There were 19 entries for the Finch Hill Newsbeat Men’s Doubles took place on Sunday afternoon, on another blustery day, with conditions appearing to affect the bowls more than the previous day when the wind was stronger.

The excellent standard of play was evident from the start as two preliminary games went to 21-20 and the third game 21-15. Two juniors Arran Dunn (Marown) and Kian Bradford (South Ramsey) teamed up and gave an excellent performance against Marown’s Paul Dunn (Dad) and Neil Withers just losing 17-21.

The quarter finals resulted in two games going to 21-20 with Rob Middleton and Peter Greenlees (Peel) beating Jordan Drewett and Dean Kinley (Castletown), and Alex Yates (Noble’s) and Steve Parker (Onchan) pipping Les Brookes (Finch Hill) and Eddie Carlyle (South Ramsey). The other quarters saw home greeners Mark Taylor and Stephen Oates getting past Sammie Clague (Marown) and Nathan Hamilton (Castletown, then Neil and Paul comfortably beating Ray Beattie and Bryan Corner (North Ramsey).

The winners of the semi-finals were Taylor and Oates 21-16 over Middleton and Greenlees, and Withers and Dunn Paul beating Yates and Parker 21-11.

Up to the middle of the final it was nip and tuck until Neil and Paul (last year’s runners up) won two bountiful ends, pulling ahead to finally win 21-14 against Mark and Stephen. to pick up the trophy for the fourth time in the last six years.

Thanks to Finch Hill. The standard of the running green received many compliments.

The Canada Life International Sponsored Division One got underway as Marown A sit top after the first round of fixtures following their 9-1 home win over North Ramsey A. All the wins for the Crosby men were comfortable with three single figures wins from Peter Jones, Neil Withers and Paul Kelly over Steve Walmsley, Steven Waters and Joe Kneale respectively. The lone winner for the Mooragh men was Rob Monk who beat Matthew Keggen 21-6.

South Ramsey A got their campaign underway with a tough home fixture over Peel A. After the first four games the home team led 4-0, however the second set of games could have gone 4-0 to Peel or the home team, as it was it ended up 2-2 to see the home team earn an 8-2 win. For the home team James Teare trailed 8-15 against Pip Pemberton, with Teare responding to runout with a 21-17 win, whilst a great last bowl from Stefan Kelly underpinned a good performance to hold off Tommy McMeiken 21-19. For Peel Stevie Kelly got their first point of the evening as he performed well to beat Jordan Cain 21-17, whilst his dad Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly trailed all game against Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly as he finished brilliantly to win 21-20, with Barney’s ability to strike being the ultimate difference.

Onchan A used home advantage to see off Castletown A 8-2. Marown B took on their C team in what was a closely fought match with the B claiming a 6-4 victory by six chalks (151-145), whilst Port St Mary A slipped to a 3-7 home defeat to Douglas A

In Division Two Peel B and South Ramsey B battled it out in the Sunset City as the home team claimed a 7-3 victory.

Douglas B head the table as they ensured it was a miserable start for Port Erin A, who inexplicably were a player short on the night, as they were heavily beaten 1-9 at home.

One of the most impressive results of the evening was from Noble’s A, who came away from the Crofts with a 2-8 victory over Castletown B.

Ballaugh A got their campaign underway with a 7-3 home victory over North Ramsey B, whilst Finch Hill A have brought in a couple of players from their B team as they won 8-2 at home to Onchan B.

In Division Three Noble’s B demolished Port St Mary B 10-0. Noble’s C, who last season were the D Team, have now swapped places with the C Team as they finished higher in the league rankings came away from Marown D with a good 3-7 victory. Not to be outdone Noble’s D (pictured) who were back from their pre-season trip won 8-2 at home to Ballaugh B.

South Ramsey C were on the receiving end of a disappointing 3-7 home defeat to a new look Peel C, who performed well on the night to take a deserved victory. Onchan C took a comfortable 7-3 home victory over South Ramsey D.

The newly formed Division Four got underway with three new teams this season, as the first ever E team to feature in the league claimed their first victory as Noble’s E beat Port Erin B 4-6 at Breagle Glen.

Castletown C had a tough time as they came away from Ballaugh C with a 9-1 defeat, whilst North Ramsey C sat out the first round of fixtures as they play this week.

Elsewhere Peel D slipped to a 4-6 home defeat to Douglas C, in a close game, whilst Finch Hill B came away from the Villa with a 3-7 victory over Douglas D.

