Noble’s Bowling Club hosted a men’s pairs on a sunny Saturday afternoon with a strong entry of 32 pairs competing for the trophy.

The quarter finals saw Onchan’s Neil Dunwell and Mike Thomas bow out to Ballaugh’s Mike Spooner and Mark Dimsdale 15-21, Mark Bradshaw (Noble’s) and Roy Moore (Finch Hill) were defeated 9-21 by Dave McCabe (Douglas) and visiting bowler Jamie Box. In the other half of the draw Steve Hampson (Noble’s) and Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) ended the run of home greeners Michale Johnson and Ciaran Broad with a 21-11 win, whilst Dean Kinley (Castletown) and Sam Clague (Marown) finished strongly to see off South Ramsey’s Greg Barlow and James Teare 21-16.

The semi-finals saw Kinley and Clague come through a tough test from Hampson and Quayle as the former won 21-17, whilst Spooner and Dimsdale agonisingly lost out 20-21 to McCabe and Box.

The final saw McCabe and Box win more ends than their opponents, however with seven singles and just one double scored, their opponents scored heavily in the seven ends that they scored with two singles, three doubles, a four and a brilliant three on the final end Clague and Kinley to take a 21-15 victory.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Tina Hampson, who thanked Celton Manx for sponsoring the competition.

Another round of fixtures took place across all three divisions this week in the Canada Life International sponsored bowling leagues.

In Division One it was very much a case of as you were at the end of the week, however the lead did change hands briefly as Marown A picked up their first 10-0 win of the season as they beat Douglas A at Crosby to hit top spot. Three single figure wins were claimed by Paul Dunn who beat Merv Sayle 21-6, John Gelling won 21-7 against Mark Kneen, whilst Glenn Boland beat Keith Rise 21-8. The highest scorer for the visitors was Gordon Wynne-Smythe who lost 16-21 to Peter Jones.

South Ramsey A had their toughest test of the season as they faced Onchan A at the Park. After a tough game the reigning league champions came away with a 4-6 win, with the visitors claiming the aggregate by just five chalks (140-145). First league defeats of the season were inflicted on the four losers for South Ramsey as Alan Moore lost 12-21 to Phil Kerruish, Bob Clark was beaten 16-21 by Matthew Quirk, David Bradford lost to the same score to Kevin Quirk, whilst Jordan Cain was defeated 17-21 by Peter Slinger. Winning for the visitors were South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves who won convincingly 21-10 against Reg Temporaza, James Teare beat Jamie Clague 21-12, Peter Collister recovered from a 7-14 deficit to run out with a 21-14 win over Neil Dunwell, whilst Stefan Kelly held his nerve to win 21-20 against Will Penhallurick to reverse last season’s score line.

Elsewhere on Monday evening North Ramsey A claimed their biggest victory of the season beat Port St Mary A 9-1 at Mooragh Park, Peel A got the better of Marown B 8-2 in the Sunset City, whilst South Ramsey B claimed a vital 7-3 home win against fellow strugglers Castletown A.

On Friday evening the clash of the season took place with South Ramsey A hosting Marown A on a tricky green. The home team made home advantage count early as South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves claimed a resounding 21-4 win over Glenn Boland, whilst Bob Clark showed no mercy to Paul Kelly as he matched his captains score to put the home team 2-0 up and leading by 34 chalks. David Bradford was next off with a 21-20 victory over Phil Kelly, with the former recovering from an 8-14 deficit to sneak home. With Peter Jones missing due to injury standing in for Marown was Tom Kelly who recovered from 10-15 and 14-18 behind to win 21-19 against Peter Collister.

In the second half of the match Marown captain Paul Dunn performed well against James Teare as he won 21-10. Tony Dugdale who was filling in for Jordan Cain performed brilliantly to beat Neil Withers 21-13, Colin Kelly was always in control with his 21-9 victory over Alan Moore, whilst Stefan Kelly had to dig deep for the second time this week as he got home 21-18 against John Gelling to secure a 7-3 home win and with it restore the three-point lead at the top of the table for South Ramsey.

Castletown A stayed firmly rooted to the bottom of the table following a 2-8 home defeat to Onchan A, with Jordan Drewett and David Quayle the two winners for the Town men.

Elsewhere on Friday evening Douglas A won 8-2 at home to Marown C, with Ian Moore returning following a shoulder injury to beat Andy Kennish 21-20 who was making his first night league appearance of the season, North Ramsey A continue to climb the table thanks to a 2-8 victory over Peel B, Peel A came away from Breagle Glen with a 4-6 victory over Port St Mary A by just three chalks (139-142), whilst Marown B won 7-3 at home to South Ramsey B.

In Division Two Ballaugh A hit top spot again thanks to a strong week with an 8-2 win over Noble’s A, then bettered that result with a 9-1 home win over Onchan C as the visitors scored just 68 chalks, explained by the Onchan men being three players short on the night. Ballaugh man Steven Grant leads the way in the individual merit with eight wins from eight games played.

