Match number 16 of the Canada Life International took place this week as league leaders South Ramsey A edged another point ahead of second placed Marown A in Division One, with just six games left to play – with a visit to Marown yet to come following their 9-1 home win over Peel A. The lone winner for the visitors was Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly whose 21-13 win was never in doubt against Stefan Kelly, whilst the only other close games for the visitors were two 17-21 defeats for Dean Kinley against James Teare and Tommy McMeiken against Bob Clark. Winning to single figures for the home team were Peter Collister who won 21-3 against David Proctor, whilst Jordan Cain beat Gary Smith 21-8.

Marown A had a short trip to the Sunset City as they took on Peel B who managed to take two games off the Crosby men, with wins from Dewi Bartlett who beat Glenn Boland 21-8, whilst Dave Smith beat Paul Kelly 21-15. Michael Kavanagh just missed out on snatching a third point for Peel as he lost 20-21 to John Gelling. Winning big for Marown were Colin Kelly who beat Andy Mackie 21-4, whilst merit leader Paul Dunn beat opposing captain Paul Quirk 21-8.

The closest match of the night took place between Douglas A who were at home to bottom side South Ramsey B, as the teams played out a 5-5 draw, with the visitors only winning three games they will have been delighted to take the aggregate by four chalks (149-153) in what was a high scoring contest the Ramsey men could quite easily have picked up more points as their worst defeat was to 17-21, with Eddie Carlyle and Toby Hart losing to Keith Rise and Andy Cannell respectively. Tony Hart lost out 18-21 to Jimmy Sansom, whilst Austin Hart lost out 19-21 to Ian Moore, with Christian Caley losing to the same score to Gordon Wynne-Smythe. All three wins for the visitors were comfortable, which together with their high scoring defeats helped their cause with the aggregate as South Ramsey captain Ben Dugdale beat Gary Conwell 21-12, Frank Watson returned to the team as he picked up his second win of the season as he beat Mark Kneen 21-16, whilst Tony Dugdale won to the same score against Shaun Seal.

Castletown A continued their climb up the table as they won 7-3 against North Ramsey A at the Crofts. For the home team David Quayle finished strongly to beat Steve Walmsley 21-20, whilst Aaron Richardson was another man to pick up his second win of the season as he beat Gary Merrill 21-7. Also picking up good wins for Town were Nathan Cooil and Nathan Hamilton with both men winning 21-11 against Steven Waters and Paul Allison respectively, whilst George Foy made light work of Mooragh captain Rob Monk with a 21-12 win. For North Ramsey Allan Callow returned to winning ways as he beat Ron Williams 21-13, Jimmy Moffatt won 21-16 against Chris Lever, whilst John Cannan beat Town captain Jordan Drewett 21-18.

Marown B sit in seventh place following their 7-3 home victory over Port St Mary A. There is no stopping Crosby captain Darren Kerruish who picked up his second consecutive league win of the season as he beat Dave Saxon 21-13. Walter McCarthy was the best winner for the home team as he won 21-6 against Bernard Thackrah, whilst Karl Parker had to earn his 21-18 victory over Robbie Cooil. Trevor Quayle was the best winner for Port as he won 21-10 against Matthew Keggen, Dan McCabe wasn’t too far behind with a 21-13 win over Juan Killip, whilst captain Wayne Roberts beat John Kelly 21-18.

On Tuesday evening Marown C hosted Onchan A, with the game ending 4-4 on games, however the visitors earned the two bonus points as they took the aggregate by just six chalks (128-134). For the home team Sam Clague picked up the most impressive result of the night as he beat Peter Slinger 21-15, with Tom Kelly winning to the same score against Phil Kerruish. Jamie Joughin was the best winner for the Crosby men as he beat Mike Thomas 21-8. For the visitors Kevin Quirk was the only single figure winner as he beat Marown captain Stevie Rundle 21-6, with teammate Neil Dunwell continuing his good form as he beat Peter Kelly 21-12.

In Division Two second placed Ballaugh A had the opportunity to close the gap as they hosted league leaders Finch Hill A. Whilst they did claim a 6-4 home win, they would have hoped for a bigger win to close the gap further. For the home team Mike Spooner won 21-3 against Paul Dougherty, Richard Hainge beat Mark Taylor 21-9, John Keenan just got over the line 21-20 against Les Brookes, whilst Nigel Tebay took a good scalp as he inflicted a first league defeat of the season on merit leader Dave McCabe 21-17. For the visitors Pat Maher won 21-10 against John Maddrell, Stephen Oates impressed with a 21-13 win over Ballaugh captain Phil Quayle, Tony Epifani held on to beat Patrick Grant 21-20, whilst Dave Jones won his game 21-18 against Tony Grant.

