The crown green bowls league season came to a conclusion this week as the league winners, promotion battles and bottom teams were settled in all three divisions along with the individual merit winners.

In Canada Life International Division One South Ramsey A proved to be the top team – but only just as they retained the Warburton Trophy after doing what needed to be done in their last game of the 2022 season with no nerves evident in their 2-8 win over Castletown A at the Crofts, to seal a back to back League and Rayner Shield double. South Ramsey were expected to walk the league this season following two good signings over the winter, however they faced some difficulties in the second half of the season following a tough to take 8-2 away defeat to Marown A. That result looked to have put Marown A in the driving seat, however the return of John Kennish to the side after almost four years out of the game gave a huge lift to the team on and more importantly off the green. The team finished three points worse off than 2021 with 170 points.

Marown A finished the season in second place with an expected 1-9 away win over Port Erin A, with Bernie Durcan once again the man preventing a whitewash for his team. The Crosby men will once again be taking a look at where they can improve next season, having got themselves into a position where the league was theirs to lose, a damaging 6-4 away defeat to a struggling Peel B ultimately cost them the league. Marown continued a run that has resulted in them finishing no lower than second place in every season since 1996 as they finished the season seven points better off than 2021, just two points off top spot. They can take heart in their improvement in points this season, were undoubtedly boosted by the signing of Peter Jones who relocated to the Island half way through the season and there are already rumours of a signing from outside the club for next season as they look to wrestle the league title back from South Ramsey.

The individual merit winner went to the wire, it was Marown stalwart Colin Kelly who sealed the accolade as he won 21 games from 22 played, his one and only defeat of the season arrived in the first game at the hands of Nathan Hamilton. Finishing in second place was Onchan’s Matthew Quirk who ended the season with a 20-21 defeat to Dean Kinley as Quirk won 20 games out of 22. Marown Captain Paul Dunn finished in third place with 19 wins from 21 games, followed closely by three South Ramsey players all with 18 wins.

Onchan A had a tough night on Monday losing 3-5 on games at home to Peel A, however they won the aggregate by 15 chalks to draw 5-5 on the night.

Marown B suffered the shock of the night losing 2-8 at home to Port St Mary A, this didn’t stop the Crosby men finishing in fourth spot to confirm my early season prediction, which they achieved fairly ahead of Peel A who were six points off the pace.

Both teams that were promoted last season, Onchan B and Port Erin A finished in the bottom two to confirm an immediate return to Division Two, with the three teams above them Peel B, Castletown A and North Ramsey A never really in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.

In Division Two runaway league leaders South Ramsey B had no pressure on them going into their last game of the season at home to Castletown B as they could enjoy the night with a 10-0 victory to win the league by a staggering 19 points with 169 points. This bodes well for them in 2023, as they look to ensure they do not become another yo-yo team.

Finishing in second place were Marown C on 150 points, as they finished seven points ahead of Ballaugh A thanks to their 8-2 away win over Noble’s A. It is great to see a team – led by Stephen Rundle start together and come through the leagues, with a little ambition going a long way as they have all improved with a number of their players pushing for a place in their B Team. Bar a major restructure of the divisions next season they will be gaining vital first division experience whilst also competing against their higher ranked teams.

Ballaugh A finished in third place, as they face another season in division two, they may well be looking to bring players into their A Team who will be keen to test themselves in the first division as they look to gain promotion.

Finishing in rock bottom on 66 points were 2021 division three winners Ballaugh B, who like most promoted teams went straight back down. Also finishing in the bottom two were Port St Mary B, who probably struggled to adapt to their temporary home at Breagle Glen as they finished on 69 points despite a 7-3 home win against Douglas B. Bucking the trend of immediate relegation back to the third division were Onchan C, who picked up enough points in their last game of the season as they lost 4-6 at home to a tough South Ramsey C team.

The individual merit went to South Ramsey B player Alan Moore, who managed to finish top of the pile with 18 wins from 21 games played (10 chalks dropped). Finishing in second place was team-mate Tony Dugdale, who led for most of the season before suffering a defeat in the South Ramsey derby to James Evans last week as Dugdale won 18 out of 22 games (14 chalks dropped). Marown man Peter Kelly proved he can still compete with 17 wins from 19 games played as he finished in third place (11 chalks dropped).

