The Islands premier doubles competition the Plumbmaster Doubles Championship was held at Ballaugh Bowling Club on Saturday. The competition was played 21up off a handicap of +3 for all competitors. The event was well supported with 29 pairs entering in a bid to win the coveted title.

At the quarter final stage, home pairing Tim Merriman and Mike Spooner fell 7-21 to South Ramsey’s Jordan Cain and Glynn Hargraves, whilst Richard Blencoe and Steve Parker (North Ramsey/Onchan) lost out 9-21 to John Kennish and David Bradford (South Ramsey).

In the other half of the draw Barry MacDonald and Patrick Grant (Ballaugh) lost 12-21 to Peel pair Pip Pemberton and Peter Greenlees, whilst the current holders Paul Dunn and Neil Withers (Marown) had a tough battle with Brian Lindsay and Eddie Carlyle (Peel/South Ramsey), as the former eventually prevailed 21-18.

In the semi-finals Kennish and Bradford won comfortably 21-9 against clubmates Cain and Hargraves, whilst Dunn and Withers won 21-10 against Pemberton and Greenlees.

Kennish and Bradford won the first end in the final, then conceded seven consecutive ends and 12 chalks to trail 4-15, with Dunn and Withers playing a round peg mark off the edge of the crown. The comeback started as the South Ramsey pair scored six chalks on a longer length to work their way back in to the game to trail 10-15. A single stopped the rot for the Marown pair, however they then conceded a three with a loose end.

With the score now 13-16, on the following end Kennish and Bradford were counting for two, with Withers condemning his reaching bowl, only to somewhat fortuitously knock his short bowl onto the nearest counting bowl to pick up a single. Another single was scored by the Marown men, with the South Ramsey pair picking up two singles. The next end proved to be a game changer with Kennish and Bradford counting for three in the corners, as Withers changed his peg to play a reaching bowl and trailed the jack to count for two to go 20-15 ahead. A huge five point swing took place, as the score would have been 18-18 with jack in hand in the corners. A good single was scored on the next end to secure a fifth consecutive Doubles Championship for the Marown men.

The presentation was made by Competition Committee member Steve Moore, who thanked Ballaugh Bowling Club for providing refreshments throughout the day.

The 2024-night league season ended this week across all four divisions this week in the Canada Life International sponsored bowling leagues.

In Division One Marown A officially wrapped up their first league title since 2019 as they started the week eight points ahead. Securing the Warburton Trophy for the 14^th time was a formality, as they required only three points to ensure they brought the title home, they won comfortably 2-8 away to Castletown A.

The race for the Division One individual merit was a straight shootout between Marown teammates Paul Dunn and Colin Kelly, with the former having led the merit table for most of the season, a win would ensure an unbeaten season. Town man Dean Kinley turned in a superb performance to cruelly take away the individual merit as the Marown captain lost 20-21, to allow Colin Kelly to win the individual merit trophy. Also winning for Castletown was Andy Clark, who beat Dean Kipling 21-19.

South Ramsey A ended the season in second place with a 9-1 home win over Douglas A, with Mark Kneen preventing the whitewash with a 21-17 win over James Teare. The Ramsey men will no doubt lick their wounds over the winter as league defeats home and away to Marown A ultimately cost them.

Onchan A ended the season in third place, they won 6-4 at home to Peel A who finished in fourth spot, 10 points behind Onchan in a keenly contested match with just two chalks separating the sides (130-128),

Marown B jumped up two places to finish in fifth place, as they beat North Ramsey A 9-1 at home, with the captains battling it out with Rob Monk emerging with a 21-13 win over Juan Killip.

On Tuesday evening Marown C took on fellow strugglers Port St Mary A with the Crosby men picking up their fourth win of the season as they won 6-4, thanks to taking the aggregate by 15 chalks (137-122).

In Division Two there was little change at the top with South Ramsey B winning the league to lift the Rayner Cup despite suffering a 7-3 defeat away to Douglas B, as they look to make an immediate return to Division One.