Port Erin A sit in fourth place with a game in hand on third placed Castletown B, as they closed the gap to 10 points with a game in hand following their 8-2 home win at Breagle Glen. Ed Benson was the best winner for the Breagle men as he won 21-9 against Ray Harris, whilst Mark Stockham got the better of George Peach 21-20, with Steve Durcan also winning a close game as he beat Willie Corkill 21-19. For the Town mean Peter Oates beat Ken Horsley 21-15, with Ross Moore winning 21-11 against David Cain.

Third placed Douglas B are well placed in the league as they came away from Onchan B with a hard earned 4-6 win at the park, winning the aggregate by 11 chalks (125-136). Single figures victories from Bob Callow and Stuart Garrett over Paul Callister and Mike Alexander helped their cause with the aggregate.

Noble’s B occupy ninth place, but aren’t fully out of danger yet, as they are just five points away from the relegation places, however they kept Peel C in the danger zone as they inflicted an 8-2 win on the Western men with three 21-20 wins going in their favour, along with two single figure victories from Stephen Corkill and Phil Salmon.

South Ramsey C had a better week as they beat Noble’s A 7-3 at home, as they missed out on a further two points with Mark Quinn just getting the better of home captain Dave Corkill 21-20, Jim Collister beat Jay Moore 21-18, with Mark Bradshaw picking up a comfortable 21-12 win over James Moore. For the home team Ian Moore was the best winner with a 21-11 victory over Dave Naughton, with Andy Morgan winning a close game 21-19 against John Andrew.

In Division Three Ballaugh B came away from Breagle Glen with a 3-7 win over Port Erin B as they remain in top spot. For the home team Ben Mowle won 21-17 against Mike Buckeridge, Nigel Haymes beat Gary Griffiths 21-18, whilst Alan Crebbin eased to a 21-11 win over Stephen Swift.

Noble’s D kept themselves within touch of Ballaugh B, following their 7-3 home win over Douglas C (pictured). Winning for the Villa men were David Caley who beat Stan Cooper 21-2, Juan Readshaw, and Steve Gregg. For the home team winning to single figures were Terry Bates, Kevin Moore, and Andrew Bell.

South Ramsey D sit in fourth place, as they continued one of their most impressive seasons to date, following their 2-8 victory over Douglas D at the Villa. Greg Barlow won 21-2 against Junior bowler William Cowley, whilst another Junior bowler Ryan Hargraves beat Mark Clarke 21-20, with Billy Blair beating David Manley 21-19. For the home team Bob Banning ensured he cancelled out the 21-2 win from the opposition as he beat Chris Brown to the same score.

Marown D took the spoil with a 4-6 away victory over Peel D (133-142). Mike Ashmole was the best winner for the Peel men as he beat Ryan Holdaway 21-10, Andy Jackson held off James Kelly 21-19, whilst Joshua Trickett won 21-17 against Keith Watterson. For the Crosby men Alan Gault eased to a 21- won over William Quirk, whilst Jay Waters beat Own Crompton 21-17.

Ballaugh C welcomed Port St Mary B, as the visitors slipped to a 7-3 defeat to the Ballaugh men, as Juan Hargraves made a rare appearance on a bowling green, as he won 21-7 against Brian lace, a result matched by Nicholas Peterson who beat Tom Waterworth, whilst Ken Karran got over the line 21-20 against Jamie Kelly.

New formed team Noble’s C pulled off a great 2-8 victory away to Finch Hill B. The best winner for the visitors Nigel Hinds who beat Samson Smith 21-7, with Finch Hill captain Kevin Stannard responding with a 21-2 win over Dean Sowerby.

Port St Mary B rearranged their match at home to Douglas D, as they ended their week on a high as they hit top spot by two points thanks to a 9-1 win. Greg Brew ensured the visitors picked up a point as he beat Pete Collins 21-13.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Championship

In Group A Marown A hosted Ballaugh at Crosby as the home team eased to victory by 86 chalks (189-103), whilst North Ramsey A took the win over visitors Douglas A by 43 chalks (172-129).

