South Ramsey hosted the Manx Masters on Sunday, one of the highlights of the Manx bowls calendar with four separate competitions taking place throughout the day. The weather in the morning was slightly better than forecast with rain holding off for most of the competition.

JP Corry Young Manx Masters

The Young Manx Masters was contested by seven players – with five girls and two boys. This competition was played in a round robin format playing six ends with the last end played as a ‘power’ end with points scored counting double. After a good morning of bowls, it was Bailey McMullan who was the runaway winner with 56 points, to become the first Young Manx Masters winner to retain the trophy in her last year in this category. The runner up with 42 points was Enya Christian (Marown) who also scored particularly well in her games.

JP Corry Junior Manx Masters

The Junior Manx Masters was played as a straight knockout 21up off a handicap of +6 for the older and more experienced players with 12 players braving the early morning start.

The title was won for the first time by Sam Colquitt (Noble’s) following his win in the Young Manx Masters competition in 2018, as he beat clubmate Alex Hampson 21-18 in an entertaining final, with the furthest anyone got ahead in the game was Alex at 13-10 halfway through the game. With Alex leading 18-17, Sam dug deep to see the game out with four singles to secure a 21-18 victory.

Losing out at the semi-final stage was pre-tournament favourite Madison McMullan (Mooragh Park) to Colquitt with the latter putting in a brilliant performance to seal a 21-16 win and a place in the final. Losing out in the other semi-final was Lola Tebay (Ballaugh) by the finest of margins 20-21 to Alex Hampson.

At the quarter final stage Colquitt comfortably beat Dylan Marsh (Port Erin) 21-13, McMullan won 21-11 against Aalish Moore (Castletown), Alex stormed to a 21-7 win over Lacey McMullan (Mooragh Park), whilst Tebay beat Alex Colquitt Noble’s 21-16.

The standard of play in both events was excellent and some of the bowls played would not have been out of place in the senior events taking place in the afternoon.

JP Corry Isle of Man supported the event once again with the prizes presented by Keith Quane. All competitors who took part received a prize, with Saskia Tebay receiving a special prize for the young player who had smiled the most all morning. Thanks were given to everyone who had helped throughout the morning.

Once the Junior competitions concluded 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 invited to play.  Once again home greeners forfeited the jack on the first end to visiting bowlers.

Ladies Manx Masters

In the Ladies event losing out at the quarter final stages were home greener Gill Dixon 15-21 to teammate Jenny Moore, whilst Madison McMullan (Mooragh Park) battled well before losing out 18-21 to Clare Cooper (Marown).

In the other half of the draw Louise Tebay (Ballaugh) lost out 17-21 to Rebecca Teare (Marown) with Teare scoring two more doubles in the game this proved to be the difference. Another two home greeners clash in the last of the quarter finals with Sue Collier leading 10-3 against Kim Hargraves, as the latter fought back to 9-10 only for Collier to rally once more to seal a 21-12 to book her place in the semi-finals.

At the semi-final stage both were comfortable wins as Moore won 21-11 against Cooper, whilst Teare eased to a 21-9 win over Collier.

In the final Moore took the initiative early on a round peg mark to lead 16-5 against Teare. The Marown player got in and headed for the bank edge of the green, which is well known for being a big pegging mark in both directions. Teare got a run of fiver chalks together to get into double figures at 10-16.

Moore then picked up a single and double to lead 19-10, with Teare picking up another five chalks in between conceding a single to put the score at 15-20. On the following end a loose lead was punished by Moore to full effect who put her first bowl within six inches of the jack, with Teare failing to beat it this secured a 21-15 victory for Moore to win the title for a sixth successive year.

Mens Manx Masters

In the Men’s event five of the eight last 16 games were well contested with the player losing out scoring 17 or more.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Stevie Kelly (Peel) who was well beat 11-21 by Colin Kelly (Marown), Harry Barton (Marown) reached the end of the road as he was defeated 4-21 by Jordan Cain (South Ramsey). Matthew Keggen (Marown) beat James Teare (South Ramsey) 21-17 in the closest game of the quarter finals, whilst Paul Dunn comfortably beat Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) 21-8.

Similar to the ladies competition the victories were comfortable as Kelly trailed to Cain by a single chalk at 9-10, before going on to concede just two more chalks to seal a 21-12 win. Keggen booked his spot in his first Manx Masters final with a 21-14 victory over Dunn, with the former having led 14-7 and 18-12 this lead was enough to keep his opponent at arm’s length.

In front of a healthy crowd who had stayed for the duration, the final started under the floodlights, with Kelly taking an early lead at 7-4, with Keggen opting to come out of the corners that had served him well throughout the day. Keggen got back in and did go into the corners to level the game up at 8-8.

