A good entry of 23 junior bowlers from all over the island entered the Junior Manx Championship on Saturday, it was 16 year old Toby Hart of South Ramsey who came through the field to win. This was a fantastic entry, which could have been higher had some of the younger bowlers who attend the club sessions entered.

Once again there were more girls entered to play than boys, which was fantastic to see, with some great bowls played by all the juniors. What impressed me the most was how well the Juniors conducted themselves on and off the green all afternoon. The experience gained from playing in these competitions will help the younger bowlers, however it was the older Juniors who progressed to the latter stages.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Sam Colquitt (Marown), who lost 6-21 to Toby Hart, Grace Gawne (Onchan) who was defeated 9-21 by Madison McMullan (Mooragh Park), whilst Aalish Howarth agonisingly lost out 20-21 to Mooragh Park teammate Victoria Johnson, whilst Shannon McMullan (Mooragh Park) had to sit out the quarter final as her opponent went home due to feeling unwell

In the semi-finals Toby Hart was up against Madision McMullan, with Toby playing well to take an assured 21-10 win and in doing so reversing the result against the same opponent as last year at the same stage of the competition. In the other semi-final the sit out from the previous round for Shannon McMullan did not have a detrimental effect, with Shannon taking a 21-15 victory over teammate Victoria Johnson.

In the final on the balance of play over the day Hart started as favourite against McMullan, with the latter having the experience of winning the title in 2019. Hart started off well to take a 4-2 lead, McMullan played brilliantly to build up a 13-6 advantage with some great lead bowls to put Hart under pressure. Hart kept his composure really well digging in to go on to take eight of the following nine ends to jump into a 17-14 only for McMullan to hit back with two great bowls to trail by one chalk at 16-17. The match looked finely poised, with the potential of going to the wire, however Hart finished strongly scoring two doubles to win 21-16 and claiming his first Junior Manx Championship win.

The presentation was made by Association Press Officer Glynn Hargraves, who thanked all the juniors for taking part, Steve Moore for running the competition, Douglas Bowling Club for providing the refreshments and measurers and the team who had prepared the green.

The 2021 Haldane Fisher Mixed Pairs Competition was blessed with a good entry, good weather and a Green that was in good condition and running well. It was hosted by Douglas Bowling Club on their Green at the Villa Marina and those who were lucky enough to be there were treated to a great days bowling.

At the Quarter Final Stage we saw Jenny Moore and James Teare (South Ramsey) beat Chris Price and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) 21-14 while the on form pairing of Rebecca Teare (Marown) and Bob Clark (Castletown) beat Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) also 21-14. The two remaining Quarter Finals were epic battles with Paula Garrett and Jimmy Sansom (Douglas) having to ‘dig deep’ to beat Debbie Leece and Neil Withers (Marown) 21-19 and in the remaining game we had the same score with Alison Kearsley and Nathan Cooil (Castletown) getting the better of Shannon McMullan (Mooragh Park) and Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary).

In the Semi Finals Jenny Moore and James Teare give it their best shot but found Rebecca Teare and Bob Clark just too good on the day and the latter pair ran out 21-12 winners. In the second Semi Final it was the ‘home green’ pairing of Paula Garrett and Jimmy Sansom who used their knowledge of the green to beat the tough opposition of Alison Kearsley and Nathan Cooil 21-16.

The Final started as a close encounter up to the halfway stage and then Rebecca and Bob built up  a 20-13 lead and looked unbeatable but Paula and Jimmy refused to give up and brought the score back to 21-16. The next end saw Paula and Jimmy lying two up but then Bob with his last bowl played an amazing shot to take the much needed final point to win the competition.

This meant that the winners of the 2021 Haldane Fisher Mixed Pairs was Rebecca Teare and Bob Clark and at the presentation Douglas Bowling Club Chairman Norman Kneen thanked Sponsors Haldane Fisher, Ian Moore and Jimmy Sansom for a superbly prepared green and everyone else who had helped to make the event a great success. He then congratulated the winners and Club Vice President Kay McKiernan presented the trophy to the winners.