Castletown B will be pleased with their weeks work as they beat South Ramsey C 8-2 at home on Monday evening keeping the visitors to 99 chalks as they claimed four single figure victories. The Town men won to the same score on Friday night as they beat Onchan B 2-8 away from home, with all players from both teams getting into double figures to sit on 56 points after eight games played.

Finch Hill A occupy third place despite losing 7-3 away to Douglas B at the start of the week, they bounced back to trounce Noble’s A 10-0.

Douglas B are by no means out of the race to get promoted as they followed up their victory at the start of the week with a 1-9 away victory over Noble’s B, with Juan Drinkwater the lone winner 21-16 against Andy Foster.

Ballaugh B lead the way by eight points in Division Three despite suffering a 4-6 home defeat to Douglas D, with two 7-21 defeats for the home team sealing their fate as they lost by nine chalks (127-136). The Ballaugh men bounced back on Thursday night with a 2-8 ‘away’ victory over their C Team.

Port St Mary B are making a decent attempt at going straight back up, as they won 8-2 at home to Peel D, then went one better in their next fixture as they won 1-9 at Crosby against Marown D with Junior Keggen winning 21-19 against Chris Williamson.

South Ramsey D are having one of their most impressive seasons to date, as they claimed back-to-back 8-2 victories, starting the week beating Noble’s D at home, then finishing the week with victory away to Peel D.

Noble’s D and Noble’s C clashed for the first time on Thursday evening, it was the D Team who took the spoils with a 7-3 win. For the D Terry Bates beat Steve Cain 21-14, Sam Colquitt held on to beat Lee Price 21-20, whilst Roy Moore beat Kevin Airey 21-1. Responding for the C Team were Andy Greggor who beat Andrew Bell 21-20, Lee Greggor beat Alex Colquitt 21-11, whilst Mike Caley won 21-14 against Kevin Moore.

In Canada Life International League Division One early pacesetters South Ramsey A faced their lower ranked B Team this week, with the higher ranked team winning 9-1 on the night. Winning comfortably to single figures were Glynn Hargraves, David Bradford, Bob Clark, and James Teare. Alan Moore was made to work for his 21-19 victory over Tony Dugdale. Preventing the whitewash for the B Team was Tony Hart who continued his good form to beat Stefan Kelly 21-17. Tougher tests come next week with Onchan A away on Monday night and Marown A at home on Friday evening.

Onchan A had tricky fixture against Douglas A, however the visitors came away with a 3-7 victory. The best winner for Onchan was Matthew Quirk, as he beat Gary Conwell 21-9. Comfortable wins were claimed by Kevin Quirk, Peter Slinger, and Reg Temporaza, whilst Jamie Clague impressed with a hard earned 21-19 win over Keith Rise. Winning for the home team were Andy Cannell, Mervin Sayle, and Gordon Wynne-Smythe with the latter edging home 21-19 against Mike Thomas.

Castletown A slumped to a 2-8 home defeat against Peel A at the Crofts. For the Town men captain Jordan Drewett beat Dean Kinley 21-16, whilst Nathan Cooil was in good form as he beat Andy Mackie 21-3. Suffering close defeats for the home team were Chris Lever 18-21 to Gary Smith, Mike Hargraves who lost out 19-21 to David Proctor, whilst Aaron Richardson also lost to the same score to George Gadsby.  For the visitors Tommy McMeiken was the best winner as he beat Nathan Hamilton 21-10, Peter Greenlees won 21-13 against Ron Williams, with international jetsetter Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly flying in to make a guest appearance as he beat David Quayle 21-14.

Peel B and Port St Mary A played out the closest contest of the night in the top tier as the Western men claimed a 7-3 home win, with just six chalks separating the teams (146-140). For the home team Colin Moore was the best winner as he beat Tim Williams 21-12, Pip Pemberton performed well to win 21-17 against Paul Skelly, whilst Dougie Allan beat Robbie Cooil 21-18 to earn his win. For the visitors Trevor Quayle won 21-10 against Peel captain Paul Quirk, whilst Dan McCabe beat Andrew Cover 21-17.

Marown B hosted North Ramsey A at Crosby with the home team winning 7-3 as they missed out on a full house by just six chalks as John Kelly lost 18-21 to John Cannan, Dean Kipling played his first game of the season to just lose out 20-21 to Rob Monk, whilst Brian Kelly also lost 20-21 to Paul Allison. Winning to single figures for Marown were Harry Barton and Walter McCarthy who beat Gary Merrill and Adrian Skinner respectively, whilst Karl Parker got home with a 21-18 win over Steve Walmsley.

On Tuesday night Marown C had the unenviable task of taking on their higher ranked A Team. The lower ranked side did manage to claim two wins on the night in their 2-8 defeat, with veteran Peter Kelly showing he hasn’t lost his touch as he beat Paul Kelly 21-4. Sam Clague was the second winner as he impressed with a 21-12 win over John Gelling. For the A Team Paul Dunn and Neil Withers won to single figures, Peter Jones managed to clawback a huge deficit to win 21-17 against Kevin Kelly, whilst Colin Kelly got the better of his son Tom Kelly with a 21-16 victory.

