News: Men’s
Another Thriller At The Villa
Rayner Plate Winners 2018
The final of the Rayner Plate was won by Noble’s A following a brilliant comeback to win 185-175, winning by just 10 points in a thrilling final against third division side South Ramsey D. The handicaps were set with Noble’s A on +40 and South Ramsey D on +76, giving the Ramsey men a start of 36. The rain throughout the day had taken the electric pace out of the Villa green, unfortunately the green became quite heavy despite the puddles managing to clear before play took place.
Things were looking good for the D Team with Richard Davies turning in a stunning performance to see off the ever improving Glenn Boland to win 21-7 extending the lead to 50 points. Next off for South Ramsey was third division merit leader Ian Moore, turning in a fine performance to see off the experienced Dave Pease to record a fine 21-12 win to extend the lead to 59 points. Noble’s responded as expected with Reginald Temporaza and David Quayle both performing well to both win 21-9 against Franz ten Donkelaar and Martin Caley respectively. At the halfway stage Noble’s had clawed just one point back, however they had a good back four to go on with it all to do.
First game off in the second half was the wily Tommy Collister, who took a 15-1 lead against Matthew Corkill, with Corkill doing well to dig in playing some excellent bowls before eventually losing 13-21. Next game off was between the two captains with Kevin Firth leading the way for his Noble’s team with a strong 21-9 win against James Moore. This pulled the deficit for Noble’s back to just 15 points. Mark ‘Postie’ Quinn was the next game off against 10 year old Ryan Hargraves who was competing in his first major final, giving a good account of himself throughout the game for the way he played and conducted himself throughout the game. Young Ryan started in style with a six inch bowl and a two foot bowl with Quinn bowling a good second to save one. From there Quinn played well, with Ryan chipping in with the odd point. At lying game down Ryan hit a great strike to take the jack off the green, which had the crowd cheering. Quinn finished the game off next end beating a good bowl, which Ryan just missed when playing up for Quinn to record a 21-7 win. This reduced the deficit to just one point with the last game on the green it was another experienced Noble’s player John Ruscoe needing to win his game against Jay Moore to secure the victory and a great comeback for Noble’s. Ruscoe wasted no time in doing this with an assured 21-10 win.
This South Ramsey team can take great pride in their performance in their first major final against a team that are looking favourites to be playing first division bowls next season, and they have players who can only improve in the future. All credit to the Noble’s players who performed brilliantly to turn around a huge deficit to record their first Rayner Plate win. Before Noble’s Park and Noble’s Mixed merged a few years ago to create Noble’s, Noble’s Mixed A won the Rayner Plate in 2006.
The presentation was made by Association Chairman Neil Withers who congratulated both teams on their performance, Douglas for the use of the green and the refreshments, Steve Moore for running the sheet and the supporters who turned up for what was an entertaining final, with good support for both teams around the green.
Kelly Records Fifth Dreswick Cup Win
Dreswick Cup Winner 2018
Photo: Michael AshmolePort St Mary hosted the Dreswick Cup sponsored by the Albert Hotel on Thursday afternoon, with the competition attracting 43 entries to play on a tricky green in glorious sunshine.
The competition is unique in that it is the only Men’s Open Age competition that is held during the week on a working day. I have been reliably informed that the shops around the Island used to close on a Thursday afternoon, which would allow those that worked in the shops to enter the competition. School kids have been known to skip school to play in the popular competition, with the most notable being a 14 year old John Kennish winning his first open.
Losing out at the quarter final stage were Neil Withers (Marown), Brian Kelly (Marown), Keith Rise (Douglas) and home greener Paul Skelly.
In the first semi-final Jordan Cain (Onchan) had the tough task of facing South Ramsey man John Kennish, with Cain taking an early lead before Kennish fought back to go 19-18 up. Cain then secured three singles to see the game out 21-19 to book his place in the final. In the other semi-final Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly won his game comfortably 21-11 against Port St Mary player Wayne Roberts.
The final started as expected with Cain going for the shorter lengths and Kelly playing the longer marks as he had done all day. Kelly made the better start taking a 13-9 lead. Cain got back in but struggled to lead as well as he done throughout the day and during the semi-final, perhaps not helped by the green losing some of the pace with the shadow being cast over the green. Kelly managed to keep Cain at arms lengths throughout with the lead going to 17-12 and then 19-14. Cain then picked up a further two points to put the score at 16-19. On the last end Cain was unable to put up a good lead which Kelly managed to beat, with Cain then failing to better his first bowl it allowed Kelly to play a second counting bowl for game.
