Onchan A can rest next week safe in the knowledge that they will still be in top spot, despite missing a game.

It is their turn to sit out and a strong 9-1 win at home over Castletown B has seen them move nineteen points clear of nearest rivals Marown A. Onchan’s early season has been very impressive indeed and even if Marown record a maximum they will still have a very commanding nine point lead, which I think will be a big enough cushion to see them push on and retain their title.

Marown A had to work extremely hard for their 8-2 win at Finch Hill A over a side that have definitely turned a few heads and are exceeding expectations in the top flight. The Crosby outfit can’t afford anymore slip ups if they want to snatch the title away from Onchan and will need to start chipping away at the deficit week by week. Matching results will not be enough for them and they will need to start bettering the champion’s results and start now.

Third placed Douglas had another solid performance beating Port Erin A 8-2 away from home. They have started the season well but realistically could see themselves slipping down to fifth place come the turn as they still need to miss a game.

Fourth place Port St Mary A have momentum swinging their way at the minute and a 9-1 win over Peel A in the sunset city sees them march on. They will be gunning for third spot, and if they can get things right will have Marown in their sights and looking at second.

South Ramsey A are next and the team that finished third last term and hoped to push on from this will be hoping to kick on from an impressive 9-1 win over Nobles in the park. They are not out of the race for second and one thing is for sure they will fight to the last bowl of the season and nobody should ever bet against them causing an upset.

North Ramsey will be glad to be back to winning ways after a tricky run of fixtures with an 8-2 showing against Ballaugh A at the Mooragh. They have the all Ramsey derby next time out and will hope to cause a few surprises.

Douglas B are looking like the cream of the crop in Division Two and their very impressive 10-0 demolition of Casteltown C cements this status.

They have a seven point buffer over nearest rivals South Ramsey B and will be hoping to build on this in coming weeks. It has been a very good start to the season for Andy Cannell’s charges and their strength in depth has been the key to their success so far.

South B had to scrap for every point in the local derby over North and showed good fighting qualities to come out with a hard fought 6-4 win.

It was a similar story at Port St Mary where the B team had to use all of the weapons in their arsenal to just eclipse their C team 6-4 by just ten points.
Onchan C still look like the team to beat in Division Three and have managed to stay on top thanks to a 6-4 win away at North Ramsey C.

It was double success for Colin Kelly this weekend as he teamed up with Neil Withers to win the men’s doubles at Nobles Bowling Club, just 24 hours after he lifted the association cup on the same green.

Both men were relentless in their quest for victory and slipped into gear from the off, moving through them every game they played, and by the time they reached the final they were in overdrive and too hot to handle for Ian Moore and Stuart Garrett as they came home 21-9 winners.

The runners up had a great day out too and the Douglas pairing should be very happy with their efforts. In the semi final they knocked out Tom Kelly and Michael Collister, whilst Withers and Kelly eliminated John Kennish and James Teare.

Nobles Park ran the competition, which was held in conjunction with the ladies doubles on the other green, superbly and an entry of 33 pairs shows that things are definitely on the up for Manx bowls.

Colin Kelly was at the top of his game at Nobles on Saturday as he lifted the coveted Association Cup which he last won two decades ago in 1995.

Kelly seemed to thrive in a new format which saw both greens used, with players alternating between games and had the measure of both almost instantly.

In the final he overcame the colourful ‘green machine’ Jordan Cain 21-14. It was all change in the final with Kelly playing Cain’s preferred short round pegs and the runner up heading for the champion’s usual choice of full corners.

Jordan played well all day and had some exceptional results but just didn’t have enough in the tank as he struggled to get on terms with Colin.

Both players had excellent results in the semi-finals with Cain, the only player in the last four not to have won a festival on the same green, taking Neil Withers a part 21-6. Our eventual champion will also be very pleased with his work as he dispatched long time adversary John Kennish 21-17.

Losing out in the quarter finals were Kevin Quirk, Ray Maddrell, Stevie Kelly and Rob Monk.

Matthew Keggen and the competition committee should be praised for the new format which worked tremendously well. The recent changes have seen an increase in entries and if we continue in this vein I am sure the sport will flourish for years to come.

