In Canada Life International Sponsored Division One this week fourth placed Marown B stunned their nearest league rivals Onchan A at Crosby with the home team winning 9-1 to close the gap on the Onchan men to just seven points. For Marown Matthew Keggen was the only single figure winner as he beat Neil Dunwell 21-9, with Jerome Surridge beating Phil Kerruish 21-17, Brian Kelly won 21-18 against Reg Temporaza while John Gelling had to use all his home green knowledge to see off Kevin Quirk 21-19. Matthew Quirk was the lone winner for Onchan, as he beat Glenn Boland 21-15.

South Ramsey A had a short trip down the road as they took on local rivals North Ramsey A at Mooragh Park on a wet and blustery evening. After the first half of the match the score was 2-2, with Paul Allison having a superb last two ends against Stefan Kelly to win 21-20, while John Cannan beat James Teare. It could have been a lot worse as David Bradford held his nerve to beat Steve Walmsley 21-20. In the second half South Ramsey dominated as they won three games comfortably, with Peter Collister pushed the furthest by Adrian Skinner who lost out 18-21 to ensure the league leaders took a solid 2-8 win on the night.

Second placed Marown A had their away game with Douglas A rearranged to Wednesday evening due to a waterlogged Villa green, however they ended the week matching the league leaders with their own 2-8 away win. All of the away wins for Marown were comfortable with 15 the highest their losers could get to. The two winners for Douglas were Keith Rise who beat Neil Withers 21-18, while Gordon Wynne-Smythe also won 21-18 against Harry Barton. Marown A now host South Ramsey A at Crosby on Monday night as they look to close the gap.

Onchan B slipped to a heavy 1-9 home defeat to Peel A, with Dave Smith the best winner for the Peel Men as he won 21-1 against Mike Kelly. Preventing the whitewash was Steve Parker who edged home 21-19 against Michael Kavanagh.

Peel B look a good bet to remain in the top division as they beat Castletown A 7-3 at home. Peel captain Paul Quirk beat Juan Kermode 21-11, with Robert Middleton their best winner as he won 21-6 against Derek Lewney. All three wins for Castletown from Ian Watson, Ron Williams and Mark Moorley were to a 21-15 score line.

With just five games left to play Port Erin A are barring a miracle heading for an immediate return to Division Two, as they are 25 points from safety following their 10-0 defeat to Port St Mary A at Breagle Glen. David Cain and Bernie Durcan were the best scorers in their 17-21 defeats to Dan McCabe and Tom Collins respectively. Trevor Quayle was the best winner 21-5 against Steve Durcan.

In Division Two league leaders South Ramsey B show no signs of relenting as they beat bottom team Ballaugh B 9-1 at home, with the visitors needing to pick up some good results soon with just five matches left to play.

Marown C suffered a huge upset the following night with a strong South Ramsey C Team winning 9-1 at home. The experienced Peter Kelly was the only winner as he beat Anthony Kelly 21-11, while his son John just lost out 20-21 to Christian Caley. For the home team captain Tony Hart won 21-8 against 2021 Rayner Plate hero Stuey Clague.

Ballaugh A reclaimed second spot from Marown B thanks to their 8-2 home win over Noble’s A. John Keenan handed out a tough lesson to Jim Callister with the latter slipping to a 21-1 defeat. The two winners for Noble’s were Alex Yates who beat Barry McDonald 21-12, a score matched by Martyn Hobson who seen off Gordie Moore.

The closest match in Division Two was between Onchan C and Port St Mary B at the Park with the visitors coming away with a 4-6 win. The Port men won the crucial two-point aggregate following a 4-4 draw on games courtesy of two 21-9 wins from Derek Cain and Ken Karran who beat Brian Aspden and Kelvin McNicholl respectively.

Castletown B recorded a solid 8-2 home win over Douglas B, while Finch Hill A beat Peel C 7-3 at home as they snatched the aggregate by just one chalk (142-141).

League leaders North Ramsey B aren’t home and dry just yet in Division Three, after their 3-7 away win over Peel D. Ian Gray impressed for Peel as he beat Tony Smart 21-12, while Andy Jackson just edged it 21-20 against John Corteen. For the Mooragh men their best winner was Brian Colquitt who beat Charlie McMeiken 21-11.

Second placed Noble’s B closed the gap on the league leaders by two points as they beat Ballaugh C 9-1 at home. Just missing out on a 10-0 win with Paul Cubbon beating Michael Johnson 21-19. Three single figures victories from Terry Bates, Ciaran Broad and Stephen Corkill, along with a 21-14 win from junior bowler Alex Hampson helped their cause on the night. Noble’s still have a game in hand on North Ramsey as they look to close the gap further.