Marown Bowling Club celebrate their 50^th anniversary this year, on Saturday they held the Marown Magic Carpets Bowl attracting 68 players. 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 Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) who lost 10-14 to last years Rayner Shield hero Peter Greenlees (Peel) who continues to impress, home greener Jamie Joughin who was defeated 7-15 by Bob Clark (Castletown) after a good run, Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) had his challenge ended by Andy Kennish (Peel) 11-15 along with another home greener Walter McCarthy who lost 10-15 to fellow club mate and the current Manx Champion Paul Dunn.

In the semi-finals Greenlees got off to a flying start to gain what looked like an unassailable 12-2 lead after nine ends. Clark fought back to win the next six ends to tie 12-12 after 15 ends played, which resulted in a one bowl shootout, with Greenlees winning the toss and sending the jack. Unfortunately his lead was just over a yard through, which allowed Clark to bowl in to claim the victory 13-12 and progress to the final. In the other semi-final Dunn had it all his own way to win 18-5 with 11 ends played there weren’t enough ends left for Kennish to come back the game ended there.

The final started with Dunn who was having his first competitive run out this season having ‘enjoyed’ 84 days in isolation since December due to family commitments and 40 days in lockdown claiming the first two ends, with Clark responding by taking the next three ends including the all important power end to lead 7-2. From there Dunn turned on the style to win the next eight ends to lead 14-7 which was impossible for Clark to recover from to with only two ends and a maximum six chalks available. Dunn became the first winner of this competition and also claimed the winners prize of £200 for his efforts. Clark could console himself with £100 for a good days work .

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by Phil Kelly, who thanked Kevin & Sarah Bettridge from Magic Carpets for their support with the clubhouse and for sponsoring the competition, the Ladies for the refreshments with free tea & coffee being provided all day, the players for entering, and all who came to support. £500 in prize money was paid out and the format proved popular amongst bowlers.

South Ramsey hosted the first open competition of the 2021 season with the Jim Senior any combination doubles on Sunday attracting 74 players to compete for the trophy. The green was in superb condition, with the weather once again being kind.

The quarter finals had the father & son pairing of Colin Kelly (Marown) & Tom Kelly (Peel) seeing off club mates Walter McCarthy & Darren Kerruish (Marown) with a 21-7 win. Castletown pair Sam Clague & Bob Clark ended the excellent run of Alex Hampson (Noble’s) & Ryan Hargraves (South Ramsey), two juniors, both just 12 years old with a 21-10 win. The two youngsters gave a good account of themselves and will be a pairing to watch out for in the future. Losing out 6-21 were Alison Kearsley (Marown) and Nathan Cooil (Castletown) to home greeners David Bradford & Glynn Hargraves, whilst Derek & Lynda Cadamy lost out 10-21 to Stefan Kelly (South Ramsey) & Jordan Cain (Onchan).

In the first semi-final Sam Clague & Bob Clark battled well before losing out 19-21 to the father & son pairing of Colin Kelly & Tom Kelly. In the other semi-final Stefan Kelly & Jordan Cain never really got going, losing out 13-21 to Bradford & Hargraves.

The final started with daylight slipping away, with the father & son duo winning the first four ends to take a 13-4 lead, scoring big with a four and a three to get off to a flier with Colin leading well at the front. Bradford & Hargraves responded winning the next four ends to pull the score back to 9-13 and were lying three only for Tom to play a great length bowl on a long mark to maintain a strong lead and go 14-9 ahead, from there Colin & Tom stretched their lead out to 19-12 after picking up a crucial three on the 13^th end with Tom doing the damage at the back with Bradford lying one on, Tom played the counting bowl out to lie two and compounded the damage by playing a good second bowl to count for three, this was followed up on the next end with a single. Bradford & Hargraves weren’t done there, scoring two doubles, and a single over the next three ends to get the score back to 17-19. Colin then played a good second bowl, which wasn’t beaten. The win was secured for Colin & Tom on the next end with Tom once again doing the damage to secure the win and the £200 first prize to the winners.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by competition secretary Kim Hargraves, who thanked IPS Admin for sponsoring the competition, the club members who helped with the running of the competition and the Ladies for the refreshments provided throughout the day. James Teare from IPS Admin presented the prizes with over £500 paid out. In his speech Tom Kelly thanked South Ramsey for holding the competition and stated the green was superb.

