Wednesday evenings league action in Canada Life International Division One was unaffected, despite the heavy rain earlier in the day with all scheduled matches going ahead, with the rain only setting in once again when fixtures were taking place.

League champions South Ramsey A continued their solid start to hit top spot as they played in their first home game of 2023, seeing off Marown B with a 9-1 victory. Four games were won to single figures by David Bradford, Bob Clark, James Teare and Peter Collister. Not having it all their own way were Glynn Hargraves who beat Karl Parker 21-15, Jordan Cain recovered from a 12-16 deficit to beat Matthew Keggen 21-18, whilst Alan Moore had to dip deep for his 21-19 win over Juan Killip. The last game on the green resulted in John Kelly picking up the visitors only win of the night with a well deserved 21-14 victory over Stefan Kelly.

Marown A played their second home game of the season hosting Peel A, who were missing three of their regular first team. The Crosby men brushed aside their opponents with an 8-2 win to remain in second place. Captain Paul Dunn was the only winner to single figures as he beat George Gadsby 21-8. Having to work hard for their wins were Peter Jones who beat Gordon Corrin 21-19 and Paul Kelly who recovered from a 14-18 to get past Stevie Kelly 21-20. The two winners for the visitors were Tommy McMeiken who got home 21-15 against Glenn Boland, whilst Philip ‘Pip’ Pemberton beat Phil Kelly 21-19.

Onchan A hosted a much-improved South Ramsey B at the Park, with the hosts winning 7-3. For the visitors Tony Hart made his first start of the season count with a 21-7 win over Neil Dunwell, Austin Hart beat Jamie Clague 21-11, whilst Tony Dugdale held off Phil Kerruish 21-18. Winning to single figures for Onchan were Kevin Quirk and Reg Temporaza over Christian Caley and Ben Dugdale respectively.

Peel B remained in third place after their 6-4 home win over Castletown A, with Dave Smith and Paul Quirk claiming comfortable wins for the home team, helping them claim the two-point aggregate by nine chalks (144-135). For the Town men Ron Williams was the best winner as he beat Jeff Wilson 21-8, Nathan Cooil won 21-14 against Brian Lindsay. David Quayle won 21-18 in a close game with Michael Kavanagh, with Aaron Richardson edging his game 21-20 with Rob Middleton.

Another close game was played out at the Villa between Douglas A and Port St Mary A, as the home team crept home with a 6-4 win by just eight chalks (130-122). Gary Conwell continued his return to form with a 21-3 win over Dave Saxon, Keith Rise won 21-10 against Robbie Cooil, whilst Shaun Seal inflicted a 21-13 defeat on Paul Skelly. For the Port men Wayne Roberts returned to winning ways with a 21-5 win over Merv Sayle, Trevor Quayle bounced back with a 21-12 win over Jimmy Sansom, with Tim Williams seeing off Mark Kneen 21-14.

Marown C welcomed North Ramsey A to Crosby on Thursday evening as the teams played out a 4-4 draw, however the Crosby men took the aggregate by 18 chalks for a 6-4 win. Sid Bolton made his debut for Marown with a 21-3 win over Tony Smart, with Kevin Kelly and Stephen Rundle both winning 21-10 against Adrian Skinner and Gary Merrill respectively. For the visitors Steve Walmsley was their best winner as he beat Peter Kelly 21-11, Paul Allison beat Jamie Joughin 21-14, whilst Rob Monk and Allan Callow both won 21-16.

In Division Two Finch Hill A went top with a 9-1 home win over North Ramsey B, with the Finch men just missing out on a whitewash by just three chalks as David Callow beat Pat Maher 21-18. Four single wins for the home team keeping the visitors to 93 chalks showed the dominance on the night.

Noble’s B came back down to earth after their first game victory with their 2-8 home defeat to Onchan B, with the visitors a player short this awarded a Phil Salmon a welcome walkover, whilst Stephen Corkill picked up their second point of the night as he held off Mark Kelly 21-19. For Onchan Bernie McPhee and Steve Parker were pushed close before prevailing 21-17 against Noel Ash and Grahem Moore respectively.

Port Erin A got a first win of the season under their belt thanks to a hard fought 7-3 home win over Douglas B as they edged the chalks (151-147). For the Breagle men Seamus Whelan beat Kevin Firth, whilst teammate Mark Stockham also won to the same score against Paddy Murphy. For the visitors Geoff Mayles was on the right side of a 21-20 as he beat Ed Benson.

Castletown B hosted Onchan C at the Crofts, with the home team claiming a 7-3 home win as Ian Watson, Ross Moore and John Matheson all won their games to single figures. Responding for the visitors were Denis Maxwell and Bernard Galka who both claimed single figure wins of their own.