In Group B current holders South Ramsey A took on Peel with the home team taking a comfortable victory by 79 chalks (180-101). In the other fixture Noble’s A fell to defeat at home to Port St Mary A by just seven chalks (147-154) as the visitors won 4-5 on games.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Plate

In the Plate competition in Group A Finch Hill took on the youthful Marown B at Kensington Road, with the hosts taking the win by 43 chalks (169-126), whilst Noble’s B beat North Ramsey B by 58 chalks (171-113).

Group B consists of just three teams as the fixture took place between Douglas B and South Ramsey B at the Villa the visitors won 4-5 on games and secured the all important chalks by 21 in a high scoring game (157-178).

Peel Sunset Bowling club hosted the popular Peel Town Cup on Saturday afternoon. The competition returned to its home venue after being played on Ballaugh last year, with the Peel green vastly improved on last year the competition attracted 55 entries, despite the poor weather forecast the rain held off for most of the day. With handicaps ranging from +3 to +9, it certainly made for an interesting day with some shock results. There were a number of high profile casualties early on.

Losing out at the quarter-final stage were James Kelly (Marown) who was beaten 13-21 by clubmate Neil Withers, Sammy Clague (Marown) who lost 18-21 to South Ramsey’s Tony Hart, Nathan Cooil (Castletown) was well beaten 13-21 by Glenn Boland (Marown), whilst another Marown man Colin Kelly eased past Dave McCabe (Finch Hill) 21-10.

The first semi-final was well contested between Withers (+3) and Hart (+6), with the latter leading 15-8 after 12 ends, before a flurry of two’s from Withers ensured he reached the final with a 21-17 victory. In the other semi-final Boland had his work cut out with Kelly, as the latter ran out with a 21-14 win.

Both finalists have clashed a number of times on the green this season, with the match a tough one to call, with both players having enjoyed success on the Peel green over the years. After 10 ends the score was 10-10 with the players having tied the score on five occasions up to that point of the game, only for Withers to make the first move to go 16-12 ahead, then extending the lead by another point to go 19-14 and within touching distance of victory.

On the 20th end Kelly picked up a two following a measure to close the gap to three points. With Kelly intent on heading for the corners Withers capitalised on a poor lead from his teammate to count for one, with Kelly not beating this bowl Withers had the opportunity to make two for game, which he did to seal a 21-16 win and with it his third time lifting the famous trophy, with his previous titles picked up in 2013 and 1996, which was the first time that Withers had won a singles open.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by Peel President Lynda Wilson, who thanked the new sponsors Central Bar & Bistro for their support, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Arran & Archie Dunn for helping to run the competition and the club members for assisting throughout the day.

A healthy entry of 40 players took part in Port St Mary’s Dreswick Cup men’s singles competition played at Port Erin Bowling Club on Thursday afternoon. Luckily the weather was warm and sunny making it a very enjoyable afternoon of bowls.

The Dreswick Cup has been going for over 50 years and has always been played on a Thursday afternoon when traditionally most local shops had half day closing on a Thursday.

A couple of big matches in the second round saw club mates competing with each other, in the top half of the draw South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves pushed David Bradford hard eventually losing to 19-21. In the bottom half of the draw Marown’s Colin Kelly also went close before losing to 20-21 against Neil Withers.

At the quarter final stage David Bradford beat teammate James Teare 21-18, Paul Dunn beat clubmate Walter McCarthy 21-11, Alan Moore (South Ramsey) ended home greener Bernie Durcan’s (Port Erin) run winning 21-17 and Neil Withers got the better of Nathan Hamilton (Castletown) 21-16.

Both semi-final matches involved players from South Ramsey and Marown, Bradford and Dunn have had many battles together, Dunn came out on top this time winning seven of the last eight ends to win 21-17.

In the second semi-final Moore and Withers had a good match with the lead constantly changing, Withers finished stronger though and won 21-18.

An all Marown final between team mates Dunn and Withers was a good quality game, Withers started strong building up a 16-7 lead, Dunn came back winning the next five ends closing the gap to 16-14 before Withers took control again taking the next four ends to win 21-14.

The Presentation was made by Port St Mary Club President Margaret Tasker who thanked all the members that helped through the day to run a successful competition. In his speech Withers said it was his first time winning the title having reached the final five times previously.

After two days of qualifying rounds in the Men’s 2023 Crown Green Bowls Championship last week the last eight met at Peel Sunset Bowling Club on Tuesday afternoon to decide a winner.

The first of the quarter finals saw Peter Collister (South Ramsey) put up a great performance to beat Neil Dunwell (Onchan) 21-5 while Brian Lindsay (Peel) lost 19-21 to Derek Allen (Onchan). The only past winner in Finals Day was Brian Colquitt (North Ramsey) who beat Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) 21-12, while Peter Slinger (Onchan) proved to be too strong for home greener Dougie Allan (Peel) as he took the win 21-10.