One of the biggest changes in the league structure is taking place this season as the league is split into four divisions, following three additional teams joining the league. The last time this happened was in 2004, when 35 teams entered the men’s night league.

The top three divisions will have 10 teams, whilst the fourth division will consist of 9 teams, which includes three new teams, with Castletown putting a C team in again this year, North Ramsey C have recruited enough members for a third team, whilst Noble’s have made history by putting an E Team into the league, helped by having two greens that are used throughout the summer season, they could theoretically put in a further three teams F, G & H.

The time was right for the restructure as to remain with three divisions, there would have been very little room for contingency dates, matches would need to be played during TT and Bank Holidays, it would also have meant that some of the popular team competitions would also have to be sacrificed to ensure league games were able to fit into the calendar.

With four divisions there is more scope for additional teams to come into the league to allow expansion of the game in the future. It also has the knock on effect of making each league more competitive, leaving enough contingency dates in the calendar, and most importantly it allows dates to be scheduled for the Junior league, along with the Mixed Team and the Club Championship.

In Canada Life International sponsored Division One league champions South Ramsey A will once again wary of the challenge from Marown A, with the Crosby men looking to close a 16 point gap on last season, they have Dean Kipling back in the fold and Tom Kelly promoted to the A Team full time. An unchanged South Ramsey team won’t be resting on their laurels.

It will be interesting to see which teams are battling for promotion and relegation this season in all four divisions.

In Division Two Finch Hill A will look to bounce back from the disappointment of not gaining promotion to league division one following the restructure, however it does present them a unique opportunity as they could make history by winning Division Two two years running. Also looking to challenge Finch Hill, will be Ballaugh A who finished runners up in Division Two, whilst Peel B and South Ramsey B will be looking to regain their places in the top tier.

Over to Division Three South Ramsey C will be ranked as one of the top teams based on last seasons league standings, they will fancy their chances of taking the title, whilst Port St Mary B, like Finch Hill A will be looking to win their division for a second consecutive season. Noble’s D might have something to say about that as they finished just one point behind Port St Mary B, whilst Ballaugh B will also be in the mix as they finished three points off top spot.

Noble’s C now have a year’s experience under their belts, as the Leeds fans recently made the most of a pre-season trip away as they started their weekend with a friendly at Thorner BC as they played Black Swan Bowling Club, with three of their team picking up victories on international soil, with Steve Brennan the first man to do so as he won 21-20, with Andy Greggor and Steve Cain also staking their claim to fame. The following day they faced one of the top teams in the UK, as they took on Crossgates BC, in what turned out to be a steep learning curve, which will no doubt serve them well in the future. Their weekend was topped off with a visit to Elland Road as their beloved Leeds won 2-0 against Millwall to hit top spot in the Championship. As their captain Steve Cain said if Carlsberg did weekends…

Division Four will be a good starting point for Noble’s E, as the team made up of local farmers, who are all new to the game will be looking to ‘plough’ their way through the season, they do say cream always rises to the top! I do hope they get the same bug for the game as those who took up the game last year. North Ramsey continue to grow as a club, as they put in a third team this season, whilst their development also continues off the green as the last club on the island without floodlights, they are rumoured to be getting floodlights in place in the near future, which will no doubt help the competition secretary with his bowls calendar planning for the season.

A special mention must go to Noble’s Bowling Club, who a few years ago were on the brink of collapsing, as they have gone from strength to strength. New members bring different ideas, and with that a fresh outlook. It just goes to show the efforts made to bring new players into the game can reap the rewards as they have also picked up team silverware the last two seasons in the Mixed Plate competition.

All the best for what promises to be a great season.

On Wednesday of last week the semi-finals and Final of the Tower Insurance Cup were held on Nobles Park No. 1 Green after having been postponed the previous day due to heavy rain. In the semi-finals North Ramsey A were drawn against Castletown A and Onchan A were drawn against Douglas A.

North Ramsey A started well against Castletown A with Mike Skelly beating Mike Hargraves 21-20, Brian Colquitt beating Peter Oates 21-6 and Ray Skelly making it three in a row as he beat Ron Williams 21-18. Willie Corkill then got the first win for the Castletown side as he beat Geoff Porter 21-15 but then North Ramsey A Captain Steve Parker beat Castletown A Captain George Foy 21-19. Jimmy Moffatt then increased the lead for North Ramsey as he beat Colin Holland 21-14 and his team mate John Cannan beat Mark Saunders 21-19. In the final game of this semi-final Dave Hollingworth pulled one back for Castletown as he beat Tony Smart 21-19 which meant that North Ramsey A booked themselves a place in the final with a 6-2 win.