Peel B were the other team that were in Division One last year, as they finished in second place following their 6-4 home win over fourth placed Onchan B, with the home team needing a 10-0 win to stand any realistic chance of being crowned league champions.

Ballaugh A claimed third place, coming away from Breagle Glen with a 3-7 win over Port Erin A, as they are likely to remain in Division Two, unless there is a restructuring of the leagues in 2025.

Finch Hill A finished in a mid-table spot following their 8-2 home win over Castletown B, with Noble’s A also winning to the same score at home to North Ramsey B. The Noble’s men finished safely outside the bottom two with the Mooragh men consigned to bottom spot.

Winning the Division Two individual merit with 15 wins from 18 games played was Finch Hill’s Stephen Oates, who made the most of South Ramsey’s Tony Dugdale missing a few games during the season, with Dugdale winning 14 games from 15 played.

The real drama proved to be in Division Three with all to play for between the Noble’s C and D teams who were vying for the title, with both teams facing tricky fixtures.

Noble’s C were leading the table going into the final round of fixtures, they were at home to Ballaugh B on Noble’s Two green, with the Noble’s men winning 6-4 on the night, taking the chalks by a comfortable 15 chalks (144-129).

Noble’s D took on clubmates Noble’s B on Noble’s One green, as the away side, with the lower ranked team playing their home fixtures on Noble’s Two. The D team, which is made up of Leeds fans, only took up the game at the start of 2023 put in a superb display to beat the higher ranked team 9-1 on their own turf.

This allowed them to leapfrog their C Team, ensured that next season they will plying their trade in Division Two next season. Having played the 2023 season as Noble’s C, this season they were Noble’s D, however in 2025 they will be Noble’s B due to their league position. The improvement out of all their players, will come from the time they put into their game, along with a group of mates who undoubtedly all want to out-compete each other – something which can’t be underestimated. I said at the end of last season in my final league report that they would be the team to watch out for, who would argue that in 2025 that they can’t finish above their A team, to then become Noble’s A in 2026? Watch this space…

South Ramsey C ended the season on a positive note to finish in third place on 103 points, albeit 11 points off second place following their 8-2 win at home to Port St Mary B.

Onchan C aren’t safe from relegation despite their 6-4 win at home to Peel C, with eight chalks separating the teams (146-138).

Elsewhere the bottom two clashed on Friday evening at Crosby as Marown D took on South Ramsey D. The Crosby men did what they had to do to go ahead of Onchan C and Port St Mary B as they needed to secure five points or more, they did this with some to spare with a 9-1 win to finish in 7th place.

Winning the Division Three individual merit despite missing three games was Peel man Andrew Cover with 15 wins from 15 games played.

Division Four had been dominated by Ballaugh C all season, however they suffered their first league defeat of the season at home to newly formed North Ramsey C 3-7. The Mooragh men are another team who have gelled well to finish in second place five points behind Ballaugh C. North needed to pull off a miracle with a 10-0 win to finish in top spot, however they can be proud of their efforts this season, ending the season with a win against the league champions.

Castletown C also ended the season on a positive note with an 8-2 win at home to Douglas D, as they look to the future with three junior bowlers featuring, along with two ‘older’ young lads as they look to kick on next season.

Peel D won 8-2 at home to Finch Hill B, with the result good enough for them to finish in fourth place one point ahead of Finch.

The first ever E team to feature in the league finished in a respectable sixth place with six wins from their 14 league games.

Winning the Division Four individual merit was North Ramsey C man Bryan Corner, with 13 wins from 14 games played.

The penultimate round of fixtures took place in Canada Life International League Division One this week as Marown A gained another point over second placed South Ramsey A as the Crosby men took on their B Team on Monday night. The A Team took home a 9-1 win over their B Team, as Brian Kelly was the only winner for the B with a 21-14 victory over Dean Kipling.

Douglas A slipped to a 3-7 home defeat to Onchan A, however Villa captain Mervin Sayle was one of the home team winners as he beat Matthew Quirk 21-15.