Third placed Marown D needed a better result than their 7-3 home win over Castletown C to make up ground on the teams above them. Richard Bregazzi was their best winner as he beat Gerry Bradley 21-2, while individual merit leader Jay Waters stayed on course with a 21-8 victory. Juan Drinkwater was the best winner for the visitors with a 21-6 victory over Keith Watterson.

Finch Hill B recorded a solid 8-2 home win over Douglas D with Sam Stannard-Duke, John Harris and Peter Woods all winning to single figures. For Villa Clark Kelly impressed with a 21-17 win over Guy Smith.

The final match of the week was between Douglas C and South Ramsey D at the Villa, with the home team winning 8-2. John Ferguson recorded his first ever 21-0 win in the league to hand out a tough lesson to Ryan Hargraves, while Nick Firth beat Frank Feeney 21-9. Captain Franz ten Donkelaar tried to show his team the way with a 21-6 win over Trevor Latus, however Chris Brown was their only other winner as he beat Ashley Halsall 21-20.

Marown A take on South Ramsey A in the final of the 3R’s Limited Rayner Shield at Castletown tomorrow evening with just four points separating both teams in the league it could be too close to call.

The Crosby men have won this competition 16 times to date, with their last success a stunning comeback against South Ramsey A in 2018. South Ramsey are the current holders and have won the competition five times, with four of those wins arriving from 2015 onwards.

Over the past 10 years these teams have faced off in four finals with both teams picking up two wins each.

Game 1 – David Bradford vs Peter Jones

Bradford is without doubt the man in form for both teams, having picked up three open wins in the past few weeks, with his second Manx Championship being one of them to follow up on his 2015 success. A Festival winner as a teenager in 2002, Bradford is a regular winner of opens, has won the Manx Masters on three occasions.

Marown have undoubtedly strengthened their ranks with the mid-season signing of Jonah who has been a regular for Merseyside over the years, and has been a frequent visitor to the Isle of Man for the Festival. Jonah has recently relocated to the Island and is starting to settle into life on the Isle of Man having picked up his first Open win since moving over as he beat team mate Neil Withers in the final of the Douglas Town Cup.

Game 2 – Dido Kelly vs Colin Kelly

A pre-festival winner of the Autumn Shield, recent open winner at South Ramsey with the Jim Kernan Cup, Dido’s main focus these days is towards his club team as he rarely enters opens. His club record is second to none over the past three league seasons and that is in a team that includes David Bradford.

Colin is a seven time Manx Champion, the most decorated player appearing in the final. Colin has won the Festival once, is probably unlucky not to have won it more. His defining and proudest moment was winning the Champion of Champions title in 2019. His last Manx Championship success – won on his home green won’t have been far behind though. Too many open wins to mention is fair to say with one in the bag so far this season.

Game 3 – Glynn Hargraves vs Sam Clague

Hargraves suffered two defeats in the final of the Manx Championship in 2007 and 2009, before going on to win back to back titles in 2012 and 2013 the second of which was at Castletown, to become the first father and son to win the coveted trophy, with his Dad winning in 1987 at South Ramsey. Retaining the trophy in 2013 Hargraves became one of just four people to do so after winning the title for the first time. A previous Manx Masters winner and has won two singles opens to date this season.

‘Sammy’ was a surprise package in the Association Cup in 2020, as he went on to win beat an in form Paul Dunn in the final at Castletown. Clague made the move to Marown over the winter. A former home greener at Castletown, which his team will be hoping to use to their advantage on Friday evening.

Game 4 – James Teare vs Dean Kipling

T-Bag came into the A Team in 2019, winning an impressive 18 out of 22 games as a replacement for John Kennish, no mean feat in itself. T-Bag is a regular winner of Mixed Doubles competitions, and has picked up more than one Men’s Doubles title. James is comfortable with the added pressure of appearing in finals, once he gets into his groove he can be difficult to stop.

Kipling picked up his one and only Manx Championship in 1992 at Port Erin beating Dennis Gelling in the final. Dean doesn’t get in opens as much these days, but is a big game player and is as important to Marown off the green as he is on it. His record representing the Isle of Man is up there with the best.