The presentation was made by Port St Mary Vice President, Peter Collins, who thanked the Ladies for the refreshments, everyone who had helped run the competition and prepare the green. Pat O’Meara from the Albert Hotel was then introduced to present the prizes.
Marown Keep Up The Chase
In division one second placed Marown A kept the pressure on the league leaders with an 8-2 home win over Port St Mary A, who just missed out on snatching an extra point with Paul Skelly losing out 20-21 to Paul Kelly. The winners for the visitors were Rob Cooil who beat John Gelling 21-18 and Trevor Quayle maintaining his 100% record beating Matthew Keggen 21-14. Winning to single figures for Marown were Paul Dunn and Neil Withers, also winning comfortably were Dean Kipling, Phil Kelly and Colin Kelly.
Peel A recorded a maximum at home against Marown B, with a 10-0 victory, although it could just as easily have been 8-2 with Tom Kelly beating Brian Kelly 21-20, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly also winning to the same score against Peter Kelly. Winning to single figures for Peel were captain Stevie Kelly and Tommy McMeiken.
North Ramsey A hosted near neighbours South Ramsey A and will have been pleased to take three games off the champions with the 7-3 win for the visitors being a fair reflection of the games. Winning to single figures for the home team were John Cannan who beat Chas Grills and Tony Smart who beat Alan Moore. Ray Skelly performed well to beat Stefan Kelly 21-17 to pick up his third win of the season. Hitting back for South Ramsey Dido Kelly beat Geoff Porter 21-3, David Bradford beat Gary Merrill 21-7, with Peter Collister winning 21-8 against Steve Walmsley, with John Kennish beating Steve Parker 21-11 and Glynn Hargraves beating Allan Callow 21-14.
Douglas A travelled south to take on Castletown and whilst being pleased to win five games away from home after their recent struggles of three successive defeats, they will have been disappointed to lose the aggregate with the match ending a draw 5-5. Winning for the home team were Ian Watson, Mike Hargraves and Peter Oates. The visitors had one comfortable winner, with Stuart Garrett winning 21-11, whilst the other four winners were close with Andy Kennish and Jimmy Sansom beating Juan Kermode & Dean Kinley 21-17, Ian Moore beat George Peach 21-19 and Shaun Seal edged his game 21-20 against Jordan Drewett.
Douglas B look certain to go down following a 4-6 home loss against their nearest rivals. Whilst the home team drew 4-4 on games, they suffered a 0-21 loss, along with two more heavy defeats 4-21 and 9-21. Winning for the home team were Pat O’ Donohue who beat Derek Allen 21-20, Andy Cannell who beat Bernie Durcan 21-18, Gordon Wynne-Smythe who won another close game 21-17 against Dave McCabe and Mark Corrin who won comfortably 21-11 against Mark Corrin. Winners for Port Erin were Stuart Gale, Steve Durcan, Derek Cadamy and David Cain.
South Ramsey B did well at home against Onchan A taking three games off the visitors with a 3-7 home defeat. Winners for South Ramsey were the trio of Tony Dugdale, Steven Waters and Christian Kelly beating Steve Crampton, Kevin Quirk and Mark Kelly respectively. Winning for Onchan were Jordan Cain, Robert Monk and Phil Kerruish who all won to single figures, along with Matthew Quirk and Peter Slinger with Slinger pushed hard by Martin Caley before winning 21-17.
Looking at the relegation battle Douglas B are a long way off safety on 12 points away from Port Erin A, whilst South Ramsey B sit one point ahead of Port Erin A the fixtures would appear to favour the northern team. Marown B have a bit of breathing space however they will need to continue to pick up points to ensure their place in the top flight next year.
In division two Noble’s A had a tough trip south to take on Port St Mary B and came away with a hard earned 6-4 win. Recording big wins to help secure the aggregate were David Pease and Reginald Temporaza, whilst Tommy Collister beat Brian Corrin 21-12. Mark Quinn had to battle hard to beat Paul Russell 21-18. For the home team Ray Watterson, Brian Lowe, Derek Kneen and Dave Saxon were the winners.
Castletown B also had a tough away fixture against Castletown B, still managed to record a 7-3 away win. Winners for Castletown were Derek Lewney, Aaron Richardson, Peter Curtis, Dave Faragher and Ron Williams. Picking up three points for the home team were Arthur Halsall, John Harris and Peter Hughes.
Peel B enjoyed their visit to Douglas to take on Noble’s B coming away with a 10-0 away win. Paul Quirk and Michael Kavanagh both won to single figures, with Harry Kelly winning 21-18 against Stewart Cubbon and Mike Ashmole winning his game 21-19 against Les Brookes.