Peel A beat Castletown A 8-2 in the Sunset City, with Town man Dean Kinley returning to his former stomping ground as he beat Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly 21-19. Winning to the same score for the home team Gary Smith held off Nathan Hamilton.

On Tuesday evening South Ramsey A took on bottom side Marown C at Crosby, with the visitors claiming a 2-8 win. Winning for the home team were Sid Bolton, who beat Stefan Kelly 21-9 after trailing 1-7, whilst Marown captain Stevie Rundle beat Peter Collister 21-15. The visitors kept Marown under 100 chalks with four single figure victories.

Port St Mary A hosted North Ramsey A at Breagle Glen as the home team won 5-3, however the final result was 6-4 as the teams tied on chalks to share the aggregate. Winning for the visitors were Steve Walmsley who beat Tom Collins 21-15, Rob Monk won 21-12 against Paul Skelly, whilst Steven Waters beat Robbie Cooil 21-6.

In Division Two league leaders South Ramsey B were the biggest winners of the week as the teams below them slipped to defeat, as they did themselves a massive favour seeing off Ballaugh A 8-2 at home, however things could have been worse for the visitors as Patrick Grant held off Tony Hart 21-17, whilst John Keenan beat Alan Moore 21-19.

Peel B would have fancied coming away from the Crofts with a win against low lying Castletown B, however the Town men had other ideas as they picked up their fifth league win of the season to damage the Peel men’s hopes of winning Division Two with a 7-3 victory.

Onchan B won 6-4 at home to Douglas B in a keenly contested match as 13 chalks separated the teams (152-139). Three games won by the visitors were close to 17, 18, and 20 as David Pease, Steve Gregg, and Paul Cowley beat Neil Richmond, Mike Alexander, and Mike Kelly respectively.

Port Erin A hosted North Ramsey B with the Breagle men winning 8-2, with 14 chalks separating the teams (151-137).

Finch Hill A won 6-4 at home to Noble’s A. The Finch men won comfortably on chalks (152-126) thanks to all four wins being to 13 or less.

In Division Three two Noble’s teams look nailed on to finish in the top two, as Noble’s C won 2-8 away to South Ramsey D. Noble’s D are hot on their heels, just one point behind as they won 8-2 against South Ramsey C to end any hopes of promotion for the Ramsey men. Both Noble’s teams have tricky fixtures this week as the C team take on third placed Ballaugh B at home, whilst Noble’s D face their B team, who occupy fourth place. The matches take place on separate evenings, so the C team will know what result they will need to finish in top spot.

Noble’s B slipped to a 4-6 home defeat to Ballaugh B as just four chalks separated the teams (122-126).

Peel C recorded the biggest win across all four divisions this week as they won 10-0 at home to Marown D, with the visitors scoring 100 chalks, whilst Port St Mary B lost 3-7 at home to Onchan C.

In Division Four Castletown C (pictured) look to the future with a team featuring three juniors as they won 5-3 on games at home to Peel D, however they lost out on the aggregate by just three chalks (134-137) as the Peel men secured a 5-5 draw.

Another close encounter took place at the Villa as Douglas C beat Noble’s E 6-4, with seven chalks the difference between the teams (142-135).

North Ramsey C won 1-9 away to Douglas D, as the home team were only able to field four players, as the Villa men could only muster 50 chalks from the four games played.

Peel Bowling Club held the pre-festival Autumn Shield on Sunday, with an entry of 80 taking part on a fine day with the competition running like clockwork throughout the day with the competition starting at 10:00 in the morning.

With some players having to win four games just to reach the quarter final stage, David Bradford (South Ramsey) lost 17-21 to Colin Kelly (Marown), whilst James Grimston (Kirkham) beat Peter Grimston (Kirkham) 21-15. The last home greener Tommy McMeiken lost out 13-21 to Neil Withers (Marown), whilst Kevin Kelly (Marown) recovered from a 9-18 deficit to Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) to lead 20-18 only for the latter to runout 21-20.