Game 5 – Bob Clark vs Phil Kelly

The 2021 runner up in the Manx Championship, Bob has stepped up his performances over the past 18 months, with his new approach towards his game paying off. Bob picked up the Dreswick Cup last year recovering from a 20-14 deficit against Glynn Hargraves to win 21-20 and in doing so became the last winner on the old green. He wasn’t quite able to repeat the trick this year coming up against team mate David Bradford in the final. Following a move to South Ramsey over the winter, he hasn’t disappointed with his performances.

Rambo won the Manx Championship in 1994 at Noble’s on his former home green with a 21-20 win in the final over John Saunders, he was the first winner of the Manx Masters in its current format. Rambo has been in good form recently picking up the June Player of the Month having won the Heywood Gelling beating Marown’s ‘big three’ on the way to victory.

Game 6 – Jordan Cain vs Neil Withers

Jords was runner up in the final of the Manx Championship in 2019, with Colin Kelly the only man able to stop him on the day. Having spent nine years at Onchan, Jordan made the move north for a fresh challenge, he is starting to settle in well as he gets to grip with the South Ramsey green.

For Nev home green glory arrived in the Manx Championship in 2009, with a 21-19 victory over Glynn Hargraves, however his finest moment was winning the June Festival in 2013. A winner of multiple opens over the years. Nev is one half of the best doubles partnership in recent years, with the pair proving difficult to shift.

Game 7 – Peter Collister vs Paul Kelly

Collie famously did the double winning the 1983 June Festival and Tourism competitions and was one of the most consistent players in the 80’s and 90’s. After a lengthy spell out of the game Collister returned to league bowls full time in 2013. Collie turned 60 earlier this year, however he is in fine form for his team this season having lost just two league fixtures to date, picked up the Noble’s Cup last weekend with John Kennish.

PK is well travelled having learnt his craft at Noble’s Mixed, turning out for Castletown, Douglas and has now settled at Marown. Another who doesn’t get in many singles opens, however he has picked up two mens doubles wins so far this season. Another former home greener, who loves to have a strike.

Game 8 – Stefan Kelly vs Paul Dunn

The Peel Town Cup last year wasn’t Stefan’s first singles win, this was actually achieved in the U.K. a few years earlier beating John Kennish en-route to victory. ‘Stiffy’ as he is affectionately called by his team mates has won several doubles titles with a variety of partners. Relishes the big games and performs well when needed.

Dunner was hot favourite to become Manx Champion in 2020 and didn’t disappoint. He has become a regular winner of Opens over the past few years, with his time and dedication towards his bowls now reaping dividends, he is one of Marown’s most consistent performers in recent seasons, is going well in the individual merit as he currently occupies top spot.

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the Noble’s Cup Mens Doubles on Saturday with 24 pairs taking part.

Losing out in the quarter final stage were Onchan pair Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker, Walter McCarthy and Karl Parker (both Marown), Ciaran Broad and Michael Johnson (both Noble’s) along with Charlie Bell (Marown) and Steve Hampson (Noble’s).

The semi-finals were well contested with Marown duo Paul Dunn and Neil Withers lost out 19-21 to South Ramsey pair John Kennish and Peter Collister, whilst Derek Allen (Port Erin) and Alec Taylor (Peel) were defeated 15-21 by home greeners Alex Yates and Jim Callister.

The final went the way of the more experienced pair Kennish and Collister who ruthlessly won 21-5 against Yates and Callister in just eight ends to pick up the £100 first prize.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by Tina Hampson, who thanked Steve Moore and the club members who had helped with the running of the competition. Thanks were also given to sponsor Stuart Hampson from Burgerman Catering and Tanfastic.

The BCGBA Senior Individual Merit was held at Hawcoat Park Sports Club in Barrow-in-Furness on Saturday with the two qualifiers from the Isle of Man taking part in proceedings. A whole day of wet weather did put a dampener on the day.

Manx Champion David Bradford was on in the first set of games against Andy Fergus from Greater Manchester, with Bradford leading 16-5, his opponent then found his length to ultimately runout with a 21-19 victory.

Peel favourite Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly was drawn against Gareth Hughes from Wales, with Barney always being behind in the game he battled back to 18-19 only for Hughes to score the two chalks needed to progress.

The final had 2019 runner up Gary Owen (Potteries and District) up against previous winner Callum Wraight (Shropshire) with the latter storming into a 10-0 lead, who then went 20-4 up. Owen managed to get a run of ends together only to lose out 21-9 for Wraight to pick up his second win in this competition following his win on Merseyside in 2009.

It was another busy week of bowls in the Canada Life International bowling leagues, with a double week.