In the other semi-final Onchan A drew first blood with Mike Kelly beating Pat O’Donohue 21-17 but then Willie Cowley beat Onchan’s Derek Allen 21-20 before Onchan A won the next two games with Phil Kerruish beating Kevin Firth 21-11 and Kevin Quirk beating Keith Rise to the same score. The second half of the game started better for Douglas A with Jimmy Sansom beating Sid McKnight 21-8 and Steve Cook beating Neil Dunwell 21-16. Colin Spence then got a fourth win for Onchan as he beat Tommy Collister 21-18 before Shaun Seal then levelled the match to four games each by beating Mark Kelly 21-6. As this meant that the match was level on games it was Douglas A that got through to the final by scoring 141 chalks to Onchan’s 134.

So to the Final and Willie Cowley gave the Douglas A side a good start by beating Mike Skelly 21-11 but then for North Ramsey A Brian Colquitt beat Keith Rise 21-13 and Ray Skelly beat Pat O’Donohue 21-19 before Jimmy Moffatt beat Shaun Seal 21-15 to make it 3-1 to the Northerners at the halfway stage. The North Ramsey team continued to show good form with Steve Parker beating Jimmy Sansom 21-17 and John Cannan beating Tommy Collister 21-18. The next two games saw wins for Douglas A with Geoff Porter losing 15-21 to Kevin Firth and Gary Merrill also losing 15-21 to Steve Cook. 

This meant that North Ramsey A won the Final 5-3 with the trophies being presented by Mark Kelly the Competition Secretary of the Isle of Man Men’s Over 60’s Bowling League. In his Captain’s speech Steve Parker thanked Nobles Bowling Club for hosting the competition and the sponsors Tower Insurance. He also thanked Andy Kennish, Mark Kelly and Norman Kneen for their work and Terry Bates and Brian Kelly for acting as Referees.

The 2023 night league season ended with a double week of fixtures due to take place across all three divisions this week in the Canada Life International sponsored bowling leagues.

In Division One South Ramsey A officially wrapped up the title as they started the week 11 points ahead with two games to play. Whilst securing the Warburton Trophy for a third consecutive year was a formality, they did it in style with a 10-0 victory away to Douglas A. Winning to single figures for the Ramsey men were Bob Clark, Stefan Kelly, and Glynn Hargraves over Mark Kneen, Gordon Wynne-Smythe, and Shaun Seal. David Bradford had a game on his hands with Kevin Firth as he trailed 10-19 to Kevin Firth, with a big ask to recover from such a huge deficit Bradford went on to secure a nail biting 21-20 victory to remain in the hunt to secure the Division One Individual Merit.

South Ramsey’s match at home to Peel B on Friday fell victim to the heavy rain throughout the day as their game was postponed until Monday evening, with something to play for both teams. South Ramsey were looking to secure a record points total, whilst Peel B knew they needed to take three games off the league champions in their bid to stay up. When the fixture was played it resulted in a 10-0 home win for South Ramsey A, who condemned Peel B to the bottom two, they will have to wait to find out if they are relegated depending on the league structure in 2024.

Marown A rounded off the season with two victories as they beat their B Team 7-3 on Monday night, with Karl Parker causing the biggest upset of the night as he beat Colin Kelly 21-18, Matthew Keggen won 21-13 against doubles partner Paul Kelly, and Harry Barton beat Glenn Boland 21-15.

On Friday evening Marown A won 2-8 away to Port St Mary A, with Trevor Quayle beating Phil Kelly 21-8, and Tim Williams impressing with a 21-17 win over Peter Jones. Port St Mary scored highly in two other games as Wayne Roberts lost 19-21 to Colin Kelly, with the former sending both bowls into the ditch at 19-19, whilst Dave Saxon was beaten 18-21 by Neil Withers.

In the relegation battle South Ramsey B hosted North Ramsey A on Monday with a win being crucial. The home team performed well to take five games off the visitors, however four off the wins were close, with Ben Dugdale beating John Cannan 21-18. Eddie Carlyle and Lee Dawson both won 21-19 against Brian Colquitt and Allan Callow respectively, with Tony Hart edging home 21-20 against Jimmy Moffatt. The chalks gained on the victories were wiped out in one fell swoop by Rob Monk who beat Christian Caley 21-3. Also winning for the visitors were Steven Waters as he beat George Brew 21-10, whilst Steve Walmsley won a close game with Austin Hart 21-19.