In Division Two Ballaugh A dropped from top spot to third place as they suffered a disastrous 4-6 home defeat to Douglas B losing out on the aggregate by nine chalks (121-130). For the visitors Nick Firth impressed with a 21-9 win over Nigel Tebay, Steve Cook also win to single figures as he beat john Keenan 21-8. For Ballaugh Steve Grant performed well to beat David Pease 21-6, Richard Hainge recovered from a slow start to beat Stuart Garrett 21-15, with captain Phil Quayle also winning to the same score against Paddy Murphy.

Finch Hill A took advantage of Ballaugh’s defeat as they won 3-7 away to Noble’s B to hit top spot. For the Finch men Dave McCabe was the only winner to single figures on the night, Paul Dougherty beat Graham Moore 21-18, whilst Pat Maher held his nerve to beat Stephen Corkill 21-20. For Noble’s Ciaran Broad won 21-16 against Tony Epifani, Phil Salmon won to the same score against Mark Taylor, whilst Michael Johnson won 21-13 against Dave Jones.

Castletown B missed an opportunity as they were well beaten 8-2 away to North Ramsey B. For the Town men Peter Oates won 21-16 against Adam Greenwood, whilst Ian Watson beat Lee Christian 21-18. For the home team Tony Smart was the best winner as he beat Derek Lewney 21-5, whilst Ray Skelly won 21-9 against George Peach.

South Ramsey C gave themselves some breathing space at the lower end of the table as they crushed Onchan C 10-0 at home keeping the visitors to just 89 chalks. Three single figure victories were claimed by Anthony Kelly, James Moore, and Jay Moore. Denis Maxwell came closest to picking up a point for the visitors, however Tony Marler managed to win 21-19.

Not to be outdone Port Erin A beat Peel C 10-0 at Breagle Glen, with two of their wins were hard earned as Ed Benson beat Jeff Wilson 21-19, and Steve Durcan just got the better of Kevin Mort 21-20. Single figure wins arrived from Derek Cadamy, Seamus Whelan, and Bernie Durcan.

Onchan B hosted Noble’s A with the home team getting the better of the visitors with an 8-2 win. Four single figures wins came from Sid McKnight, Steve Parker, Colin Spence, and Mike Alexander. Alex Yates responded for Noble’s with a 21-5 win over Bernie McPhee.

In Division Three league leaders Ballaugh B won five games away to Finch Hill B, as the visitors lost out by four chalks (137-133) to draw 5-5 on the night. Sam Stannard-Duke beat John Kneen 21-10, whilst Chris Wilson was the only single figure winner as he beat Richard Green 21-8. For Ballaugh Mike Buckeridge and Gary Griffiths won 21-17 against Peter Woods and Finch Hill captain Kevin Stannard respectively.

Peel D are ticking along nicely as they won 8-2 at home to Douglas C. For Peel Dewi Barlett had a debut to remember as he won 21-8 against John Ferguson to claim the team kitty. James Lee beat Ashley Halsall 21-19, whilst Charlie McMeiken won 21-18 against Trevor Latus. The two winners for the Villa men were John Harrison who beat William Quirk 21-14, whilst Greg Tomlinson beat Mike Ashmole 21-20.

South Ramsey D came away from Ballaugh C with a solid 2-8 victory. Greg Barlow continues to perform well as he beat Maurice O’Reilly 21-5, with the next best win coming from Junior bowler Ryan Hargraves who won 21-10. For Ballaugh Paul Cubbon won 21-4 against Chris Brown, whilst Steve Bassil beat Frank Feeney 21-17.

Port Erin B made the most of being able to field a full team as they drew 4-4 on games at home to Marown D, as they edged the all-important aggregate by just five chalks (141-136) to win 6-4. Alan Crebbin was the best winner for the Breagle men as he beat Keith Watterson 21-10, whilst Phil Dunn responded for Marown with a 21-7 win over Robert Woodford.

Noble’s D kept in touch at the top after seeing off Port St Mary B 7-3 at home, with all players from both teams reaching double figures, as the home team claimed the bonus points by eight chalks (144-136). Roy Moore had to scrap for his 21-20 win over Nicholas Peterson, whilst all of the visitors’ wins were all to a 21-13 score line from Mike Keggen, Peter Collins and Derek Cain.

Noble’s C continue to impress in their debut season, despite missing their captain Steve Cain this week as they took on Douglas D at the Villa, as the visitors came away with a 3-7 win. Winning for the Noble’s men were Lee Greggor, Lee Price, Dean Sowerby, Kevin Airey, and Andy Greggor, with Mike Caley just losing out 20-21 to Greg Brew, whilst Paul Moore was beaten 18-21 by James Teare.

The first Men’s singles open competition of the 2023 season took place at Ballaugh Bowling Club on Saturday, with some spare dates in the bowling calendar Ballaugh were the lucky recipients of the extra open. The competition attracted an entry of 43 on a good day, with the green running particularly well for the time of year.

The first two quarter finals had South Ramsey players progress to the next round as David Bradford came through 21-16 against Matthew Keggen (Marown). Also progressing was Bob Clark who ended the hopes of another Marown player, Brian Kelly with a 21-9 win.