In Division One League leaders South Ramsey A started their week at Breagle Glen as they took on Port St Mary A with the visitors picking up a 3-7 win. Winning for Port St Mary were Trevor Quayle who beat Stefan Kelly 21-9, Paul Skelly beat Dido Kelly 21-11, whilst Robbie Cooil beat South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves 21-17.

On Wednesday South Ramsey A fared much better as they beat Onchan B 9-1 at home on a tricky green, with the home team handling it extremely well as they won four games to single figures, with David Bradford winning 21-1, whilst Bob Clark, Dido Kelly and Glynn Hargraves all won 21-2.

Marown A started their week off matching the leaders result as they came away from the Crofts with a 3-7 win over Castletown A. Winning for the Town men were Ron Williams who beat Peter Jones 21-13, Chris Lever won 21-16 against Paul Kelly and Mark Moorley won 21-20 against Harry Barton. Marown did manage to prevent the result from being any more damaging as Neil Withers beat George Foy 21-20.

On Wednesday evening Marown A recorded an 8-2 home win over North Ramsey A, as they lost one point this week to South Ramsey A. Three single figure wins from the home team came from Paul Dunn, Paul Kelly and Neil Withers. Winning for the visitors were Paul Allison who beat Sam Clague 21-19, whilst Rob Monk heavily defeated Harry Barton 21-7.

Douglas A slipped to two defeats as they were well beaten 1-9 at home to Onchan A, ended their week with a 3-7 away defeat to Castletown A.

Peel B started the week well with a 10-0 home win over Port Erin A, but ended it with a heavy 9-1 away defeat to Onchan A.

Marown B slipped to a rare home defeat as they lost 3-7 to Peel A at Crosby, bounced back to win 2-8 away to Port Erin A. The Breagle Glen men are in danger of being cut adrift as they currently sit 18 points from safety, which is a lot to make up with just six fixtures left to play.

Pacesetters South Ramsey B had a good week in Division Two as they recorded the biggest win in the second division, beating Noble’s A 9-1 at home. Four single figure wins from the home team proved their dominance, with Martyn Hobson being the lone winner as he had a comfortable 21-15 win over Austin Hart.

On Thursday night South Ramsey B were away to Port St Mary B, they matched Monday’s win to stretch their lead at the top to 11 points.

Second placed Marown C had a slender one-point lead over Ballaugh A prior to their league fixture, with the Crosby men coming away with a solid 2-8 win to extend their lead to seven points and consolidate second place. The two wins for Ballaugh could have gone the other way as Richard Hainge beat work colleague Jamie Joughin 21-17 to ensure he had office bragging rights, whilst John Keenan reminded his opponent he is still tough to shift on his own green as he beat John Kelly 21-18. The visitors had three close wins from Kevin Kelly, Stuart Clague and Walter McCarthy. Ballaugh’s hope of promotion appear to be fading away.

On Thursday night Marown C hosted Finch Hill A with the home team suffering an upset as they lost out 4-6, with the chalks going in favour of the visitors (147-148).

At the bottom of the table it is looking like a three-way fight between Onchan C on 51 points, Port St Mary B and Ballaugh B with both teams on 48 points.

In Division Three North Ramsey B could only come away from Crosby with a hard fought 4-6 win over Marown B, which allowed Noble’s B the opportunity to close the gap as they won 8-2 at home to Port Erin B on Tuesday evening.

On Thursday evening Noble’s B took their turn to sit the fixtures out as North Ramsey B hoped to capitalise on this with a home fixture with Douglas C. The Mooragh Park men didn’t disappoint as they won 9-1 to sit top by 13 points.

In third place Marown D headed north to take on South Ramsey D, as they looked to make up ground on second place Noble’s B, the visitors came away with a 3-7 victory, with Sam Colquitt winning the battle of the Juniors with a 21-13 win over Ryan Hargraves.

Peel Sunset Bowling club hosted the popular Peel Town Cup on Saturday afternoon, attracting a perfect entry of 46 men, with Ballaugh being the venue of choice in a bid to attract a healthy entry. The green was in good condition with the rain falling in the early stages of the competition, the weather improved as the day went on to end in sunshine. With handicaps ranging from +3 to +9, once again it made for an interesting day with some shock results. There were a number of high profile casualties early on with some excellent ties, as the handicaps did the trick with plenty of high scoring games throughout the competition.

Losing out at the quarter-final stage were Peel man Dougie Allan (Peel) who lost out to Steven Waters (South Ramsey) 19-21, Walter McCarthy (Marown) was beaten 18-21 by Philip ‘Pip’ Pemberton (Peel). Marown man Colin Kelly had his hopes of victory dashed by Bob Clark (South Ramsey) with the latter winning 21-14, whilst Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) won 21-15 against Derek Allen (Port Erin).

