the Marown Ladies won the first three ends to lead 9-5, with the home greeners bouncing back to take the next five ends to lead 11-9, only for another run of three scoring ends from the Marown trio including picking up a three seen them go ahead 14-11. The South Ramsey trio fought back again scoring a three themselves followed by a single to edge ahead with the score at 15-14. The Marown Team dug deep scoring with a double, a three and another double in between conceding two singles to see the game out and take a deserved 21-17 victory to secure the trophy and the £240 first prize.

At the presentation, South Ramsey Bowling Club Chairman Steve Moore thanked the sponsors and everybody at the club that helped make the competition a success. Sian was then introduced from the Sponsors Quay Fitness to present the prizes with £600 paid out in prize money, with prizes being paid out down to the quarter finalists.

Saturday saw the first ever running of the KNR Construction Mixed Pairs, which was hosted by Douglas Bowling Club at their Villa Marina Green. On a bright but chilly day with the Green running well those watching were treated to some good bowls.

At the quarter final stage Tina Hampson (Onchan) and Dave Naughton (Noble’s) lost 8-21 to the Mother and Son pairing of Paula (Onchan) and Nick Firth (Douglas) and a great battle between Clare Cooper (Marown) and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) and home greeners Jan West and Andy Cannell saw the latter pairing use their home green knowledge to take the win 21-18. Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) and Mark Kelly (Onchan) showed good form to beat South Ramsey pair Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves 21-15, whilst another South Ramsey pairing Jenny Moore and James Teare took a 21-19 win against Sue Gawne (Onchan) and Andy Kennish (Peel).

In the semi-finals Jan West and Andy Cannell were forced to fight hard to eventually overcome Paula and Nick Firth, while Jenny Moore and James Teare put on a great show of bowling to beat Caroline Whitehead and Mark Kelly 21-7.

In the final Jenny and James started well to soon build up a lead with Jan and Andy then putting up a comeback but eventually found their opponents too strong and it was James and Jenny that took the win 21-13.

Gordon Wynne-Smythe of Douglas Bowling Club introduced Neil Clarke of KNR Construction to present the prizes and in his speech James Teare thanked the Sponsors, Douglas Bowling Club and the Greenkeeper and everyone who helped to run the event.

Douglas Bowling Club would also like to thank the Sponsors and everyone who helped on the day.

Marown held the opening tournament of the season following a gap of two years due to COVID, with the newly named Ian Kissack floodlight competition sponsored by Ardern & Druggan Limited attracting a healthy entry of 71. The competition was played over four days, handicaps ranging from two to eight with two qualifiers from the four qualifying sessions.

The competition commenced on Sunday afternoon with home greener Colin Kelly doing enough to qualify for the finals night ending the challenge of visitor Peter Jones, whilst club mate Debbie Leece performed well to book her spot in the quarter finals.

Sunday evening continued the run of home green players qualifying with Neil Withers seeing off his team mate and captain Paul Dunn on his way to book his spot in finals night, while Rebecca Teare ensured she progressed with a close fought game against Marown A player Phil Kelly.

Monday evening’s action started to see the away greeners progress with South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves navigating his way through his three qualifying games, with Hargraves being pushed hard by Will Penhallurick (Onchan) who lost out 19-21. In the other half of the session Peel D player Andy Mackie who only took the game up part way through last season, was playing off a handicap of seven, however Mackie was not to be underestimated as he recovered from a 11-14 deficit in his last game of the night to take 10 consecutive chalks to win 21-14 against the highly rated Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary).

The last qualifying session took place on Tuesday evening with new South Ramsey signing Bob Clark squeezing through his last game of the night 21-17 against Peel’s David Proctor, whilst team mate David Bradford who had only had one run out this season following a recent bout of COVID made no mistake in taking his spot in finals night as he beat Marown player Paul Kelly 21-15 on the way to qualifying.

Finals night was highly anticipated with two strong players from the Ladies game, five top Men’s players split between Marown and South Ramsey, with Peel D man Andy Mackie the surprise package.

The competition was redrawn at the quarter final stage with Rebecca Teare leading 18-14 against Clark, only for the latter to fight back and run out with a 21-18 victory. Debbie Leece led 13-10 after nine ends against Andy Mackie only for Mackie to stamp his authority on the game taking a 21-16 win to book his spot in the next round.

In the other half of the draw Glynn Hargraves built up a 17-8 lead only for Withers to fight back to 19-20, with Hargraves securing the single he needed to win 21-19. David Bradford also had a good lead on Manx Champion Colin Kelly, only for Kelly to get back into the game at 17-18. Bradford took the next two ends with a double and a single to win 21-17.

Continuing the trend both semi-finals were well contested with Mackie having a good lead on Clark, with Clark fighting back to lie game counting two at 19-20, however a slice of good fortune with an ‘in-off’ his own bowl secured the single needed by Mackie to book his place in the final. In the other semi-final the South Ramsey team mates had a good battle with Bradford edging it 21-17 against Hargraves.

The final was eagerly anticipated with Bradford starting on a handicap of three and Mackie starting on seven. Bradford pulled the handicap back early, with Mackie picking up the odd point to stay in contention. Mackie fought back with two quick doubles to threaten a huge upset as he took a 15-12 lead, however Bradford’s experience came through as he scored nine chalks over the next six ends to win 21-15 to pick up his second title in this competition after his 2018 success. Huge credit must go to Mackie who has not yet played a full season of bowls and having only played a couple of open competitions.

The presentation was made by Marown President Peter Kelly, with Kevin Druggan introduced from the sponsor Ardern & Druggan, whilst Ian Kissack’s sister Gill presented the shield to the winner. Thanks were given to the Marown ladies for the excellent refreshments provided. In his speech Bradford spoke of the huge loss to Marown over the past couple of months with the passing of Pat Withers and Ian Kissack.