In Division Three it was North Ramsey B who made it a clean sweep for the Ramsey teams as they won the Chatel Cup sealing the title with 145 points following their 3-7 win at the Villa. Their cause was undoubtedly helped with five of players having previously played first division bowls now plying their trade in the lower leagues.

Finishing six points behind the league winners were Noble’s B, who had a tough looking and season defining away fixture against Marown D with the hosts needing to win 8-2 to ensure they finished in second place. The match was as well contested as expected, for the home team Richard Bregazzi lost out 17-21 to Alex Hampson, while Alan Gault just fell at the last hurdle 20-21 to Phil Salmon. James Kelly managed to hold off Terry Bates 21-19, while Phil Dunn beat Noel Ash 21-18. Marown D cruelly just missed out on finishing in second place by two points despite winning 6-4 on the night.

Sealing the individual merit was Marown D player Jay Waters with a 21-14 win over Grahem Moore, with Waters safe in the knowledge the merit was already his – with 19 wins from 20 games played (four chalks dropped). Finishing second overall was another young player with Sam Stannard-Duke winning 17 games out of 19 (27 chalks dropped).

It is great to see a healthy number of new and junior bowlers gaining vital experience, with Alex Hampson proving to be the most successful junior bowler in division three with 11 wins out of 20 as he capped off a fine season having impressed for the Junior Island Team back in June.

Peel Bowling Club held the pre-festival Davisons Autumn Shield at Marown Bowling Club on Sunday, with the Peel green closed to allow work to be carried out to get the green back to its best condition ahead of next season.

A strong entry of 96 took part with many of the visiting bowlers having never played on the Marown green before, they quickly adapted to the pace of the green.

With some of the players having to win four games just to reach the quarter final stage, losing out were home greener Phil Kelly 20-21 to Matt Gilmore (Wirral), while his father Dave Gilmore (Wirral) lost 14-21 to Marown captain Paul Dunn.

In the other half of the draw, David Bradford got the better of South Ramsey teammate Bob Clark 21-18 while Neil Withers (Marown) had a comfortable 21-7 victory over Peel man Brian Lindsay.

The semi-finals were well contested, both games could have gone either way. However, Gilmore won 21-18 against Dunn, with his strikes proving the difference, while Bradford recovered from an 11-16 deficit as he went on to win 21-17 against Withers.

The final got underway with Gilmore a previous winner taking the first end with a single only for Bradford to level the score the following end. The Wirral man then went on to score five points over three ends, with Bradford hitting back with two quick-fire doubles to sit one point behind at 11-12.

An exchange of singles took place, with Gilmore then going on to win three of the next five ends as he went in to the lead 17-14. On the 15th end Bradford was counting two with his second bowl widening the target. His opponent didn’t turn down the opportunity to strike as he took the jack off the green to kill the end.

On the next end the South Ramsey man conceded the advantage of the jack as he sent it in to the ditch to allow Gilmore to set the mark along the edge of the green, with the latter taking full advantage scoring a double followed by a single on the next end to lead 20-14.

With Bradford in the last chance saloon, he picked up a double as he trailed 16-20. A poor lead was welcomed by Gilmore who seized the opportunity as he put his bowl eight inches to the side of the jack. A reaching bowl from Bradford saw him agonizingly hit the gap between the counting bowl and jack as Gilmore won 21-16 to pick up his second win in this competition.

The presentation was made by Peel competition secretary Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who thanked the sponsor Davison’s for their continued support, Marown for the use of the green and for the excellent selection of refreshments provided throughout the day, of which the money raised was donated to various charites. Club secretary Lynda Wilson was then introduced to present the prizes with over £1200 paid out with Gilmore taking home the first prize of £500.

On Saturday Ballaugh Bowling Club held the 33^rd Keenan Fours which was first held in 1989. The weather forecast was horrendous with heavy showers of torrential rain. As I drove out from a wet Ramsey the sky brightened and it had almost stopped raining. For the most part the showers missed and it was mainly was light drizzle or dry for the duration of the competition.