Isle of Man Bank Division One leaders Onchan bounced back from last week’s defeat with two ruthless results to steam ahead of the chasing pack. They started the week with an extremely impressive 8-2 win away over a strong Port St Mary team before further stoking the fire behind their title defence with a 10-0 home win against struggling Ballaugh A.
Ballaugh will be disappointed with their showing though after a very impressive 7-3 win over Castletown A just two days earlier. Port were back to winning ways on Wednesday with an 8-2 victory at Nobles.
Whilst Monday’s performance against Port was extremely impressive it is the Champions ability to deliver devastating maximum results against the lower ranked teams which I think will see them on track for another title. Any other teams with title ambitions will need to take note and up their game if they want to halt the momentum of the Onchan express.
Douglas A have started the season on all steam ahead and followed up last week’s victory over the champions with two more solid performances to move into second place. They took North Ramsey’s 100% record with frightening ease as they won 9-1 on Monday before beating Peel 7-3 on their travels. This is a team with fire in their belly and they will be hoping to challenge for a top four place come the end of August.
Marown A are the most likely challengers to Onchan’s crown and are now in third place having played a game less than the top two. If they are to mount a serious quest for top honours they need to start now and will be pleased with two strong showings with a 9-1 win over Nobles before adding to North Ramsey’s woes by beating them 8-2 on their own patch.
South Ramsey A are a side who started the season with true title ambitions and after sitting out on Monday will be genuinely disappointed to have only left Castletown A with a 6-4 win. They need to get going, and get going fast if they want to get their hands on the silverware.
At the top of the Division Two tree South Ramsey B will be very happy with their progress this week beating Ballaugh B 8-2 before a recording great midweek win by the same score over high flying Onchan B.
Douglas B are in second place and despite a great start winning 8-2 away at Peel B they will be disappointed to have suffered their first setback of the season going down 6-4 at home to Port St Mary C.
Oncahn B and Port St Mary B are third and fourth respectively and just two points off Douglas B and six off the top. Port and Douglas have both played one game less than our current leaders and I think the winners of this hotly contested league will come from these four.
Onchan C are now the team to beat at the top of Division Three after two strong performances last week they began with a brilliant 10-0 whitewash of Ballauch C and followed it up with a battling 7-3 at Nobles C to move four points clear.

There is a real buzz of anticipation around crown green bowls on the Isle of Man right now in the wake of our first ever Senior County Championship match, and I am delighted to say that this has rolled over into the Canada Life International Manx Championship at Douglas this weekend with a bumper entry of 62 players.

There are some mouth watering clashes in the top half of the first round draw which starts at 12pm on Saturday starting with double champion Kevin Quirk taking on Paul Skelly. Defending and 8 times champion John Kennish will have his hands full with the talented veteran Stuart Garrett who is more than capable of causing an upset, especially on his own patch. Two of our Manx young guns slug it out too in the early stages with Matthew Quirk set to take on in form Rob Monk, who has had the recent taste of success and will be hungry for more.

In the bottom half David Bradford, who has had numerous victories on the Villa and must surely be a favourite for his first title, has a very tricky opener in the shape of Jerome Surridge who is capable of beating anyone if he brings his A game. Bradford’s stablemate Jordan Cain will also be hoping to etch his name onto the coveted trophy for the first time but will have to be at his supreme best to do so as former champion Neil Withers, who will be hoping to add to his own trophy cabinet, stands in his way. There is a re-run of the Rayner final clash between Adrian Skinner and Dean Kipling with the latter looking for revenge after he was turned over at Peel in their previous encounter.

There are other interesting ties scattered through the draw with two big in house South Ramsey clashes which see Alan Moore take on Chas Grills and 3 times Champion Andy Kennish takes on in form Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly. I will also be interested in seeing how young Stefan Kelly fairs against double champion Glynn Hargraves and lets not forget that we have a multitude of other former champions in the field including 5 times winner Colin Kelly who starts his campaign against Bod Boland.

With such a high quality field it will be anyone’s game on Sunday when the last 16 slug it out to see who will be crowned 2015 champion, and I don’t know why but I get a sneaky feeling that we will see a new name join the illustrious roll of honour.

To view the draw click here

Kneenys Tips

Quarter Finals
Trevor Quayle v John Kennish, Rob Monk v Glynn Hargraves, David Bradford v Dean Kipling, Matthew Keggen v Phil Kerruish

Semi Finals
John Kennish v Rob Monk, David Bradford v Matthew Keggen

Final
John Kennish v David Bradford

Winner
David Bradford

  In another breathtaking Isle of Man Bank Men’s division one match league leaders Onchan A were narrowly beaten on their travels to Douglas A last Monday. The villa men were in fine form and managed to win four games and edge the aggregate by a solitary point to seal an historic 6-4 win over Onchan.

It may have been the wake up call that the leaders needed as they were back to their scintillating best on Wednesday as they bounced back with an 8-2 win over old enemy Marown A. Marown will be disappointed with the result after some good work saw them record a 9-1 win over Castletown A earlier in the week.

Douglas A finished a successful week with a 8-2 away win over Nobles A. Port St Mary were another team in fine fettle last week and they will have raised a few eyebrows with their 8-2 win over high flying South Ramsey A on Monday. They backed this up with a good 8-2 win away at Castletown A to really get some momentum going in their campaign. South responded with a midweek 8-2 win over Ballaugh A.

North Ramsey A are the only side still to have a 100% record and had another very successful week with respective 7-3 wins away to Port Erin A and at home to Castletown B. They face a sterner test against Douglas and Marown this week and it will be interesting to see how this ever improving team get on.