In the semi-finals we saw Peter Collister putting up another strong performance to beat Derek Allen 21-5 and despite a spirited performance Brian Colquitt went down 13-21 to Peter Slinger.

So to the final and here we saw Peter Collister struggling to match his great form from the earlier rounds, while Peter Slinger played good bowls to build up a 15-7 lead after 18 ends. Collister then won the jack and fought back to 16-16 after 25 ends and get himself back in the game, he then he lost three singles, but then he picked up two singles to make it 18-19. Slinger then scored a two to win his first Over 60’s Championship with a 21-18 victory.

The Trophies were presented by Mark Kelly the Competition Secretary of the Isle of Man Over 60’s League. Peter Slinger then thanked the spectators for staying to watch on what was an extremely wet day, he also thanked the organisers and Peel Sunset Bowling Club for hosting the event and said that it was enjoyable to play such a great opponent as Peter Collister who showed great sportsmanship throughout the competition.

In Canada Life International League Division One, the biggest clash of the night was between Onchan A and Marown A at the Park as the home team were defeated 4-6 but made a good fight of it, losing the aggregate by just nine chalks (138-147) with a couple of high profile upsets thrown in by Onchan, as Jamie Clague beat Dean Kipling 21-17, whilst Will Penhallurick got over the line 21-20 against seven time Manx Champion Colin Kelly 21-20, with Kelly having room to get in on the last end he was short with his last bowl. Other winners for Onchan were Matthew Quirk who beat Paul Kelly 21-8, whilst Peter Slinger had to dig deep for his 21-18 victory. For the Crosby men Glenn Boland had it all to do as he trailed Neil Dunwell before edging over the line 21-20, Peter Jones beat Mike Thomas 21-10, Paul Dunn won 21-11 against Reg Temporaza and Neil Withers performed well to beat Kevin Quirk 21-13.

North Ramsey A welcomed local rivals South Ramsey A to Mooragh Park with the home team taking four games off the current league champions in their 4-6 home defeat. In the first half the South men had three single figure wins from Dido Kelly, Jordan Cain and Glynn Hargraves as they beat Allan Callow, Mike Skelly and Jimmy Moffatt respectively. David Bradford was the only winner for the visitors in the second half of the match as he beat Gary Merrill 21-14. For the home team Steven Waters beat fellow Newcastle fan Bob Clark 21-9, captain Rob Monk beat Stefan Kelly 21-12, Steve Walmsley performed well to win 21-15 against James Teare, whilst Paul Allison just got over the line 21-20 against Peter Collister after leading 20-14.

Port St Mary A eased their relegation fears with a 7-3 win against Castletown A at Breagle Glen, as they won the aggregate by seven chalks (147-140), just missing out on a further two points as Dave Saxon lost 18-21 to George Foy, whilst Robbie Cooil lost to the same score against David Quayle. Nathan Hamilton was the third winner for the Town men as he beat Bernard Thackrah 21-6. For the home team Wayne Roberts and Trevor Quayle won comfortably against Ian Watson and Jordan Drewett respectively, Tim Williams beat Nathan Cooil 21-16, Tom Collins won 21-17 against Aaron Richardson, whilst Dan McCabe held off Chris Lever 21-18.

Peel A had the visit of Douglas A, with the home team winning five games this wasn’t enough to secure the chalks as two heavy defeats cost them the aggregate for a 5-5 draw (136-149). Winning big for the Villa men were Andy Cannell who beat Peter Greenlees 21-8 and Merv Sayle who won 21-6 against Dean Kinley. Ian Moore picked up a third win as he beat George Gadsby 21-17. In contrast all the home team wins were to high scores as David Proctor beat Shaun Seal 21-15, Pip Pemberton won 21-17 against Mark Kneen, with three 21-18 wins claimed by Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Gary Smith and Tommy McMeiken against Gary Conwell, Jimmy Sansom, and Keith Rise respectively.

Marown B took immediate revenge on Peel B at Crosby on Monday night just four days after they were put out of the Rayner Plate by just six chalks, thanks to a 7-3 home victory over the Peel men, also winning the chalks comfortably (151-124) to show home advantage goes a long way. Captain Darren Kerruish played his 12^th game of the season and in doing so claimed his first league win of the season as he beat Thursday night hero Mick Kavanagh 21-9, whilst Harry Barton won 21-5 against Geoff Rice. Two 21-17 wins from Karl Parker and Walter McCarthy over Rob Middleton and Paul Quirk helped the home teams cause. For Peel Andy Mackie and Dave Smith took comfortable 21-13 wins against Brian Kelly and Juan Killip respectively, whilst Dewi Bartlett continues to impress as he beat Matthew Keggen 21-20.