Marown C secured a second season in the topflight by whitewashing Castletown A 10-0 at home on Tuesday night in a shock result, which put Castletown A in deep trouble, as Peter Kelly held off George Foy 21-18, whilst Tom Kelly just got past Ron Williams 21-20.

On Friday evening Castletown A hosted Douglas A knowing they needed a win to any score to stand any chance of not finishing in the bottom two places knowing that Peel B had to go to league champions South Ramsey A. The Town men did their bit as they claimed what could prove to be a vital 7-3 home win, with two Town players holding their nerve as Nathan Cooil and Nathan Hamilton won their games with Mervin Sayle and Keith Rise 21-20 respectively. Losing out in close games for Town were Ron Williams who lost 18-21 to Jimmy Sansom and Aaron Richardson was beaten 19-21 by Paddy Murphy.

The Town men will be keeping a close eye on proceedings at South Ramsey on Monday evening as they need the league champions to take a victory 8-2 or better, whilst Peel B know securing three points on the night will be enough to avoid finishing in the bottom two.

The race for the Division One individual merit hasn’t quite been decided, with South Ramsey A still to play David Bradford is firmly in the driving seat needing to win the final game of the season at home to Peel B. Bradford has won 20 games from 21 played, dropping just five chalks in his only defeat of the season to Kevin Quirk at Onchan. Should the unthinkable happen then Marown’s Neil Withers is waiting in the wings, as he has enjoyed a fine season with 21 games won from 22 played, with eight chalks dropped in his one league defeat to Tony Dugdale at South Ramsey.

In Division Two there was little change at the top with Finch Hill A winning the league to lift the Rayner Cup despite suffering a 7-3 defeat away to third placed Castletown B, they ended on a positive note as they beat Peel C 8-2 at home.

Ballaugh A finished in second place, as they started the week with a 2-8 win away to Peel C. Their home fixture with Port Erin A on Friday evening succumbed to the weather, however even without playing this they are guaranteed to finish in second place.

Onchan C finished rock bottom on 69 points as they return to Division Three, with Peel C finishing second from bottom on 79 points following two successive 8-2 defeats to the top two teams.

Noble’s B picked up 10 points last week as they finished on 85 points to drag themselves out of trouble to secure another season in Division Two as they lost 3-7 to their higher ranked A Team, then won 7-3 at home to South Ramsey C to secure their status.

Winning the Division Two individual merit with 19 wins from 20 games played was Finch Hill’s Dave McCabe.

In Division Three there was a thrilling finish to the season as just three points separated the top three teams Port St Mary B finished top on 145 points to win the Chatel Cup after they started the week with a good 8-2 win against Port Erin B on the shared Breagle Glen green, then ended the week with a 6-4 defeat away to South Ramsey D who finished in fifth place with their highest ever points total of 115, as they have something to build on next season.

Noble’s D started the week in third place, on the same number of points as Ballaugh B who had a superior ‘games for’ difference. The Noble’s men had a fantastic end to the season as they won 7-3 away to Finch Hill B, then took a resounding 10-0 victory at home to Douglas D to secure second spot on 144 points, just one point behind champions Port St Mary B.

Ballaugh B ended the season with two victories, however this wasn’t enough to finish in the top two, with a good 9-1 home win against Peel D, followed up by a 4-6 victory away to Marown D, in a close encounter as the Ballaugh men took the aggregate by five chalks (144-149).

A special mention should do to Noble’s C, with seven of their eight players having not played competitive bowls before this season, they excelled to finish in fourth spot as they caused a few upsets throughout the season, improving from game to game, they will be the team to watch out for next year with promotion firmly in their sights.

Finishing in bottom place were Port Erin B, who were hampered by being short of players for several matches, they surely would have finished higher had they been able to field a full-strength team.

Winning the Division Three individual merit with 20 wins from 22 games played was Finch Hill’s youngest player Sam Stannard-Duke.

Peel Bowling Club held the pre-festival Autumn Shield on Sunday, as a strong entry of 96 took part on a fine day with the competition running like clockwork throughout the day with the competition starting at 10:00 in the morning.

Some players had to win four games just to reach the quarter final stage, losing out were home greener Gordon Corrin 14-21 to Marown captain Paul Dunn, whilst Bob Clark (South Ramsey) eased through 21-11 against Reg Temporaza (Onchan). Both games in the other half of the draw were well contested as Martin Gaut (Wrockwardine Wood) edged home 21-20 against Ryan Clark (Meersbrook BC), whilst Neil Withers (Marown) beat Dave Jackson (Acregate) to the same score.