Port St Mary C hosted Onchan B with Louis Callister showing he has still got it, with a fine 21-5 win over Bernie McPhee. Rob Cowley stepped in to win 21-5 against Andy Sykes, whilst Mike Thomas beat Ashley Qualtrough 21-7. For Port St Mary Colin Leece and Ken Karran came closest to picking up extra points before losing out 18-21 and 17-21 to Roger Payne and Edward Carlyle respectively.
Peel C topped off a good week for the Peel A, B and C Teams with an 8-2 away win against North Ramsey B. Jimmy Corlett and Robert Middleton won to single figures, whilst Peter Kelly beat Lee Christian 21-19. Winning for the home team were Stephen Gill who beat Bob Berry 21-6 and Barry Teare won 21-14 against Ian Pendlebury.
Port Erin B are ten points from safety at the bottom of division two following a 4-6 home loss. Winning for the home team were Christopher Dent, Ed Benson, Harry Minor and Ken Horsley. For Ballaugh John Keenan, Peter Graham, Edgar Cowin and Barry McDonald were the winners.
Ballaugh B continue to set the pace at the top of division three with a 7-3 away win against Onchan C, whilst Castletown B slipped nine points behind the league leaders following a 7-3 away loss to Marown C who now sit just three points behind Castletown in third. Sitting in fourth place are South Ramsey C who won 7-3 away to Peel D, whilst Ballaugh C sit in fifth place won 9-1 at home to strugglers Douglas D. With only eight points between second place and fifth place there is plenty to fight for in the seven games remaining of the season. South Ramsey D hosted Finch Hill B in the closest match of the night with the home team winning 6-4 taking the aggregate by just two chalks (136-134).
Kennish and Bradford Retain Title
Lancaster Cup Winners 2018
The Lancaster Cup was held at Peel on Saturday, with 22 pairs entered, this competition replacing the Kermeen Quayle Fours.
It was the South Ramsey duo of John Kennish and David Bradford who mastered the green, seeing off the Port Erin pair of Dave McCabe and Derek Cadamy with a convincing 21-7 win in the final to win the Peel men’s pairs two years running.
Losing out 9-21 in the semi-finals to the winners were the Douglas combination of Stuart Garrett and Ian Moore, whilst another South Ramsey pair Dido Kelly and Steven Waters never had sight of the jack losing 6-21.
Falling at the quarter final stage were Karl Parker (Marown) and Paul Quirk (Peel), Marown pair Walter McCarthy, along with South Ramsey men Glynn Hargraves and Stefan Kelly and father and son combination of Peter and Tom Collins (Port St Mary).
The presentation was made by Peel President Dougie Allan, who thanked the sponsor, Phil Parker for running the competition, all the club members who had helped throughout the day. Dougie then introduced the sponsor David Lancaster to present the prizes.
Marown Retain Rayner Shield
Rayner Shield Winners 2018
Marown A retained the Rayner Shield on Friday evening at Noble’s Park, winning it for the 16th time and in doing so sit one win ahead of their opponents on the night Onchan A.
News had filtered through during the week that as well as Marown missing their captain Paul Dunn due to pre-booked holidays that Onchan were in a similar predicament with Peter Slinger also away.
It was always my opinion (and many others) that if Onchan were to win they would need to win on games, with the win on chalks possibly being beyond Onchan and so it proved with the games ending 4-4 and Marown easing to the win courtesy of winning by 30 chalks (150-120).
First off for Marown was Paul Kelly with a win over Rob Monk, with Monk leading 8-6 Kelly then scored six two’s and three singles to see the game out 21-11. Next off was the ever reliable Colin Kelly, who played the long lengths well against Kevin Quirk, going 20-5 up with Quirk picking up a further five points before Kelly managed to finish the game off to take a 21-10 win. Hitting back for Onchan Matthew Quirk just got over the line 21-20 against Neil Withers, with Quirk going 11-5 then 13-7 up before Withers fought back to take the lead 19-16, with Quirk getting back in at a vital time with Withers lying two for game. From there Withers scored one more to Quirk’s five. Phil Kerruish took on Bob Clark who had stepped in for their captain, which is a luxury for Marown to be able to bring in a player of Clark’s quality any time throughout the season. There were no signs of rustiness from Clark who performed well and despite being 11-16 down Clark dug in to get back to 19-20, before Kerruish got the one point he needed to take Onchan’s second win of the night 21-19. At the halfway stage it was 2-2 with Marown leading by 18 chalks (81-63).
