News: Ladies General
STELLA WINS PRE FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER OPEN
September Festival Pre-Festival Winner 2025 - Stella Watterson
Photo: Hannah KermodeA total of 39 ladies entered the pre-Festival September Open at a blustery Castletown green and after some brilliant bowling throughout the day from all ladies it was Stella Watterson from the home club who held off a late surge from South Ramsey’s Kim Hargraves in the final to triumph 21-12.
In the semi finals Stella had beaten visiting bowler Lorraine Hirst from New Mill in Yorkshire while Kim just sneaked home 21-19 against her team mate Fiona Kennish.
Losing out in the quarter finals were Shannon McMullan from Mooragh Park, last year’s winner Hannah Drewett (Castletown) as well as visitors Carol Faulkner (Wrockwardine Wood, Shropshire) and Sophie Briddon from Buxton’s Fairfield club.
Castletown President Hilary Kermode made the presentations and thanked the club members who had assisted throughout the day as well as extending warm wishes for a speedy recovery from illness to Tom Callister from the Sidings who generously sponsored the competition.
Town Ladies Reign Supreme
Ladies Night League Winners 2025 - Castletown A
Photo: Alison KearlseyLadies Open Age league: The final fixture of the 2025 Ladies Open Age league was played last Friday evening. With Marown A playing their outstanding match from fixture 17 the night before at home to Ballaugh A resulting in a 5-4 win for the Crosby ladies but losing on points (149-161), only a disastrous last fixture result by the Castletown A ladies would prevent them from becoming the league winners for the fifth consecutive time. With this in mind, Castletown A made their way to Douglas to play the Villa ladies. Despite a good home performance by Douglas, Castletown won 6-3 and by 16 points. Hilary Kermode for Town and Harley Garrett for Douglas won to single figures with Alison Kearsley and Chris Price both having to dig deep for Castletown to win to 18 and 20 against Katie Jacobs and Jane Lothian respectively. Having pulled the deficit back between them and Castletown A due to two good home results from their rearranged matches, Marown A played Breagle Glen A at home resulting in a solid 6-3 win for the Crosby ladies dropping only 11 points (178-122) with Rebekah Kelly, Lyn Bolton and Helen Withers helping with the points tally by winning to single figures. The three winners for Breagle were Caroline Whitehead, Katy Williams and Nicola Cain who won to 17, 18 and 17 against Philippa Taylor, Lynda Cadamy and Jayne Smith. Unfortunately for Marown this wasn’t enough to stop Castletown from taking the league title.
South Ramsey played Ballaugh A at home, result of which would decide third and fourth league places. Unfortunately for Ballaugh, the South ladies were on good form winning the match 6-3 dropping only 14 points (175-133) with Judy Kelly for South being the only player to win her game to single figures. Three winners for Ballaugh were Barbara Graham who won to 10 against Gillian Jopson; Lola Tebay who won to 19 after a nip and tuck game with Lauren Groen and Elena Dimsdale who after a hard fought battle with Sue Collier won 21-20.
Mooragh Park made their way south coming away with a solid 7-2 win, dropping only 14 points (175-119) against Castletown B. Janet Monk and Shannon McMullan both won their games to single figures for the Mooragh ladies with the closest game seeing a 21-17 win for Madison McMullan against Town’s Barbara Young. Two winners for Castletown were Marie Ashurst and Susan Kerruish who both won to 14 against Grayse Blencoe and Katie Johnson.
Breagle Glen B hosted Marown B winning the match 5-4 and by only one point (145-144). Angie Bennett and Molly Howland for Breagle, plus Lil Smith and Rosie Winckle for Marown all won to single figures with Claire Cain winning 21-18 after a hard fought game with Crosby’s Lillie Barrett. Ballaugh B took on Nobles at home losing the match 2-7 (129-173) with Lisa Bradshaw and Colese Creer for Nobles and Charlotte Neeson for Ballaugh all winning to single figures. The other winner for Ballaugh was Gail Curphey who won to 17 against Tina Hampson. Libby Andrade and Marilyn Ellison both won 21-16 after nip and tuck games against Ali Quaggan and Yvonne Ward.