At the semi-final stage Dunn was up against Clark, with the latter never falling behind in the game as the South Ramsey man built up a five-chalk lead at 15-10, only for Dunn to work his way back into the game in the corners to get to within one chalk at 14-15. With Dunn lying two a good last bowl from Clark put him on another mini run to go into a 19-14 lead. A single and a double from Dunn had the game finely poised at 17-19, only for Clark to get the two he needed to seal a 21-17 win to book his place in the final. Withers was in complete control of his semi-final as he only conceded just three chalks, whilst scoring five doubles with his 21-9 victory over Gaut.

Clark made the better start in the final as he went into an early 11-7 lead, with Withers picking up two singles to put the score at 9-11. A poor end from Withers was fully punished by the South Ramsey man who counted for two, who then picked up a further single and two doubles to lead 18-9 as Clark opted for a longer length. On the following end Clark played a good lead, however failed to count with his second allowing Withers a free shot to play out the counting bowl to make two to put the score at 9-18.

Another poor end from Withers was punished to full effect as Clark scored two to lead 20-11, then scored the one point needed to secure a fully deserved 21-11 win and the £400 first prize, with Withers taking home £200.

The presentation was made by Peel competition secretary Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who thanked the sponsor David Lancaster Limited for their continued support. Club President Lynda Wilson was then introduced to present the prizes with over £1,160 paid out down to the Last 16.

Saturday 2nd September saw 28 pairs travel to sunny Ballaugh for the Keenan Mens Fours.

At the quarter final stage visitors Andrew White & Lee Whittle (Two Gates) took on Bryan Corner (South Ramsey) & Brian Colquitt (North Ramsey). A close game with the Ramsey men taking the win 21-17. Steven Waters (North Ramsey) & Fraser Rigg (Netherfield) were up against home greeners John Maddrell & John Keenan. Again a close one with a score of 21-17 to the newly formed pairing of Waters & Rigg. Ian Johnson & John Colebourne (Chesterfield) took on Marown pair Colin Kelly & Juan Killip. Just off the boat, Johnson & Colebourne took a 21-17 win. And the last quarter final saw Paul Dunn & Neil Withers (Marown) against Mike Spooner (Ballaugh) & Paul Moore (Noble’s) 21-13 in favour of the Marown pair.

The semi-finals saw a close win for Dunn and Withers over visiting pair Johnson & Colebourne 21-17, along with a 21-13 win for Rigg & Waters over Colquitt & Corner.

The final, played in scorching sunshine, was a little one sided. But none the less enjoyable for those who stayed to watch. Dunn and Withers straight away scored a four on the first end, with two’s following. Waters & Rigg battled on with three singles, before Dunn and Withers took two more doubles to take the game 21-10.

John Keenan the sponsor of the competition, presented the trophy and thanked the ladies in the kitchen, and Julie Reilly for running the comp. Neil thanked all his fellow bowlers for a great days bowling, and everyone at Ballaugh for hosting the competition.

Report by Julie Reilly.

Windy conditions hindered bowlers in Canada Life International League Division One on Monday night as runaway leaders South Ramsey A bounced back from the previous week’s defeat to Marown A to establish an 11-point lead the top, as they beat Marown C 10-0 at home. For the home team David Bradford was the only winner to single figures as he beat Jamie Joughin 21-4, whilst the highest scorers for the visitors were Kevin Kelly and Steven Rough who lost out 14-21 to Bob Clark and Glynn Hargraves respectively.

Strugglers Castletown A had a tough game on their hands as they hosted Marown A at the Crofts. At the halfway stage of the game it looked like a huge upset could be on the cards as the Town men led 3-1, however a good performance from the Crosby men in the second half secured a 3-7 win for Marown. Winning for the home team were Nathan Cooil who beat John Gelling 21-15, this was matched by captain Jordan Drewett as he beat Paul Kelly, whilst Ian Watson held off Glenn Boland 21-20.

The second half saw single figure wins from Marown captain Paul Dunn and Peter Jones against Alan Phair and Ron Williams, with Phil Kelly and Colin Kelly completing the comeback with wins against George Foy and Aaron Richardson respectively.

Onchan A came away from Crosby with a well-deserved 2-8 win over Marown B. Matthew Quirk was the best winner for Onchan with a 21-2 win over James Kelly, whilst Will Penhallurick was fairly comfortable with a 21-17 victory over Marown captain Darren Kerruish. Responding for the home team were Brian Kelly with a 21-15 win over Jamie Clague, whilst Harry Barton beat Neil Dunwell 21-3.