In the second half Phil Kelly started well first end lying two good bowls either side of the jack with his opponent Jordan Cain trailing the jack to make two. From there Cain performed brilliantly scoring nine two’s and three singles to put Onchan right back in it winning 21-7 to lead 3-2 on games and reduce the deficit on chalks to just four. Dean Kipling squandered the chance to win to single figures over Mark Kelly with his second bowl, only needing to stay on the green within 6 yards for game. Kipling sent his second bowl off, which gave Kelly the chance to take two more points before losing out 10-21. Stepping in for the Onchan captain was Phil Watterson who performed well despite losing 5-21, keeping John Gelling down to scoring singles with his first ten points and having several good bowls that didn’t count. This sealed the win for Marown as they were now 4-3 ahead on games and 31 chalks ahead with only one game left on the green. The final game on the green was between Onchan’s Mike Thomas and Matthew Keggen with the game being close throughout. In the latter stages of the game Keggen took a 20-18 lead and was lying one for game with Thomas responding by playing out the counting bowl. Thomas then played into the heavy corner playing two bowls just over two foot away which caught Keggen out as he played two short bowls, which sealed a second 21-20 win of the night for Onchan and salvaged some pride.
The presentation was made by Steve Moore, who thanked everyone who helped, John Ruscoe for refereeing, Noble’s for the use of the green, also for providing the measurers and refreshments to the players and spectators. The Rayner Shield was then presented to Marown captain for the night Neil Withers.
1. Matthew Quirk 21-20 Neil Withers
2. Phil Kerruish 21-19 Bob Clark
3. Kevin Quirk 10-21 Colin Kelly
4. Rob Monk 11-21 Paul Kelly
5. Mark Kelly 10-21 Dean Kipling
6. Jordan Cain 21-7 Phil Kelly
7. Mike Thomas 21-20 Matthew Keggen
8. Phil Watterson 5-21 John Gelling
Marown Suffer Setback
In division one second placed Marown A suffered a setback in their bid to close the gap on the leaders despite winning 7-3 with their visit to Breagle Glen to take on Port Erin A on a green that is still heavy despite the fine weather that we are experiencing. Winning for the home team were Dave McCabe who beat Matthew Keggen 21-11, Derek Allen who held on to win 21-19 against John Gelling, and Ken Horsley who stepped up from the B Team to record a memorable 21-18 win over five time Manx Champion Colin Kelly. Responding for the visitors Bob Clark, Neil Withers and Phil Kelly all won to single figures, whilst Dean Kipling and Paul Kelly had comfortable wins over Steve Durcan and Derek Cadamy.
Champions South Ramsey A made the trip to the capital to take on Douglas A turning in a good team performance to win 9-1, which exteneded their lead to 11 points over Marown. The green despite not having been cut for almost a month due to the hot and dry conditions was still tricky. The lone winner for the home team was Stuart Garrett who beat Stefan Kelly 21-17. Garrett held a 10-3 lead, before Kelly chipped away at the lead to pull the score back to 16-16. Garrett kicked backed into gear to see the game out. Next closest for Douglas was captain Andy Kennish who fought well against David Bradford. In the second half of the game neither player managed to lead well to their own jack to put together a run of ends, which led to a close game throughout. Bradford got over the line 21-18. Winning to single figures were captain Glynn Hargraves and Peter Collister. Also winning were John Kennish, Alan Moore, Dido Kelly and James Teare against Keith Rise, Jimmy Sansom, Ian Moore and Gary Conwell respectively.
With the A Teams taking on each other at the Villa the B Teams faced off at South Ramsey, with the home team beating Douglas 8-2. Winning for the visitors were Grahem Moore who beat Austin Hart 21-20, whilst Mark Corrin beat Christian Caley 21-8. Tony Dugdale had a fine 21-6 win over Douglas captain Andy Cannell, with Steven Waters also winning to single figures against Gordon Wynne-Smythe. Home captain Ben Dugdale beat Pat O’Donohue 21-12. In what could be decisive at the end of the season the home team won three close games with Steve Moore beating Ray Osborne 21-19, along with Roger Thomas and Chris Penketh both stepping in to beat Geoff Mayles and Bob Callow 21-20.
Peel A came away from their visit south to take on Port St Mary A with a 6-4 win, with three single figure wins from Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Ste Kelly and Tommy McMeiken enough to secure the two points for the aggregate. David Proctor was the other Peel winner beating Thomas Keggen 21-19. For the home team Ewan Cooil won a close match 21-20 against Frank Watson, Derek Kneen stepped in to beat Tom Kelly 21-17, with Tim Williams also filling in to beat Jerome Surridge 21-16. Port St Mary captain Trevor Quayle led the way with a 21-10 win over Gary Smith.
