Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the Thurlwell Bowl on Saturday with a good entry of 44 taking part after a great week of Festival bowls.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Richard Hainge (Ballaugh) 6-21 to Peter Jones (Marown), Phil Clarke (Peel) 17-21 to Rob Monk (North Ramsey). In the other half of the draw Kim Hargraves (South Ramsey) got the better of Walter McCarthy (Marown) 21-17, whilst Paul Dunn (Marown) saw off Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) 21-15.

At the semi-final stage Jones took a 16-9 lead against Monk, only for the latter to score four consecutive singles to close the deficit to three chalks at 13-16. Jones responded to finish the game strongly to runout with a 21-14 win to book his place in the final. In the other semi-final Dunn started strongly against Hargraves to lead 15-6, with the South Ramsey player closing the deficit to just two chalks at 15-17. Four singles scored over the last five ends was enough to secure a 21-16 win for the Marown man.

The final got underway with Dunn taking a 14-11 lead, scoring his only double of the game on the second end. Jones closed the deficit to just two chalks at 14-16, with the Marown captain rallying to secure the victory as he scored five singles over six ends to secure a 21-15 victory over teammate Jones to pick up the trophy for a second time following his previous win in 2020.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Tina Hampson who thanked the club members who had helped with the running of the competition. The winners were awarded with IOM Steam Packet vouchers, with Juan Qualtrough presenting the prizes.

Port Erin Bowling Club hosted the F.M. Sowerbutts Memorial Trophy Mixed Doubles on Bank Holiday Monday. Entries were slightly lower than the previous day with 22 pairs taking part despite the road closures.

Losing quarter finalists were Gwen Tuck and Alan Phair 20-21 to home greeners Sue Wilshaw and Nick Petersen, whilst Kim and Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) lost 19-21 to Caroline Whitehead and Kevin Firth (Port Erin/Douglas) 21-13. In the other half of the draw Lyn Bolton and Peter Jones beat Marown clubmates Debbie Leece and Neil Withers 21-13, with Noble’s Ros Cannon and Juan Drinkwater beating home greeners Peter McKenna and Jacqui Elliott 21-17.

Bowing out at the semi-final stage were the last home greeners as Wilshaw and Petersen lost 13-21 to Whitehead and Firth, whilst Bolton and Jones had a tougher game on their hands as they held off Cannon and Drinkwater 21-18 to reach the final.

The Marown pair conceded two of the first three ends to trail 7-9, then won four consecutive ends scoring a one, two, three, and a four albeit not in that order to lead 17-9. Whitehead and Firth scored two singles, then conceded a two to trail 11-19. A four scored by Whitehead and Firth followed by a two in between conceding a single saw the score close to 17-20, however Bolton and Jones got the single they needed to secure a nervy 21-17 victory.

The presentation was made by competition organiser and sponsor Janet Shilling, who thanked everyone who had entered, the club members for their support.

Ballaugh Bowling Club hosted the Dave McTaggart Memorial Trophy on Sunday, with a bumper entry of 39 pairs despite the poor forecast, after a weeks break due to the Manx Grand Prix this might have encouraged the healthy entry. Despite the rain in the morning, and at the start of the competition the green was running surprisingly well, with conditions made difficult by the blustery conditions.

Losing out in the quarter finals were home greeners Maria and Mark Dimsdale 16-21 to South Ramsey’s Kian Bradford who was paired with his Dad David Bradford, whilst Onchan pair Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker lost 17-21 to Louise Tebay and Rebecca Teare (Ballaugh/Marown).

In the other half of the draw Glenn Boland and Peter Jones (Marown) won 21-8 against Mooragh Park pair Madison and Bailey McMullan, whilst South Ramsey’s Kim and Glynn Hargraves beat Lil Smith and Les Brookes 21-10 (Marown/Finch Hill).

At the semi-final stage the father and son pairing made a solid start to lead 11-7, only for Tebay and Teare to runout with a 21-11 win on a longer length.

The other semi-final went to the wire, as Kim and Glynn went into a 14-10 lead, only to concede a four to Boland and Jones. The South Ramsey pair picked up their third three of the game to lead 17-14, then conceded a single and a double for the game to level up at 17-17. The Husband and Wife pairing were lying game counting for two at 19-18 only for Jones to save one to put the score at 20-18. On the next end the Marown pair scored a good three to book their place in the final.

The final looked like it could be a runaway victory for the Marown men early on as they went into the lead 11-6. Tebay and Teare worked their way back into the game to level up at 11-11 after six ends, only to concede a three to trail 11-14.

This got the ladies back into gear, as Boland and Jones could only score two more singles, whilst Tebay and Teare finished the game strongly with five singles, a double and a three to secure a deserved 21-16 victory.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Maurice O’Reilly, with prizes paid down to the quarter finals. Maurice thanked everyone who had entered, the good crowd that had stayed for the duration of the competition, along with the club makers and the catering team for the refreshments provided throughout the day.