Just three fixtures scheduled for Tuesday evening went ahead as each of the away teams claimed victories with the heavy rain any home advantage will have been lost. In Division Three Douglas C came away from Finch Hill B with a 3-7 win with the home team being a player short this could ultimately have cost them the aggregate as they lost by 17 chalks. Winning to single figures for Finch were Sam Stannard-Duke and Chris Thompson, with Sefton Dent getting their third win as he beat Juan Readshaw 21-14. Each of the wins for the visitors were comfortable.

Marown D came away from the Villa with a 2-8 victory to get their season up and running, as they kept the home team under 100 chalks (94-147) helped by big wins to single figures from Richard Bregazzi, Jay Waters, James Kelly and Eddie Rough, with Greg Brew and Dave Corkish winning for the Villa men.

Newly formed Noble’s D impressed as they picked up their first victory of the season winning 3-7 away to Port Erin B on the night, helped by claiming the aggregate two points as they won by 11 chalks (119-130) despite suffering two single figure defeats. Winning for the Noble’s men were Roy Moore, Jay Elliot, Andrew Bell and Charlie Bell with Steve Colquitt the lucky recipient of a walkover.

Ballaugh B picked up their second win of the season on Wednesday evening as they lead the chasing pack following their 8-2 home win over Port St Mary B, with Richard Green and John Looney winning to single figures, whilst Dicky Watson just missed out on another point for the home team as he lost 20-21 to Derek Cain.

The remaining fixtures were played on a pleasant Thursday evening with South Ramsey D making the trip to Douglas as they took on Noble’s C. The visitors took a 4-6 win on the night with visiting captain Franz ten Donkelaar the only winner to single figures as he won 21-7. Nigel Hinds, who is the son of Colin Hinds impressed with a 21-13 win on his debut over Chris Brown, Paul Moore beat Robert Snape 21-19, a result matched by Lee Greggor who crept home against Billy Blair. Lee’s Dad Andy joked that the ‘bowling gene’ must have skipped a generation following his 14-21 defeat to Ryan Hargraves. Frank Feeney beat debutant Mike Caley 21-15.

Peel D didn’t have far to travel as they made the short trip to take on Ballaugh C (report to follow)…

The first round of fixtures for the 2023 Canada Life International season got underway this week. With 36 teams entered there are 12 teams in each division which includes two new teams, both from Noble’s as they come into division three.

In Division One Peel B who finished third from bottom last season got off to a flier as they demolished an under strength South Ramsey B with a 1-9 away win to go top. Andy Mackie now in his second full season beat Tony Dugdale 21-17, whilst Brian Lindsay held off Austin Hart to win 21-18. Preventing the whitewash was Eddie Carlyle with a 21-15 win over Dougie Allan.

Marown A made a solid start to their campaign with a 9-1 home win at Crosby over North Ramsey A, with Neil Withers, Peter Jones and Phil Kelly all winning to single figures. John Gelling had to fight back from a huge deficit before running out to win 21-18 against Rob Monk. Paul Allison continued where he left off last season, as he was the only winner for the Mooragh men with a 21-14 victory over Glenn Boland, who was making his first team debut.

League champions South Ramsey A started at the same green they secured the league title last season, going one better than their previous result at the Crofts with a 1-9 win over Castletown A. All the Castletown players made it into double figures, with five players finishing on 15 or more as the visitors had to fight for every win. Nathan Hamilton got his season off to a great start with a brilliant 21-12 win over South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves, as coincidentally he was the lone winner for Port St Mary A when he beat Colin Kelly in the first fixture of the 2022 season.

Peel A started the season on a positive note with a 7-3 home win over Onchan A. For the home team Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly was the only winner to single figures on the night. The three visitors for the winners were Will Penhallurick who beat David Proctor 21-15, Reg Temporaza beat Tommy McMeiken 21-13, whilst Matthew Quirk had to dig deep for his 21-18 victory over Dean Kinley.

The closest match in Division One was between Port St Mary A and newly promoted Marown C. The visitors came away with a 4-6 win taking the chalks and two-point aggregate (134-143). The Crosby men look to have a team well placed to stay up. Steven Rough performed well to beat Wayne Roberts, Tom Kelly won 21-9 against Robbie Cooil, while Tom’s younger brother Kevin not to be outdone beat Paul Skelly to the same score. Peter Kelly caused an upset as he beat Trevor Quayle 21-20. For the home team Dan McCabe held off Dan Smith 21-19, with Tim Williams the best winner as he beat Conor Keenan 21-11.