North Ramsey A hosted Onchan A, with the visitors taking the spoils 7-3. Visiting captain Peter Slinger and nephew Rob Monk led the way, with both players winning to single figures. Kevin Quirk beat Steve Parker 21-14, whilst Matthew Quirk had a tougher time beating Jimmy Moffatt 21-18. Edward Carlyle stepped up from the B Team to beat Ray Skelly 21-15. For the home team Allan Callow was the standout performer winning 21-4, with Gary Merrill beating Adrian Skinner 21-13. North Ramsey captain Tony Smart performed well winning 21-13 to inflict only a second league defeat of the season on Jordan Cain.
Marown B bounced back from last week’s whitewash to defeat visitors Castletown A 6-4 in a high scoring contest and in doing so leap frogged them in the process to sit one point ahead of Castletown. Winners for the home team were the less experienced pair of Bobby Thorne and James Kelly, who continue to perform well, whilst seasoned campaigners Arnie Withers and Peter Kelly also won. The team has a good mix of youth and experience which bodes well for bringing on their younger players. Sixteen year old Sam Clague made the most of his opportunity to play for the A Team, which proved to be a good choice with Clague showing recently that he plays a fast green well defeating Marown Over 60’s captain Steve Bridson 21-19. Ian Watson beat Juan Killip 21-19, Derek Lewney won 21-13 against Brian Kelly and David Quayle beat John Kelly 21-14.
In division two Noble’s A maintained their six point lead at the top with a 10-0 home win over Port St Mary C, with Steve Cook, Tommy Collister and merit leader David Pease all winning to single figures. For Port St Mary Colin Leece came closest to grabbing a point losing 19-21 against Glenn Boland.
Matching Noble’s blow for blow, are Castletown B who also recorded a 10-0 home win over Port Erin B to keep the pressure on. Winning to single figures for the home team were George Foy, Peter Curtis, Ron Williams and Aaron Richardson. The top two are pulling away from the teams below them with Castletown B now 12 points ahead of third placed Onchan B.
Onchan B travelled to Mooragh Park to take on North Ramsey B coming away with a 7-3 win. Mike Alexander won 21-6, with Peter Wallis and Bernie McPhee both winning 21-17 and Mike Thomas beating Bryan Corner 21-19. Onchan just missed out on an extra point with Colin Spencer losing 20-21 against John Breen. For the home team Barry Teare beat Roger Payne 21-13 and Alex Yates won 21-12 against Paul Bailey.
Fourth placed Peel B hosted Finch Hill A with the home team winning 8-2. Winning comfortably for Peel were David Smith, Gordon Corrin, Harry Kelly and Paul Quirk. Winners for the visitors were Paul Dougherty who beat Dougie Allan 21-16, whilst Arthur Halsall beat Mike Ashmole 21-17.
Port St Mary B travelled north to take on Ballaugh A and disappointingly gave a walkover due to being a player short despite their C team fielding a full team in their fixture. The visitors lost 7-3 with the winners being Paul Russell, Dave Saxon and Brian Corrin. Winners for Ballaugh were John Keenan, Peter Graham, Richard Fisher and Steve Grant.
Peel C hosted Noble’s B on Tuesday evening with the home team winning 8-2. Two games went to the wire with each team taking a 21-20 win. Peel’s 20-20 winner was Ian Pendlebury against Juan Qualtrough, for Noble’s John Singleton beat Paul Baker. Martyn Hobson was the other winner for Noble’s beating Jimmy Corlett 21-16. For the home team Jeff Wilson won 21-5 against Stewart Cubbon, with Peter Kelly beating Les Brookes 21-8.
In division three Onchan C were this week’s biggest winners with a 9-1 away win against Douglas D. Recording big wins for the visitors were Derek Anscomb, Erwin Gelling and Brian Woodall. Sparing the whitewash for the home team was the ever reliable Roy Williams who beat Dennis Maxwell 21-6.
Upset of the week was at South Ramsey with the C team and D team taking each other on, with the D team recording a memorable 7-3 win over the C team. For the C Team David Corkill won 21-16 against James Moore, whilst Tony Hart beat Ryan Surridge 21-7, with son Toby Hart winning 21-6 against Ryan Hargraves. Hitting back for the D team Richard Davies won 21-0, with undefeated merit leader Ian Moore winning 21-3, and Franz Ten Donkelaar won 21-9. Jay Moore and Matthew Corkill beat Tony Marler and Anthony Kelly respectively.
Ballaugh B continue to set the pace at the top of the table, with a 7-3 home win over Douglas C. Mike Buckeridge inflicted a second defeat of the season on Mike Cain winning 21-20, with John Kneen recording the second 21-0 win of the night, with Philip Quayle winning 21-4 against Les Quayle. For Douglas captain Andy Foster beat Percy Faragher 21-11, William Cowley beat John Bolton 21-10 and Keith Fearnley beat Paul Cubbon 21-15.