South Ramsey B are rock bottom after another home disaster as they lost 3-7 to Marown C, who are moving ever closer to safety. Winning for the home team were Tony Hart who beat Steve Rough 21-19, Tony Dugdale won 21-16 against Sam Clague, whilst Eddie Carlyle won his game 21-15 against Dan Smith. For the visitors Kevin Kelly was the best winner on the night as he beat Christian Caley 21-4, Jamie Joughin beat Toby Hart 21-11, with Stevie Rundle, Peter Kelly and Tom Kelly all winning their games comfortably.

South Ramsey A played their rearranged home fixture with Port St Mary A on Wednesday evening with the league leaders extending their lead to seven points following a 10-0 victory as they kept the visitors below 100 chalks (168-95). Two games could have gone the other way, as Peter Collister fought back from a 2-9 deficit against Trevor Quayle to win 21-19, whilst Glynn Hargraves held his nerve to win his game 21-20 against Wayne Roberts after leading 14-7 before a spirited fightback from the Port Captain levelled the game at 20-20, only for Hargraves to secure the point on the deciding end.

In Division Two Finch Hill A are 13 points ahead of the second placed team as they beat Onchan B 7-3 at home. For the Finch men Dave McCabe was made to work for his 21-18 win over Mark Kelly, whilst Mike Kelly ensured it wasn’t a bigger win for Finch Hill as he beat John Qualtrough 21-19.

Second placed Ballaugh A bounced back from defeat in their last outing with a 10-0 home win over Noble’s B who scored just 80 chalks, as the home team secured five single figures victories. Mike Spooner had a game on his hands against Alex Hampson, with the latter just losing out 20-21 to the Ballaugh man.

Castletown B are in fourth place just five points off second place with a game in hand following their 7-3 home win over Peel C, as Willie Corkill won 21-2 against Steven Bradley, with Ross Moore also winning to single figures as he beat Kevin Mort 21-9.

Elsewhere in Division Two Noble’s A took home a solid 8-2 win over North Ramsey B at home, with John Andrew and Alex Yates helping secure two points with their hard-fought wins.

Douglas B made sure it was an unhappy journey home over the mountain for South Ramsey C with the Villa men winning 7-3. Willie Cowley was the best winner for the home team as he beat Richie Davies 21-5, Stuart Garrett won 21-6 against Anthony Kelly, whilst Greg Barlow stepped in for the visitors to beat Les Quayle 21-7.

Onchan C welcomed Port Erin A to the Park as the home team won 5-3 on games and edged the chalks (136-135). There were two single figure wins for the home team and two for the visitors. Winning close games for Onchan were Colin Brown who won 21-17 against Derek Allen, Brian Aspden won 21-19 against Christopher Dent and Denis Maxwell edged his game with David Cain 21-20, as Mark Stockham reversed the 21-20 for the visitors against David Tait.

In Division Three it was another night of wet weather, as league leaders Ballaugh B came away from Noble’s C with a 7-3 defeat (143-134) as the newly formed team caused on of the upsets of the season. Steve Cain continues to impress as he beat Fred Waggett 21-2, whilst their four other winners were Lee Price, Lee Greggor, Dean Sowerby and Steve Brennan.

South Ramsey D were at home to Finch Hill B, this resulted in a 6-4 win for the home team (142-132). Losing close games 18-21 for South Ramsey were Hakim Thomas and Frank Feeney to Chris Thompson and Chris Duggan respectively, whilst Steve Kelly beat John Smith 21-6. The best winner for Finch was captain Kevin Stannard who beat Geoff Collier 21-9.

Marown D welcomed Noble’s D to Crosby, the visitors came away with a 4-6 victory, with the potential to win more points missed as they lost games to 17, 18 & 20.

Peel D secured their best win of the season with a 9-1 home win over Port Erin B. Charlie McMeiken won the battle of the juniors as he held off Dylan Marsh 21-20, whilst Ken Horsley ensured there was no whitewash as he beat Joshua Trickett 21-11.

Port St Mary B postponed their fixture against Douglas D due to the weather, will have the opportunity to hit top spot.