With the above results and an exciting and interesting end to the season, top places are – in first place Castletown A on 4,238 points; second Marown A on 4,148; third South Ramsey on 3,975 and fourth place Ballaugh A 3,941 – very close indeed! Many congratulations to the Castletown A ladies on their well deserved title and to all the teams this year for an exciting and interesting season of bowls. Here’s hoping next year will be just as good!
Merit Table: Like the league table the merit was extremely well contested throughout the season and one of the closest in many a year. Overall winner is Janet Monk (Mooragh Park) on 495 points; second Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) on 491; third and fourth places were team mates Hannah Drewett and Tracy Moore (Castletown) who both finished on 490 just one point behind Jenny, but as Hannah has a better total against point score, she finishes in third place and Tracy fourth. Fifth and sixth places also saw Castletown team mates Hilary Kermode and Stella Watterson both finish on 486 points, but as above Stella has the better total against score so finishes in fifth and Hilary in sixth. A fantastic achievement by all.
Many congratulations to Castletown A ladies who have capped the season off well, adding the Open Age league title to the Jean Kelly Knockout title they won for the seventh time two weeks ago. Many congratulations must also go Janet on winning both the Open Age and Over 60’s merit titles adding these to the IOM merit she won earlier in the month – an outstanding achievement. I hope everyone has enjoyed their season of bowling!
Top Places Still Up for Grabs
Ladies Open Age League: The penultimate fixture in the ladies open age league was played last Wednesday evening with current leaders Castletown A consolidating their place at the top of the league with an 8-1 home win and dropping only five points against Breagle Glen B with seven of their wins being won to single figures. Lone winner for Breagle was Roz Cannon who won to 16 against Hilary Kermode. Currently occupying second place Ballaugh A were the away team in their home derby with the B team winning 8-1 and dropping only six points with six of their ladies winning to single figures. Sole winner for the B team was Karen Young who won to 15 against Lola Tebay with Gail Curphey just missing out on another win for the B ladies when she lost to 17 against Christine McDonald. Another strong home performance was by Breagle Glen A who won 6-3 against Castletown B with Katy Williams and Margie Tasker winning to single figures for Breagle. Town’s Debra Cooper had a good battle with Anita Roberts before crossing the line 21-20. Marown A visited Peel coming away with a solid 7-2 win with Lynda Cadamy and Lyn Bolton for the Crosby ladies and Emilie Moss for the Peel ladies winning their games to single figures. A close game resulted in a 21-18 win for Peel’s Diane Flemming against Rebekah Kelly. Douglas visited neighbours Nobles winning the match 6-3. Graiagh Smith, Paula Garrett and Erin Quayle all won to single figures for the Villa ladies as did Joanne Kelly for Nobles. The closest game saw Mel Molesworth for Douglas just pip Marilyn Ellison to the post 21-20. South Ramsey visited neighbours Mooragh Park coming away with a 5-4 win with South’s Gill Dixon and Fiona Kennish plus Janet Monk for Mooragh winning to single figures. A nip and tuck game saw Mooragh’s Madison McMullan cross the line 21-18 against Joyce Ogden.
Rearranged result from fixture 20 between Marown A at home to Douglas was played on Thursday 14th August. Marown won 8 games to 1 with five of their wins being won to single figures. Sole winner for Douglas was Paula Garrett who also won to single figures.
Rearranged result from fixture 24 between Marown A and B was played on Friday 15th August resulting in another 8-1 win for the A team dropping only two points with five of the A ladies winning to single figures. Sole winner for the B team was Charlotte Clarke who won to 19 against Helen Withers.
Last of league fixtures is due to be played on Friday night. Castletown A are currently top of the table, but with Marown A still having a rearranged match to play, technically the top places are still up for grabs – watch this space!!