Castletown C hosted Ballaugh C, also recorded a 7-3 home win to remain in second place despite giving another walkover to the opposing team. For Castletown Juan Drinkwater won 21-6, Clifford Clague will no doubt be feeling confident with a second consecutive league win, with John Matheson, Philip Smith and John Kinley also winning. For Ballaugh Charlie Howland beat James Drinkwater 21-9 and Phil Faragher got over the line 21-19 against Byron Mercer.
Marown C continue their poor run of form, having lost four of their last five league games, with a 6-4 away loss to Finch Hill B, which could have been worse had Dan Smith lost his game with Frank Christian with Smith edging it 21-20. Stephen Rundle had a fine 21-6 win over Stephen Oates, with Steve Wilson beating Kevin ‘Chico’ Anderson 21-13. For Finch Hill Kevin Stannard won 21-7, with son Sam not far behind beating Walter McCarthy 21-10. Newcomer Guy Smith recorded his second league win of the season beating Karl Parker 21-12, with captain Pat Maher beating Steve Gregg 21-10.
Bradford Wins Ramsey Town Cup
Ramsey Town Cup Winner 2018
The Ramsey Town Cup was played for on Saturday in perfect weather conditions in the picturesque surroundings of Ramsey’s Mooragh Park, hosted by North Ramsey Bowling Club.
Despite a clash with the World Cup quarter final, a healthy entry of 44 men (including a good number of Island champions and Island representative players) played for the clubs premier prize on a green that despite early season worries was running well and drew favourable comments from a lot of those taking part.
Losing out at the quarter final stage were home greener Allan Callow, Kevin Quirk (Onchan), Edward Trustham (Ballaugh) and Port St Mary’s Nathan Hamilton.
The first semi-final was between two South Ramsey players John Kennish and David Bradford with the honours going to David 21-17. The second semi-final involved another South Ramsey bowler, Alan Moore and Port Erin’s Dave McCabe. Alan had a very healthy lead only to be pegged back by Dave and at 20-20 Alan produced a superb lead bowling full corners to edge the game and go in to the final.
The final, contested by the two South Ramsey players was a fairly evenly contested affair with both men producing some excellent bowls that kept the good number of spectators totally engrossed. At 19-17 up Alan was looking favourite, but one bad lead let David in for two to go 19-19. With a perfect lead and a good second in the very next end, it was victory for David 21-19.
North Ramsey Bowling Club would like to thank all those that took part and anybody that helped out in any way to make the day the success it was.
Moore & Garrett Triumph
Grimshaw Pairs Winners 2018
Marown hosted the popular Tynwald Day R & A Grimshaw Trophy with 34 pairs taking part, four of which were father and son combinations. With the recent dry spell the green was extremely quick and along with the wind affecting the bowls it made for tricky conditions for the players. There were plenty of shocks in the early rounds, with some of the favourite pairings taking an early bath.
At the end of a long day it was the Douglas pairing of Ian Moore & Stuart Garrett, who beat the Marown duo of Brian Kelly and Harry Barton 21-15. The final started with the green starting to lose a bit of pace with the shade extending over the green. Barton and Kelly made a good start taking a 10-7 lead, before Moore & Garrett took the next five ends with two singles, followed by two two’s and a three to jump ahead 16-10. Barton and Kelly fought their way back into the game taking the next three ends with a single, a two and another single to pull the score back to 14-16. Moore & Garrett then stepped up a gear to see the game out winning three of the next four ends to secure the win and the trophy.
Losing out in the semi-finals to the winners were the competitions oldest pairing, with the evergreen duo of Ian Kissack (Marown) and Mike Hargraves (Castletown) losing 15-21. The other losing semi-finalists were Matthew Keggen (Marown) and Rob Monk (Onchan)
In the quarter finals there were two close games with Edward Carlyle (Onchan) and Dave McCabe losing 20-21, with father and son pairing Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly and Adam Kelly (both Peel) also losing to the same score. Also falling at the quarter finals were the Marown pair of Dean Kipling and Juan Killip, along with Neil Withers and Paul Dunn.
At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by competition secretary Philip Kelly, who thanked everyone who had helped with the running of the competition and the Marown Ladies for the refreshments provided throughout the day.