Marown B kicked off their season with a 7-3 home win over Douglas A, as they claimed the aggregate by 15 chalks (151-136). For the home team Brian Kelly held his nerve to beat Mark Kneen 21-20, with Harry Barton beating Jimmy Sansom 21-18. Winning for the visitors were Ian Moore, Shaun Seal and Gary Conwell who beat Darren Kerruish, John Kelly and Walter McCarthy respectively.

In Division Two Ballaugh A are the early leaders following their 9-1 home win over last season’s Division Three winners North Ramsey B. Steve Grant was the best winner for the home team with a 21-7 win over Andrew Honour, whilst the experienced John Maddrell beat Adam Greenwood 21-8. For the visitors Paul Cannan was the only winner with his 21-13 victory over Mike Spooner.

Newly promoted Noble’s B matched the Ballaugh A result with a 1-9 away win over Onchan C, with the players from last season sticking together with their games clearly improving as they made an excellent start to life in Division Two. Two single figure winners were picked up by Stephen Corkill and Michael Cooper, whilst Junior bowler Alex Hampson made a great start with a solid 21-10 win over Denis Maxwell. For Onchan Brian Aspden recorded a comfortable 21-8 win over Ciaran Broad.

Port Erin A hosted Finch Hill A at Breagle Glen, it was the notoriously poor travellers who Finch who took home a 3-7 win, with Les Brookes and Dave McCabe both winning to single figures. The evergreen Derek Allen responded for the home team with a 21-9 win over Brian Murphy.

Onchan B started well with a solid 8-2 home win over South Ramsey C, with Mike Kelly and Sid McKnight both picking up big wins. For the visitors D Team captain Franz ‘Fonzie’ ten Donkelaar stepped up a division, as he enjoyed his evening with a 21-16 win over Steve Parker, whilst teammate Paul Routledge also beat Paul Callister to the same score.

A new look Castletown B made the trip to Douglas as they took on Noble’s A. It was the Town men who secured a 2-8 away win, with Junior bowler Sam Quayle impressing with a superb 21-6 win over Mark Bradshaw. Winning for the home team were Martyn Hobson and Dave Naughton who beat Ray Harris and Willie Corkill respectively. Mark Quinn lost out 19-21 to John Matheson and Alex Yates got to 17 before succumbing to George Peach.

Douglas B started their campaign with a 7-3 home win over Peel C. For the Villa men Dave Pease was the only single figure winner as he beat David Allwood 21-9, while Willie Cowley and Nick Firth displayed nerves of steel to both edge home 21-20 against Eddie Convery and Paul Baker respectively. For the Peel men Phil Clarke, Jimmy Corlett and Jeff Wilson all had to battle for their wins.

In Division Three the spotlight was on the two new Noble’s teams, with the higher ranked C Team playing their first ever competitive match, they did not disappoint as they easily passed 100 chalks in their 2-8 home defeat to Port St Mary B as they scored 115 chalks to the visitors 153. Leading from the front was captain Steve Cain who beat Nicholas Peterson 21-13, while Lee Greggor a surname all too familiar to those who have been in the game for some time as his Grandad Bobby Greggor used to turn out for Peel. Lee impressed with a 21-14 win over Michael Taylor, while Lee’s father Andy Greggor also turned out for the team who are playing in Leeds shirts (see picture). Also performing well were Paul Moore and Lee Price with both men reaching 19 against their opponents before just losing out.

Another newly formed team Noble’s D hosted Ballaugh C on Thursday evening and they made a great start with a 6-4 home win over Ballaugh C. Steve Colquitt won 21-17 against Peter Corlett, whilst son Alex had a resounding 21-5 win against David Dobbie. Also winning for Noble’s were Roy Moore and Terry Bates.

Marown D who aspire to get promoted following their third place finish last season had a tough night away to Finch Hill B, who despite winning four games, two of which were to single figures, suffered four heavy defeats to lose out on the chalks as they lost 6-4 on the night.

Peel D hosted Douglas D in the Sunset City, on a green which is heading in the right direction following a tough year for Peel, with grass coverage on the Peel green much better than this time last year. The home team took the spoils 7-3, helped by two single figure wins and a walkover. Picking up wins for the visitors were Greg Brew, Bob Banning and David Manley.

Douglas C managed to win four games against Ballaugh B, however the visitors dominated the chalks to take the aggregate and with it a 4-6 away win, which was helped by big wins from Mike Buckeridge, Gary Griffiths and Richard Green.

Elsewhere South Ramsey D and Port Erin B were both a player short in their match with the Northern Team claiming a 6-3 home victory. Frank Feeney performed well to beat Dylan Marsh 21-3, with Alan Crebbin responding for the visitors with a 21-5 win over Chris Brown.

On a lovely Spring afternoon at Finch Hill, 21 teams competed in the Newsbeat Men’s Pairs competition.