Ladies Over 60’s 2025 League Season Closes
Ladies Over 60’s League: The final fixture of the Ladies Over 60s league was played last Thursday morning in glorious weather. First of the matches saw Ballaugh A play neighbours South Ramsey A at home. The Ballaugh ladies were too strong for the South ladies winning the match 4-2 (119-79) with Julie Reilly and Barbara Graham winning their games to single figures for Ballaugh. Two winners for South were Joyce Ogden and Judy Kelly who won to 18 and 17 respectively against Michele Cubbon and Christine McDonald. Marown A hosted Castletown B and although the matched finished three all, the Crosby ladies won by five points (102-97) with Lyn Bolton for Marown and Judith Moore for the visitors winning their games to single figures. Closest games saw Linda Dobinson for Castletown cross the line 21-19 against Gill Christian and Elaine Dewhirst winning to 16 against Town’s Pat Rigby. Castletown A took on the Peel ladies at home winning the match 4-2 (118-88) with Kath Kinley for Town being the only player to win her game to single figures. Three games finished 21-17; three ladies being the two winners for Peel, Mary Moffatt and Joyce Kelly plus Sue Wilshaw for Castletown. Onchan travelled south to Breagle Glen B coming away winning 4-2 and by nine points (109-100) with all games going into double figures. Game of the match was between Breagle’s Chris Holland and Maureen Payne with Maureen just edging home 21-20. Breagle Glen A visited Finch Hill winning 4-2 (105-86) although this match could have finished three all as Sue Caley just missed when she lost 21-20 to Breagle’s Pauline Worrall. Trish Bull and Margie Tasker both won to single figures for Breagle, as did Brenda Williams for Finch. Finch’s other winner Wendy Cowin won to 14 against Angela Bennett. Mooragh Park B played Breagle Glen C at home losing the match 4-2 but winning on points due to the Breagle ladies being a player short. Dot Mylchreest for the southern ladies had a tough battle with Mary Bruce eventually getting the point she needed to win 21-20. Ballaugh B made the short distance to South Ramsey B and although the Ballaugh ladies lost the game 4-2, they won on points helped by Gail Curphey and Brenda Clayton winning to single figures. Jane Teare for Ballaugh just missed out making the score line three all when she lost to 18 to Anne Buck. The Nobles ladies finished the season off securing the top spot with a solid 5-1 win (111-79) at home to Mooragh Park A. Lone winner for Mooragh and stopping the whitewash was Janet Monk who won to single figures as did Jo Smith and Sue Gawne for Nobles.
Over 60’s League Winners: 1) Nobles on 3,492; 2) Castletown 3,372; 3) Breagle Glen A 3,343 and 4) Ballaugh A just three points behind on 3,340 points!
Ladies Over 60’s merit title: The merit was won by Janet Monk (Mooragh Park) who finished only one point ahead of Kath Kinley (Castletown) with third placed Joyce Ogden (South Ramsey).
Many congratulations to Nobles on their second consecutive league title and also to Janet on winning the merit title for the third consecutive time – a great feat indeed!
JMS Veterans Shield: Preliminary round matches are due to be played on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th September.
Janet Is ‘Top Dog’
Report on the Posh Paws of Peel Open Ladies Competition held at Peel on Saturday 16th August 2025.
The original date set was for Saturday 30th August, but unfortunately approximately 1,000 Tyrannosaurus Rex’s were to descend on Peel that same day! A charity Run/Walk! Hence the revised date!
There were 14 entries. The scene was set, 3 jacks out, blistering heat, and ladies eager to get on the green! Janet Monk and Shannon McMullan were first off , with Joyce Kelly and Jackie Murley, Grayse Blencoe and Ann Venables following. Blencoe was on fine form and had a convincing win 21-13. Kelly and Murley battled it out with Kelly winning 21-20 and Monk came through to win 21-13. Caroline Whitehead and Shirley Corrin both had byes. Gill Dixon and her teammate Kim Hargraves also had a tough game with Hargraves eventually winning to 21-19. Lynda Wilson and Louise Tebay were next, with a convincing win to Wilson 21-11 our last pair, teammates Val Allwood and Gill Clarke, with Clarke racing ahead to win 21-15.
Into the quarter finals Monk, Blencoe, Hargraves and Clarke all made it to the semi-finals. Monk again had to play against another or her teammates Grayse Blencoe, who played extremely well throughout the competition, but Monk put and end to Grayse success with a score of 21-10. Hargraves versus Clarke ended with Kim winning 21-10.