Top Two Extend Gap
Marown A took on South Ramsey B in the Ellan Vannin Fuels sponsored division one at Crosby on Monday evening with the home team recording a strong 9-1 win, with Sid Bolton beating Marown captain Paul Dunn 21-17 for the visitors. Next closest to snatching another point was Austin Hart, who performed brilliantly going 16-3 and 17-6 up on Matthew Keggen, before Keggen got hold of the jack using his extra experience to claw his way back into the game to eventually win 21-18. Hart has found first division bowls a steep learning curve, however he can take plenty of encouragement from his scores in the top division, at 15 years old he is the youngest player in the division. This season will no doubt stand him in good stead in the future. Tony Dugdale also came close before losing out 17-21 to Dean Kipling. For Marown Paul Kelly, Colin Kelly and Phil Kelly all won to single figures, whilst John Gelling and Neil Withers had fairly comfortable wins.
South Ramsey A recorded their third 10-0 win of the season and only their first maximum at home over Marown B. Last season the champions recorded five maximums and three 9-1 wins at home. This season’s home form has been somewhat patchy, whilst still winning all their matches. Dido Kelly, Glynn Hargraves and John Kennish all won to single figures, with Juan Killip coming closest to taking a point for the visitors before losing out 17-21 to Chas Grills. Rob Corkill stepped in to help out the visitors after a 24 year absence from bowls.
Onchan A recorded a 7-3 away win over Douglas A. Home team captain Andy Kennish once again led the way for his team, recording a 21-9 win over Matthew Quirk. Kennish has recorded some good results this season, no doubt helped by the extra games playing in the Over 60’s league, in which he is currently undefeated after 20 games. His night league record is 9 wins from 12 games. The two other winners for the Villa men were Mervin Sayle with a 21-16 win over Rob Monk, whilst Keith Rise held off Steve Crampton to record a 21-18 win. For the visitors Jordan Cain was pushed hardest taking a 21-17 win over Stuart Garrett, whilst the biggest win for the visitors was Mark Kelly who beat Gary Conwell 21-8. Kelly is only in his second season of league bowls and the time being put in on the green is obviously paying off. The experienced trio of Kevin Quirk, Peter Slinger and Phil Kerruish beat Ian Moore, Jimmy Sansom and Shaun Seal respectively.
North Ramsey A continue to use their home advantage well, this time seeing off Douglas B with an 8-2 win, however they did lose two games 21-20 with Andy Cannell and Gordon Wynne-Smythe both holding on to beat Tony Smart and Allan Callow respectively. Geoff Porter and Gary Merrill both won to single figures, whilst Steve Walmsley was pushed hard by Pat O’Donohue before winning 21-19.
Port Erin A will have been disappointed to lose 8-2 at home to Port St Mary A with recent open winner Trevor Quayle just getting over the line 21-20 against Dave McCabe, whilst Steve Franks did enough to beat Derek Cadamy 21-17. Peter Addison had a close game beating Dan McCabe 21-19, whilst David Cain had a comfortable 21-11 win over Rob Cooil. Wayne Roberts had a good 21-8 win over Bernie Durcan, with Paul Skelly, Thomas Keggen and Ewan Cooil also winning for the visitors.
Castletown A had a good home win over Peel A, winning three close games in the process. George Peach beat David Smith 21-20, whilst David Quayle inflicted a third successive defeat on early season merit leader Tommy McMeiken 21-19, with Dean Kinley winning to the same score against David Proctor. Jordan Drewett made home advantage count beating Tom Kelly 21-12, whilst Peter Oates won 21-15 against Gary Smith. For the visitors Dave ’Barney’ Kelly won 21-15 against Ian Watson, son Stevie did enough to beat Mike Hargraves 21-18, with Frank Watson beating Jeff Kinley 21-17.
In division two Castletown B took on Peel B in the sunset city and will have been pleased to take away a 7-3 win on a difficult green in a high scoring match. Winners for Peel were Mike Ashmole, Harry Kelly and Paul Quirk. Responding for the visitors were Ross Moore, Ron Williams, Alan Phair, Mark Saunders and Derek Lewney.
Port St Mary B recorded a maximum 10-0 home win over Port Erin B with Peter Collins, Ray Maddrell and Dave Saxon all winning comfortably. Ken Horsley recent runner up in the Port Erin Open was closing to grabbing a point before losing 19-21 to Derek Kneen.
Onchan B just missed out on a maximum by just three chalks with Mike Alexander losing 18-21 to Mark Kremor to record a 9-1 win over Noble’s B at Onchan Park. Mike Thomas and Neil Dunwell both recorded single figure wins.
League leaders Noble’s A made the trip north to take on North Ramsey B coming away with a 7-3 win to keep Castletown B at arm’s length. Glenn Boland was in good form winning 21-1. For the home team Rheuben Thomas held on to beat Tommy Collister 21-20, with Bryan Corner and Alex Yates winning fairly comfortably.