At the Quarter Final stage, there were comfortable victories for Karl Parker and Juan Killip (Marown) 21-15 over Dean Kinley and Nathan Hamilton (Peel/Castletown), Colin Kelly and Tom Kelly 21-9 over James and Brian Kelly (all Marown) and defending champions Marown pair Paul Dunn and Neil Withers 21-10 over Noble’s pair Michael Johnson and Ciaran Broad. The final game went the full distance with Les Brookes and Eddie Carlyle (Finch Hill/South Ramsey) just getting the better of the Finch Hill pairing of Dave McCabe and Paul Dougherty.

In the semi-finals, Colin and Tom Kelly were in front early on but Karl and Juan battled back well to edge ahead 15-13 however, a late rally saw Colin and Tom clinch their place in the final 21-15. The other Semi Final was nip and tuck throughout and after 16 ends Les and Eddie were ahead 19-18. Paul and Neil showed their mettle on the next end picking up a three, to make it an all Marown Final.

In the Final, Colin and Tom were always in control and took full advantage of the three chalk handicap advantage, running out comfortable winners 21-10.

Brian Murphy made the presentation on behalf of the sponsors Newsbeat. Colin Kelly thanked the sponsors for supporting the event and also thanked the Ladies from Finch Hill for their excellent catering throughout the afternoon.

League champions South Ramsey A will be wary of the challenge from Marown A, who might well be favourites for the league title in Canada Life International Sponsored Division One following the acquisition of Peter Jones midway through 2022, with John Gelling returning to the fold, whilst Glenn Boland has been promoted to the A team. South Ramsey A meanwhile have made just the one change from last season, with Alan Moore returning to the A team. Just two points separated the teams at the end of the 2022 season.

Newly promoted teams South Ramsey B and Marown C will be looking to consolidate their place in the top division, with Marown C looking well placed to hold their own.

In Division Two Onchan B and Port Erin A will be looking for an immediate return to the top flight. Noble’s A who settled into Division Two will be looking to improve on last year’s ninth place finish. North Ramsey B and Noble’s B were the teams promoted from Division Three last season, as they look to consolidate their place in the middle tier.

In Division Three a number of teams will be looking to push on and improve, with Marown D looking to take the next step as they narrowly missed out on promotion.

There are positive vibes coming from Noble’s, who have introduced two new teams this season. Noble’s C, which is made up of Leeds fans who are new to the game has been put together by Stevie Cain. Other than attending an open day at the end of last season and two weeks of practice recently, the guys really seem to have got the bug. This is a little bit more than a rumour as the team will be playing in Black and Orange shirts (pictured) this season, in line with the club colours, with the twist that they are actually Leeds United shirts!

It is a remarkable turnaround for the club who are one of the oldest clubs on the island which was on the brink of collapsing, to be in a position to now field four teams. The club is going from strength to strength thanks to the work from the new club members.

In Division One last week second placed South Ramsey A hosted league leaders Peel A with the home team taking apart the visitors in style with David Bradford leading the way with a 21-3 win over George Gadsby. Next off was captain Glynn Hargraves with a 21-7 win over Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly. Responding for Peel, captain Gary Smith ran out from a 13-15 deficit to win 21-15 against Peter Collister, whilst James Teare ensured a 3-1 lead at the half way point with a hard fought 21-18 win over Tommy McMeiken. Sensing an opportunity for a big win Alan Moore won 21-4 against Darren Young, with the evergreen Chas Grills matching this seeing off the previously undefeated Peter Greenlees. Sealing a 9-1 victory to jump into a seven-point lead at the top with 70 points, with two hard fought wins were Stefan Kelly who beat Tom Kelly 21-16, whilst his father Dido recovered from a spell under the weather over the weekend to see off Stevie Kelly to the same score.

Marown A had a tough looking trip south to take on Port St Mary A, who have performed well this season and were only a point behind the Crosby men prior to this fixture, however Marown turned on the style to take a 1-9 victory and in doing so drew level with Peel A. Winning to single figures for Marown were John Gelling and Colin Kelly over Dan McCabe and Paul Russell respectively, whilst Phil Kelly edged his game 21-20 against Wayne Roberts. Dean Kipling stepped in for Paul Dunn, with Kipling inflicting a rare home defeat on Trevor Quayle 21-12. The only winner for Port was Robbie Cooil with his 21-13 win over Juan Killip.

Elsewhere Onchan A hosted Peel B at the Park with the home team winning 9-1. Brian Lindseywas the only winner for the visitors 21-14 against Frank Watson. Rounding off the 9-1 wins in division one on the night were Douglas A who defeated Ballaugh A keeping the visitors to just 75 chalks. Home captain Andy Cannell continues to fly high in the merit with eight wins from nine games.