In the first quarter Final James Teare & Steven Waters (South Ramsey) played last year’s winners Andy Kennish (Onchan) & Reg Temporaza (Onchan). Andy and Reg were always ahead winning 21-13. In the second quarter final father and son Colin & Tom Kelly (Marown/Peel) played South Ramsey’s Jordan Cain & John Kennish. The scores were equal at end five but then Colin & Tom scored two threes and a two to win 21-12. In the third quarter final James Kelly & Brian Kelly (Marown) played Phil Quayle (Ballaugh) & Paul Allison (North Ramsey). The scores were level at 11-11 and then James & Brian won the next three ends reaching 17, Phil & Paul got the jack back and scored a four, two singles & two doubles to win 21-17. In the fourth quarter final Peter Harvey and Ken Wale (Whitby Bowling Club) played Kevin Quirk & Steve Parker (Onchan). Peter & Ken were always ahead, Kevin & Steve got back to within three points of them but to no avail with Peter & Ken winning 21-16.

In the first semi-final, Colin & Tom Kelly played Andy Kennish & Reg Temporaza. Colin & Tom were well in control coming out winners 21-8. In the second semi-final, Phil Quayle & Paul Allison played Peter Harvey and Ken Wale. They were 12 across at end 9. Unfortunately Phil & Paul lost the jack and didn’t score again with the score 21-12 to Peter & Ken.

The final was between Marown’s Colin & Tom Kelly playing Whitby’s Peter Harvey & Ken Wale. At end nine they were 12 across, the next three ends went to the visiting bowlers taking them to 18-12. Colin & Tom pulled it back over the next four ends making the score 18 across. Finally Peter & Ken got a three giving them the win 21-18.

At the conclusion John Maddrell (Club Captain) introduced Sponsor and long-time member John Keenan. They thanked Pat & her helpers for running the kitchen, keeping us all fed and watered, and for Richard Faragher & Maurice O’Reilly for running the competition so efficiently. John then presented the prizes and in their speech the winners thanked everyone for a great day, and mentioned that Ballaugh Club was in a magnificent setting with good facilities and the green was the only one that they had played on lately that had grass on it.

The title race took another twist in Canada Life International Division One as league leaders Marown A had an unenviable trip out West to take on Peel B in a tricky looking fixture, so it proved as the Peel men caused possibly the biggest upset of the season so far as they battled to a 6-4 win.

In the first half of the match everything was going to plan for the Crosby men as Sam Clague beat Andrew Cover 21-11, Colin Kelly won 21-12 against Gordon Corrin and Neil Withers held off Peel captain Paul Quirk 21-19. David Proctor picked up the first win of the night for the home team as a good start against Paul Kelly – going into an 8-0 lead helped his cause as he won 21-15.

In the second half of the match Dean Kipling won 21-16 against Philip Pemberton. The home team hit back as Rob Middleton beat Peter Jones 21-15, Andy Mackie won 21-14 against Phil Kelly, while Dougie Allan put the final nail in the coffin with a 21-3 victory over Harry Barton, as the Peel men won by nine chalks (142-131) to claim the aggregate.

South Ramsey A hosted Peel A on Monday evening, with the cancelled racing helping Peel avoid a tricky travel situation. The home team claimed a 7-3 win with Peter Collister winning 21-9 against Peter Greenlees, John Kennish won 21-14 against Brian Lindsay, while Glynn Hargraves edged home 21-19 against George Gadsby. Tommy McMeiken claimed Peel’s first win as Jordan Cain battled back from a 12-20 deficit only for the latter to lose 18-21.

Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly picked up the visitors second win as he romped home 21-4 against Stefan Kelly, while Bob Clark won 21-10 for the Ramsey men. James Teare recovered from a 13-17 deficit to run out with a 21-17 win over Mick Kavanagh, while Peel captain Gary Smith picked up their third win of the night as he recovered from 6-14 to win 21-16 against Steven Waters. The result together with Marown’s shock defeat meant South Ramsey hit top spot by a point in what is turning into one of the most exciting title races in years.

North Ramsey A won 9-1 at Mooragh Park against Port Erin A, as the visitors are destined for an immediate return to Division Two, along with Onchan B who lost 2-8 against their higher ranked A Team. Marown B were missing a few of their regular players, however this didn’t stop them winning 7-3 at home to Douglas A.

The closest match of the night was between Port St Mary A and Castletown A with the home team edging it 6-4 thanks to claiming the aggregate by just two chalks (149-147) with both teams winning and losing games 21-19 and 21-20. In addition to this two 13-21 defeats for the home team were cancelled out as two of the Port men won 21-12 ultimately being the difference on the chalks.