Peel Bowling Club hosted the Association Singles on Sunday with the competition attracting an entry of 47 on a continuously improving Peel green, which held up well despite the heavy rain throughout the afternoon.

At the quarter final stage Marown captain Paul Dunn beat Noble’s captain Steve Cain 21-11, David Bradford (South Ramsey) put out the last remaining home greener, George Gadsby with a 21-12 win. In the other half of the draw Marown clubmates Matthew Keggen and Peter Jones clashed, with the latter winning 21-17, whilst another all club clash took place between South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves and Bob Clark, with the latter also winning to the same score to progress to the next round.

In the semi-finals Dunn was up against Bradford, with the latter looking to be well in control of the game as the South Ramsey man built up a six chalk lead at 18-12, however a seven end winning streak for the Marown man sealed an impressive comeback to run out with a 21-18 victory. In the other semi-final it was another South Ramsey versus Marown clash, however Jones dominated the game with Clark to take a comfortable 21-9 win to book his place in the final.

The final got underway with the best part of the day as the sun made a special guest appearance. Dunn took the early initiative to lead 12-8 after nine ends, however Jones turned the game around to win eight of the next 10 ends to lead 18-14. With a good comeback already secured in the semi-final Dunn started another as he won five of the last six ends conceding just one single to secure another good comeback with a 21-19 victory.

The presentation was made by competition committee officer Steve Moore, who thanked Peel for the use of the green, the club members for providing helpers throughout the day and the competition committee for the smooth running of the competition.

On Sunday the Douglas Bowling Club Men’s Singles took place on a tricky Green at the Villa and provided all those who took part with a testing but entertaining afternoon.

At the Quarter Final stage we saw Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) lose 9-21 to Tom Kelly (Marown), James Teare (South Ramsey) lose 14-21 to clubmate Bob Clark and Paul Dunn (Marown) lose 7-21 to his clubmate Glenn Boland. In the remaining match at this stage we saw two home greeners with Merv Sayle beating Keith Rise 21-20.

In the semi-finals we saw two titanic battles with Tom Kelly beating Bob Clark 21-18 and Glenn Boland beating Merv Sayle 21-20.

So to the final in which we saw Glenn Boland leading 13-11 after 11 ends and then by 16 ends Tom Kelly had fought back to take a 16-14 lead and four ends later Tom led 20-17. Glenn however kept his nerve and played some great bowls over the next four ends to take the win 21-20.

The prizes were presented by Andy Cannell the Competition Secretary of Douglas Bowling Club.

There were 47 entries for the Ramsey Town Cup held at Mooragh Park hosted by North Ramsey Bowling Club on Saturday. The club have recently received a grant for a new verticutter, which they hope will carry on the good work undertaken by the club since they took over the maintenance of the green in 2020.

In the quarter finals South Ramsey’s David Bradford ended the challenge of home greener Brian Colquitt with a 21-16 win, whilst Marown man Colin Kelly beat Eddie Carlyle (South Ramsey) 21-12. Another Marown player Tom Kelly came through a tough match with Paul Allison (North Ramsey) as he won 21-18, whilst Rob Monk (North Ramsey) beat Paul Quirk (Peel) 21-14.

In the first semi-final between David Bradford and Colin Kelly, with the latter being the current holder it was the end of the road for Kelly as Bradford eased into the final with a 21-11 win. The second semi-final saw Tom Kelly also cruise into the final as he ended the hopes of a home win for Monk with a 21-12 victory.

In the final Kelly with both players starting off six, it was Bradford who took firm control playing a long length to take a 15-6 lead after seven ends, with Kelly in danger of not scoring, however a double on the next end kicked off a remarkable comeback.

Kelly went on to play from corner to crown and back, with Bradford struggling to get back in, even when he did get back in Kelly would immediate recover the jack the following end.

Over the following 15 ends Kelly scored 14 points to Bradford’s four points, which put Kelly in the lead at 20-19 . On the 23rd end Kelly played up to the middle of the green, only for Bradford to capitalise on a loose lead from his opponent, with Kelly leaving his second bowl short Bradford changed his peg to ensure he stayed clear of the short bowl to make two for game and claim a 21-20 win in an entertaining final, which both players performed well in. This was Bradford’s fifth singles win of the season.

The presentation was made by Mike Skelly who thanked the competition sponsors Corkhill & Callow Ltd for supporting the competition. Tim Pressley was then introduced to present the prizes.

In Canada Life International league Division One matches were played on Friday evening in glorious sunshine after heavy rain on Thursday evening.