Kelly restored a three-chalk lead at 12-9, then built this up further on a longer mark in the opposite corners to which Keggen had been playing to lead 17-10. A single and a double from Keggen was responded to equally by Kelly to lead 20-13, with Keggen scoring a single and in the last chance saloon needing to run out, however a good first bowl from Kelly secured a 21-14 victory and the eighth time Kelly has picked up the trophy since 1994, with the competition having previously been played as the Champion of Champions which Colin won five times in the previous format.

At the end of the competition the presentation was made by South Ramsey Chairman Steve Moore, who thanked everyone who had helped with the running of the competitions. The Ladies who once again outdone themselves with the catering and the club members who assisted throughout the day. Long term supporters of the event Chris & Lynnette Perry were then introduced to present the prizes from the sponsors Felton’s Ironmongers who without their support this event would not be possible. Upon accepting the trophy Kelly stated he was delighted to have won the competition.

16 teams took part this weekend in the Port St Mary any combination threesomes ‘open’ competition on a damp but improving afternoon.

The fallers at the quarter final stage were Colin Kelly, Phil Kelly and Walter McCarthy (Marown) losing a hard fought match to Peter Jones, Rebecca Teare and Glenn Boland (Marown) 17-21. Also losing 17-21 were Clare Cooper, Lyn Bolton and Sid Bolton (Marown) to Dylan Marsh, Ed Benson and Alan Crebbin (Port Erin). Les Brookes, Edward Carlyle and Bryan Lindsay (Finch Hill, South Ramsey and Peel) beat Glynn Hargraves, Kian Bradford and David Bradford (South Ramsey) 21-12. The match of the round saw home greeners of Margaret Tasker, Mavis Franks and Tricia Bull with an impressive 21-15 win over John Kennish, Jordan Cain and Bob Clark (South Ramsey).

In the semi-finals Jones, Teare and Boland ended the good run of Marsh, Benson and Crebbin 21-6, whilst Tasker, Franks and Bull had another impressive of 21-13 against Brookes, Carlyle and Lindsay.

In the final Tasker, Franks and Bull carried on their good form building up a 19-11 lead. Jones, Teare and Boland hit back with a four and a single to close the gap to three points. However the three Port St Mary ladies scored two singles to get the job done and secure an impressive day of bowling.

Port St Mary competition secretary Wayne Roberts presented the prizes and thanked all those that took part in the competition and everyone that helped through the day.

11 juniors took part in the Port St Mary Bill Oliver junior open competition on Saturday morning.

The players were drawn into two groups in a round robin format consisting of matches played over seven ends.

The top two players in each group progressed to the semi-finals to be played over eight ends.

In the first semi-final, Madison McMullan (Mooragh Park) played her younger sister Bailey (Mooragh Park), this was a very close match and after seven ends the score was 5-5. On the last end Bailey was laying game with two good woods only for Madison to play a great last bowl to win the match.

In the second semi-final Dylan Marsh (Port Erin) played Aalish Moore (Castletown). This pair met recently in the final of a Castletown club comp with the latter winning that encounter. Dylan was determined for a better result this time and played very well to win this match 11-1.

The final was played over 10 ends. Both players were playing to a very high standard as they had been all morning, on this occasion Madison played the more consistent and won the match 13-4.

As usual the standard of bowls from the Islands bowlers was amazing to watch and just seems to get better every year.

At the presentation Christine Holland introduced Roy Oliver to present the prizes. Roy thanked all the players that took part and everyone that helped with the competition.

Castletown Bowling Club hosted the Wilfrid Quayle mixed doubles on Sunday with the competition attracting 30 pairs with the competition sponsored by the Sidings Pub.

Falling at the quarter final stage were home green pair Sam Quayle and Joy Stevens, who were beaten 10-21 by Marown’s Debbie Leece and Neil Withers. Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) and Kevin Firth (Douglas) just lost out 20-21 to Elaine Moore (South Ramsey) and Nathan Hamilton (Castletown). Home greeners Hilary Kermode and Alan Phair were well beaten 8-21 by Hannah Drewett (Castletown) and Bob Clark (South Ramsey), whilst Jenny Moore and James Teare (South Ramsey) won 21-6 against Marown’s Lisa Pugh and Walter McCarthy.

Losing out at the semi-final stage were Leece and Withers who were kept to just two singles as they lost 8-21 to Moore and Hamilton, whilst Moore and Teare lost out 16-21 to Drewett and Clark.