In Division Two runaway leaders South Ramsey B did Marown C a huge favour as they won 3-7 away to second placed Ballaugh A, which ultimately allowed Marown C to leapfrog Ballaugh by two points. For the visitors Alan Moore won 21-6 against Edgar Cowin, while Tony Dugdale inflicted a rare home defeat on John Keenan 21-7. Edward Carlyle edged home 21-20 against John Maddrell, while Phil Quayle was on the right side of a 21-20 score for Ballaugh against Bryan Corner. South Ramsey now top the pile by 19 points.

Marown C just missed out on a whitewash with Douglas man Tommy Collister the lone winner as he beat Stuey Clague 21-20. The 9-1 win for the Crosby men was never in doubt with the highest losers for the Villa men reaching 15, while Jamie Joughin was the best winner for Marown as he won 21-5 against Greg Brew.

South Ramsey C can’t be written off finishing second in the league just yet as they are just seven points off second place following their impressive 9-1 home win over Noble’s A. Anthony Kelly was the best winner for the home team with a 21-7 win over Barry Salmon, while Mark Quinn was Noble’s lone winner with a 21-8 victory over Andy Morgan.

Onchan C jumped two places thanks to a timely 7-3 home win over Ballaugh B as they started the night bottom of the league, with the latter now sitting second from bottom, while Port St Mary B could be heading for Division Three as they are now four points from safety at the bottom of the league following a heavy 1-9 defeat away to Finch Hill A.

Castletown B and Peel C played out the closest match of the week at the Crofts as the home team won 6-4 and claimed the aggregate by a solitary chalk (134-133) as home greener Billy Jones won 21-20 against Jeff Wilson.

In Division Three Noble’s B and South Ramsey D brought their fixture forward a week to prevent any issues with road closures. The Noble’s men won 9-1 to stay firmly in the race to finish in the top two. Matthew Corkill was the lone winner for South Ramsey as he beat Alex Hampson 21-13.

League leaders North Ramsey B gave a glimmer of hope to the chasing teams as they slumped to a 3-7 away defeat at Breagle Glen against Port Erin B as they lost the aggregate by just one chalk (131-130). The Mooragh Park men are ahead by 13 points, however they still have to take their turn to sit out a round of fixtures as Noble’s B and Marown B look to close the gap further.

Marown D occupy third place, they kept the pressure firmly on the top two thanks to a 9-1 home win over Douglas D with Dave Corkish the only winner as he beat Phil Dunn 21-16.

Douglas C couldn’t make home advantage count as they lost 3-7 at home to Finch Hill B with Sam Stannard-Duke winning 21-0 against David Caley.

Peel D welcomed Castletown C to the Sunset City with the home team winning 6-4. Most notable mention of the night was three generations of the Keggen family playing in the same team on the same night, quite possibly a first. The youngest Junior won 21-20 against Owen Crompton as he gains vital experience and confidence, while his Dad Thomas beat Andy Morrison 21-7. The biggest surprise of the night was from Grandad Mike, who if memory serves me correctly last turned out for Port St Mary over 20 years ago, as he managed to get hold of a set of bowls he was happy with as he went on to show he still knows how to win a game as he beat Ian Gray 21-17.

The Islands premier doubles competition was hosted by South Ramsey Bowling Club on Sunday on a tricky green in scorching weather. The competition was played 21 up off a handicap of +3 for all competitors. The event was well supported with 26 pairs entering in a bid to win the coveted title.

In one half of the draw it was an all South Ramsey affair as Tony Hart and Lee Dawson lost 15-21 to John Kennish and Alan Moore, while Jordan Cain and Bob Clark seen off David Bradford and Glynn Hargraves 21-12. In the other half of the draw Derek Allen (Port Erin) and Alec Taylor had their challenge ended by Marown pair Neil Withers and Paul Dunn 10-21, whilst Peel pair Stevie Kelly and Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly edged a tough battle with Marown’s John Gelling and Phil Kelly 21-18.

Dunn and Withers didn’t get off to the best of starts against the Kelly’s, who they faced in the 2020 and 2021 finals as they trailed 3-8 in their semi-final, before going on to keep their opponents to just four more singles as the Marown men ran out 21-12 winners. The other semi-final also had Kennish and Moore jump into a 10-3 lead against Cain and Clark, who bounced back with two four’s to tie the game at 11-11 after six ends. The game was keenly contested from there, with the score at 18-17 to Cain and Clark a three secured their place in the final with a 21-17 win.