In Division One, Marown A will have been pleased to come away from their game with Peel A with a 1-9 victory, as both teams were missing key players the Crosby men took full advantage. Preventing the whitewash for Peel was Gary Smith who beat Andy Kennish 21-12, whilst Pip Pemberton came closest to picking up a second point for the home team as he lost out 18-21 to Paul Kelly. Two of Marown’s regular C Team players Tom Kelly and Sam Clague stepped up to the A team with both men winning to single figures.

South Ramsey A stretched their lead at the top to six points as they came away from their game away to Marown B with a 0-10 win. All wins for the visitors were comfortable in double figures, with Karl Parker the highest scorer for the Crosby men as he lost 16-21 to Jordan Cain.

Rounding off the Marown teams their C team made the journey North as they travelled to Mooragh Park to take on North Ramsey A. It wasn’t a good night for the visitors as the home team won 9-1, with Peter Kelly the lone winner as he beat Ray Beattie 21-11, with Steven Rough and Stevie Rundle both losing out 19-21 to Allan Callow and Gary Merrill respectively.

Port St Mary A hosted Douglas A at Breagle Glen, with the Villa men coming away with a 3-7 victory. For the visitors Keith Rise beat Tim Williams 21-4, whilst Andy Cannell won 21-9 against Tom Collins. Closer wins were picked up by Ian Moore, who beat Paul Skelly 21-17, Shaun Seal won 21-18 against Bernard Thackrah, whilst Gary Conwell edged his game 21-19 against Dan McCabe. For the home team Wayne Roberts, Trevor Quayle and Robbie Cooil all won comfortably.

Onchan A came away from their game with South Ramsey B with a comfortable 1-9 victory, just missing out on a 0-10 win by a solitary chalk as Eddie Carlyle beat Will Penhallurick 21-20. Winning close games for the visitors were Reg Temporaza who recovered from a 4-13 deficit to beat Tony Dugdale 21-19, whilst Neil Dunwell won to the same score against Ben Dugdale with the latter fighting back from a 10-2 deficit before losing out.

Castletown A had a better week as they won 8-2 at home to fellow strugglers Peel B, to drag themselves closer to the teams above them. Home captain Jordan Drewett beat Dougie Allan 21-19, with Nathan Hamilton also winning to the same score against Alan Cromwell. Winning to 21-17 were Dave Quayle as he beat Andy Mackie, whilst Nathan Cooil beat Peel captain Paul Quirk to the same score. For Peel Dave Smith beat Ian Watson 21-18, whilst Tony Carroon beat Aaron Richardson 21-16 to pick up their second win of the night.

In Division Two Finch Hill A continue their charge towards a long awaited return to Division One as they came away from Mooragh Park with a 1-9 win over North Ramsey B. Tony Smart was the lone winner for the home team as he beat Stephen Oates 21-17, whilst John Corteen just missed out 20-21 to Tony Epifani. For the visitors Paul Dougherty was the best winner as he beat Adam Greenwood 21-9. The victory puts Finch 11 points ahead at the top.

Douglas B sit in second place on 82 points as they inflicted a damaging 9-1 home win over Port Erin A at the Villa. Six of the seven wins were comfortable for the home team, with Geoff Mayles scraping home 21-20 against Peter Hulley. For the Breagle men Bernie Durcan was the lone winner as he beat Paddy Murphy 21-5.

Castletown B are still in the mix also on 82 points as they won 4-6 away to Onchan C. Derek Lewney was the best winner for the visitors as he beat Roger Payne 21-7, with this win going a long way towards claiming the aggregate points (135-148). For the home team Ken Clarke was the best winner as he beat Ray Harris 21-12, whilst Neil Taylor edged home 21-20 against Ross Moore.

Ballaugh A won 7-3 at home to South Ramsey C, with the winners for the visitors David Corkill, Anthony Kelly and Paul Routledge all winning comfortably. For the home team Gordie Moore shown no mercy to his brother James Moore, as the former won 21-7, whilst Edgar Cowin beat Tony Marler 21-2.

Noble’s A sit comfortably in mid-table as they won 8-2 at home to Peel C. For the home team Alex Yates won 21-7 against David Allwood. For the visitors Jimmy Corlett had a perfect game scoring a single on the first end, then 10 consecutive two’s to win 21-0 against John Andrew.

Onchan B rounded off the Division Two fixtures as they beat Noble’s B 7-3. All three wins for the visitors were close with Michel Cooper beating Steve Parker 21-20, with Michael Johnson and Phil Salmon winning 21-19 against Sid McKnight and Paul Callister respectively.