The teams at the top in Division Two continues to chop and change as Castletown B returned to top spot thanks to their 8-2 home win at the Crofts over Marown C with four single figure wins along the way. The two winners for Marown were Jamie Joughin & Stephen Rundle with both players continuing to improve at this level.

Finch Hill A suffered a setback in their quest for promotion with a 4-6 home defeat to Douglas B, who were good value for the win after winning four games and taking the aggregate thanks to winning by 26 chalks (122-148).

South Ramsey C are more than holding their ownin division two this season, they were the only 10-0 winners this week on a quick green with the visitors Finch Hill B only scoring 75 chalks, they unfortunately were a man short on the night.

As predicted last week in Division Three Ballaugh B hit top spot, but missed out on a great opportunity to put some distance between the teams below them after losing 6-4 away to Peel D, who continue to impress in their first season with Philip ‘Pip’ Pemberton going well with seven wins from eight league games. Ballaugh C took their turn to sit out, they currently sit in second on 55 points, just two behind their B Team.

Port Erin B sit just one point further back on Ballaugh C after their 9-1 home win over South Ramsey D, whilst Castletown C also stayed in touch on 54 points with their own 9-1 away win over Douglas C.

In Division One last week South Ramsey A kept in touch with league leaders Peel A after a successful trip south coming away with a hard fought 1-9 win. Preventing the whitewash for the Town men was Bob Clark, who got over the line 21-17 against James Teare, a score matched by the visitors with Steven Waters beating Dean Kinley. Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly held off Sam Clague 21-18, whilst Peter Collister inflicted a second league defeat of the season on Nathan Hamilton, whilst Glynn Hargraves was pushed all the way winning 21-20 against Jordan Drewett.

League leaders Peel A kept the pressure on following their 9-1 home win over Ballaugh A with Philip Quayle the lone winner for Ballaugh with a fantastic 21-13 victory over Andy Kennish, whilst teammate John Keenan just lost 20-21 to the unbeaten Peter Greenlees. The Peel men visit second placed South Ramsey on Monday (28th) in what could prove a pivotal game.

Marown A had a tricky looking game against their B team, however the higher ranked side came out 8-2 winners on the night with Bobby Thorne beating John Gelling 21-17, whilst Brian Kelly beat Juan Killip 21-16. Winning for the A side captain Paul Dunn led the way with a 21-6 win over Darren Kerruish, closely followed by Matthew Keggen who beat Peter Kelly 21-8.

Port St Mary A continue to impress, this week overturning Onchan A with a 7-3 home victory. Wayne Roberts performed brilliantly to inflict yet another defeat on Jordan Cain 21-20, whilst Trevor Quayle recovered from a 8-17 deficit to win 21-19 against Reg Temporaza. Tom Collins recorded a stunning 21-7 win over Peter Slinger, Dan McCabe beat Colin Spence 21-8, with Rob Cooil seeing off Phil Kerruish 21-16.

Noble’s A hosted Peel B with the visitors taking a 3-7 win on the night. David Proctor won 21-5 against captain Juan Qualtrough. For the home team Mark Kneen got on the right side of a 21-20 this week with his win over the ‘real’ Paul Quirk, Mark Quinn beat Dougie Allan 21-16, whilst Dave Naughton beat Michael Kavanagh 21-15.

North Ramsey A are fourth from bottom, but only three points ahead of Ballaugh A who currently occupy one of the relegation spots after slipping to a 3-7 home defeat to Douglas A. For the Mooragh men Rob Monk, Allan Callow and Steve Walmsley all had comfortable wins, whilst for the visitors Keith Rise beat John Cannan 21-4.

In Division Two Finch Hill A hit joint top spot on 45 points from seven games, following their 9-1 home win over South Ramsey C winning four close games with Tony Epifani beating Anthony Kelly 21-18, Arthur Halsall and Dave McCabe beat Dave Corkill and Lee Dawson 21-19 respectively, whilst Paddy Murphy just got home with a 21-20 win over Andy Morgan. The sole winner for South Ramsey was James Evans who beat Paul Dougherty 21-13.

South Ramsey B had a tough home match against Castletown B with Franz ‘Fonzie’ ten Donkelaarstepping up from the D team who excelled to beat Ross Moore 21-8 to help the team to a 7-3 home win. The loss resulted in Castletown dropping from top spot to third place, just two points off the top two.

Port Erin A are still in the mix on 41 points following their 3-7 away win over Douglas B at the Villa, which could have been 9-1 with Steve Durcan losing out 19-21 to Bob Banning and Seamus Whelan was defeated20-21 by Willie Cowley.