Both semi-finals were well contested with Waters (+6) just losing out to Pemberton (+7) 19-21, as the latter reached the final, whilst the two South Ramsey teammates faced off in the other semi-final with Hargraves (+3) getting the better of Clark (+3) this time out as he won 21-17.

The final got underway with Hargraves having enjoyed previous success in this competition in 2015, whilst Pip was making his first appearance in a final of a singles open. Pemberton made the stronger start building on the four chalk start on the card, playing a round peg to extend his lead to six chalks after eight ends with the score 13-7 to the Peel man. Hargraves responded to take five consecutive ends on a short round peg to edge ahead 14-13. A great last bowl on the following end from Pip when lying two down sent him on another mini-run as he won four of the next five ends to lead 18-15.

A change of tactics saw the South Ramsey captain opt for a longer length, with this appearing to work as Hargraves went 19-18 ahead and was counting two for game only for Pip to bowl in to level the game up at 19-19. A good lead on the following end wasn’t beaten, with Pip missing the opportunity to count for two to pile on the pressure. At 20-19 a loose end from both players resulted in Hargraves somewhat fortuitously scoring a single to level the game at 20-20. On the deciding end Hargraves composed himself picking a mark from the gate to the glass shelter approximately two thirds the length of the green and put up a good lead bowl 15 inches to the side of the jack. Pip left his first bowl just over two foot short, with Hargraves improving on his first bowl to play a side toucher, leaving Pip no other option other than to attempt to kill the end or trail the jack, however he got slightly low on the line as Hargraves claimed a 21-20 victory and with it his second win in this competition.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by competition secretary Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, who thanked the sponsors IOM Seafoods for their continued support, and Assistant Tournament Director nine year old Arran Dunn for his efforts throughout the day. Club President Lenny Kerruish was then introduced to present the prizes, he thanked Ballaugh for hosting the competition, their Ladies for catering, the greenkeeper for preparing the green and anyone else who had helped on the day.

The Dreswick Cup was held for the first time at Breagle Glen with an entry of 35 who took part on a tricky green with a good afternoon of bowling. The competition was once again sponsored by The Albert Hotel – Port St Mary.

In the quarter finals the current holder Bob Clark (South Ramsey) got the better of his captain Glynn Hargraves with a 21-14 win, whilst home favourite Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary), ended the challenge of Neil Dunwell with a 21-16 victory. Manx Champion David Bradford put paid to the hopes of Seamus Whelan (Port Erin) with a 21-10 win, whilst another South Ramsey man went on to reach the semi-final with Peter Collister seeing off Wayne Roberts 21-14.

In the first semi-final Clark got the better of Quayle in a keenly contested game with the South Ramsey man getting home 21-18 win to take his place in the final, while in the other semi-final Bradford put paid to Collisters’ hopes of a third win in this competition as the latter lost out 21-15.

In the final Bradford made the better start as he leapt into a 10-6 lead, however Clark clawed his way back into the game, with Bradford enjoying considerable success with his strikes being the main difference early on in the game with the score at 13-12. Bradford then settled on a mark over the middle of the green from the Café to the glass shelter and back as he scored eight consecutive chalks to run out with a 21-12 victory and seal his second win in this competition, with the last title picked up in 2005.

At the presentation Club President Margaret Tasker thanked the Port St Mary ladies for providing the refreshments, Wayne Roberts for running the competition, along with anyone else that helped on the day. Long standing sponsor of the competition Pat O’Meara from the Albert Hotel was then introduced to present the prizes.

In the Canada Life International Sponsored Division One this week South Ramsey A hosted Marown B on a tricky green. Whilst the home team won 7-3 on the night, they will have been hoping for a bigger home win to keep the chasing pack at arm’s length. For the home team captain Glynn Hargraves was the best winner with a 21-9 victory over Karl Parker, with the four wins for the home team being to 10, 11, 12 and 13 proving these were comfortable. For the Crosby men John Gelling got the first of their three wins, with a solid performance over Bob Clark as he won 21-16, with Jerome Surridge securing the best win of the night with a 21-8 win over Jordan Cain, whilst Glenn Boland had enough in the locker to edge out Stefan Kelly 21-20. Marown B are proving to be a formidable outfit; they are in my eyes the best B Team that I have come up against in my 30 years of bowls.