Now to the final, Janet Monk and Kim Hargraves, Janet was on top form and was accurate with every bowl leaving Kim on the defence and struggled to win the jack back. There were some close ends but Monk came out as winner 21-10.
It was a wonderful afternoon of excellent bowling played under clear blue skies and wall to wall sunshine. Peel Sunset BC Secretary, Lynda Wilson, presented the Trophy and thanked the sponsors Posh Paws of Peel for their generous sponsorship.
Seventh Heaven for Town Ladies
Jean Kelly Memorial Shield Winners 2025 - Castletown A
Photo: Alison KearsleyThe Jean Kelly Knockout final was played on a sunny Friday evening at Onchan Bowling Club. The final was between Castletown A with a handicap of +10 and Ballaugh A with a handicap of +28. With only 18 points difference; a good crowd in attendance and great support for both teams, a highly contested night of bowls was anticipated. First jack on the green saw Kath Kinley for Castletown play Sherriee Pedley; unfortunately for Sherriee, Kath continued with her on-form performance winning to 7. Second jack was between Ballaugh’s Christine McDonald against Kim Foy – lead was to and fro all through the game with Christine eventually crossing the line 21-18. Third jack pitted Ballaugh’s Barbara Graham against Town’s Captain, Hannah Drewett. Unfortunately for Hannah, Barbara got the bit between her teeth and not looking back won 21-7. Fourth jack was between Town’s Tracy Moore and Lola Tebay – this game could have gone either way as both ladies were leading well, but with a push at the end, Tracy won 21-19. Fifth jack saw Ballaugh’s Caroline Parker take on Hilary Kermode – again this was another close game with Hilary eventually crossing the line 21-18. So at the halfway stage Castletown were winning 3-2 on games, but more importantly had clawed back some of the points deficit and including the handicaps, were only 8 behind Ballaugh.
With the tension being felt around the green, the sixth jack saw Town’s Stella Watterson take on Elena Dimsdale, but with a strong performance and not giving Elena a look in, Stella ran out to win 21-4. Seventh jack saw Ballaugh’s Captain, Louise Tebay, hit back to give Ballaugh a fighting chance with a convincing 21-11 win against Kellie Maddrell. The penultimate game saw a determined Ali Kearsley take control of her game winning 21-7 against Ballaugh’s Michele Cubbon. Last on the green was Chris Price for the Castletown ladies who sealed Ballaugh’s fate with a good 21-14 win against Maria Dimsdale. This was Town’s seventh win in this competition.
Final Result (including handicaps) – Castletown 172 (6 games) Ballaugh 160 (3 games)
Congratulations to Castletown on their win and to the Ballaugh ladies, as all the ladies played really well and some of the results didn’t reflect the high standard of bowls. Spectators and supporters were treated to a great night of bowls.
The presentation was made by Carolyn Kelly, on behalf the Kelly Family, thanked Onchan for the use of their green, congratulating all the players saying her Mum and Dad would have been immensely proud to have watched the match, and to the family for providing the superb buffet before calling up the Captains to present the prizes to their teams. Carolyn then presented the shield to Hannah, Captain of Castletown, who thanked the Kelly family for their continued sponsorship and support of the competition; congratulating her team on their performance and thanking the Ballaugh ladies for a hard fought match.