In the early stages of the final neither pairing were able to build a lead, with the score at 9-8 to Drewett and Clark counting for three a superb last bowl from Hamilton won the end to level the score at 9-9. Drewett and Clark responded to go into the lead at 17-12 as they kept their opponents down to singles. Moore and Hamilton picked up their first double of the game with a great strike from Elaine to turn a two down into two up to put the score at 14-17. Three singles followed over the next three ends for Drewett and Clark, with their opponents picking up a three to put the score at 17-20. The single point needed by Drewett and Clark was picked up on the next end to seal a 21-17 victory.

The presentation was made by Castletown Bowling Club President Hilary Kermode who thanked everyone who had entered, along with the club members who had helped with the smooth running of the competition throughout the day. Thomas Callister from the Sidings presented the prizes.

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the Thurlwell Bowl on Saturday with a good entry of 50 taking part after a great week of Festival bowls, with the Noble’s greens being widely praised by local & visiting bowlers throughout the week.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were home greener Mark Bradshaw who lost out 9-21 to Marown captain Paul Dunn, Margie Tasker (Port St Mary) was defeated 16-21 by South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves. In the other half of the draw Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) beat Grahem Moore (Noble’s) 21-15, whilst Peel man Rob Middleton ended the hopes of Glenn Boland (Marown) with a good last end to win 21-19.

In the semi-final Hargraves made the better start against Dunn to lead 11-7, then settled for a longer length to extend the lead to 17-12. The Marown man fought back level the game up at 18-18, then conceded a single with Hargraves playing through to take out Dunn’s counting bowl. On the following end with the South Ramsey man leading 19-18 and counting two for game Dunn bowled in to level the game up once more at 19-19. Two great bowls from the Marown captain on the next end had Dunn lying game himself with both bowls next to the jack and touching each other, a strike from Hargraves came off perfectly to go 20-19 ahead. On the next end a good lead bowl from the South Ramsey captain was unbeaten to seal a place in the final with a 21-19 win.

In the other semi-final between Middleton and Dawson the game was keenly contested in the early stages, with Middleton stretching away in the second half of the game to seal a 21-14 win and his first appearance in a final of a singles open.

The final started with Hargraves being favourite, however it was Middleton who made a strong start to lead 9-6 after four ends, the lead could have been bigger with Hargraves taking the jack off when lying two down for a dead end. With the ends being exchanged in the early part of the game neither player could get away from the other with the score being level at 10-10 and 11-11. The next two ends Middleton played four great bowls with Hargraves just missing strikes on both ends for the Peel man to lead 15-11. Hargraves got back in and headed for the corners that had served him well earlier in the day to turn the game around to lead 17-15.

A strong response followed with three consecutive singles from Middleton. Hargraves got back in with a single, then played two good bowls on the following end to lead 20-18. On the following end Hargraves played a good lead six inches to the side of the jack, which Middleton played out with his first bowl, the latter made two with his second bowl for a one end shootout with the score tied once again at 20-20. Middleton played his lead 18 inches away from the jack, which Hargraves used to count for one. With his last bowl the Peel man got inside the jack land with Hargraves winning an entertaining final 21-20.

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. In his speech Hargraves congratulated Middleton for a great performance.

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 21 pairs taking part despite the road closures.

Losing quarter finalists were home greeners Alison & Mark Stockham 10-21 to South Ramsey pair Jenny Moore and James Teare, while Marown duo Debbie Leece and Neil Withers beat Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) and Kevin Firth (Douglas) 21-13. Collin Holland (Castletown) and daughter Jayne Smith (Marown) just lost out 20-21 to home green pair Nigel Haymes and Sue Ricketts, whilst Cliff Clague played with his granddaughter Bethany Hamilton (both Castletown) as they lost out 12-21 to Sue Wilshaw (Port Erin) and Nick Peterson (Port St Mary).

Bowing out at the semi-final stage were Moore and Teare who led 13-6, with the South Ramsey pair going on to concede a costly four on the 10^th end as they lost out 16-21 to Leece and Withers. The other semi-final went in favour of Wilshaw and Peterson who took a comfortable 21-14 win over Ricketts and Haymes to book their place in the final.

Leece and Withers started the final as heavy favourites despite having previously never won a mixed doubles together, although both have won with other partners. The Marown pair never fell behind in the game as they led 10-6, then 12-7 with the Port Erin/Port St Mary pair getting right back into the game at 11-12 as they picked up a single and then a three which brought a cheer from the home spectators.

Leece and Withers hit back immediately with a three of their own, before conceding just four more chalks with both players performing well to see the game out as they proved too strong for Wilshaw and Peterson with a 21-15 victory.

The presentation was made by competition organiser and sponsor Janet Shilling, who thanked everyone who had entered, the club members for their support. Neil thanked Port Erin for hosting the competition and commended their opponents in the final for a good performance.