In the bottom half of the draw Neil Withers overcame Marown clubmate Karl Parker 21-17 in a close game, whilst Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) held off Castletown man Nathan Hamilton 21-15.

In the semi-finals Clark was just too good for Bradford with the former running out with a 21-10 win to book his place in the final, whilst Neil Withers went one better as he beat Roberts 21-9 to claim his spot in the final.

The final got underway with Withers fully punishing Clark on the first end as the latter passed up the opportunity to make two as the Marown man played out Clark’s counting bowl, only for Clark to respond with a two. On the third end Clark once again didn’t make two, with Withers once again taking advantage to score a single and tie the game at 8-8.

Clark then got into his groove as he played brilliantly to pick up two singles then three consecutive doubles to shoot ahead 16-8 . Withers threatened a comeback as he jumped in on a poor lead from Clark the following end to claim a two, then started to work his way around the green scoring two more singles.

The South Ramsey man clicked back into gear pouncing on a poor lead from Withers, as Clark scored a single then made certain of the victory with two good ends to run out with a well-deserved 21-12 victory.

The presentation was made by competition organiser Gordie Moore, who thanked he club members for providing helpers and refreshments throughout the day.

It was a return to action in Canada Life International League Division One this week, with Marown A hosting Peel B at Crosby. The visitors were impacted by players moving up to the A Team with players missing from both of Peel’s A & B Teams the Crosby men took full advantage winning 9-1, with Dougie Allan the hero or the villain on the night as he recovered from a 2-16 deficit to John Gelling to creep ahead 17-16, then gave away two successive singles to go behind 17-18, only for the Peel man to rally once more to run out with a 21-18 victory. Marown had four single figure winners and Paul Kelly was the lucky recipient of a walkover. The next closest Peel came to picking up another point was Jeff Wilson, who lost out 17-21 to Glenn Boland.

South Ramsey A maintained their two-point lead at the top of the table courtesy of a 1-9 away win over a hugely understrength Peel A. Preventing a home whitewash was Peter Greenlees who performed well to defeat Stefan Kelly 21-9, whilst Stevie Kelly lost out 17-21 to James Teare. For the visitors Bob Clark and Glynn Hargraves won to single figures against Rob Middleton and Andrew Cover respectively, with the rest of the wins for South Ramsey in the low double figures.

Third placed Onchan A are already 15 points behind second placed Marown A after just five games following their 8-2 home win over Marown C. Winning for the visitors were Peter Kelly who beat Mike Kelly 21-17, while Tom Kelly beat Steve Parker 21-10. The next two closest to picking up points for the Marown men were Sam Clague who lost out 19-21 to Phil Kerruish and Conor Keenan who was beaten 17-21 by Kevin Quirk.

South Ramsey B stepped out of the bottom two following their first win of the season after they beat Douglas A 7-3 at home. Toby Hart was the best winner on the night as he beat Ian Moore 21-6, Toby’s brother Austin won 21-15 against Merv Sayle and Dad Tony beat Jimmy Sansom 21-17. For the Villa men Gary Conwell continues to impress with a 21-7 win over Eddie Carlyle, Andy Cannell beat Frank Watson 21-15, while Shaun Seal ensured it wasn’t a heavier defeat with his 21-20 win over Christian Caley.

Port St Mary A and Marown B played out the closest match in Division One as they drew 4-4 on games with the visitors edging the chalks by a single point (137-138) to win 4-6. There were just two single figure wins with Trevor Quayle beating Darren Kerruish 21-7, while Harry Barton hit back for Marown with a 21-8 win over Tim Williams. Paul Skelly is getting back to winning ways thanks to his 21-19 win over Brian Kelly, whilst Juan Killip managed to see of Port St Mary captain Wayne Roberts 21-17.

North Ramsey A remain in bottom place despite claiming up their first win of the season as they beat Castletown A 8-2. Allan Callow picked up his first ever 21-0 victory in Division One as he beat Alan Phair, Rob Monk won 21-7 against Aaron Richardson, whilst Steve Walmsley and Steven Waters both won 21-17 against Chris Lever and Nathan Cooil respectively. Winning for the visitors were Nathan Hamilton who beat John Cannan 21-15, whilst Town captain Jordan Drewett beat Adrian Skinner 21-17.

In Division Two Castletown B hit top spot following their 7-3 home win over local rivals Port Erin A with Collin Holland winning 21-7 against Steve Durcan. Junior bowler Sam Quayle continues to impress with a 21-8 win over Derek Cadamy, whilst John Matheson just edged home 21-20 against Ed Benson. For the Breagle men the evergreen Derek Allen was the best winner with a 21-14 win over George Peach, Ken Horsley beat Derek Lewney 21-18, whilst Harry Minor held off Ian Watson 21-19.

Finch Hill A closed the gap on their opponents on the night Ballaugh A to just one point after they made home advantage count with an 8-2 victory. For the Finch men Paul Dougherty was the best winner as he beat Mike Spooner 21-8, with Richard Hainge responding for the visitors with an even better 21-7 win over Dave Jones. Also winning for Ballaugh was Steve Grant who beat Tony Epifani 21-12.