At the semi-final stage Grimston went into a 13-6 lead against Kelly, with the Marown man hitting back scoring four consecutive doubles to lead 14-13. Kelly went on to lead 18-16, then 20-18, however a single and a double was enough for the Kirkham man to claim a 21-20 win to progress to the final. The other semi-final saw Hargraves take the lead 14-8, with Withers responding with six chalks to level the game at 14-14. Hargraves rallied to lead 18-15, with the Marown man levelling the match up once more at 18-18. Hargraves then secured a single and a double to win 21-18.

Grimston made the better start in the final as he went into an early 14-8 lead, which quickly became 17-12 playing a short round peg. Grimston was counting for one, when a huge slice of luck for Hargraves saw him flick off his opponents short bowl, connect with the jack and score a very fortuitous two, which led to Hargraves going on to close the deficit to one chalk at 16-17. The following end saw Hargraves counting for two as he looked to go into the lead for the first time in the game, however Grimston had other ideas as he struck, moving all the bowls in the end and counted one to lead 18-16.

Three successive singles from the South Ramsey man put him in the lead at 19-18, counting one of the following end, only for Grimston to bowl in to level the score at 19-19. Another good lead from the visitor over the next two ends was enough to count for game, however on the last end Grimston’s lead bowl was a ‘sitting duck’ to the side of the jack. Hargraves nearly got another massive slick of luck flicking off a short bowl connecting with the jack, however couldn’t save game as Grimston secured a fully deserved 21-19 win and the £350 first prize, with Hargraves taking home £180.

The presentation was made by Peel competition secretary Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who thanked the sponsor David Lancaster Limited and Central Bar & Bistro for their continued support. Club President Lynda Wilson was then introduced to present the prizes with over £900 paid out down to the quarterfinals.

The Keenan Fours was held on Saturday saw 21 pairs travel to sunny Ballaugh on a much improved playing surface, with a handicap system introduced by the club this year.

At the quarter final stage current holders Neil Withers and Paul Dunn (SCR) beat Marown clubmates Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly (SCR) 21-15, whilst Kian and David Bradford (+3) held off home greeners Bobby Clayton and Paul Cubbon (+3). In the other half of the draw Keith Turton and James Teare (SCR)(Armthorpe/South Ramsey) lost out 14-21 to South Ramsey’s Alan Moore and Toby Hart (+3), whilst Marown’s Tom Kelly and Colin Kelly (SCR) beat Bob Clark and Paul Kissock (South Ramsey/Netherfield) (SCR) 21-20.

The semi-finals saw a comfortable win for Dunn and Withers over the Bradford’s 21-12, whilst the Kelly’s beat Moore and Hart to single figures 21-8 to take their place in the final.

The final got underway with the sun still shining, there was nothing to choose between the two pairs after the first nine ends with the score tied at 5-5, just one double scored. The game kicked into life from there with the Kelly’s scoring a three, two and one in between conceding nine chalks as Withers and Dunn took a 16-11 lead. Two successive singles from the father and son pairing saw the deficit close to one chalk at 15-16, however Withers and Dunn stopped the comeback there as they closed the game out with a double , a single and another double to win 21-15 to retain the trophy.

The presentation was made by Maurice O’Reilly who thanked the club members, everyone for entering, the catering team, and those who had stayed to watch the final. John Keenan the sponsor of the competition, presented the trophy.

Marown A edged closer to winning Canada Life International Division One this week, following a 2-8 win away to Port St Mary A at Breagle Glen, with the Crosby men just three short of picking up their second whitewash of the season, as Dan McCabe beat Dean Kipling 21-19, whilst Paul Skelly edged home 21-20 against Tom Kelly. Going close for the home team were Tom Collins who lost out 18-21 to Paul Kelly, whilst Wayne Roberts lost to the same score against Colin Kelly. With just three games to go and a seven point lead it is in Marown’s hands.

South Ramsey A went one better than last week, this time winning 1-9 away to Marown B. Four wins to single figures for the visitors, Dido Kelly just got home 21-20 against Sam Clague, whilst Stefan Kelly won to the same score against Kevin Kelly. For Marown Phil Kelly prevented the whitewash, with a 21-11 win over James Teare. Kelly was also the only man to have picked up a win in the away fixture in April.