| Ballaugh A | Handicap | Score | Castletown A | Handicap | Score |
| Sherry Pedley | 7 | 7 | Kath Kinley | 0 | 21 |
| Christine McDonald | 2 | 21 | Kim Foy | 2 | 18 |
| Barbara Graham | 2 | 21 | Hannah Drewett | 2 | 7 |
| Lola Tebay | 5 | 19 | Tracy Moore | 1 | 21 |
| Caroline Parker | 2 | 18 | Hilary Kermode | 1 | 21 |
| Elena Dimsdale | 5 | 4 | Stella Watterson | 1 | 21 |
| Louise Tebay | 1 | 21 | Kellie Maddrell | 0 | 11 |
| Michele Cubbon | 3 | 7 | Alison Kearlsey | 2 | 21 |
| Maria Dimsdale | 1 | 14 | Chris Price | 1 | 21 |
| 3 Games Won | 28 | 160 | 6 Games Won | 10 | 172 |
Nobles Retain Association Plate
Ladies Association Plate Winners 2025 - Nobles
Photo: Glynn HargravesPlate Knockout: The Association Plate knockout was played on Thursday night in warm weather at Ballaugh Bowling green between Nobles and South Ramsey with good support from supporters and spectators. There was only an eight point handicap difference between the teams as Nobles were off +29 and South +21 so points, not games, won would be the order of the night and this proved the case. First five jacks off the green saw South Ramsey come out of the starting blocks winning 4-1 on games and giving them a halfway lead of 21 points (not including handicaps) as South players Lauren Groen won 21-13 against Jo Kelly; Joyce Ogden 21-13 against Sylvia Kennaugh; Gillian Jopson 21-14 against Marilyn Ellison; Gill Dixon 21-19 against Paula Firth whilst Kim Hargraves lost to 17 against Colese Creer for Nobles. But, as we all know, a match can be turned round and this is exactly what happened. Tina Hampson for Nobles was first off the green with a comfortable 21-9 win against Lorraine Moore. Next jack off saw a solid 21-12 win for South’s Fiona Kennish against Libbi Andrade. At this stage, Nobles had reduced the deficit to 10 points. The final two jacks on the green saw Nobles Sue Gawne put in a strong performance winning to 9 against Judy Kelly and Jo Smith win 21-18 after a nip and tuck game with Sue Collier. At the conclusion, although South won 6-3 on games they lost on points – As they say, points make prizes!
Final results (including handicaps) Nobles 184 – South Ramsey 179 (3 games to 6)
Many congratulations to the Nobles ladies on retaining the trophy, and to all the lady bowlers for treating the spectators and supporters to some great bowling and for an exciting end to the competition.
The presentation was made by Chris Holland, Ladies Association Competition Secretary. On receiving the trophy, Lisa Bradshaw, Captain of Nobles, thanked Ballaugh for hosting the competition and to Chris for the smooth running of the competition. She offered heartfelt commiserations to South Ramsey before saying how proud she was of her team on their performance.
Kath Kinley Wins Ladies Over 60’s Manx Championship for Second Time
Ladies Over 60’s Manx Champion 2025 - Kath Kinley
Photo: Hilary KermodeLadies Association Over 60s Manx Championships: On an extremely warm and sunny day, the Over 60’s ladies Manx Championship was held at Marown Bowling Club attracting an entry of 31 ladies.
Getting through to the semi-finals were Lyn Bolton (Marown) who won to 16 against Janet Monk from Mooragh Park; Sue Gawne (Nobles) who won 21-2 against stablemate Paula Firth; Judy Kelly (South Ramsey) who won 21-12 against Marown’s Celia Joughin, and Kath Kinley (Castletown) who won to 15 against Paula Garrett from Nobles.
The semi-finals saw Lyn playing Sue with Kath playing Judy. Both semi-finals were well contested affairs with the lead changing several times in both games. With good bowls from Lyn and Kath on the last two ends of their games, they both ran out to win 21-18.
With no relent in the heat both ladies played exceptionally well in the final, but with the bit between her teeth and not giving Lyn a look in, Kath won 21-6 to take the title for a second time, the first being in 2023.
The presentation of the trophy was made by Janet Shilling, Ladies Treasurer, who thanked Marown for hosting the competition and providing excellent refreshments throughout the day, to Chris Holland and her team for the smooth running of the competition, to Elaine Moore for sponsoring the event and to Kath and Lyn for a great final before presenting Kath with the trophy. Many congratulations to Kath and all the ladies who played – water was certainly the drink of the day!!
Janet Monk Wins Ladies IOM Merit Title
IOM Merit Winner 2025 - Janet Monk with Lacey McMullan
Photo: Denise HoriskLadies Association Isle of Man Merit competition: The ladies IOM merit competition was played on Sunday 10 August on Nobles Bowling green attracting an entry of 20 ladies.
Winning their quarter finals and going through to the semis were Janet Monk (Mooragh Park) who won to 14 against Castletown’s Stella Watterson; Caroline Whitehead (Breagle Glen) who won to 11 against Ballaugh’s Sherriee Pedley; Kim Hargraves (South Ramsey) who won to 5 against Sylvia Kennaugh from Nobles, and Lacey McMullan (Mooragh Park) who won to 18 against her sister Bailey.