Marown A snatched the opportunity to claw some points back on South Ramsey A as they seen off Onchan B 9-1 at Crosby. Colin Kelly was their best winner as he beat Mark Kelly 21-3, with Harry Barton also winning to single figures as he beat Mike Alexander 21-9. The lone winner for Onchan was Jamie Clague with a resounding 21-13 win over Phil Kelly, whilst Steve Parker just lost out 19-21 to Sam Clague.

Douglas A performed well on their travels this week as they beat Port Erin A 2-8 at Breagle Glen. Captain Merv Sayle was their best winner with a 21-11 victory over Seamus Whelan, with Gordon Wynne- Smythe managing to hold off David Cain 21-19. ‘Deadly’ Derek Allen lived up to his name as he won 21-5 against Alistair Lothian for the home team.

Onchan A will feel they slipped up at home to Castletown A as they only won 6-4 on the night. Peter Slinger and Matthew Quirk both won 21-9 against Ian Watson and Mark Moorley respectively. For the visitors four points would have been a bonus on the night as Nathan Cooil won 21-13 against Will Penhallurick, a result matched by Derek Lewney who rolled back the years with his win over Phil Kerruish. Their other two wins were hard fought with George Foy beating Neil Dunwell 21-18, whilst Peter Oates won 21-19 against Mike Thomas.

Peel A took on Peel B, with the higher ranked team winning 7-3. The three winners for the B team were Robert Middleton who beat Tom Kelly 21-11, Andy Mackie won 21-14 against Dean Kelly, with Dougie Allan getting the third win as he beat George Gadsby 21-19. Brian Lindsay just missed out on gaining an extra point for his team as he lost 20-21 to Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly.

North Ramsey A couldn’t make home advantage count as they lost 4-6 at Mooragh Park to Port St Mary A, with the aggregate going in favour of the visitors by seven chalks (131-138). Paul Skelly and Wayne Roberts both won 21-9, with Trevor Quayle having to battle all the way for his 21-19 win over Steve Walmsley. The home team did get some big wins, with Paul Allison winning 21-8 against Nathan Hamilton, Rob Monk beat Jordan Drewett 21-9. Allan Callow and Gary Merrill both had to dig in to pick up their wins.

In Division Two South Ramsey B still head the table, however the teams below them continue to close the gap, following their 4-6 away win over Peel C. Edward Carlyle was the best winner on the night with a 21-5 win over Bob Berry, with Steven Waters seeing off Harry Kelly with relative ease thanks to a 21-9 win. All four losses for the visitors could have gone the other way with Austin Hart and Tony Dugdale both losing out 18-21 to Jeff Wilson and Jimmy Corlett respectively, with Chas Grills losing out 19-21 to Tony Carroon, as did Alan Moore to Phil Clarke.

Marown C now occupy second place thanks to their 9-1 home win over Onchan C. Kevin Kelly, Walter McCarthy and captain Stephen Rundle led the way for the Crosby men with single figure wins. For Onchan Roger Payne made sure it wasn’t a whitewash with his 21-12 victory over Stephen Storey.

Ballaugh A will have been pleased to come away from the Villa with a 2-8 win over Douglas B. John Maddrell was their best winner as he beat Les Quayle 21-7, whilst John Keenan got over the line 21-20 against Keith Fearnley. For the home team Mark Kneen won 21-8 against Barry McDonald.

Noble’s A look to be consolidating their place in Division Two as they beat Port St Mary B 8-2 at home. All wins for the home team were in double figures, with a 21-17 victory for Martyn Hobson over Ray Maddrell and Mark Quinns’ 21-19 win over Rod Swift proving less comfortable. For the Port men Bernard Thackrah was their best winner as he beat John Andrew 21-10, whilst Peter Collins won 21-18 against Dave Naughton.

Castletown B are 10 points off third placed Ballaugh A, following their 8-2 home win over Finch Hill A. John Matheson won 21-8 against Paddy Murphy, with Collin Holland performing well to beat Dave McCabe 21-14. For Finch Tony Epifani brushed aside Dave Faragher with a 21-6 win.

North Ramsey B gave a glimmer of hope to second placed Noble’s B in Division Three, after they could only muster a 6-4 home win over Finch Hill B. Stephen Oates was the surprise package of the night as he beat Ray Skelly 21-8. Two single figure wins from Mike Skelly and Andrew Honour ensured the aggregate went in favour of the home team.

Noble’s B capitalised on the points dropped by North Ramsey B as they swept aside Douglas D 0-10 on a tricky Villa green. Michael Johnson beat Clark Kelly 21-4, whilst Young Player of the month Alex Hampson continued his good form as he beat bob Banning 21-19. Greg Brew was the closest to picking up a win for Douglas, only to lose out 20-21 to Phil Salmon.