Port St Mary B are flying high at the top of division 2 and two 8-2 wins, most notably their home victory over second placed South Ramsey B will have done their title credentials no harm at all.

Douglas B are third and only two points off the top despite playing a game less. They still have a 100% record and a solid 7-3 win over North Ramsey B keeps them in the hunt for silverware.

Only four points separates the top five teams in division 3 with Peel C leading the way on 34. They are closely followed by Onchan C and Ballaugh C on 33 and Douglas C and Finch Hill B are both on 30.

Peel Sunset D deducted 4 league points for failing to fulfil their fixture

It is hold to contain my excitement and pride in the week leading up to the most important bowls match in the history of the Isle of Man.

A lot of hard work has been put in by a lot of people to make this dream a reality, and it is the culmination of all of these efforts that sees the Isle of Man take on Shropshire in the Crosfield Cup.

On Sunday 3rd May at 12:30 the first historic bowls will be sent simultaneously both Peel Sunset Bowling Club and Sinclair Bowling Club in Telford, Shropshire, as the Manx team aim to cause a few upsets and give their much more experienced rivals more than they bargained for.

In truth the step up to full county level, the highest level of Crown Green Bowls that there is, will be a tricky one and nobody is underestimating how mammoth the task is that lies ahead, but there is a buzz around the local bowls scene at the moment and maybe just maybe we can have our own minor victories.

The Island are drawn in a group with Shropshire, Lancashire and Staffordshire. Shropshire are not just odds on favourites to win the group but they are also one of the most fancied teams to win the whole competition so a good performance in the home leg is vital if the Manx men are to have any chance of causing a massive upset.

Shropshire have some of the biggest names in the game in their ranks and Callum Wraight and Richie Goddard are just two that followers of the bowls festival will regognise.

The travelling Manxies will have their work cut out as they travel to a green that none of them have ever even seen before and it will be a massive achievement to leave the green with some individual wins under their belts.

All that is left to do is to wish all of the players and everyone involved the best of luck and it would be brilliant if as many of you that can make the pilgrimage to Peel at 12:30 on Sunday to offer your support as the Island’s best bowlers embark on a new adventure. Whilst a win would be unbelievable the most amazing achievement has been to make it to this point, and anything else beyond will be a huge bonus.

Bowls is back! If the first few entertaining weeks fixtures were the appetisers last Monday’s gargantuan war of attrition between South Ramsey A and Marown A was most definitely the main course, and after such a delight it leaves me wondering what truly spectacular mouth watering dish will be served for dessert.

It is very rare in an eight aside bowls match for the entire fate of the game to rest on the solitary figure standing on the mat, lying game down, with the final bowl of a 296 point affair in his hand, but last Monday it happened.

They say cometh the hour cometh the man and Dido Kelly was more than ready to prove the old adage true as at 20-19 ahead he found himself lying two down after a brilliant fight back from a very worthy adversary, five times Island Champion Colin Kelly.

As things stood if Dido failed to change things Colin would seal a well earned 6-4 win for the visitors, but Dido never knows when he is beaten. With one of the best bowls you will ever see full corners he trailed the jack to his back bowl to win his game, tying the match on aggregate and ensuring it was his side who were on the right end of a well fought 6-4 victory.

This was just one of the many highlights of one of the most evenly matched entertaining encounters you could ever wish to experience. Carlsberg don’t do bowls matches but if they did it very well might play out like this one. Credit goes to all 16 players who stepped onto the green and it’s a shame either side had to lose,

Oblivious of events up north league champions Onchan A ruthlessly went about their task of defending their title with a 10-0 dismantling of Castletown B. Winning big at home is the key to any victorious championship quest and with both of their openers at the park ending in maximum victories where they concede on average 71 points against they have definitely thrown the gauntlet down to the challengers.

Both Marown and South have the pedigree to beat Onchan in head to heads but it is the champions devastating consistency which could be the key to their success.

Douglas A followed up last week’s hard earned draw with South Ramsey with an extremely impressive 9-1 away victory over Castletown A to leapfrog the men from the crofts into third place.

At the top of division two it was first against second as league leaders South Ramsey B travelled to the Villa Marina to take on an inform Douglas B side. Despite young Stefan Kelly’s performance of the night for the visitors, beating Roy Williams 12-5, it was the home side who took victory with an extremely impressive overall team performance seeing them come away with a comfortable 8-2 win. They will be tough to beat this season if they keep this form going and now top the table with the visitor’s four points behind in second place.

Port St Mary B had to fight at home to overcome a spirited Onchan B side 6-4 and now find themselves in third spot.

With Peel C, Ballaugh C and Douglas C all picking up good 7-3 home victories its very tight at the top of division three with them on 22, 22 and 21 points respectively from the first three games.