The Onchan Commissioners Any Combination Doubles took place on Saturday with a field of 27 pairs taking part.

At the quarter finals stage the Noble’s father and son pairing of Andy and Lee Greggor lost out 14-21 to Glynn Hargraves and Matthew Quirk (South Ramsey/Onchan). John Kennish and David Bradford beat Lynda Cadamy and Sue Gawne (Marown/Noble’s) to same score. In the other half of the draw Caroline Whitehead and Kevin Firth (Port Erin/Douglas) won 21-16 against Peel pair Gilly Clarke and Lynda Wilson, whilst an all Onchan game was won 21-9 by Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker against Maureen Payne and Roger Payne.

At the semi-final stage Hargraves and Quirk built up a 14-8 lead against Kennish and Bradford only for the latter pair to pull the deficit back to one at 15-16. Three scoring ends from Hargraves and Quirk ensured safe passage to the final with five chalks scored to seal a 21-15 win. In the other semi-final ,Quirk and Parker won to single figures 21-9 against Whitehead and Firth.

In the final Glynn and Matthew got hold of the game after conceding singles over the first two ends to lead 11-7, then extended the lead further to 16-11. Kevin and Steve scored a two, on the following end Kevin headed towards compost corner put two bowls within 15 inches, which Glynn beat with his second bowl. Steve played a reaching bowl, playing out the counting bowl cleanly to count for three to tie the score at 16-16.

Glynn and Matthew picked up a single and two over the next two ends, to lead 19-16. With Kevin and Steve lying two on the following end the jack got moved slightly, however crucially this resulted in a four to put the Onchan men in the lead 20-19. On the final end Kevin’s bowl went unbeaten to seal a 21-19 victory to pick up the title for a second time in three years.

The presentation was made by Kevin Quirk and Will Penhallurick, thanks were given for the running of the competition, the refreshments provided throughout the day, with the trophy & prizes presented by Derek Crellin, of Onchan Commissioners to whom the Club are grateful for the continued support.

North Ramsey Bowling Club hosted the Ken Parker Memorial Rose Bowl at Mooragh Park on Saturday in glorious weather, with 32 pairs entered.

At the quarter final stage Paul Dunn and Neil Withers (Marown) beat home greeners Lee Christian and Mike Dransfield 21-12, whilst Rose Waterworth and Michele Cubbon (Ballaugh) performed well to beat Marown’s Glenn Boland and Peter Jones 21-19. In the bottom half of the draw Onchan pair Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker won 21-11 against Alex Yates (Noble’s) and Caroline Parker (Mooragh Park), whilst South Ramsey’s Glynn & Kim Hargraves won 21-10 against John Cannan and Allan Callow.

It was the end of the road for Waterworth and Cubbon at the semi-final stage, as they were defeated in just seven ends 21-6 to Dunn and Withers as the Marown pair scored heavily. In the other semi-final the Onchan pair lost out 13-21 to the Husband and Wife pairing of Glynn and Kim.

The final was nip and tuck over the first seven ends with just one chalk separating the finalists with the Marown men 11-10 ahead. A good four was scored by Dunn and Withers on the next end to put the score at 15-10 with Kim slightly unfortunate not to save any chalks. Two doubles and a single, in between conceding a single saw the game finely poised at 16-15 to Dunn and Withers. A poor end from the South Ramsey pair gift wrapped an easy four to put the score at 20-15. On the following end a single for Glynn and Kim put the score at 16-20. The game was finished on the next end by the Crosby men, with Kim making a great effort to save the game, however her last bowl just gave up to seal a 21-16 win for Dunn and Withers.

North Ramsey competition secretary John Cannan thanked those who had entered the competition. Ken was a popular member at both North & South Ramsey clubs. John introduced Ken’s son Steve, who presented the prizes. Thanks were also given to those that had helped run the competition, for the preparation of the green & running of the afternoon in particular the ladies in the beehive.

On Sunday 4th August Finch Hill hosted the Apollo Blinds mixed doubles competition.

The event got underway with some very strong starts, notably from the Marown pairings of Clare Cooper with Sid Bolton along with Debbie Leece with Paul Kelly.

At the quarter final stage home greeners Lil Smith and Les Brookes had a titanic game to eventually overcome South Ramsey’s Kim Hargraves and Austin Hart to progress into the semi-finals. Also winning through to the semi-finals were two Noble’s pairs – Tina and Steve Hampson together with Roz Cannon and Juan Drinkwater.

In the semi-finals Lil and Les continued their winning streak by beating Tina and Steve and progressed into the final. Jayne and Walter also won through against Roz and Juan.

Jayne and Walter began the final with a flying start taking a maximum four chalks but Lil and Les unfazed immediately took the next end and opened their account with several single shot wins. The weather was by now deteriorating rapidly but this didn’t dampen the determination of either pair. It was nip and tuck all the way until the final end when Jayne and Walter ran out the eventual winners. Well done Jayne and Walter!