In Division Three league leaders Ballaugh B came away from their visit to Breagle Glen with a 4-6 win over Port St Mary B, as Dicky Watson ensured the aggregate went to the visitors (128-143) with his 21-4 win over Michael Taylor. for the home team Junior Keggen beat John Kneen 21-17.

Noble’s D hosted Port Erin B, with the home team winning 7-3, as Sam Colquitt beat Trevor Barker 21-17, whilst Andrew Bell beat Nigel Haymes 21-7. it was great to see the visitors a full team as Alan Crebbin beat Alex Colquitt 21-10, Ben Mowle won 20-17 against Steve Colquitt, whilst Ken Horlsey just got the better of Kevin Moore 21-20.

High flying South Ramsey D were expected to get the better of newly formed Noble’s C, however the visitors got the better of the Ramsey men with a 3-7 victory, winning by just eight chalks to claim the aggregate two points (143-151). Winning for Noble’s Lee Price beat Mike Murley 21-17, Kevin Airey won 21-11 against Ryan Hargraves, captain Steve Cain edged home 21-20 against Chris Brown, whilst Dean Sowerby and Lee Greggor both won 21-16. For the home team Frank Feeney beat Paul Moore 21-8, whilst Geoff Collier and Peter Kennaugh won 21-19 against Nigel Hinds and Steve Brennan respectively.

Elsewhere Ballaugh C came away from Peel D with a comfortable 2-8 victory, Marown D got the better of Douglas D 7-3, whilst Finch Hill B came away from the Villa with the spoils as they beat Douglas C 3-7.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Championship

In Group A Marown A made the short trip to take on Douglas A at the Villa, as they came away with a 49 chalk victory (128-177), winning 2-7 on games. For the visitors Neil Withers beat Jan West 21-9, whilst Paul Dunn won 21-8 against Merv Sayle, whilst Clare Cooper just beat Andy Cannell 21-20. For the home team both wins were to a 21-15 score line as Keith Rise beat Lyn Bolton, whilst Gary Conwell beat fellow left hander Glenn Boland.

In the other match in Group A Ballaugh A this also ended up being a win for North Ramsey A as they also won by 49 chalks (178-129) and matched Marown’s 7-2 score line as they beat Ballaugh A at Mooragh Park. For Ballaugh Fred Waggett held off Adrian Skinner to win 21-20, whilst Patrick Grant beat Maureen Hamilton 21-11. Winning to single figures for the home team were Madison McMullan who beat Michele Cubbon 21-4, whilst Robert Monk won 21-6 against Nigel Tebay.

In Group B Noble’s A came away from the Sunset City with a 61 chalk win over Peel (115-176). All seven wins for the visitors were comfortable, with Grahem Moore the best winner to single figures. For the home team Joyce Kelly beat Jo Corkill 2116, whilst the evergreen Dougie Allan won 21-13 against Dave Naughton.

South Ramsey A were the best winners and highest scores on the night as they won by 72 chalks over Port St Mary (180-108) as Gill Dixon, James Teare and Glynn Hargraves all won to single figures. For the visitors Trevor Quayle prevented the whitewash with his 21-12 win over Peter Collister.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Plate

In the Plate competition in Group A Noble’s B took on Marown B at Crosby with the visitors winning by 93 chalks (94-187) as they won 1-8 on games. James Kelly was the lone winner for Marown as he beat Joanne Kelly 21-19, with Lisa Pugh the next highest scorer for Marown losing out 19-21 to John Andrew. For Noble’s five players won to single figures, whilst Lee Price who started playing league bowls this season continues to impress as he beat Charlotte Clarke 21-15.

Finch Hill hosted North Ramsey B, with the home team winning by 59 chalks (166-107). Winning to single figures for the home team were Dave McCabe, Stephen Oates and Tony Epifani. For the visitors Steve Parker won to single figures, whilst Ray Beattie beat Mary O’Connor 21-16.

In Group B with just three teams in the group Douglas B took their turn to sit out as Port Erin hosted South Ramsey B at Breagle Glen. The home team won by 58 chalks (187-129) as the visitors won just one game as James Moore beat Jean Thackrah 21-19, with Eddie Carlyle losing out 19-21 to Derek Allen. Lauren Groen and Geoff Collier scored 17 against Alan Crebbin and Voirrey Curphey respectively. For Port Erin Bernie Durcan was the best winner as he beat Gillian Jopson 21-8.