The semi-finals saw Janet and Lacey put in strong performances winning to 12 and 8 against Caroline and Kim respectively resulting in a stablemate final.
Despite playing some excellent bowls during the final and throughout the day, Lacey couldn’t quite get the better of an on-form Janet, with Janet winning the competition 21-11.
Many congratulations to Janet on her well deserved win. Thanks must go to Nobles Bowling Club for the use of their green and providing much needed refreshments throughout the afternoon and to Chris Holland and her team for the smooth running of the competition.
Nobles Ladies Win Over 60’s League for Second Consecutive Year
Ladies Over 60’s league: On Tuesday morning, 5 August, three 6-0 wins were recorded – first of these was by Nobles at home to South Ramsey B. Closest game of the match was between Paula Firth for Nobles against Anne Buck with Paula crossing the line 21-14. Second 6-0 win was by Peel away to Mooragh Park B; like the match above closest game resulted in a 21-14 win for Mary Moffatt against Mary Bruce. Third 6-0 win was scored by South Ramsey A at home to a two player short Breagle Glen C. Sue Inch for Breagle didn’t quite get over the line losing to 15 against Jill Quayle. Breagle Glen B put in a good home performance winning 5-1 against Ballaugh B. Stopping the whitewash was Brenda Clayton who won 21-18 against Joan Ryder. Another strong 5-1 home performance was by Marown A against Mooragh Park A. Sole winner for Mooragh was Janet Monk who won to 13 against Lynda Cadamy. A third solid 5-1 home win was scored by Finch Hill against Castletown B. Preventing a full house was Susan Kerruish who won to 7 against Angela Crellin. Elaine McElroy and Marie Ashurst nearly made the score line three all when they lost to 19 and 18 respectively. Ballaugh A hosted Breagle Glen A winning the match 4-2 with Ballaugh’s Julie Reilly winning to single figures. Two winners for Breagle were Margie Tasker and Trish Bull who won to 18 and 17. Castletown A were at home to Onchan and although the match finished three all, Onchan won by twenty points helped by Sue McCourt, Pauline Cowley and Jane Lothian all winning to single figures. Two close games saw Town’s Sue Wilshaw and Jenny Saunders both win to 18 against Anne Bannan and Maureen Payne.
The penultimate fixture of the season was played on Thursday morning which again saw three 6-0 score lines. First of these was by Peel at home to Finch Hill with Mary Moffatt and Gill Clarke for the Peel ladies winning to single figures. Closest game resulted in a 21-18 win for Shirley Corrin against Wendy Cowin. Second 6-0 win was by Nobles away to Ballaugh B – all games apart from one were won to single figures with Carol Holt losing to10 against Dee Lewis. Third 6-0 win was by Castletown A who were the away team in the home derby against their B team. Sheila Preston and Marie Ashurst battled hard before losing to 16 and 17 against Sue Wilshaw and Jenny Saunders. Marown were away to Onchan winning the match 4-2 with two of the Crosby ladies and one of Onchan’s ladies winning to single figures. Closest games resulted in 21-13 wins for Onchan’s Jane Lothian and Marown’s Elaine Dewhirst. Mooragh Park A also won 4-2 at home to Breagle Glen B. Two winners for Breagle were Voirrey Curphey and Jacqui Elliot who won to 14 and 18. Home derby between South Ramsey B and A saw the A team winning 5-1. Stopping the B team’s blushes was Jackie Murley who won to 16 against Lorraine Moore. Breagle Glen A also won 5-1 at home to Mooragh Park B dropping only two points. Peggy Freeman was the lone winner for Mooragh winning to 19 against Win Collister. Friday morning saw Ballaugh A win 5-1 away to a one player short Breagle Glen C. Preventing a full house was Gwen Tuck who won to 15 against Beryl Bridson.
With only one fixture left to play current top of the table Nobles cannot be caught, but the second, third and fourth places are still up for grabs. Many congratulations to the Nobles ladies on winning the league for the second consecutive season.