The final stages of this years’ Over 60’s Manx Championship will be played to a conclusion at Marown Bowling Club on Wednesday afternoon with action getting underway from 1pm. BCGBA dress code applies. Get yourself there for what promises to be an intriguing afternoon of bowls.

With qualifying taking place on Monday and Tuesday last week, 60 Over 60 bowlers entered this years’ competition.

It is a completely different eight to last year’s finals day line-up, with Peter Slinger lifting the title in 2023 with a 21-18 victory over Peter Collister in the final at Peel in extremely wet conditions.

Dave McCabe vs Phil Kelly

McCabe is the less experienced of the two bowlers having ‘only’ played for 11 years, however McCabe has had a taste of victory in the past year, having picked up the Association Non-Winners’ Cup in 2023, then won the ever-popular Howland Pairs with Barry McDonald later that season. Dave’s toughest game in qualifying was against former Finch Hill teammate Les Brookes, with a 21-16 win in his second game.

Phil Kelly came through the Monday session beating a hattrick of Kelly’s to qualify – Harry, Peter, and Brian. ‘Rambo’ is the last home greener left in the draw, turned 60 at the start of the year to become eligible to play. Rambo has won 13 open competitions over five decades, including the Manx Championship and the first Manx Masters when it changed to its current format. Rambo’s most recent success was winning the Henry Kissack Trophy in 2022, beating a host of top names along the way. Having won the Manx Championship Rambo will be hoping to take the ‘Senior’ title on home turf.

Kelly starts as favourite for this clash.

Paul Cubbon vs Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly

Ballaugh man Cubbon is the underdog in this tie, having only taken up the game in 2017, with his participation in league bowls increasing over the past few seasons, this has tied in with a better win percentage to show year on year improvement. Don’t write him off.

Barney has won over 50 singles competitions over six decades, including the IOM June Festival, Champions of Champions, and Manx Masters. When Barney turned 60, he won the Over 60’s Manx Championship three times on the trot, will be keen to regain it after missing out on home turf last year. If he does lose out, then Barney will reluctantly take a short walk up the road to the Crosby to drown his sorrows. Barney came through qualifying conceding just 28 chalks in his three games.

Steve Parker vs Kevin Quirk

Parker has had previous success in Over 60’s competitions having won the George Hawkins Trophy in 2022, with further success in a couple of any combination doubles with his quarter final opponent. Steve had three tough games to qualify winning to 17, 17, and 18.

Quirk is the second most decorated player in the last eight, with 38 titles to his name including two Manx Championships, with a 2005 win over Barney in the final at Ronairco, his second success arrived three years later in 2008 as he beat Neil Withers at Noble’s. Kevin is renowned for playing the perfect bowl when others would strike. When he gets going Quirk is difficult to shift. Kevin won his final qualifying game comfortably 21-7 against Peter Collister.

Both players will know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, will be looking to exploit this, however Quirk will start as clear favourite.

Bryan Corner vs Bernie Durcan

Corner has a delivery most of us can only dream of which can only be described as textbook, getting them out as smoothly as anyone. Corner has been splitting his time between South Ramsey and North Ramsey this season, he will be looking to lift his first Over 60’s Manx Championship. Bryan came through his qualifying games with wins over three South Ramsey clubmates.

Durcan turns out for Port Erin, he has enjoyed success in the popular end of season competition winning the now traditional Juan Kelly Cup in 2018 with his son Steve, to become only the second winners of the title. In qualifying Bernie went from strength to strength with his opponents scoring less in each round, as he qualified with a 21-2 win. Should Durcan lift the title, he would become the first Port Erin player to be crowned Over 60’s Manx Champion.

A North versus South battle, this is a tough one to call.

On Thursday the Over 60’s Men’s Ismay Cup Final between Onchan A and Peel Sunset A was held on a well prepared Green at Castletown Bowling Club.

The match started well for Onchan A with Mike Alexander beating Peel Captain Brian Lindsay 21-12 but then they lost the next game as Kevin Quirk went down 19-21 to Dougie Allan. In the following game Onchan’s Neil Dunwell lost 16-21 to Andy Kennish and then Colin Spence levelled the match score to two games each at the halfway stage by beating Alec Taylor 21-11.

Onchan’s Peter Slinger played well to beat Alan Cromwell 21-7, then Tony Carroon pulled one back for the Westerners as he beat Bernie McPhee 21-17. At this stage it looked as if the match could well end at four games all although Onchan A had a considerable chalks advantage but then Mike Thomas ran out with a 21-16 win against Paul Baker and Onchan Captain Phil Kerruish played strongly to beat Dave (Barney) Kelly 21-13 and give his side a 5-3 win.

The trophies were presented by Phil Taubman and Phil Kerruish thanked Castletown for hosting the competition on a superb playing surface and thanked the Over 60’s Committee for their work.

On Wednesday the Mini Cup Final which is for teams in the League Two of Men’s Over 60’s Bowls took place at Marown between Finch Hill A and Ballaugh B.

In the first half of the match Finch Hill A drew the first blood with Paul Dougherty beating Ray Griffin 21-9 but Gordy Moore hit back immediately to beat Dave Jones 21-17. We then saw Ballaugh’s Wilfred Waggett lose 13-21 to John Qualtrough and after the first four games were completed the score was two games each with John Maddrell beating Finch Hill’s John Harris 21-12.

In the second half of the match we saw a titanic struggle between Ballaugh’s Barry McDonald and Tony Epifani which ended with McDonald winning 21-20. The next game saw Ballaugh Captain John Keenan play superbly to beat Les Brookes 21-3 and after being behind Gary Griffiths fought back to beat Dave Dixon of Finch Hill 21-20 giving the Ballaugh men the five games that they needed. The excitement was still not over however as in the last game Tom Waterworth of Ballaugh who is in his first full season of bowls looked down and out but he fought back to eventually go down 21-20 to Brian Murphy.