Cain and Clark got off to a flier to lead 11-3 with five ends played, only for Dunn and Withers to pick up their first point on a tight measure. A change in the playing order saw Withers go to the front as he took the jack. The South Ramsey duo immediately responded with a two to lead 13-4. From there the Marown pair found their length and with it restricted their opponents to one more scoring end as they scored six doubles and five singles over 12 ends to win the title for a third successive year, following their wins at Port St Mary in 2020 and Peel in 2021.

The presentation was made by Association Competition Committee Officer Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, who thanked South Ramsey Bowling Club for preparing the green and their members for providing refreshments and helpers throughout the day, along with Wayne Roberts for the smooth running of the competition.

The final of the 3R’s Limited sponsored Rayner Plate took place at Finch Hill Bowling Green on Friday evening in fine conditions, with both teams looking to etch their name into the history books with Division Two Side Noble’s A (+45) taking on first division team North Ramsey A (+15).

The Mooragh Park men were favourites on the night, however they would have been wary of their opponents who have formed a good team bond, as the club continues to rebuild.

North Ramsey got off to a solid start with Rob Monk and Allan Callow both winning 21-7 against Mark Quinn and Martyn Hobson respectively to quickly reduce a 30 chalk deficit to just two two chalks. Paul Allison was next off for North as he had to battle for a 21-17 victory over Juan Qualtrough, with captain Gary Merrill following with a hard earned 21-19 win over Yates to put North Ramsey four chalks ahead (99-95) at the halfway stage.

In the second half of the match the next two blocks off went in favour of Noble’s with Mark Bradshaw performing well to beat Brian Colquitt 21-19. The next game off was Jim Callister who at one point led 18-3 and was lying two against Adrian Skinner only for the latter to pull out a huge bowl which completely changed the complexion of the match. Skinner dug deep to pick up another 15 chalks, with Callister not doing a lot wrong as he eventually won 21-18. At this point Noble’s had just edged ahead by one chalk.

With the last two blocks on the green, Dave Naughton led 18-15 against Steve Walmsley, with John Cannan leading 18-13 against last minute stand-in Steve Hampson. Walmsley managed to get over the line thanks to two doubles followed by two singles to claim a 21-18 win over Naughton to put the Ramsey men two chalks ahead. John Cannan only needed to get to 19 against Steve Hampson to secure the win on the night, as his team had already won five games. Cannan managed to see the game out with a 21-15 win, with Hampson performing well in the second half of the match having recovered from a 0-10 deficit to put up a decent fight.

Whilst a lot of the plaudits must go to North Ramsey who picked up their second Rayner Plate following their last win in this competition in 2005, a special mention to Noble’s who put up a fantastic fight on the night to make for a good final. The Noble’s team can take pride in their performance as they continue to rebuild having nearly collapsed on more than one occasion over the past few years, the club still has another final to look forward to in the Mixed Plate competition later this month. The presentation was made by Competition Committee Officer Wayne Roberts, who thanked Finch Hill Bowling Club for the use of the green and for their hospitality, whilst also mentioning how well the handicap system had worked to make for a good final. Rob Matthews from 3R’s Limited then presented the trophy to the North Ramsey captain Gary Merrill, who offered his commiserations to Noble’s and complimented them on how far they had come with the challenges they have faced.

North Ramsey A	+15	+45	Noble’s A
Rob Monk	21	7	Mark Quinn
Allan Callow	21	7	Martyn Hobson
Paul Allison	21	17	Juan Qualtrough
Gary Merrill	21	19	Alex Yates
Brian Colquitt	19	21	Mark Bradshaw
Adrian Skinner	18	21	Jim Callister
Steve Walmsley	21	18	Dave Naughton
John Cannan	21	15	Steve Hampson
6 Games Won	178	170	2 Games Won

In Canada Life International Division One this week Marown A hosted long time league leaders South Ramsey A at Crosby as they looked to avenge their 8-2 away defeat earlier in the season and a 5-3 defeat in the Rayner Shield Final on Friday evening. The northern team started the match four points ahead of their opponents.