North Ramsey A drew 4-4 on games with Onchan A at Mooragh Park in their final home fixture, with the club not having floodlights and the nights starting to draw in. Onchan won the aggregate by 20 chalks to take home a 4-6 victory. Jimmy Moffatt impressed once again, this time with a 21-17 win over Reg Temporaza, Allan Callow won to the same score against Phil Kerruish, whilst John Cannan and Steven Waters also won against Jamie Clague and Neil Dunwell respectively. Onchan captain Matthew Quirk beat opposing captain Rob Monk 21-13 for the visitors, whilst Kevin Quirk held off Paul Allison 21-18.

Peel A had a tough game away to Douglas A at the Villa, with very little to choose between the two sides, as the home team won by just three chalks (139-136) to sneak a 6-4 win. Impressing for the Villa men was Keith Rise, as he beat Peel captain George Gadsby 21-13, whilst Stuart Garrett rolled back the years to see of Pip Pemberton 21-3.

On Tuesday evening it was the return fixture for bottom side Marown C, who were at home to Castletown A. With the Town men winning 10-0 in the reverse fixture revenge would have been on the minds of the Crosby men, as they won 8-2 with a solid performance to close the gap on Port St Mary A to just two points, as they bid to stay up. The experienced duo of Andy Clark and Ian Watson were the winners for the visitors.

In Division Two league leaders South Ramsey B slipped up at home to Port Erin A, with the visitors disappointingly a man short the Ramsey men could only take home a 6-4 win. Eddie Carlyle just lost out 20-21 to Bernie Durcan, whilst George Brew won to the same score against Dylan Marsh.

Peel B are back up to second spot, closed the gap to the leaders to four chalks thanks to a 7-3 home win over Noble’s B. All five wins for Peel were comfortable, with Dougie Allan just losing out 20-21 to Jim Callister.

Onchan B made light work of visitors North Ransey B, with an 8-2 home win, with the home team dropping just nine chalks in their two defeats, as they jumped up to third place.

There is light at the end of the tunnel for Castletown B, who have been firmly rooted to the bottom of the table for the entire season, as they turned in an outstanding performance winning 8-2 at home to Ballaugh A. Things could have been worse for the visitors as Peter Oates lost 19-21 to Richard Hainge, whilst Sam Quayle just fell short 20-21 against Edgar Cowin.

The result lifted Town off the bottom by a point, with Ballaugh’s promotion hopes taking a massive hit, as they dropped to fourth place, seven points adrift of the league leaders.

Finch Hill A are too far off the top four to make a push for promotion, despite their 8-2 home win against Douglas B. For the Villa men Nick Firth won to single figures (21-9) against Mark Taylor, whilst Willie Cowley beat Les Brookes 21-18.

Meanwhile In Division Three Noble’s C had a tricky looking away fixture against Port St Mary B at Breagle Glen. The visitors would have been delighted to come away with a 1-9 win to hit top spot by two points.

Noble’s B lost 3-5 on games at home to Onchan C, however with all three wins to single figures this was enough to secure a 5-5 draw.

Noble’s D will have been disappointed to drop four points at home to low lying Marown D, which shows how far the team has progressed in less than two seasons of bowls. Mike Caley lost out 19-21 to Ryan Holdaway, whilst Steve Brennan fell at the final hurdle 20-21 to Alan Gault.

South Ramsey C could only draw 5-5 at home to Ballaugh B, in a high scoring match as they dropped just 17 chalks despite losing five games, with two losses to 16, and further losses to 17, 19, and 20.

Peel C made it a tough night for South Ramsey D in the West, as they won 9-1. Steve Kelly was the lone winner for the visitors as he beat Nathan Jones 21-11. For the home team, it was a first defeat in Division Three for Alan Moore, with Harry Kelly taking the win 21-18, whilst captain Austin hart lost 20-21 to Ross Menton, whilst Frank Feeney was held off 19-21 by Jimmy Lee.