South Ramsey Bowling Club will be holding the first open competition of 2021 with the Jim Senior Trophy being played as an any combination doubles on Sunday 25th April. The competition is once again kindly sponsored by IPS Admin.

Play commences at 12pm – Early start times will be notified. Entries are £6 per team, with handicapping in place. Superb refreshments and a brilliant surface guaranteed.

£500 in prize money to be paid out – based on a minimum entry of 32 pairs.

Winners £200 – Runners Up £100 – SF 2 at £50 (£100) – QF 4 at £25 (£100.00)

To enter please call/message 434201 or email: [email protected]

Entries close on Saturday evening at 6pm. If there is anyone that wants to play but hasn’t got a partner, please get in touch and we will do our best to sort you out.

Marown Bowling Club hosted the Juan Kelly Cup with the competition now in its fourth year it proved more popular than ever with 62 pairs taking part. There were some interesting pairings making use of the handicap system played over the three qualifying nights, with 2 pairs qualifying on Sunday evening, and three pairs qualifying on Monday & Tuesday night to reach the quarter finals.

The format was any combination doubles, played over 15 ends with ends 5, 10 and 15 played as ‘power’ ends with the points scored counting double. The pairs were given a handicap based on their rankings in the Men’s and Ladies game. If scores were tied after 15 ends a one bowl shootout would take place to decide the winner.

On Sunday evening 16 pairs played their qualifying night, whilst Monday and Tuesday had 23 pairs taking part on both evenings. The finals night was held on Wednesday evening, with a re-draw taking place to determine who the pairings would play on the night. The floodlights came into good use for the entire duration of the competition.

Losing quarter finalists were home greeners Colin Kelly & Juan Killip, who were comfortably beaten 15-24 by clubmates Walter McCarthy & Darren Kerruish, Kim Hargraves & Austin Hart (South Ramsey) were heavily defeated 11-29 by Sue Gawne (Onchan) & Brian Kelly (Marown). In the other half of the draw Ryan Hargraves & Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) cruelly lost out on the last end 17-18 to Phil Kerruish (Onchan) and Andy Foster (Douglas), whilst Philippa Taylor (Marown) & Alec Taylor (Peel) lost 16-18 to Derek Allen (Port Erin) & Bernie McPhee (Onchan).

The semi-finals were comfortable for both pairings that reached the final with Sue Gawne & Brian Kelly winning 25-7 over Walter McCarthy & Darren Kerruish, whilst Phil Kerruish & Andy Foster claimed a 20-13 victory over Derek Allen & Bernie McPhee.

The final was well contested with both pairings off the same handicap of four, there was little to choose between the teams. Kerruish and Foster worked hard to build up a four point lead (18-14) with 14 ends played, with Gawne & Kelly lying one on the last end only another counting bowl would do to tie the match. Kelly played a wonder bowl to count for two which doubled up to four points with the last end being a ‘power’ end. This tied the match at 18-18 with the final going to its first ever one bowl shootout. With Kelly & Gawne winning the toss Kelly sent his jack into the corner his bowl just over a yard away, which Kerruish fell short of beating in a thrilling finish to the final resulting in Sue & Brian claiming their first open competition success as a pairing.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by Phil Kelly, who thanked Juan Kelly for once again sponsoring the competition, the Ladies for the refreshments over all four nights, the players for entering, and all those who came to support.

The final of the Ellan Vannin Fuels mixed team championship took place at Onchan on Wednesday evening with a close final expected between Port St Mary A and South Ramsey A. The Onchan green was in superb condition with their new floodlights being needed for the evening and there was a good crowd that came along to support on the night.

From the first five games on the green Sunday’s Ladies Manx Master Winner Jenny Moore was first off after recovering from a 4-8 deficit against Paul Skelly, Skelly only managed to score another three points with Jenny running out with a 21-11 victory. Second game off on the night was Glynn Hargraves who took a convincing 21-9 win over Mavis Franks. Port St Mary got their first win on the night with Wayne Roberts performing well to beat Elaine Moore 21-17. The next two games off could not have been any closer with both going in favour of South Ramsey. Lyn Bolton recovered from a 12-18 deficit against Margaret Tasker to get home 21-20, whilst Alan Moore had a good game with Jayne Kneen with Alan just edging it 21-20. After five games off South Ramsey led by 20 chalks (101-81).