Port St Mary A did themselves a huge favour to give themselves some breathing room at the bottom of the table as they beat fellow strugglers South Ramsey B 9-1, with the visitors now eight points adrift of safety they look to be heading towards an immediate return to Division Two. Tony Hart prevented the whitewash as he beat Paul Skelly 21-16, with captain Ben Dugdale the highest scorer for the visitors as he lost out 17-21 to Robbie Cooil. Winning to single figures for the Port men were Tim Williams, as he beat Austin Hart 21-3, with teammate Trevor Quayle winning 21-4 against George Brew.

Peel B picked up a valuable four points to stay outside of the relegation spots, following their 4-6 home defeat to Douglas A, as two single figure defeats cost them the aggregate. For the visitors Jimmy Sansom held off Dougie Allan 21-20, Gordon Wynne-Smythe won 21-6 against Andy Mackie, whilst Villa captain Merv Sayle beat Mick Kavanagh 21-8. Winning for the home team in close games were Paul Quirk, who beat Andy Cannell 21-19, Robert Middleton held off Shaun Seal 21-18, whilst wins from Brian Lindsay and Gordon Corrin over Keith Raise and Gary Conwell respectively were comfortable.

North Ramsey A were due to host Peel A at Mooragh Park, however this fixture has been rearranged to a later date due to the Manx Grand Prix road closures.

In Division Two Finch Hill A are making a huge effort to return to the top division after a lengthy absence, with their last appearance back in 2016 as they beat Onchan C 10-0 at home, as they kept the visitors to just 90 chalks. Four single wins from Dave McCabe, Paul Dougherty, Tony Epifani, and Mark Taylor ensured low chalks for the visitors, with Neil Taylor coming closest to picking up a point for Onchan only to lose out 19-21 to Stephen Oates.

Douglas B beat Noble’s A 8-2 at the Villa, as Martyn Hobson lost out 20-21 to Geoff Mayles, Jim Collister also narrowly losing out 19-21 to David Pease. The best winner for the home team was Steve Cook as he beat Stephen Hampson 21-4. For the visitors Juan Qualtrough won 21-15 against Bob Callow, whilst Alex Yates got the better of Willie Cowley 21-18.

Noble’s B drew 5-5 at home to North Ramsey B despite losing 3-5 on games they edged the aggregate by just three chalks (142-139). Home team winners were Jay Elliott, Mikey Cooper, and Stephen Corkill with the latter beating Joe Kneale 21-6. For the visitors three wins were hard fought as Ray Skelly beat Noel Ash 21-18, with Tony Smart and Brian Colquitt both winning their games 21-17 against Alex Hampson and Phil Salmon respectively.

South Ramsey C won their home game against Port Erin A 7-3 by a solitary chalk. Winning for the visitors were David Cain who beat David Corkill 21-12, Bernie Durcan eased home 21-7 against Ian Moore, whilst Ed Benson won 21-11 against Andy Morgan. Winning for the home team were Paul Routledge, Greg Barlow, Richie Davies, Jay Moore, and Anthony Kelly with the latter pushed hard before winning 21-19.

Second placed Ballaugh A rearranged their home game with Castletown B to a later date.

In Division Three Port St Mary B now have a six-point lead over the teams chasing them as they won 8-2 at home to Douglas C. The home team wins were all comfortable, with Nicholas Peterson beat pushed furthest by Juan Readshaw with his 21-17 win. For the visitors David Caley beat Will Cain 21-20, with Greg Tomlinson beating Peter Lowe 21-16.

Noble’s D (3rd) went level with visitors Ballaugh B who occupy second place, thanks to an 8-2 victory for the Noble’s men. Winning to single figures for the home team were Andrew Bell, Kevin Moore, and Junior bowler Sam Colquitt. For the visitors Gary Griffiths impressed with a 21-8 win over Terry Bates, whilst Mike Buckeridge beat Charlie Bell 21-19.

Marown D won their home game with South Ramsey D 7-3, as the Crosby men won the aggregate by a margin of 16 chalks (151-135). For the visitors Franz ten Donkelaar beat 2022 Division Three merit winner Jay Waters 21-15, Steve Kelly was the joint best winner on the night as he won 21-11 against Phil Dunn, whilst Geoff Collier just edged home 21-20 against Andy Sykes. For the home team Alan Gault played a great last bowl to beat Ryan Hargraves 21-20, Stu Mason beat Frank Feeney 21-13, whilst Ryan Holdaway beat Chris Brown 21-11.