South Ramsey struck the first blow of the night with visiting captain Glynn Hargraves winning 21-7 against Phil Kelly. Neil Withers hit back with a solid 21-15 win over Dido Kelly, while team mate Colin Kelly performed well to see off Bob Clark 21-9, with the score at 11-9 to Kelly a 10-chalk streak got him over the line, whilst Marown captain Paul Dunn had a convincing 21-12 victory over Stefan Kelly as he gained immediate revenge for Friday’s Rayner Shield result.

In the second half of the match Paul Kelly trailed 15-16 against James Teare, with the former running out with a 21-16 win. Another matchup from Friday saw Peter Jones claim a 21-19 win over David Bradford with Jones performing well to reverse Friday’s result. South Ramsey did pick up their second win of the night with Peter Collister recording a good 21-13 victory over Dean Kipling, while Harry Barton ensured it was an unhappy trip home for the visitors as he sealed an 8-2 victory for his team with a nail-biting 21-20 win over Jordan Cain. Just 13 chalks separated the teams (146-133) on the night. Marown now sit top, two points ahead of South Ramsey with just four games left to play the title is now within their grasp.

Perhaps the surprise result of the night was Port St Mary A with their visit to take on Onchan A, as they recorded a 4-6 away victory over the Onchan men. Two single figure wins to 21-8 from Paul Skelly and Tim Williams over Sid McKnight and Neil Dunwell respectively was enough to seal the aggregate by seven chalks (132-139), along with a good performance from Nathan Hamilton who beat Andy Kennish 21-13. Dan McCabe picked up their fourth win as he held off Mike Thomas 21-19. For Onchan Reginald Temporaza performed well as he beat Trevor Quayle 21-14, with Kevin Quirk seeing off Wayne Roberts 21-12.

Not far behind in causing an upset on Monday were Castletown A who beat Marown B 5-3 on games but lost the aggregate by five chalks (138-143) to ensure the Crosby men didn’t go away with a defeat to leave the result 5-5 on the night. The chalks for Marown were helped massively by John Gelling with his 21-5 win over Chris Lever doing the damage to the Town men. Glenn Boland impressed with a 21-12 victory over Mark Moorley, while captain Darren Kerruish beat Juan Kermode 21-16. Winning for Town were Peter Oates as he beat Brian Kelly 21-13, with Nathan Cooil seeing off Jerome Surridge 21-18, while Ron Williams got home 21-19 against Karl Parker.

Peel A were just five chalks off recording a 10-0 win at home to North Ramsey A, with Gary Merrill beating Geoff Rice 21-18 for the visitors, with team mate Rob Monk winning 21-19 against George Gadsby. For Peel two 21-6 wins from Dean Kinley and Tommy McMeiken helped their cause, while Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly was pushed the hardest with his 21-17 win over John Cannan.

Douglas A hosted Peel B at the Villa, with the home advantage being used to good effect with a 9-1 win. Gordon Corrin was the lone winner for the visitors as he beat Alistair Lothian 21-3. For the Villa men Kevin Firth beat Michael Kavanagh 21-6, while Keith Rise won 21-9 against Dougie Allan.

The bottom two teams faced off at Breagle Glen on Monday night with the home team Port Erin A getting the better of Onchan B 6-4, however the result did neither team any favours in their bid to get out of trouble. David Cain trounced Bernie McPhee 21-1, with Bernie Durcan winning 21-6 against Colin Spence. For the visitors Mark Kelly was their best winner as he beat Derek Allen 21-9.

In Division Two South Ramsey B now have a 17-point advantage over second placed Ballaugh A, following their 10-0 home win over Onchan C on a tricky home green. Three of their players are in a battle for the individual merit with Tony Dugdale, Alan Moore and Bryan Corner occupying the top three spots. 

It is a two-way fight for second place after third placed Marown C closed the gap to second by a point following their8-2 home win over Castletown B, while Ballaugh A came away from Breagle Glen with a 3-7 win over Port St Mary B.

Elsewhere Peel C slipped to a 4-6 home defeat to South Ramsey C, losing the aggregate by 4 chalks (140-144), Finch Hill A came away from Noble’s Park with a 3-7 win over Noble’s A, while Ballaugh B won 7-3 at home as they edged the chalks (141-137) to take the aggregate.