Ballaugh C march on in Division Four as they won 8-2 at home to Peel D, with Paul Cubbon losing out 19-21 to Will Lyall, with the latter having played the game as a Junior, he has done what many do and returned to the game.

Finch Hill B won 7-3 at home to Douglas C, with the winners for the visitors Daniel Jacobs, Ashley Halsall, and David Beynon respectively.

Castletown C and Noble’s E shared the spoils on games 4-4 at the Crofts, however the visitors took the aggregate by eight chalks (132-140) for take home a 4-6 win.

The Plumbmaster Limited Rayner Shield final between Castletown A and South Ramsey A was held at Marown Bowling Club on Friday evening on a superb surface. The draw took place ahead of the match, with a lighthearted preview posted to generate a bit of interest. There was a good crowd in attendance to watch events unfold on a fine evening for bowls with good support for both teams. League leaders South Ramsey were the clear favourites on the night, however the Town men would have been hoping to pull off a huge upset.

First off the green for South Ramsey was David Bradford, who stormed to a 21-1 win over Town captain Jordan Drewett, with the game finished in just 16 ends. Next off was Peter Collister, who put in a solid display to beat Nathan Hamilton 21-8, scoring seven two’s, conceding just eight singles on his way to victory.

The last two games of the first half were good games to watch with Nathan Cooil leading 11-6 and 12-8 against Dido Kelly, only for a subtle change in tactics from the latter which saw the South Ramsey man score 13 of the next 15 chalks to run out with a 21-14 win.

The final game of the first half was between Bob Clark and Aaron Richardson, with the South Ramsey man a big favourite to win, however Richardson was quickest out of the blocks performing brilliantly to take a 13-0 lead, with the South Ramsey man not doing a lot wrong in the early exchanges of the game. Clark closed the deficit to seven chalks at 7-17, only for the Town man to pick up three singles to lead 17-7. The South Ramsey man dug deep, scoring eight chalks to close the deficit to just two chalks at 8-17. Clark scored two doubles to take the lead for the first time in the game at 19-18, was counting two for game only for Richardson to play a superb last bowl to level the game up at 19-19. A single was scored by the Town man on the following end, with Clark playing a crucial last bowl to save game. With Richardson 20-19 up, Clark scored his eighth double of the game to win 21-20 in a compelling game to watch. Richardson won more ends (18-13) in the game, a lot of credit must go to the Town man who put in a great performance, playing the right bowls throughout the game.

At the halfway stage South Ramsey were 4-0 up, with a commanding 43 chalk lead, it would take something special to win all four games and pull back the chalks.

The first game off the green in the second half of the match officially sealed the win for South Ramsey, as Jordan Cain won 21-16 against Dean Kinley, however after leading 15-1 the South Ramsey man was on the receiving end of a fightback from Kinley, who closed the deficit to four chalks at 13-17. With Cain counting for one Kinley struck and missed, gifting Cain a golden opportunity to score two, which he pounced on to take the game away from Kinley at 19-13. Kinley went on to score a double and a single only for Cain to secure the win with two singles.

With the pressure now off both teams, one of the more experienced Castletown players Ian Watson was up against James Teare, with Watson taking a 10-4 lead. A good scoring run from Teare, saw the players tie at 12, 13, and 15, with Watson making his move to score five chalks and lead 20-15, with a double from Teare to put the score at 17-20. The Town man secured the one chalk needed to get a Castletown win on the board with a 21-17 victory.

The last two games finished within moments of each other as Glynn Hargraves took an early 7-1 lead against David Quayle, only for the Town man to level up at 8-8. The South Ramsey captain kept his opponent to four more singles to secure a 21-12 win.

The last game on the green was youth versus experience, however both players are known to be fairly vocal on the green, love to have a strike as the game soon become one that the spectators couldn’t help but watch, as George Foy who is still plying his trade for the A Team, is the last remaining man from the League and Rayner Shield winning team in 1996, hit all four strikes on his way to beating Stefan Kelly 21-12 to secure a second win for the Town men.