In Division Three Ballaugh B are well placed to return to top spot once all teams have played an even number of games following their 9-1 home win over Douglas C, whilst their C Team overcame Douglas 3-7 away from home to stay in top spot.

South Ramsey D beat Peel D 7-3 at home with Richie Davies making his first appearance of the season winning 21-4 against Andy Morrison. Castletown C beat Marown D 9-1 at the Crofts winning two games 21-20 with John Matheson beating Rob Bell and Junior player Dylan Marsh beating Alan Gault. Steve Cain who has only taken up the game this year prevented a 10-0 whitewash with his 21-17 victory over Dave Hill.

Castletown Bowling Club hosted the Ballacashtal Cup on Sunday, attracting an entry of 48 on a good smooth and running surface it was a pleasure to play on throughout a fine day.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly (Peel), who lost out 16-21 to team mate Andy Kennish. Marown’s Brian Kelly just lost out 19-21 after a tough battle with South Ramsey’s David Bradford. Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) gained revenge for his defeat to Bob Clark (Castletown) the previous day to win 21-15, whilst Steven Waters (South Ramsey) just edged home 21-20 against Phil Kerruish (Onchan).

In the semi-finals Kennish held a 11-8 lead after five ends over Bradford, before the latter opted for a longer length to see the game out 21-14, whilst Hargraves built an 18-11 lead over Waters, who fought back to 15-18, with Waters lying one before Hargraves played a reaching bowl to flick the jack to count one and went on to win the next two ends to take his place in the final courtesy of a 21-15 win.

The final started between the South Ramsey men with the score tied at 9-9 after the first five ends, with Hargraves opting for a shorter length over the crown, whilst Bradford preferred a longer length which had served him well. Bradford performed well to win 10 of the last 12 ends to run out with a deserved 21-12 win to take first Ballacashtal Cup win, which is staggering to think this was his first singles title success on Castletown with all the titles Bradford has won over the years.

The presentation was made by club chairman Phil Taubman who thanked everyone who had helped with the running of the competition throughout the day with thanks also given to ABS Solutions for sponsoring the competition. In his speech Bradford commented on the great condition of the bowling green.

South Ramsey hosted the Jim Kernan Cup on Saturday, in what would normally be the first of the pre-festival opens with a good entry of 52, despite a number of bowlers missing due to their involvement in the Parish Walk.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Adrian Skinner (Onchan), who lost out 15-21 to Jimmy Sansom (Douglas). Marown man Neil Withers ended the run of Jordan Cain (Onchan) with a hard fought 21-18 win, whilst Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) lost out 14-21 to Paul Dunn (Marown). David Bradford had his work cut out against South Ramsey team mate James Teare, after falling 7-15 behind, Bradford hit back with a break of 14 points to run out with a 21-15 victory.

In the semi-finals Withers ended the good run of Sansom with a 21-9 win, whilst the other semi-final between Dunn and Bradford was well contested throughout in a good quality game with Bradford just losing out 19-21 for Dunn to progress to the final. 

The final started between the Marown team mates with Withers playing a shorter length on a round peg to take a 11-7 lead, with Dunn then going on a run of four consecutive ends preferring a longer length to lead 12-11. Withers responded to take the next two ends to lead 14-12, then Dunn took three consecutive singles after playing a great bowl to get back in on a tough mark to once again take the lead at 15-14. On the following end Withers played a good reaching bowl to count for two to lead 16-15, then played a poor two bowls on the following end which Dunn took full advantage of to score two, which he followed up on the next two ends with two more doubles to run out with a 21-16 victory to claim his first Jim Kernan Cup win and the £240 first prize, whilst Withers could console himself with his £120 winnings.

The presentation was made by South Ramsey chairman Steve Moore who thanked George Brew for once again sponsoring the competition, along with everyone who had helped with the running of the competition throughout the day. George Brew and his grandson were then introduced to present the prizes. During his speech Dunn thanked the ladies for the brilliant refreshments provided, congratulated South Ramsey on a brilliant green and a well-run competition. Spot prizes were also awarded for highest break to Stevie Kelly (Peel), furthest Over 60 Jimmy Sansom, furthest second division player Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) and furthest third division player Steve Kelly (South Ramsey) along with paying out to those who reached the last 16 stage.

All three divisions held the first ‘double’ week of the season with a couple of shock results in division one, with a shock result going against Marown A on Monday night and the other that went in favour of the Crosby men on Wednesday evening. 