Marown D certainly can’t be written off just yet as they sit in third place, nine points behind Noble’s B after a 3-7 away win over Ballaugh C. Winning big for the visitors were Keith Watterson and Rob Bell, while Steve Cain and captain Steve Rough had to work hard to secure their wins. For the home team Paul Cubbon was the best winner as he beat Richard Bregazzi 21-7.

Port Erin B managed to field a full team this week as they beat Peel D 8-2 at home, with Trevor Barker the only single figure winner on the night as he beat George Gosden 21-9. For Peel Kevin Murray won 21-16 against Alan Crebbin, whilst Andy Jackson beat Robert Woodford 21-13.

South Ramsey D won 8-2 at home to Castletown C, with the battle of the juniors going in favour of the more experienced Ryan Hargraves as he beat Sam Quayle, with the latter getting off to a great start as he performed admirably only to lose out 21-17. Four single figures victories for the home team demonstrated their dominance on the night. For the Town men Thomas Keggen won 21-20 against James Moore, whilst David Quayle won 21-13 against Jay Moore.

In Bingo parlance ‘Kelly’s Eye’ is number one and that was certainly the case at Ballaugh in the Men’s Over 60’s Championship as Dave (Barney) Kelly stormed to a third successive Championship win.

With the Ballaugh Green looking extremely good on Tuesday the last eight in the Competition saw Alec Taylor (Peel) beat Mike Alexander (Onchan) 21-16,while Bryan Corner (South Ramsey) beat his clubmate Lee Dawson 21-10. An epic battle between Steve Parker (Onchan) and Dave McCabe (Finch Hill) ended in a 21-19 win for the latter player. This left the much talked about match between Kevin Quirk (Onchan) and Dave Kelly (Peel) with both playing some great bowls but eventually the Peel man was just too strong as he took a 21-11 win.

In the semi-finals we saw an intriguing battle between Bryan Corner and Alec Taylor with Bryan doing well on longer marks and Alec preferring the shorter ones. This match ended with Alec keeping his calm under pressure to win 21-19.

The other semi-final saw Dave McCabe valiantly attempting to ‘split the green’ and prevent his opponent getting into the corners but Barney was able to take control and win 21-11.

The Final between Peel Sunset clubmates Dave Kelly and Alec Taylor saw Dave put on a master class in bowling to take a 21-3 win despite Alec playing some great bowls.

The Presentation was introduced by Over 60’s Bowling Chairman Norman Kneen who thanked Ballaugh for being wonderful hosts of the Competition and he thanked Ballaugh members for measuring and their Ladies for the wonderful catering provided. He also thanked Andy Kennish and John Ryder for their help and Competition Secretary Mark Kelly for his hard work. The trophies were then presented by Mark Kelly and on receiving his trophy Dave Kelly also thanked Ballaugh for their hospitality and great condition of the Green.

Over 60’s Manx Championship Preview
The final stages of this years’ Over 60’s Manx Championship will be played to a conclusion at Ballaugh Bowling Club on Tuesday afternoon with action getting underway from 1pm. BCGBA dress code applies. Get yourself there for what promises to be a good afternoon of bowls. Think I will be taking a half day to watch things unfold.

Alec Taylor vs Mike Alexander

Alec was a good footballer in his younger days, who like his opponent has been on the bowls scene for quite some time now with Mike plying his trade in Division One in the night league for Onchan B, whilst Alec turns out for Peel C in Division Two having previously been an Onchan man.

In terms of head to head between this pair it is 2-1 to Alec, however Mike just pips it on chalks scored over the three games played. In terms of ranking position Mike edges it overall, is currently six places above his opponent in the Over 60’s merit.

Alec just can’t seem to let go of his football days, as he is often spotted kicking bowls that are half way across the green with the shout of ‘feet’ either encouraging him to give the bowl a good old welly or dummy the bowl completely and carry on walking as though nothing has happened.

Mike is a gentle giant behind closed doors with a passion unknown to many – that he holds the biggest collection of Care Bears on the Island, with his favourite being Grumpy Bear after a heavy defeat, with Good Luck Bear often not spoken to after a bad day on the green.