Ballaugh A made the journey south to take on Port St Mary C, with no signs of Ballaugh improving their away form with the home team performing well winning 7-3. Chris Oates won 21-1, whilst Nathan Hamilton beat Edgar Cowin 21-5. The winning trio for Ballaugh were Bob Unsworth, Peter Graham and John Keenan.
Peel C performed well to take a 7-3 win away to Finch Hill A. Ian Pendlebury just got over the line 21-20 for Peel, whilst Jeff Wilson won 21-8. Winners for Finch Hill were Arthur Halsall, Peter Hughes and Paul Dougherty.
In division 3 league leaders Ballaugh B made the short trip along the west coast to take on Peel D coming away with an assured 8-2 win to stretch their lead at the top to five points. For Ballaugh Philip Quayle won 21-3. John Bolton just missed out on securing another point for Ballaugh losing 20-21 against Leslie Halsall. Young Ryan Tate picked up his second league win of the season beating John Looney 21-16.
South Ramsey C hosted high flying Marown C with the home team winning 7-3 over the Crosby outfit to put a huge dent in their hopes of winning the league. Ian Moore stepped up from the D Team to beat Kevin Kelly by the closest of margins 21-20. Austin Hart’s younger brother Toby performed well beating Stephen Rundle 21-15. For Marown Darren Kerruish, Steve Gregg and Jamie Joughin were the winners.
Castletown C boosted their hopes for promotion with a 10-0 home win over bottom of the table Douglas D with the result helping them climb above Marown C into second place. For Douglas only Greg Brew managed to make it into double figures losing 12-21, with the visitors scoring just 47 chalks in total.
Finch Hill B checked in to a flying Ballaugh green to take on their C Team, with visiting teams finding it extremely tricky to play. Finch Hill will have been delighted to record a 6-4 away win. Newcomer Paddy Murphy continues to impress picking up his second successive league win beating Bert Quayle 21-7, whilst another new player Frank Christian picked up his first league win in just his fourth league game defeating Paul Bradford 21-15. Kevin Stannard and Sam Stannard were the other two winners for the visitors to help secure the aggregate by six chalks.
Douglas C happily rearranged their game with Onchan C to the Wednesday evening, to give them the opportunity to watch the England game on Tuesday night. Fittingly it would seem, in honour of the football the teams played a score draw with the match ending 5-5. Winning for the home team were Mike Cain, Tommy Rougvie, Andy Foster, Willie Cowley and John Ferguson. Keith Fearnley lost 20-21 against Brian Woodall, with Douglas forced to give two games away due to being short of players. Onchan edged the aggregate by just two chalks (127-125) to secure the draw.
Kennish Reigns Supreme
Association Cup Winner 2018
Ballaugh Bowling Club was the venue for the rearranged Association Cup on Sunday. The green was in fantastic condition, with a smooth surface and it was lightning quick making for testing conditions for the 46 players taking part. The green was as fast as I can recall in my 25 years, which was great to see.
The eventual winner after a long, hot day was John Kennish (South Ramsey) who secured his third successive Association Cup win, defeating team mate Glynn Hargraves. This to go alongside his three successive Manx Championship wins that must be a record to hold both of the top Association competitions at the same time three years running to confirm his dominance of the Manx game.
The final started with Kennish taking the first two ends, before Hargraves hit back taking the next two ends to level the score at 6-6. Kennish took control from there taking four of the next five ends to go ahead 13-7. Hargraves fought back again to get back to 11-13, before Kennish once again had a run with the jack, which was key all day in the tricky conditions seeing the game out with a 21-13 win.
Kennish beat another team mate David Bradford in the semi-final with Kennish scoring six two’s, whilst Bradford was unable to make a two during the game to see Kennish win 21-11. In the other semi-final Hargraves booked his place in the final thanks to a 21-15 win over Tom Kelly (Peel) with Kelly only securing one two, whilst Hargraves scored four two’s.
Losing out in the quarter finals were Arnie Withers (Marown) who had put out Barney Kelly in the earlier rounds, Stevie Kelly (Peel) who had put an end to Dido Kelly’s hopes of a win, Matthew Keggen (Marown) and Sam Clague (Castletown) who performed brilliantly in only his second season of bowls and his first real experience of a quick green to beat Colin Kelly 21-20, then pushing Kennish to the limit, going 20-18 up before Kennish took the next two ends with a double and a single to win 21-20.
At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by the hard working competition secretary Matthew Keggen, who thanked Ballaugh for hosting the competition, providing the refreshments and preparing a superb playing surface. Thanks were also given to those who helped with the running of the competition.