Another game brought forward was between Ballaugh C who welcomed Finch Hill B. Despite the home team winning 5-3 on games, they lost the aggregate by a solitary chalk (134-135) with Sam Stannard-Duke winning 21-2 against Tim Merriman, this helped the visitors to draw 5-5. Other winners for Finch were Peter Woods who beat Steve Bassil 21-10 and Tom Waterworth 21-17. For Ballaugh Ken Harding won 21-20 against Guy Smith and Jamie Kelly beat Tony Jones 21-18.

Elsewhere Noble’s C came away from Peel D with a 3-7 win in a high scoring contest (144-150), whilst Douglas D won 8-2 at the Villa against Port Erin B.  

The top two clashed in Canada Life International League Division One at Crosby on Monday evening, as Marown A hosted South Ramsey A on a fascinating evening of bowls, despite the heavy rain earlier in the day the Marown green was running well.

First game off the green was a home win, as Colin Kelly gave little room for James Teare with a 21-7 win. Neil Withers made it 2-0, as he recovered from a 1-5 deficit against Peter Collister to go 15-5 ahead, as he eventually went on to close the game out 21-14. A third win arrived for the Crosby men as Phil Kelly performed well to see off Stefan Kelly 21-15. The last game off proved to be pivotal to the match as a 4-0 lead at half time would have been difficult for the visitors to come back from. Marown captain Paul Dunn trailed Bob Clark 3-11 and 13-18, only to go ahead 20-19 on the 29^th end. Clark had to dig deep to claim two singles to see the game out 21-20 to pick up the Ramsey men’s first win of the night to put the score at 3-1 at the halfway stage.

In the second half the visitors would have fancied their chances of picking up some points, they got off to a good start as David Bradford beat Paul Kelly 21-9, as he kept his opponent down to just one double. Dido Kelly then sealed their third point as he beat Glenn Boland with a comfortable 21-14 win. The penultimate game on the green was between Peter Jones and Jordan Cain, with the latter going three chalks ahead at 13-10, only to trail 13-18 on the 27th end. A stirring fightback from the Ramsey man followed to go 20-18 ahead, with Cain lying game twice only for Jones to hang in the game with a good saving bowl. Two singles followed for Jones, then on the deciding end the Marown man trailed the jack to get over the line 21-20. The final game of the night saw South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves storm into an 18-7 lead against John Gelling, with a huge comeback from the Marown man who dragged the score back to 19-20 on the 30^th end only for Hargraves to secure the single chalk needed to win 21-19.

With the match ending 4-4 on games, there were just six chalks (146-140) separating the sides, with Marown picking up the aggregate to secure a 6-4 win and with it condemn South Ramsey to their first league defeat of the season. South Ramsey won’t be too disappointed with the result as they are eight points ahead of Marown with just three fixtures left to play.

Onchan A won 8-2 at home to Castletown A, as they missed out on an extra point as Phil Kerruish lost 20-21 to Dave Quayle, with the latter bouncing back from last weeks defeat to the same score. The second winner for Town was Aaron Richardson as he beat Mike Thomas 21-15. Winning big for the home team were captain Peter Slinger who beat Chris Lever 21-2, Matthew Quirk won 21-5 against Ian Watson, whilst Neil Dunwell managed to hold off Nathan Hamilton 21-17.

Peel A are firmly in the hunt for third place as they beat Port St Mary A 9-1 at home to go level on points with Onchan A. With no other games being close, the lone winner for the visitors was Paul Skelly who beat David Proctor 21-15. Three single figure wins for the home team were claimed by Peter Greenlees, Stevie Kelly and Tommy McMeiken over Tim Williams, Dave Saxon, and Wayne Roberts respectively. Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly claimed a good 21-14 victory over Trevor Quayle.

North Ramsey A recorded their first 10-0 win of the season as they beat Peel B at Mooragh Park. John Cannan was the only single figure winner as he beat Gordon Corrin 21-9. Paul Allison won 21-17 against Alan Cromwell, Gary Merrill beat Peel captain Paul Quirk 21-18, whilst Andy Mackie was the highest scorer for the visitors as he lost out 19-21 to Kimmy Moffatt.

South Ramsey B gave themselves a glimmer of hope of staying up, with an 8-2 home win over Marown B, missing out on a full house by just five chalks. Matthew Keggen led 18-10 against Christian Caley, with the latter nearly completing another comeback for a second week running only to lose out this time 18-21. Harry Barton was the second winner for Marown as he beat Tony Dugdale 21-19. For the home team Eddie Carlyle beat James Kelly 21-9, with George Brew stepping in to beat Brian Kelly 21-19, whilst Toby Hart won to the same score against John Kelly.