Bryan Corner vs Lee Dawson

Bryan is as keen as they come as he took up the game just five years ago having risen to 38th place in the Men’s rankings, he made the decision to cross over the Bridge from North Ramsey to South Ramsey a few years ago. Bryan loves nothing more than joining the ‘boys’ in Alan’s Café for a cup of tea in the morning as they put the world to rights with bowls being the hot topic of the day. His day will often consist of playing Over 60’s bowls, night league bowls, with lots of green time in between. It is very rare that I am up Ramsey and Bryan is not up having a roll. You can almost set your clock by him!

Bryan has an unknown number of vehicles, as I am sure he has a vehicle for every day of the week, instead of underpants of the day Bryan prefers a car of the day.

His opponent Lee or ‘Dawsy’ to most is a fellow club mate who has been around the block more than once, having started at Ballaugh, played for Peel for a good few years and more recently with South Ramsey C he appears to have got his mojo back having missed out on bowls for a good number of years due to family and work commitments. Dawsy has on the quiet won an open competition and was the ‘Collie slayer’ in qualifying, seeing off his much fancied club mate to reach finals day.

Dawsy for his sins is a die-hard Everton fan, has somewhat controversially decided to sport the official South Ramsey blue club shirt for Finals day rather than the hideous lime green shirt that his fellow C Team mates can still be seen in from Ramsey, when on the top of Snaefell in dense fog with a visibility range of two metres.

Steve Parker vs Dave McCabe

This is an interesting encounter with just four places separating these two in the Men’s rankings, with ‘Hooky’ Parker being the lower ranked of the two but interestingly with a 100%-win record over McCabe, with the pair having faced off three times. Both have been close in opens with McCabe losing out in the final of the Ken Williamson in 2019 and Parker reaching the final of the Over 60’s Manx Championship in 2018.

Steve can often be seen meditating around a bowling green in an attempt to keep his cool. Failing that Hooky will be creating a cloud of smoke, giving off a somewhat earthy smell as he frantically puffs on his shisha pipe throughout the day.

McCabe on the other hand will often be giving out dodgy tips to fellow bowlers on the horses ahead of a big race. I was struggling to put something in for Dave, but after a quick phone call we ironed things out with Dave giving me free rein to put whatever I wanted about him, however after hearing a story that went like this, I thought better of it… Dave was recently playing bowls at Fleetwood and there were a group of blokes sat behind Gill, who unknown to them was with Dave saying ‘That’s Dave McCabe from the Isle of Man, he’s not a bad player him’ as they went on to say ‘if he doesn’t beat you on the green, he will beat you off the green’. Gill held off asking Dave if he knew these guys at the time and only told Dave what had been said once they were well clear of the green. Given I actually like the ability to walk I will refrain on this one!

Kevin Quirk vs Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly

Never heard of these two before, but both have the potential to make good bowlers if they stick at the game. They are both new to the Over 60’s scene.

Joking aside this is a match-up between two of the games most successful players on the Isle of Man, with Barney’s success stretching back to the 1980’s, with five decades of winning pretty much everything there is to win in the game. Barney is the current holder of this title being undefeated in the Over 60’s Manx Championship to date, winning the title back to back in 2020 and 2021.

Kevin’s success has spanned four decades, no mean feat in itself, with two Manx Championships under his belt, one of which was won at Ronairco against Barney in the final in 2005. On his day Quirk is still one of the best perfect length bowlers on the Island, with the ability to pull out what can only be referred to as a ‘Kevin Quirk bowl’ – which to those who don’t know is to play the perfect bowl to beat what most would deem to be an unbeatable bowl.

Quirk or ‘Mad Dog’ as he is often referred to by his team mates is the ‘new born’ of the Over 60’s so to speak. This is Kevin’s first ‘bite’ at the Over 60’s Championship and he will be hoping that he does not bite off more than he can chew on Tuesday afternoon. Kevin has suddenly found himself with a lot more time on his hands having recently retired from the Post Office, so no doubt Rosemary has a list of things for Kevin to be getting on with at home. Speaking of the Post I am only mentioning this so you know who to blame if your Post is either turning up earlier or later than ever.

If Kevin is the new born then this would make Barney the toddler, which is a fitting description given his stature, even with his infamous Air Force 1’s being sported at greens all over the Island, they are now well travelled with trips abroad becoming a more common occurrence. I gave Barney a lot of stick in the last preview, so won’t go over old ground on this occasion.

Undoubtedly this is the tie of the round, with Kevin edging the head to head 2-1 in team competitions, although they will certainly have played each other a lot more in open competitions over the years, with the Manx Championship semi-final at Onchan in 2020 standing out, which Barney managed to get through 21-17. Whoever comes through this tie will certainly fancy their chances of going on to win the trophy.