A special mention must go to the two juniors in the completion, Arran Dunn (Marown) and Grayse Blencoe (Mooragh Park), who played an exceptional first round match against Roz and Juan and only just lost out with a final score of 19-21. They are certainly future stars in the making.

The presentation was made by Mr Chris Reynolds of Apollo Blinds who kindly sponsored this event.

Joyce Ogden

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

Ladies Player of the Month: Paula Garrett – Douglas

Under 21’s Player of the Month: Arran Dunn – Marown

The men’s pick went to David Bradford who impressed as he won three singles open competitions in a row – Dreswick Cup, Peel Town Cup, and Douglas Town Cup with an any combination doubles on home turf with John Kennish thrown in for good measure. Not to mention six games won for South Ramsey, with five of these wins to single figures. An outstanding month.

The Ladies pick went to Paula Garrett who picked up the award following her win in the Douglas Town Cup, winning it for a third time, following successes in 2014, 2017 and now 2024. Bizarrely on each occasion Paula has won this competition, the David Bradford has also won it, with this being the only three times both players have lifted the trophy. Paula also won six games for Douglas throughout the month of July.

Arran Dunn picked up the Under 21’s award, winning the Boy’s Roy Williamson Memorial Cup going one better than 2023, won a first round game with Kian Bradford at South Ramsey, beat Phil Clarke in the Peel Town Cup, then repeated the trick in the Mixed Team for Marown five days later. Arran had the unenviable task of carrying his Dad through the first round of the Men’s pairs at Noble’s. Arran also picked up his first league win at South Ramsey against Billy Blair, was lying game down, playing a great bowl to save the game, went on to finish the game strongly to win 21-19.

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 52 entries, with the Ladies competition starting later in the day had an entry of 22 Ladies competing. Entries in both competitions were up by 13 overall on last year.

In the Men’s singles at the quarter final stage Neil Withers (Marown) beat Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) 21-15, whilst Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) beat Glenn Boland (Marown) 21-12. In the other half of the draw David Bradford (South Ramsey) won 21-14 against Paul Kelly (Marown), whilst Alex Hampson (Noble’s) who was the furthest Junior in the competition lost out 11-21 to Peter Jones (Marown).

At the semi-final stage Withers took an early 13-8 lead, then led 18-14 against Hargraves, with the players exchanging doubles over four ends. The latter fought back to lead 19-18, then led a side toucher only for Withers to beat this bowl and then made a brilliant two to lead 20-19. Hargraves then scored a two to take his place in the final with a 21-20 win.

In the other semi-final neither Bradford nor Jones were able to pull away from the other. Jones made his move taking the lead 17-16 having scored two successive doubles, with Bradford responding with his own two doubles and a single to see the game out 21-17.

In the Men’s final the early ends were keenly contested, with tight ends, it was Bradford who took the lead 12-8, playing two brilliant bowls to score two and lead 12-8. Hargraves picked up a single, then led a four-inch bowl into the corner, with Bradford playing another great bowl to lie one inch to the side of the jack to score one. Hargraves picked up three consecutive singles to close the deficit to just one chalk at 12-13, was counting for one on the following end, with Bradford picking up the jack with his last bowl. A change of tactics saw Bradford play the edges, pushing through the greener parts of the green, which caught out his South Ramsey teammate on more than one end, with Bradford running out with a well-deserved 21-12 victory.

In the Ladies quarter finals Lyn Bolton (Marown) lost out 13-21 to Louise Tebay (Ballaugh), whilst Janet Monk (Mooragh Park) prevailed 21-18 against Debbie Leece (Marown). In the other half of the draw home greener Paula Garrett held off a fightback from Kim Hargraves (South Ramsey) to win 21-18, whilst Jayne Smith beat Marown teammate Lynda Cadamy to book her place in the next round.

In the Ladies semi-finals Monk got the better of Tebay with a comfortable 21-10 win, whilst Garrett edged home 21-20 against Smith in a keenly contested game to take her place in the final.

The Final got underway with Garrett taking control of the game throughout, whilst scoring three doubles of her own, keeping Monk down to scoring six singles, whilst never allowing the Mooragh Park player to win two consecutive ends to runout with a brilliant 21-12 victory to pick up her third Douglas Town Cup win.

In a somewhat bizarre turn of events Bradford and Garrett have both won the Douglas Town Cup on three occasions each, with both players winning their respective competition in 2014, 2017, and 2024.

At the conclusion Gordy Wynne-Smythe thanked all those who supported the event and the Douglas Club Members for their assistance throughout the day. The club were happy to support one of their Junior members Katie Jacobs, who had requested to donate the funds raised to the Name a Guide Dog fundraiser with £500 being raised. Gordy went on to thank Jaks & Barbary Coast for sponsoring the event, with Director Steve Pickett presenting the prizes.