The presentation was made by competition committee officer, who thanked Plumbmaster for sponsoring the competition, Marown Bowling Club for the use of the green and their club members for assisting throughout the evening. The Rayner Shield was presented to South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves, who congratulated Castletown on reaching the final, who had put up a spirited performance, and went on to congratulate his team for a solid performance. South Ramsey’s win sees them take their 8th win in the competition, along with retaining the Shield to hold the title for a fourth consecutive season.

Plumbmaster Rayner Shield Final Results

Castletown A	Chalks	Chalks	South Ramsey A
Nathan Hamilton	8	21	Peter Collister
Aaron Richardson	20	21	Bob Clark
Nathan Cooil	14	21	Dido Kelly
Jordan Drewett	1	21	David Bradford
Ian Watson	21	17	James Teare
Dean Kinley	16	21	Jordan Cain
David Quayle	12	21	Glynn Hargraves
George Foy	21	13	Stefan Kelly
2 Games Won	113	156	6 Games Won

In Canada Life International Division One this week Marown A kept a firm grasp on their lead at the top as they remain on course to pick up their first league title since 2019 with a 9-1 home win over Douglas A in difficult conditions with wind and rain playing a factor. Single figure wins arrived from Glenn Boland and Peter Jones, over Gordy Wynne-Smythe and Shaun Seal respectively, whilst Mark Kneen pushed Neil Withers all the way before losing out 19-21. The lone winner for the Villa men was Andy Cannell, who beat Paul Kelly 21-8.

South Ramsey A got back to winning ways as they beat Port St Mary A 8-2 at home. Winning for the visitors were Dan McCabe who beat Glynn Hargraves 21-16, whilst Robbie Cooil edged home 21-20 against Stefan Kelly. The visitors were kept down to just 88 chalks, with five wins to single figures.

Castletown A set themselves up nicely for the Rayner Shield Final on Friday with a 7-3 home win over North Ramsey A, with wins for the visitors arriving from Rob Monk, Allan Callow, and Jimmy Moffatt who continues to impress into his 80’s.

Onchan A turned over Marown B 8-2 at the Park, with the two winners for the Crosby men John Gelling who comfortably beat Kevin Quirk 21-12, whilst Harry Barton won 21-16 against Steve Parker. Karl Parker missed out on picking up an extra point for his team, as he lost 19-21 to Neil Dunwell.

Peel A didn’t have it all their own way at home to bottom side Marown C, with the visitors pleased to have taken three points off the Peel men in their 7-3 defeat. Walter McCarthy beat Peel captain George Gadsby 21-16, Darren Kerruish won 21-18 against Gary Smith, whilst John Kelly held off Tommy McMeiken 21-19. Just missing out for the Crosby men were Jamie Joughin 18-21 to David Proctor, with Peter Kelly losing out 19-21 to Peter Greenlees.

In Division Two league leaders South Ramsey B are now three points ahead following their 2-8 win away to Noble’s A, with a welcome return for Tony Dugdale after a short absence, as he got back to winning way with a 21-11 win over Dave Naughton.

Second placed Ballaugh A will have felt like it was points dropped at home to Finch Hill A, as they won 6-4, with 12 chalks separating the sides (146-134). Just losing out for the home team to 19-21 were Mike Spooner and Patrick Grant to Sam Stannard-Duke and Les Brookes respectively.

Peel B having led for most of the season slipped to third place following their 7-3 defeat away to Douglas B.

Port Erin A hosted Onchan B at Breagle Glen, with the visitors taking a 4-6 win, as they won the aggregate by seven chalks (136-143), with the Onchan men scoring better in their four defeats.

North Ramsey B edged closer to safety following their 7-3 home win over Castletown B, with the Town men firmly rooted to the bottom.

In Division Three Noble’s D hit top spot as they beat their C Team 8-2, which shows their improvement since taking up the game only last year. Should Noble’s D get promotion ahead of the C Team then they will revert to being labelled as the C team as the higher ranked team.