During the second half Gill Dixon pretty much put the final nail in the coffin for Port St Mary with the biggest win of the night taking a 21-7 victory over Tim Williams, with South Ramsey having scored enough in the remaining games on the green. Game number seven of the night to come off the green was Dan McCabe who performed well to beat James Teare 21-12. South Ramsey captain Stefan Kelly managed to see off Chris Price 21-15, whilst the last game on the green between Dido Kelly and Trevor Quayle was well contested throughout with Quayle managing to take a 21-19 win. South Ramsey won by 29 chalks overall, also winning 6-3 on games to claim their ninth title in this competition.

Association Chairman Neil Withers thanked Onchan for the use of the green, complimented the club on the floodlights which were installed last year, also gave thanks to their club members for providing refreshments and measurers on the night. Ladies President Sue Gawne was then introduced to present the Shield to South Ramsey. Speaking on behalf of South Ramsey Glynn Hargraves congratulated the team for their performance on the night and everyone who had came along to support.

South Ramsey hosted the Manx Masters on Sunday, one of the highlights of the Manx bowls calendar with four separate competitions once again taking place on a great playing surface which was running superbly.

Winner of the Young Manx Masters was Clark Kelly defeating Grayse Blencoe 6-3 in the final. This competition was played in a round robin format with six players in each group playing five ends with the last end played as a ‘power’ end with points scored counting double. Clark won group A with 24 points, with Katie Jacobs the runner up in Group A with 22 points. Grayse won Group B with 27 points, with Megan Hargraves the runner up on 26 points.

The Junior Manx Masters was again played as a straight knockout for the older and more experienced players and the title was won for the first time by Austin Hart (South Ramsey) who beat Shannon McMullan (Mooragh Park) 21-17 in a well contested final, with Austin beating Patrick Grant (Ballaugh) 21-14 to reach the final, whilst Shannon beat Aalish Howarth 21-16 to book her spot in the final.

The standard of play in both events was excellent and there was a fantastic crowd around the green supporting the future of the game with the numbers steadily increasing throughout, it made for a great morning.

The junior competitions were sponsored by Stonemasons IOM Limited for a fourth successive year with the prizes presented by Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly. All those who took part received a prize, with the younger players also receiving a certificate. A huge thanks must go to the coaches – Sonya Mercer, Clare Cooper, Janet Monk, Willie Cowley, Mervin Sayle, Phil Kelly & Colin Kelly who helped the younger players with their games throughout the morning.

Once the Junior competitions came to a conclusion the Felton’s sponsored men’s and ladies events got underway with the ladies event being an invitation of 16 players, whilst the men’s event had 32 taking part.

In the ladies event losing out at the quarter final stages were Sue Gawne (Onchan), Clare Cooper (Noble’s) Elaine Moore (South Ramsey) and Shannon McMullan (Mooragh Park).

In the semi-finals Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) performed well winning 21-7 to end the run of Alison Keggen (Noble’s), whilst Lyn Bolton (South Ramsey) ended the challenge of team mate Fiona Kennish with a hard fought 21-18 victory to book her place in the final.

In the final Moore was quickest out of the blocks taking a 12-6 lead scoring three doubles on the way, before Bolton chipped away at the lead to cut the deficit to 11-13 only for Moore to take five successive singles to lead 18-11. Bolton won three of the next four ends to trail 14-19 only for Moore to finish the game off with two singles to run out with a 21-14 victory to deservedly win her third successive Manx Masters title, in addition to her Manx Championship win earlier in the season.