On Sunday Ballaugh Bowling Club held the Maddrell Mixed Doubles for the Claret Jug Trophy. There was a good entry of 30 pairs, as the weather was mostly fine after a shower during the early part of the competition.

The Ballaugh interest ended in the quarter finals as Louise and Nigel Tebay lost out 20-21 to Margie Tasker (Port St Mary) and Derek Allen (Port Erin), as the home greeners led 20-11 they failed to score the one chalk needed to reach the semi-finals. Sue Gawne (Noble’s) and Andy Kennish (Marown) lost out 19-21 to Clare Cooper (Marown) and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary).

In the other half of the draw the wins were comfortable as Marown pair Lynda Cadamy and Glenn Boland ended the hopes of Rose Waterworth and Paul Cubbon (Ballaugh) with a 21-12 win, whilst South Ramsey’s Jenny Moore and James Teare beat Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) and Kevin Firth (Douglas) to the same score.

In the semi-finals Tasker and Allen were beaten 15-21 by Cooper and Roberts in 12 ends, whilst Moore and Teare ended the challenge of Cadamy and Boland with a 21-13 victory to book their place in the final.

The final was between Cooper & Roberts who were appearing in the final for a second successive year, with both pairs well matched in the early stages of the game with the score tied at 11-11 after eight ends, with good bowling from both pairs.

Moore and Teare shifted up another gear as they scored a three, followed by three consecutive doubles to lead 20-11 after 13 ends. Cooper and Roberts got back in with a good single, only for the South Ramsey pair to get the one chalk needed to secure a 21-12 victory as they followed up their win in the Spar Mixed Doubles last month.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by Maurice O’Reilly with Sponsor John Maddrell being introduced to present the prizes. John then went on to thank everyone including Maurice O’Reilly and Julie Reilly for running the competition.

The second year of the Junior League got underway on Thursday 10th August with four teams competing for the Phil Johnson Trophy sponsored by Canada Life International. With fixtures being held on Noble’s 1 & 2, there was once again a good crowd in attendance each week.

The teams were given new names this year, with Kitterlanders, Chicken Rocks, Sugarloafs and Drinking Dragons all vying for the title. The teams played each other over three consecutive weeks.

After matchday one Sugarloafs were top on the table, as they beat Chicken Rocks by 38 chalks (162-124), with Kitterlanders in second place just nine chalks behind as they beat Drinking Dragons by 24 chalks (153-129).

Matchday two had Kitterlanders take on Chicken Rocks with the former hitting top spot as they won by 39 chalks (157-118). Sugarloafs fell to second place as they suffered a defeat albeit by three chalks (126-129) at the hands of Drinking Dragons.

Matchday three saw Sugarloafs crowned as the overall winners, despite going into the final round of fixtures trailing Kitterlanders by 22 chalks. A huge win for Sugarloafs over Kitterlanders by 64 chalks (185-121) was enough to overtake their opponents by 42 chalks, with Drinking Dragons finishing in second place as they overtook Kitterlanders as they beat Chicken Rocks by 82 chalks (189-107) winning all nine games.

Results from Match Day 1, 2 and 3 are below, along with final League Standings.

CLI Junior League Round One Results 2023

CLI Junior League Round Two Results 2023

CLI Junior League Round Three Results 2023

CLI Junior League Final Standings 2023

The Onchan Commissioners Any Combination Doubles took place on Sunday with a field of 20 pairs taking part.

At the quarter finals stage Jayne Smith and Lyn Bolton (Marown) lost out to clubmates Lynda Cadamy and Andy Kennish, with another Marown pairing going out as Neil Withers and Paul Dunn lost to South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves and Jordan Cain. In the other half of the draw Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly (Marown) were beaten by John Kennish and David Bradford (South Ramsey), whilst Dean Kinley (Peel) and Bob Clark (South Ramsey) ended the home green challenge of Neil Dunwell and Neil Taylor.

At the semi-final stage Cadamy and Kennish lost out 12-21 to Hargraves and Cain, in the other semi-final Kinley and Clark won just four ends as they scored heavily in the ends they won, but only just lost out 17-21 to Kennish and Bradford.

In the final Kennish and Bradford got off to a good start with a three, then went on to lead by seven chalks at 14-7, then extended the lead further at 19-8. Hargraves and Cain managed to score another five points, however the comeback was stopped in its tracks as Kennish and Bradford picked up the two points needed to take a fully deserved 21-13 over their clubmates.

The presentation was made by Mike Alexander, with the trophy & prizes presented by Derek Crellin, of Onchan Commissioners to whom the Club are grateful for the continued support.