Things are looking up for South Ramsey D who picked up another win, as they won 8-2 at home to Port St Mary B, with Billy Blair holding off Nick Peterson 21-20.

Marown D put in a great performance to beat high flying Noble’s B 7-3 at Crosby, as they damaged the visitor’s promotion hopes, with 11-year-old Arran Dunn continuing to shine as he held his nerve to beat Jay Elliott 21-20, with Alan Gault matching this score as he beat Rob Bell.

South Ramsey C returned to Onchan Park to take on their C team on Tuesday evening, just four days after their Rayner Plate Final defeat to Peel A. The home team took the spoils 7-3, with Greg Barlow losing out 20-21 to Colin Brown, whilst Paul Routledge slipped to an 18-21 defeat to Roger Payne.

Ballaugh B lost 3-5 on games at home to Peel C, however their high scoring defeats to 17, 18, 19, and 20 saw they win the aggregate by six chalks (150-144) to help secure a 5-5 draw.

In Division Four North Ramsey C stay in the hunt for promotion following their 3-7 away win over Noble’s E, with Paul Arthur helping his side to an extra point with a 21-20 win over David Garrett.

Douglas C recorded a solid 8-2 home win over Castletown C, with Town’s Kieran Krypner missing out 17-21 to Greg Brew, whilst Jacob Robert went closer still as he lost 18-21 to Daniel Jacobs.

The final match of the week was between Peel D and Douglas D in the West. The Villa men were four players short for the trip as they suffered a 9-1 defeat, with Junior bowler Clark Kelly the only winner as he beat Dave Wassall 21-5. For the home team Will Lyall beat David Manley 21-9, with teammate Josh Trickett going one better with a 21-8 win over James Teare.

The Isle of Man Team took part in the 2024 BCGBA Senior Supplementary County Championship which was held on Sunday at Florence BC in Stoke on a tricky green, which has some interesting marks with one particular section of the green known as the roundabout.

Drawn in Group 1, as expected the opposition was tough with North Midlands, Wales and Derbyshire awaiting.

In the first round of matches the eight man team were up against North Midlands, the team lost this match by 28 chalks (156-128) and 6-2 on games, with David Bradford winning 21-11 against Shane Day, whilst Paul Dunn beat Matt Horton 21-19. 

In their second round match Wales were the opposition, the team managed to draw 4-4 on games, however with matches decided on chalks it was Wales who won by 25 chalks (151-126). Neil Withers was the best winner as he won 21-13 against Robin Bennett, whilst Peter Jones, David Bradford, and Paul Dunn won 17, 18, and 19 against Ian Jones, Stefan Williams, and Owen Jackson respectively.

In their final match they faced Derbyshire who had all to play for, as they had won both their group games, they needed to beat the Isle of Man to ensure safe passage to the final. Against the toughest team in the group the Island held their own showing improvement with each game played as they lost by 15 chalks (153-138), which equates to less than two chalks a man. 

Individual wins arrived from Paul Dunn who made it three wins from three games played at number one in the order, as he beat Josh Furniss 21-18, whilst Peter Jones held off Conor Chamberlain to the same score. Picking up his second win was Neil Withers who won comfortably 21-13 against Steve Barber.

In Group 2 playing on Green 2 it was Shropshire who topped the table after games against Merseyside, Lancashire, and Cheshire as they beat all three teams to reach the final. 

The first half of the final took place on the number two green with Derbyshire adjusting well to the heavier of the two greens well as they won 3-1 on games against Shropshire to take a lead of 18 chalks back onto the green they had played all day. Whilst Shropshire did win two games on the much trickier number one green they were only able to claw back seven chalks as Derbyshire took the win by 11 chalks (143-132) whilst also winning 5-3 on games.

After solid performances the past two years, with the team playing on greens similar to those on the Island playing on a tricky green thiproved to be a tough test for the players.

The Isle of Man Team were managed by Phil Kerruish and assisted by Juan Kermode, thanks must go to both for their efforts selecting the squad, and for making all the arrangements for the trip.