Noble’s A hosted South Ramsey C with the home team taking apart the Ramsey men 9-1, with three single figure wins from Mark Quinn, Dave Naughton, and Alex Yates. Ian Moore was the lone winner for the visitors as he beat Martyn Hobson 21-16, Andy Morgan lost out 19-21 to Juan Qualtrough and Billy Blair was defeated 18-21 against John Andrew.

Douglas B are in the mix as they have some experienced bowlers turning out for them as they are in fourth place following their 8-2 home win over Onchan B. For the Villa men Stuart Garrett, Mark Kneen and Steve Cook all won to single figures, whilst Paddy Murphy beat Bernie McPhee 21-19. David Tait and Sid McKnight were the two winners for Onchan as they beat Alistair Lothian and David Pease respectively.

North Ramsey B had a better week as they came away from relegation rivals Onchan C with a 4-6 win, winning by a single chalk (128-129) despite suffering two single figure defeats. Winning for the visitors were Ray Skelly, Lee Christian, John Corteen and Brian Colquitt who was the only winner to single figures for the Mooragh men.

Peel C hosted Noble’s B on Tuesday evening, with the visitors coming away with an impressive 2-8 win they are looking well equipped to handle life in Division Two. Junior bowler Alex Hampson was the best winner for the visitors as he beat Bob Berry 21-7, whilst Paul Baker won 21-5 against Michael Cooper for Peel.

In Division Three Ballaugh B continue to set the pace at the top as they are 10 points ahead of their nearest rivals following their 9-1 home win over bottom team Port Erin B. Gary Griffiths was the best winner for the home team as he beat Robert Woodford 21-2.

Port St Mary B hosted Ballaugh C at Breagle Glen with the home team winning 8-2. Peter Collins was the only single figure winner as he beat Tim Merriman.

The remaining four fixtures were all 6-4 wins for the home teams, with South Ramsey D seeing off Douglas D. For the home team winning to single figures were Greg Barlow, Geoff Collier, and Frank Feeney. Responding for the visitors Greg Brew beat Steve Kelly 21-7, whilst Bob Banning beat South Ramsey captain Franz ten Donkelaar 21-20.

Marown D hosted local rivals Peel D at Crosby with just eight chalks separating the teams after a 4-4 draw (136-128). For the Marown men Phil Dunn and Eddie Rough won to single figures whilst Junior bowler 11-year-old Bobby Kerruish played his first game of the 2023 season and had a night to remember thanks to his 21-20 win over Kevin Murray.

Nobles C won by 13 chalks (140-127) as they hosted Finch Hill B. For the home team Lee Greggor continued his fine start to bowls as he won 21-8 against John Smith, Lee Price beat Chris Thompson 21-10, a result matched by Steve Brennan who beat Guy Smith, whilst captain Seve Cain made it five wins from five games. For the visitors Sam Stannard-Duke won 21-6 against Kevin Airey, with Peter Smith and Sefton Dent just winning 21-19 against Paul Moore and Andy Greggor respectively.

Rounding off the fixtures for the week Douglas C beat Noble’s D at the Villa by 10 chalks (144-134). Greg Tomlinson beat Roy Moore 21-8, whilst David Caley just missed out 20-21 against Terry Bates. For the visitors Andrew Bell beat Tony King 21-19, Kevin Moore beat Rob Tomlinson 21-12, with Steve Colquitt the best winner for the visitors with a 21-9 victory over Trevor Latus.

The Rayner Shield has a new sponsor onboard this year with Plumbmaster taking over sponsorship of the Rayner Shield and Rayner Plate competitions. The Rayner Shield gives teams from the lower divisions the opportunity to test themselves against stronger teams, depending on how kind the draw was to them, however all the top teams went into the draw for the next round.

Early Division One league leaders and current Rayner Shield holders South Ramsey A won 8-0 at home to Finch Hill A. Just one of the visiting players got into double figures with Brian Murphy just losing 20-21 to Alan Moore.

The following evening Marown A had their second game of the season away to South Ramsey B, this time they went one better with an 0-8 away win. For the home team Austin Hart was the only man who failed to get into double figures as he had tough opposition in the form of Colin Kelly, whilst Bryan Corner was the highest scoring loser as he got to 17 against Glenn Boland.

Peel A made light work of second division team North Ramsey B in the Sunset City as they won 7-1 with the visitors scoring just 76 chalks. Ray Skelly caused an upset with his 21-16 win over George Gadsby to prevent the whitewash.

There were three close ties with the first being a 4-4 at Breagle Glen as Port Erin B lost by just three chalks (135-138) at home to Douglas B. The home teams cause was not helped by once again being a man short.

The second was between Marown B and Onchan A at Crosby with another 4-4 being settled on chalks (145-148) as Onchan edged it on the night. Home captain Darren Kerruish edged his game 21-20 against his Uncle Phil Kerruish, whilst John Kelly beat Mike Thomas 21-19.