Marown C hosted Douglas A at Crosby on Tuesday evening with the home team going home the happier of the two teams with a 6-4 win. Marown captain Stevie Rundle led the way with a 21-7 win over Gordy Wynne-Smythe, with Peter Kelly not far behind with a 21-9 victory over Andy Foster. Andy Kennish stepped into help the team out as he beat former teammate Gary Conwell 21-15. Rounding off the home wins was Tom Kelly as he beat Villa captain Merv Sayle 21-16. Just losing out for Marown was Kevin Kelly who lost out 20-21 to Kevin Firth. Winning for the visitors were Jimmy Sansom, Keith Rise and Shaun Seal.

In Division Two league leaders Finch Hill A kept the momentum going with a 3-7 away win over Noble’s A, as they just got the aggregate for the chalks (134-136). Mark Bradshaw won 21-5 for Noble’s, with Dave Naughton and Stephen Hampson the other winners. For the visitors Pat Maher beat John Andrew 21-17, whilst Les Brookes got the better of Juan Qualtrough 21-19.

Castletown B had two players making debuts as Paddy Cooper had a tough start to league bowls, as he lost 12-21 to Steve Parker, whilst Kiron Kryptor impressed with a 21-4 win over Paul Callister. Winning close games for Town were Peter Oates who won 21-17 against Mark Kelly, whilst Alan Phair beat Mike Kelly 21-19.

Port Erin A beat North Ramsey B 8-2 at Breagle Glen with single figure wins from Ed Benson, David Cain, and Bernie Durcan against Tony Smart, Joe Kneale, and Lee Christian respectively. Brian Colquitt was the best winner for the Mooragh men as he beat Trevor Barker 21-3.

Douglas B won 7-3 at home to Noble’s B. Winning for the visitors were Alex Hampson, with an impressive 21-11 win over Geoff Mayles. Stephen Corkill beat Dave Corkish 21-7, whilst Ciaran Broad won 21-17 against Paddy Murphy. Comfortable wins to single figures for the home team arrived from David Pease who won 21-9 against Grahem Moore, with Steve Cook beating Michael Cooper 21-4.

Ballaugh A lie in second place, following their 3-7 victory away victory over Onchan C, as the visitors were no doubt still celebrating Friday evening’s Rayner Plate win. John Maddrell was made to work for his 21-18 win over Kelvin McNicholl, Tony Quine was the best winner as he beat Brian Aspden 21-8, whilst Nigel Tebay beat Bernard Galka 21-9.

Peel C got the better of South Ramsey C with a 6-4 home win by just two chalks (143-141). Andrew Cover was the best winner on the night as he beat Richie Davies 21-7, Eddie Convery won 21-19 against Paul Routledge, whilst Harry Kelly just missed out 20-21 to Anthony Kelly.

In Division Three Port St Mary B stayed top of the table despite a 5-5 home draw to Marown D. Winning for the home team were Nicholas Peterson, Pete Collins, and Mike Keggen. The three Port players who lost to 18-21 were Colin Leece, Ken Karran, and Ray Maddrell, as these high scoring defeats helped secure the aggregate by five chalks (142-137).

Ballaugh B are hot on the heels of Port St Mary after their 7-3 home win over their lower ranked C team as they hit 125 points for the season. The Port men stay top thanks to a better games of 97 to Ballaugh’s 95.

Noble’s C took on Noble’s D, with the D Team taking the spoils 8-2. Five single figure wins for the D shown the gap between the teams. Winning for the C team were Mike Caley, who beat Charlie Bell 21-16, Lee Greggor who won 21-15 against Alex Colquitt, with Nigel Hinds losing out 18-21 to Andrew Bell. Noble’s D aren’t to be written off as they are six points off the top as they wait for a slip up from the teams above them.

Elsewhere Douglas C won 7-3 at home to Port Erin B, Finch Hill B beat Douglas D 8-2 at home, with South Ramsey D seeing off Peel D (pictured), with the visitors having some players gaining experience. For Peel William Quirk and Mike Ashmole beat Hakim Thomas and Billy Blair 21-18 respectively, with Joshua Trickett winning 21-18 against Chris Brown. For the home team Geoff Collier won 21-3 against Kevin Murray, with Ryan Hargraves beating debutant John Sayle 21-6.