On Monday evening Marown A made the short trip West to take on Peel A, with the home team making the most of home green advantage to win 8-2 taking out Marown’s ‘big three’ in the process, with Tommy McMeiken beating fellow left hander Colin Kelly 21-20, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly beating Paul Dunn 21-19 and George Gadsby defeating Neil Withers 21-17. Winning for the visitors were Juan Killip who performed well to beat Andy Kennish 21-17 and Phil Kelly who won 21-14 against Gary Smith. 

The Crosby men bounced back brilliantly on Wednesday evening with their second away fixture of the week against the teams above by them, with a 3-7 away win over South Ramsey A on a superb green with the visitors just edging the aggregate by a solitary chalk (148-149). Winning for the home team were Tony Dugdale who beat Paul Kelly 21-14, Chas Grills who recovered from a 1-11 deficit to run out with a 21-15 victory over Matthew Keggen, whilst Stefan Kelly beat Phil Kelly 21-15. The vastly experienced Crosby men won the big games with Paul Dunn playing a brilliant last bowl to win 21-19 against Peter Collister, Juan Killip did likewise against James Teare to win 21-19 with Teare counting two for game, whilst Neil Withers held off Glynn Hargraves to win 21-18. Colin Kelly ensured Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly couldn’t get the two chalks the home team needed for the aggregate running out from 13-16 behind to win 21-16 to seal a great result and performance for the current league champions. The result leaves Marown still very much in the mix having played most of their tough fixtures away from home in the first half of the season, they are well placed to go on a good run.

Peel A hit the top once again, however they will have been disappointed to win 4-6 on Wednesday evening against Douglas A at the Villa with the home team wins coming from Andy Cannell who beat Gary Smith 21-16, Gordon Wynne-Smythe who won 21-17 against George Gadsby, Keith Rise seen off Darren Young 21-19, whilst Merv Sayle inflicted a third league defeat of the season on Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly 21-20.

Noble’s A had another tough week, but continue to battle on and conduct themselves in an exemplary manner despite losing 9-1 away to South Ramsey A on Monday, with Steve Cook losing 19-21 to Glynn Hargraves and Mark Kneen losing 20-21 to Peter Collister. The lone winner on the night was Sam Stannard-Duke who beat Alan Moore 21-19. On Wednesday evening Noble’s A visited Port St Mary A and managed to get two wins in their 8-2 defeat with Steve Cook and Mark Quinn beating Tim Williams and Paul Russell respectively.

Castletown A had a poor 7-3 away defeat on Monday evening against Douglas A, followed up by a 4-6 away win over Ballaugh A on Wednesday evening. Nathan Hamilton and Bob Clark continue to fly high in the league merit with six wins from seven games. Ballaugh A won’t be disheartened by their weeks work despite also losing 3-7 at home on Monday.

Port St Mary A currently sit in third place tied on points with Marown A, they seem to ticking over nicely despite the uncertainty over their future, they recorded a ruthless 10-0 win over Peel B on Monday evening, then followed this up with an 8-2 home win over bottom of the table Noble’s A.

In Division Two South Ramsey B dropped from top spot to sit in second this week following a somewhat disastrous 5-5 away draw against Finch Hill B who prior to this fixture had only taken six points all season. Whilst the visitors only won three games on the night, they took the aggregate by 14 chalks (124-138) to snatch a draw. 

Castletown B had a solid week hitting the top of the league after two 8-2 home victories over Port Erin A and Douglas B opening up a two-point lead at the top, whilst Marown C had a poor week losing 6-4 away to Peel C on Tuesday night and then 8-2 away to Onchan B the following evening, however Walter McCarthy kept his 100% record for the season with two comfortable wins.

In Division Three Ballaugh C are top of the league after a 7-3 home win over South Ramsey D, which was followed up with another 7-3 home victory over Castletown C.

Marown D had an up and down week, with Jay Waters leading the way in the individual merit with seven wins from his first seven games, helping his team to 6-4 home win over Port Erin B on Tuesday, which was followed up by a 2-8 defeat on Thursday evening against Ballaugh B with Waters just winning 21-20. The visitors are only four points off top spot having played a game less than their C Team.

Onchan C sit in second place, they hosted Ballaugh B on Tuesday evening with the home team winning five games, however the visitors had bigger wins from their three winners to take the aggregate by four chalks (139-143) to secure a 5-5 draw. Onchan C would have been hoping for a better result on Thursday, when they took on bottom of the table Douglas D at the Park, with the away team picking up three victories in their 7-3 defeat with Juan Readshaw, Nick Firth & John Ferguson all winning to boost their points total for the season and ensure there were some good after match talking points in the Woodbourne Pub, with a number of the team having took up the game having previously socialised together and deciding to take up the game.