In Division Three the top two clashed at Mooragh Park, with North Ramsey B seeing off Noble’s B 9-1 to all but end the visitors hopes of winning the league. Phil Salmon prevented the whitewash with a 21-17 win over Geoff Porter. 

Marown D couldn’t fully capitalise on the heavy defeat inflicted on Noble’s B, however they did win 4-6 away to Finch Hill B to close the gap by five points to sit just three points off second spot. Jay Waters stayed firmly in the hunt for the individual merit with a 21-17 win over Peter Woods.

Elsewhere South Ramsey D returned to winning ways with a good 8-2 home win over Peel D, while Castletown C took five games off Douglas C at the Crofts with young bowlers Junior Keggen and Sam Quayle both impressing with 21-13 wins over David Beynon and Ashley Halsall respectively. The Villa men won the aggregate by 10 chalks (129-139) to secure a 5-5 draw on the night.

Mixed Team Championship

South Ramsey A topped Group A to make it six wins out of six, as they beat Onchan A 8-1 at home by 80 chalks (181-101).

North Ramsey A signed off their campaign with a 7-2 home win over Castletown A, as they won by 43 chalks (181-138).

In Group B Marown A also kept up their 100% win record, as they won 2-7 in their away fixture with Douglas A, winning by 27 chalks on the night (138-175).

Port St Mary A and Port Erin A clashed at Breagle Glen, with the PSM team taking six individual victories and winning by 29 chalks (177-148).

Mixed Team Plate

In Group A Noble’s dodged a heavy defeat away to Peel to top the group in their 5-4 defeat as they lost out by just six chalks. With both teams finishing on 10 points a superior chalks for and against for Noble’s was enough to reach the final.

Castletown B signed off with a 6-3 win over North Ramsey B, taking the chalks by 38 (158.120).

In Group B Ballaugh marched on to top the Group with 12 points following their 9-0 win away to Marown B, although the Crosby Team did score well (126-189).

South Ramsey B also finished the group with a win by the smallest of margins (152-153) as they beat Douglas B at the Villa. The home team could take some consolation as they won 5-4 on games.

South Ramsey A now face Marown A in the final of the Championship, while Noble’s take on Ballaugh in the Plate final on Wednesday 24^th August with the venue to be confirmed.

The Isle of Man Team took part in the 2022 BCGBA Senior Supplementary County Championship which was held on Sunday at Fox Lane, Leyland with the team returning to this format of the competition after last playing in it in 2014, having played in the Crosfield Cup in 2015 and 2016 the men have not had the opportunity to represent the Island for six years in a team competition.

Drawn in Group 1, as expected the opposition was tough with South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire awaiting.

In the first round of matches the eight man team were up against South Yorkshire, with the Manx men drawing 4-4 on games with Jordan Cain, Bob Clark, Neil Withers and Matthew Quirk all winning, with the latter the best winner. Paul Dunn just missed out 20-21 as the team lost out by just 12 chalks (142-154).

In their second round match Greater Manchester were the opposition, once again they managed to win four individual games with the winners being Jordan Cain, Bob Clark, Paul Dunn and Neil Withers with the latter winning 21-8. Losing out in close games were Glynn Hargraves (19), Colin Kelly (18) and Matthew Quirk (15) as they lost this one by a margin of just four chalks (145-149).

In their final match they faced Cheshire. The team didn’t let their heads drop after two narrow defeats as this time out they dug deep to pick up a 5-3 victory on games and ultimately win the all important chalks as they won by a healthy margin of 23 chalks (140-117) to pick up two points for the victory. Individual wins to single figures arrived from David Bradford and Bob Clark, while Colin Kelly, Jordan Cain and Neil Withers also won.

South Yorkshire ended up topping the group, going on to the reach the final where they came up against Derbyshire who prevailed in Group 2, in a group that included Potteries, Cumbria and North Midlands. In the final South Yorkshire edged out Derbyshire as they won by just five chalks (145-140) to take the title home.

The Isle of Man Team who were managed by Phil Kerruish and assisted by Juan Kermode finished in a very respectable second place in the group to match their best performance in this competition, as they also finished +7 on aggregate chalks to show they can compete with other counties. In the first two rounds of matches they lost out by 16 chalks – just two chalks a man to show the very fine margins between victory and defeat.