The final close encounter was between third division teams Douglas C and Finch Hill B at the Villa, as the home team drew 4-4 and went into the draw for the next round as they won by five chalks (136-131).

Douglas A progressed to the next round courtesy of a 6-2 home win over Noble’s A with Merv Sayle winning 21-1 against John Andrew. For the visitors Alex Yates beat Ian Moore 21-19, whilst Dave Naughton won 21-14 against Mark Kneen.

Castletown A beat fellow first division team Peel B 7-1 at the Crofts, with three single figure wins for Ron Williams, Nathan Cooil and Nathan Hamilton. The Town also had a rare guest appearance from 81-year-old Mike Hargraves who beat Dave Smith 21-18. Preventing the whitewash was Paul Quirk who beat David Quayle 21-19.

Marown D welcomed Noble’s B to Crosby, with the visitors (pictured) coming away with a solid 2-6 victory. For Noble’s Junior bowler Alex Hampson won 21-16 against Eddie Rough, Stephen Corkill won 21-7 against Andy Sykes, whilst James Kelly stormed home 21-4 against Barry Salmon for the Crosby men.

First division side Port St Mary A came away from Ballaugh B who ply their trade in Division Three with a 3-5 win, helped by single figure wins from Wayne Roberts, Dan McCabe, and Trevor Quayle.

North Ramsey A came away from their game with a hard earned 3-5 away win over Onchan B, helped by Paul Allison who beat Mike Kelly 21-19 and John Cannan who won 21-20 against Paul Clinton. Impressing for the home team were Sid McKnight, Mike Alexander and Colin Spence who beat Gary Merrill, Rob Monk, and Allan Callow respectively.

Peel C made home advantage count as they played out a 4-4 draw with Onchan C, as they won by 17 chalks (146-129).

Castletown B keep visitors Ballaugh C under 100 chalks with their 6-2 home win (131-91), with single figure wins from Ross Moore, Derek Lewney, and Junior Sam Quayle with the latter winning 21-2 to take the team ‘kitty’ home.

On Wednesday night South Ramsey C came away from their visit to Peel as they took on the D Team, with a 3-5 victory. For the Peel men James Lee and Andy Jackson bot won 21-8 against Ian Moore and Anthony Kelly respectively.

Third division side South Ramsey D hosted first division side Marown C, with the home team performing well as they reached over 100 chalks in their 1-7 home defeat (102-166). Greg Barlow was the lone winner for South Ramsey beating Jamie Joughin 21-19 as he continues to impress having only taken up the game late last season.

Losers in the preliminary round and first round go into the Rayner Plate competition with handicaps awarded based on league position.

Just one Canada Life International league tie took place this week with the postponed South Ramsey C v Ballaugh A fixture taking place. The visitors will have been delighted with their 2-8 away win but will have left with regrets over not picking up a 0-10 win as they hit top spot by two points. Anthony Kelly held off Mike Spooner 21-18, whilst Ian Moore won to the same score against John Keenan. The battle of the captains was won by Phil Quayle who beat David Corkill 21-13, Steve Grant won 21-11 against Jay Moore, whilst Steve’s son Patrick beat Andy Morgan 21-12.

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted their Men’s pairs competition sponsored by Gerry Maginn Painters & Decorators on Sunday attracting 25 pairs to compete for the trophy. The competition was played on Noble’s Two green, with the Ladies playing their competition on the top green.

Losing out at the quarter finals stage were Marown pair Phil Kelly and John Gelling, who were on the end of an upset to Noble’s pair Lee Price and Steve Cain 19-21. Onchan’s Kevin Quirk and Steve parker got the better of Marown’s Sid Bolton and Walter McCarthy 21-15.

Paul Dunn and Stephen Rundle (both Marown) got the better of Phil Dunn (Marown) and Paul Clinton (Onchan) 21-18 in a close game, whilst another Marown pairing Glenn Boland and Peter Jones had a comfortable 21-14 win against South Ramsey’s David Bradford and Glynn Hargraves.

In the semi-finals the new bowlers Price and Cain went one step further as they reached their first final, with Cain only taking up the game last season, whilst Price only took the game up four weeks ago, he has clearly got the ‘bug’ as they ended the challenge of Quirk and Parker 21-16.

In the other semi-final it looked like the game was heading in favour of Boland Jones who had built up a five point lead at 18-13. Rundle and Dunn responded with four successive scoring ends taking a double, a four and two singles to book their place in the final.

The final looked like it could be a close affair after the early ends with Price and Cain playing well as a pair they led 10-9 after five ends, however Rundle and Dunn soon hit their stride as they finished the game in just 10 ends scoring three trebles, a four and two singles to take a comfortable 21-10 victory with Rundle claiming his first success in an Open competition. Price and Cain can certainly hold their heads high, as they weren’t given any start on their opponents in the competition and took out some good pairings along the way.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by Phil Salmon and Tina Hampson, with the latter thanking all the club members and anyone who had helped towards the smooth running of the competition, also giving thanks to the sponsors.