There were a number of close fixtures in division one this week with league leaders South Ramsey A visiting Onchan A in a high quality match with close scores in all but one game. For Onchan Kevin Quirk seen off Chas Grills 21-16, Peter Slinger managed to get over the line 21-19, whilst Matthew Quirk played well to beat Stefan Kelly 21-8. For the visitors Alan Moore beat Frank Watson 21-15, Glynn Hargraves recovered from a 14-18 deficit to run out with a 21-18 win after a tough battle. Second half winners for South Ramsey were David Bradford who beat Phil Kerruish 21-15, Dido Kelly won 21-17 against Jordan Cain in a great game to watch, whilst James Teare beat Mark Kelly 21-15 to seal a 3-7 win with the northern team taking the aggregate by just five chalks (143-148).

The closest match of the night was between Castletown A & Peel A at the Crofts, with Peel taking the win 6-4, winning 5-3 on games, but tying on chalks (133-133) after suffering two heavy defeats. For the home team Nathan Hamilton continued his solid start to the season and in doing so inflicted a first league defeat of the season on Tommy McMeiken 21-6, Jordan Drewett beat George Gadsby 21-9, whilst Aaron Richardson did well to beat Ste Kelly 21-13. For the visitors Peter Greenlees beat Ian Watson 21-18, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly got back to winning ways defeating Bob Clark 21-19, with wins from Tom Kelly & Gary Smith being comfortable, whilst Darren Young recorded the biggest win of the night with a 21-4 victory over Nathan Cooil.

North Ramsey A hosted Port St Mary A at Mooragh Park with the home team taking a 7-3 win in another close encounter on chalks (133-132), with Rob Monk somewhat surprisingly turning out for his former club having plied his trade at Onchan for three seasons. Monk made his return after nearly two years out of the game and recorded a fine 21-13 win over Trevor Quayle.

Marown A hosted Ballaugh A at Crosby with the home team recording an 8-2 victory, will have been disappointed to lose two close games with John Gelling losing 18-21 to Richard Hainge, whilst Phil Kelly lost 19-21 to John Keenan. All of Marown’s wins were never in doubt with six single figure victories. Marown remain in third place, closing the gap to the top to just three points.

Noble’s A were well beaten 1-9 at home with Mark Kneen preventing the whitewash with his 21-11 win over John Kelly. For the visitors James Kelly just edged out Steve Cook 21-20. Douglas A got their first win of the season with a 2-8 away win over Peel B. Ian Moore just missed out on an extra point for his team losing 20-21 against Dave Smith, whilst Keith Rise and Shaun Seal both won 21-19 against Dougie Allan and Michael Kavanagh respectively.

In division two Finch Hill A used home advantage to beat Castletown B 6-4, taking the aggregate by nine chalks (139-130). South Ramsey C pulled off a surprise 3-7 away win over Port Erin A, which could have ended up 9-1 to the visitors who lost two games 19-21 with Seamus Whelan and Bernie Durcan both getting over the line against David Corkill and James Evans. Port St Mary B won 7-3 at home to Peel C with Derek Cain winning 21-10 against Paul Baker, whilst Derek’s son Will held his nerve to win 21-20 against Kevin Mort. For the visitors Mike Ashmole beat Rod Swift 21-9.

South Ramsey B hosted Onchan B on a tricky green with the home team maintaining their recent good form with an 8-2 home win. Tony Dugdale was ruthless with his 21-3 win over Paul Clinton, whilst Ben Dugdale went right to the wire with his 21-20 win over Bernie McPhee. For the visitors Mike Kelly continues to perform well in division two with a 21-7 win over Austin Hart, whilst Mike Thomas beat Ian Moore 21-8.

On Tuesday evening Marown C hosted Finch Hill B with the home team winning 7-3 thanks to good single figure wins from Walter McCarthy, Stewart Clague and Kevin Kelly for the Crosby team.

In division three Ballaugh B played their lower ranked C Team with the B taking a solid 7-3 win to ensure they stayed top. South Ramsey D had a tough home fixture against Marown D with the match finishing 5-5 with the visitors winning five games, however the home team won two games to single figures to ensure they took the aggregate on chalks. Steve Cain won his first game with a good 21-16 win over Ryan Hargraves.

Port Erin B hosted Douglas C at Breagle Glen with the home team crushing the visitors 10-0. Castletown C recorded a solid 8-2 home win over Onchan C, however only six chalks separated the teams (133-127) to show it was a closely contested match. 

Peel D slipped to a 2-8 home defeat against Noble’s B. For Peel Philip ‘Pip’ Pemberton was ruthless with a 21-0 win over Stan Cooper, whilst team mate Andrew Cover beat Terry Bates 21-16 with both players showing they are ones to watch out for. For the visitors’ Junior player Alex Hampson picked up another win getting over the line 21-20 against Richard Callister.