The Chairman of the Over 60’s Bowling League Norman Kneen thanked Marown for hosting the competition and Terry Bates for acting as Referee and Competition Secretary Mark Kelly for running the match before introducing Neil Withers to present the awards.

On Friday we saw the ever-popular Howland Pairs Over 60’s Men’s Doubles take place on a well prepared Green at Ballaugh Bowling Club with an entry of 26 pairs.

At the quarter final stage we saw home greeners Fred Waggett and John Kneen lose 14-21 to Andy Kennish (Peel) and Jimmy Sansom (Douglas) while Dave McCabe (Finch Hill) and Barry McDonald (Ballaugh) beat Neil Dunwell and Mike Thomas (Onchan) 21-20. We also saw two more home green players John Keenan and John Maddrell take a 21-14 win against Bryan Corner (South Ramsey) and Ray Skelly (North Ramsey) and Brian Colquitt and Geoff Porter (North Ramsey) lost 19-21 to Kevin Quirk (Onchan) and Steve Parker (North Ramsey and Onchan).

In the semi-finals the pairing of McCabe and McDonald proved to be too strong for Kennish and Sansom as they ran out winners 21-14 and the home pairing of Keenan and Maddrell beat Quirk and Parker 21-18.

In the Final we saw Dave McCabe and Barry McDonald start well and maintain the pressure to run out as winners 21-11 against John Keenan and John Maddrell.

The Chairman of the Over 60’s Bowling Association thanked Ballaugh for hosting the Competition and the ladies for their wonderful catering the awards were presented by Gordie Moore the Chairman of Ballaugh Bowling Club.

The final stages of this years’ Over 60’s Manx Championship will be played to a conclusion at Peel Bowling Club on Tuesday afternoon with action getting underway from 1pm. BCGBA dress code applies. Get yourself there for what promises to be an intriguing afternoon of bowls.

Peter Collister vs Neil Dunwell

Collie is the most decorated player in the field, there isn’t much bigger an accolade than being a June Festival and Tourism winner at the tender age of 21 in 1983. Forty years on he is vying to get his hands on the Over 60’s Manx Championship. Collie came through his qualifying games with a 21-6 win over Bernard Thackrah and a hard fought 21-20 victory over Onchan man Kevin Quirk.

Dunwell should not be written off, as he is more than capable of an upset, he will quietly fancy his chances after taken out Peel’s Andy Kennish 21-16 to qualify for finals day, following a 21-7 win over South Ramsey’s Hakim Thomas in his first game. A keen competitor as he now plies his trade for Onchan A in the night league and Over 60’s.

Whilst Collister is clearly favourite, don’t write off Dunwell, who is more than capable of an upset,

Brian Lindsay vs Derek Allen

Lindsay is getting back into his bowls after a recent mysterious injury, if anyone ever finds out the real reason his arm was bandaged, please do let me know! One of two home greeners in the field, Lindsay has won eight of his last 10 games for Peel, came through qualifying with a 21-12 win over Ray Beattie, then beat David Buck 21-14 in his second game and just got over the line 21-20 against George Foy to reach the quarter finals.

Allen splits his bowls between Port Erin in the night league and Onchan in the Over 60’s, he will be hoping to go one better than 2020 when he reached the final only to come up against Barney. Derek gets in every competition going, is a good supporter of the open competitions all over the island. Allen came through his qualifying games as he beat Over 60’s Onchan clubmate Mark Kelly 21-11, then held his nerve as he held off night league teammate Seamus Whelan 21-20.

An evenly matched contest, could home advantage prove to be the difference?

Lee Dawson vs Brian Colquitt

‘Dawsy’ to most is a former home greener, so has good knowledge of the Peel green, he particularly enjoys playing the edge of the green, although he did start his bowls at Ballaugh. It is great to see Lee back on the green after a difficult winter. Dawson has won an open competition many moons ago, he came through qualifying following three tough games, beating Brian Aspden 21-18, Steve Parker to the same score and then beat Port Erin man Bernie Durcan 21-16 to qualify.

Brian Colquitt is a tough man to shift, he is a former Over 60’s Manx Champion and the only previous winner in the field having picked up the title in 2019. Colquitt came through his qualifying games with a hard fought 21-20 win over South Ramsey’s Bryan Corner and went on to beat Peel man Phil Clarke 21-8 to qualify.

An all-Ramsey battle, this is a tough one to call.

Dougie Allan vs Peter Slinger

Dougie is the second home greener in the draw, is a tough opponent and should not be under-estimated on Peel or indeed any green. Allan is in good form for Peel with nine wins from his last 10 games, with recent wins over James Teare, Tony Dugdale and a crucial 21-9 victory over Harry Barton in the Rayner Plate on Friday night, which went a long way to securing the win for his team. Dougie came through his qualifying games with two comfortable victories. Write Dougie off at your peril.

Onchan night league captain Slinger is in as good form as he has been for some time, with his run to the semi-finals of the Manx Championship taking the scalps of Peter Jones with a 21-5 win and Peter Collister 21-6. In the qualifying third spot play off the Onchan man beat Colin Kelly to secure a place in the British Senior Merit Finals at the end of the month. On Thursday Slinger came through his games with three single figure victories, with his most notable being his qualifying game to reach the quarter finals as he beat home greener Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who was the three-time champion and the current holder 21-7, despite trailing 5-2, Peter took apart Barney on home turf, later that day Slinger beat Alan Moore in the Rayner Shield semi-final in his fourth game of the day.

This could well be the tie of the round.