Tina then went on to say how thankful she was from everyone involved in bowls on the Isle of Man for the support they have given Noble’s as a club, as just over a year ago the club was on the brink, as they struggled to field a team to keep the club going. Now the club have four Men’s night league teams, a Ladies Team and Ladies Over 60’s Team, with the club getting a welcome influx of players which is testament to the efforts that have been made by the new members. It is certainly onwards and upwards for Noble’s Bowling Club.

Peel Bowling Club hosted the Lancaster Cup men’s doubles on a wet Saturday afternoon, with the extensive work undertaken over the winter resulting in a green with much better coverage than this time last season as 24 pairs entered the competition.

Falling at the quarter final stages were South Ramsey pair Alan Moore and Stefan Kelly 16-21 to Dean Kinley (Peel) and Nathan Hamilton (Castletown), whilst Glenn Boland and Peter Jones edged home 21-20 in an all Marown affair against Kevin Kelly and Tom Kelly.

Also progressing were Neil Withers and Paul Dunn (Marown) who won 21-15 against the home green pairing of Rob Middleton and Dave Smith, whilst South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves and Bob Clark beat Peel pair Tommy McMeiken and George Gadsby 21-18.

Reaching the end of the road at the semi-finals were Kinley and Hamilton who lost out 14-21 to Boland and Jones, whilst Hargraves and Clark were beaten 17-21 by Withers and Dunn.

The final which coincided with the best part of the day as the sun shone was another all Marown battle with Withers and Dunn taking the initiative early on to lead 10-4 after just four ends. Boland and Jones closed the deficit to just two chalks with 11 ends played the score was 10-12.

Hitting back to win four successive ends Withers and Dunn looked to have taken control of the game once more at 17-10, then got within touching distance to lead 20-15 only for Boland and Jones to score a single and double to leave the game finely poised at 18-20.

With Boland and Jones counting for two Jones tried to make a third only to unluckily knock in Withers short bowl for game. Withers and Dunn retained the title they picked up in 2021 as the competition was not played in 2022.

The presentation was made by Peel Bowling Club President Lynda Wilson, who thanked the sponsor David Lancaster Limited for their continued support, the team who have worked on the green over the winter after a tough 2022 season, those who helped run the competition and all the club members who had helped throughout the day.

The first double week of fixture took place across all three divisions this week in the Canada Life International sponsored bowling leagues.

In Division One Marown A kept in touch with early pacesetters South Ramsey A, as they came away from South Ramsey B with a 1-9 victory, with Tony Dugdale preventing the whitewash for the home team with a 21-13 win over Phil Kelly. Winning to single figures for the visitors were Paul Kelly, Colin Kelly, and Neil Withers.

On Wednesday evening Marown A hosted Onchan A at Crosby, with the home team claiming a solid 8-2 home win. Two single figures win arrived from Paul Kelly and Neil Withers, with a further three home victories being comfortable. Glenn Boland got win number six for Marown as he fought back from a 5-14 deficit to edge home 21-20 against Mike Thomas. For the visitors it was father and son who got the two wins as Kevin Quirk beat Phil Kelly 21-15, whilst his son Matthew turned his game around from a 9-16 deficit against Peter Jones to see the game out 21-18.

South Ramsey A made the trip to Breagle Glen as they took on Port St Mary A on Monday night. Winning for the home team were Wayne Roberts who beat Peter Collister 21-14, and Trevor Quayle who won 21-12 against James Teare. For the visitors Stefan Kelly got home 21-18 against Tim Williams, Glynn Hargraves won 21-17 against Dan McCabe with the latter battling back well from a 0-10 deficit. The last game on the green between David Bradford and Robbie Cooil was also 10-0 to the latter, with Bradford turning the game around to also win 21-17.

Match number four for South Ramsey A, who were at home to North Ramsey A was brought forward to the previous Friday due to Chas Grills’ funeral on the Wednesday. The home team claimed the first 10-0 win of the season in Division One. Single figures wins arrived from Stefan Kelly, Bob Clark, Peter Collister, and Glynn Hargraves. The highest scoring player for the visitors was Steve Walmsley who lost out 16-21 to Tony Dugdale.

Marown B slumped to a disappointing 3-7 home defeat against Castletown A on Monday, but bounced back two days later with a 3-7 away win over Peel B.

South Ramsey B had a better week as they had a tough looking trip to take on Onchan A, however they managed to take three games off the home team in their 3-7 defeat.

On Thursday evening South Ramsey B took on Marown C at Crosby, winning 5-3 on games in a battling performance with all five wins being close. Ben Dugdale ended up with the best win for the visitors with a 21-17 victory over Sam Clague, Bryan Corner beat James Kelly 21-18, Eddie Carlyle won 21-19 against Jamie Joughin, with the last two wins going to the wire 21-20 as Tony Hart and Toby Hart beat Steve Rough and Stephen Rundle respectively. For the home team Tom Kelly won 21-7 against Frank Watson, with the other two wins from Stuart Clague and Kevin Kelly ensuring the two-point aggregate went comfortably in the home teams’ favour (157-135).