To put this into perspective the Isle of Man have just 13 bowling greens available on the Island, with a limited pool of bowlers to choose from. Whilst other counties have hundreds of greens to play on and thousands of bowlers to pick from, it could well be argued that the Isle of Man are punching above their weight.

A great team effort overall, with Jordan Cain, Bob Clark and Neil Withers each winning all three games played on the day. The day can be considered a success for the Island Team, who demonstrated a good team spirit and togetherness as they went unbeaten on match games in all three rounds. Thanks must also go to everyone who helped organise the trip.

The 3R’s Limited Rayner Shield final was held at Castletown Bowling Club on Friday evening, between South Ramsey A and Marown A, with the current top two teams on the Island going head to head, with many neutrals predicting a 4-4 result with the match to be decided on chalks.

As now is commonplace for team finals both captains agreed to do the draw ahead of the match, with a short video of the draw put together to generate a bit of interest. This appeared to pay off with over 120 spectators in attendance to watch events unfold, on a fine evening for bowls with fantastic support for both teams.

First off the green for South Ramsey was captain Glynn Hargraves who was 4-4 early in the game with Sam Clague. Hargraves went on a good run against Clague who scored just one more point as the South Ramsey man changed the mark played every end to win 21-5. Next off to level things up on games was Marown’s top man Colin Kelly who was up against Dido Kelly with the Marown man leading 12-3 in the corners Dido played well to fight back to 11-12, only for another good run from Colin in the corners resulted in a 21-13 win for the Crosby man.

Marown went 2-1 ahead thanks to Dean Kipling who led 14-8 against James Teare, with both players scoring seven chalks each from there this was enough for Kipling to win 21-15. The last match of the first half was a blockbuster of a game between Manx Champion David Bradford and new signing Peter Jones, with the latter being familiar with the Castletown green having played in the Ballacashtal many times over the years. The big difference in this game was Bradford was able to score a double on five occasions, with Jones scoring two doubles Bradford edged home 21-17 in a good quality game. At the half way stage it was 2-2 on games with South Ramsey ahead by just five chalks (69-64).

In the second half of the match the two new South Ramsey players proved their determination to pick up their first Rayner Shield win with their new team as Bob Clark surged into a 13-5 lead against Phil Kelly, Clark performed well on his former home green to win 21-12. Jordan Cain performed brilliantly on the night as he went 20-7 ahead against Neil Withers, with the latter having to play a lot of reaching bowls just to stay in the game. Three quickfire doubles from Withers pulled the score back to 13-20 as he threatened to get a run of ends together. A great last bowl from Cain secured a good 21-13 victory to put South Ramsey 4-2 up on games and 22 chalks ahead (111-89).

The match was effectively over at this point with both of the remaining games for South Ramsey well into double figures, with Peter Collister trailing Paul Kelly 13-14 the South Ramsey man went 16-14 ahead only for Kelly to run out with a 21-16 win as he scored seven chalks over four ends. The last game of the night saw Stefan Kelly who was perhaps the underdog in his game with Marown captain Paul Dunn, yet Kelly put in a good performance playing corner to crown and back to lead 9-3. Dunn responded brilliantly hitting some good strikes as he went into the lead 17-16 by end 28. Kelly kept his composure and refocused to score five consecutive singles to win 21-17, with the result sealing a 5-3 victory (chalks 148-127) for South Ramsey and ultimately proving to be a good confidence boost for Kelly.

The presentation was made by competition committee officer Steve Moore, who thanked Rob Matthews from 3R’s Limited for sponsoring the competition, Castletown Bowling Club for the use of the green and their club members for assisting throughout the evening. Rob Matthews of 3R’s Limited was then introduced to present the Rayner Shield to South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves, who offered his commiserations to Marown and congratulated his side for a superb team performance. South Ramsey’s win sees them take their sixth win in the competition, along with retaining the title they picked up last season.

South Ramsey A			Marown A
David Bradford	21	17	Peter Jones
Dido Kelly	12	21	Colin Kelly
Glynn Hargraves	21	5	Sam Clague
James Teare	15	21	Dean Kipling
Bob Clark	21	12	Phil Kelly
Jordan Cain	21	13	Neil Withers
Peter Collister	16	21	Paul Kelly
Stefan Kelly	21	17	Paul Dunn
5 Games Won	148	127	3 Games Won