In the men’s event eight of the 16 first round games were well contested with the player losing out scoring 15 or more to show there were some good contests taking place. Losing out at the quarter final stage was Bob Clark (Castletown), who lost 17-21 to Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) with Clark battling back from a 5-16 deficit to level up at 16-16 before losing out 17-21, whilst Alan Moore (South Ramsey) lost out 20-21 to team mate Glynn Hargraves. Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) ended the challenge of home greener James Teare 21-15, with Dido Kelly (South Ramsey) seeing off Tom Kelly (Peel) with a 21-13 victory.

In the semi-final Hargraves took a convincing 21-10 win over Wayne Roberts to book his spot in the final, whilst in the other semi Trevor Quayle had to work hard to earn a 21-19 win over Dido Kelly after trailing 16-19.

The final started with the floodlights coming into play and a new name guaranteed to be on the trophy. Hargraves got off to the better start taking the first three ends to lead 7-3, Quayle then took nine of the next 12 ends playing well over the middle of the green to turn the game around to lead 14-11. Hargraves then changed tactics opting for a longer length to win four ends on the bounce to lead 17-14, with Quayle once again heading over the crown to level the game at 18-18. Hargraves then scored two successive singles to lead 20-18, to then play a poor end to gift an easy two for Quayle to level things up at 20-20. On the deciding end Quayle played his lead a yard past the jack and tight of the land, Hargraves capitalised on this to play a bowl right on top of the jack. Quayle had no option but to strike and somehow flicked out the counting bowl to count one and lie game. Hargraves took his time to compose himself to play another length bowl to win 21-20 and take his fourth 21-20 win of the day to claim his first Manx Masters title.

At the end of the competition the prizes were presented by Chris & Lynnette Perry on behalf of the sponsors Felton’s Ironmongers who continue to support this event. During the presentation club secretary Alan Moore thanked those who had helped prepare the green, along with everyone who had helped in any way towards the smooth running of the competitions throughout the day. A special mention was given to the ladies who once again put on a superb selection of refreshments. Thanks were also given to Neil Withers & Paul Dunn for the live streaming of the Junior and Senior events which proved to be popular. There was just over £1,000 paid out in prize money throughout the entire day.

Castletown Bowling Club hosted the Wilfrid Quayle mixed doubles on Saturday with the competition attracting 44 pairs on a fine day.

The eventual winners were Lyn Bolton (South Ramsey) and Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) taking a deserved 21-11 win over the home green partnership of Hilary Kermode & Ian Watson. The home pairing started well to go 11-8 ahead before losing seven consecutive ends without response which resulted in Bolton & Quayle taking their first mixed doubles title of the season.

Losing out at the semi-final stage were the South Ramsey pairing of Fiona Kennish & Steven Waters 11-21 to the winning pair, whilst Sue Gawne & Brian Kelly lost out 14-21 to the runners up.

Falling at the quarter final stage were Elaine Moore & Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey), Helen & Martin Caley (South Ramsey), Rebecca Teare (Noble’s) & Paul Dunn (Marown) along with Alison Keggen (Noble’s) & Bob Clark (Castletown).

The presentation was made by Castletown President Ron Williams who thanked everyone who had entered and all the club members who had helped with the smooth running of the competition throughout the day. A special mention was also given to the green keeper David Faragher for the fantastic condition of the green.

A great morning of youth bowls took place at Douglas Bowling Club recently with 21 children competing for the Philip Johnson Trophy sponsored by Canada Life International, played for in memory of Philip Johnson. There was a good turnout to support the future of bowls.

With Philip’s Dad Mike Johnson and Philip’s family in attendance to support the children, the event was played as East vs West vs South format, with players matched up in ages and playing against once another in singles games. There were seven children in the West Team, five competing for the South and nine for the East. After some excellent bowling it was the West Team who just pipped last year’s winners East by just one game. 

The presentation was made by Mark McLaughlin from sponsors Canada Life International. Thanks were given to Douglas Bowling Club for hosting, along with the Island’s coaches who helped with the running of the event. To show the parents how difficult bowls can be the mums, dads, guardians who had stayed and watch the games had a roll up at the end. 

Canada Life International have supported Manx Bowls on the Island for the past 10 years with their sponsorship of the Manx Championship, Island Team, Club Team Championships and of course the Philip Johnson Trophy, with the company keen to promote opportunities for young people on the island to get involved in active sports with this competition being a great success.