Douglas A performed better on their travels this week, than they did at home as they had a comfortable 3-7 away win over North Ramsey A.

On Wednesday evening the Villa men hosted Peel A in a high scoring game on chalks (143-148). The visitors came away with a hard earned 4-6 victory.

Port Mary A made the short trip to the Crofts to take on Castletown A, with the visitors outperforming the home team to claim a 2-8 victory, as they bounced back from their defeat on Monday.

In Division Two Ballaugh A are well placed for a title charge, as they sit six points off top spot with a game in hand following their 9-1 home win against Onchan B, followed by a 3-7 away win against Noble’s B, as the visitors claimed two 21-20 wins from Steve Grant and Patrick Grant. Ballaugh will need to ensure they perform on their travels with their home form never in doubt, their away form will make or break their season.

Castletown B are the early frontrunners as they are top by five points, as they won both of their fixtures. The town men hosted Noble’s B on Monday evening winning 8-2, then came away from Peel C with the same result.

Leading the way are Finch Hill A who hosted South Ramsey C on Monday evening as the home team won 7-3. The match score was reversed on Wednesday as Finch Hill A took on Onchan B at the Park with the home team winning 7-3. For Finch Dave McCabe kept up his 100% winning record, as he is just one of seven men to win all their games this season.

Newly promoted North Ramsey B ended their run of three successive 1-9 away defeats, as they played their first home fixture of the season. The Mooragh men edged home 6-4 against Noble’s A. Just four chalks separated the teams (140-136) as the aggregate went in favour of the home team.

South Ramsey C made home advantage count on Thursday evening as they also picked up their first win of the season with a 7-3 home win over Douglas B. The two captains were drawn against each other as David Corkill took on Andy Foster with the former winning 21-8, which went a long way towards ensuring the home team won the aggregate (150-138).

In Division Three Ballaugh B lead the way as they are top by seven points with three of their players in the top four of the individual merit. The Ballaugh men started their week with a 2-8 away win over South Ramsey D, then won 9-1 at home to Noble’s C. Steve Cain prevented the whitewash as he kept up his 100% winning record with a 21-12 win over Stephen Swift.

Noble’s C picked up their first ever win on Tuesday evening as they welcomed Port Erin B. The visitors were once again unable to field a full team as they had to gift two walkovers to the home team who then had wins from Steve Brennan, Dean Sowerby and captain Steve Cain.

Noble’s D continue to be the surprise package as they sit in second place, following their 6-4 away defeat to Peel D. Interestingly a few players who were at Marown last season, and have since moved to Noble’s were part of the team that beat the Crosby men 6-4, with Junior bowlers and brothers Alex Colquitt and Sam Colquitt impressing with wins over Alan Gault and Stephen Storey respectively.

Castletown Bowling Club hosted the Charity Cringle Fours men’s open competition on Sunday attracting 16 pairs to compete for the trophy on a smooth surface.

The quarter finals had the last of the home greeners Collin Holland & Alan Phair losing 6-21 to South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves & Bob Clark, whilst another South Ramsey pair Alan Moore & James Teare beat Marown men Brian Kelly & James Kelly 21-13. In the other half of the draw Derek Allen (Port Erin) & Alec Taylor (Peel) were leading 16-11 only to lose 16-21 against Marown duo Juan Killip & Colin Kelly 16-21, whilst Steve & Bernie Duncan had their challenge ended by Kevin Firth (Douglas) & Frank Watson (South Ramsey) 18-21.

Both semi-finals finished at the same time with Killip & Kelly winning 21-15 against Firth & Watson, whilst Hargraves & Clark only won six ends as they had to battle to a 21-19 win over teammates Moore & Teare to reach the final.

The final was close early on with Killip and Kelly leading 12-11 against Hargraves & Clark after six ends. Five consecutive scoring ends from the Marown men, with both players heavily contributing put them in complete control of the game at 20-11.

An unlikely fightback got underway from the South Ramsey men with Clark pulling out great bowls in the corners over the next four ends to bring the score back to 17-20. On the next end the South Ramsey men picked up a single, then lay three on the following end only for Kelly to bowl a ‘saver’ to reduce the end to a single (19-20). Kelly repeated the trick on the following end as their opponents were counting two for game, with another single scored it tied the score at 20-20.

Further drama was witnessed on the deciding end as a decent lead was put up by Hargraves, only for Killip to play a great first bowl. This was beaten by Hargraves who sat out Killip’s bowl to again count one for game. Kelly’s once again played a great bowl to lie one for game. Clark played a reaching bowl, this resulted in the end being disturbed to give the South Ramsey men a fighting chance with a measure. The measure went in favour of the Crosby men who were understandably relieved to get over the line 21-20 in what turned out to be a great final. At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by competition secretary Kath Kinley, who thanked the club members for the smooth running of the competition & the ladies for the catering. Kath then announced that £234 had been raised for Manx Blind Welfare Society, also gave her thanks to Murray Cringle, son of long-term sponsor Noel Cringle who passed away two years ago. In his speech Killip thanked Castletown Bowling Club and expressed his delight at winning a competition once again after several years.