Onchan A remained at the summit of Isle of Man Bank Men’s league division one on Monday night after coming back from the brink to tie 5-5 with early pace setters Marown A at the memorial playing fields, and the only question in my mind is how long can they stay there? It is not a question of if, but simply when will they surrender pole position to their closest rivals?

Home Captain Neil Withers played his hand magnificently. After assessing the draw he put the four games onto the green that he thought were most likely to result in wins for his team, and after sailing into a 4-0 lead at the half way stage was completely vindicated for his decision. What he could not have allowed for was the fighting spirit in the away sides back order as one by one they mercilessly went about the business breaching the deficit.

Glynn Hargraves, David Bradford and Phil Kerruish all put in blistering performances for the champions showing incredible resolve to keep their campaign on track, and with seven of the eight games played they now only trailed 4-3 on the night, with the battle for the two additional aggregate points now swinging in their favour.

With only one game left there was all to play for with arguably the strongest players from each side being drawn against each other, in a fight to the finish line. Five times Island Champion Colin Kelly was in no mood to be messed with as he took out double Manx Champion Kevin Quirk 21-16 to add another point to his team’s tally; however whilst not winning the latter man achieved his secondary objective in the process, scoring enough points to ensure his side picked up the two additional aggregate points.

You have to give credit to the champions for pulling something out of the bag on this occasion, however I think they are living on borrowed time as I see challengers Marown, who have a game in hand, replacing them at the top of the table in the not too distant future and staying there. I am going to call it early and say the that title will be with Marown at the memorial playing fields in September and the era of Onchan’s dominance will be over.

Third placed Douglas A must be absolutely delighted with their 7-3 away win at Castletown A. Both these sides are leading the charge for the minor places and this is definitely first set to the Douglas. Not many teams will leave the crofts with a victory this year so credit should be duly given to the elixir drinking mercenaries. This result nicely sets up a showdown next time out between the high achieving upstarts from the Villa against reigning champions Onchan, and with the encounter taking place on their own turf I honestly think Douglas could get something out of this tie. If they do beat the champions their focus will shift from third place and they will have one eye on second spot.

South Ramsey A remain in fifth spot despite unexpectedly losing 6-4 away at Ballaugh A on a tricky green which has recently undergone heave maintenance. The points will be invaluable to the home side as they fight to stay in top tier, however the away side will be gutted to have dropped points on the tricky playing surface.
Noble Mixed A moved into sixth spot and have now found themselves some breathing space in the battle for survival after a solid 8-2 win over Peel A at home. North Ramsey B now occupy seventh spot after a 6-4 win over Castletown B saw them leapfrog their opponents up the table.

Controversy reigned in division 2 as Castletown D battled hard to defeat league leaders Port St Mary B 7-3, however the town side fielded an ineligible player meaning that they were stripped of that result, which in turn cost them the aggregate points changing the result to a 6-4 win in favour of the visitors who have now extended their lead at the top of the table.

Second Placed Port Erin A failed to capitalise on their rivals potential dropped pointes as they went down 7-3 away at Peel B. Third placed Castletown C lost by the same score line away at the ever improving Onchan B meaning that despite losing the town lads are still only two points off a promotion place.

Division 3 league leaders Onchan C had to fight hard to beat South Ramsey C 6-4 and remain on track for the title, however challengers Nobles Park A are now only one point adrift after a magnificent 9-1 victory over Port Erin B.

League Week 6 Report by Mark Kneen

Port St Mary A stole the headlines last week is Isle of Man Banks Men’s Division 1 as they defied logic and form beating Peel A 2-8 in the Sunset City. Port have been below underachieving until now but they proved they can still be a destructive force in the top flight as they crushed the Govags and left them no place to hide or take shelter. This win drags them off the bottom of the pile and they will be hoping they can gather momentum and that the remainder of their season will be a little more plain sailing from now on.

Onchan A returned to the top of the tree after an 8-2 home win over Ballaugh A. They are now 2 points clear of early pace setters Marown, although they have played a game more that their rivals. There is a fixture break now until after TT but all eyes will be fixed on the park on 10th June as the Champions host the Crosby outfit in a top of the table shoot out which is too close to call. If Marown win they will return to the top of the table with a game in hand and be in a great position however if they lose they will want to get as close as they can to the mighty Champions to keep them in the hunt and be afford them the opportunity of cashing in the extra game they have in their bank.

Third placed Douglas A kept things moving along nicely as they dispatched Nobles Mixed 8-2 at the Villa Marina. Fourth placed Castletown A picked up a good 8-2 win over their B team keeping them just two points behind the Elixir Drinkers. Town are set to host the Douglas Men out and you really cannot predict what is going to happen. This fixture has the potential to overshadow the scheduled main event and if both team are on their games and come out all guns blazing there will certainly be fireworks. Whatever happens the victors of this highly anticipated showdown will find them in pole position for the hotly contested third place.

South Ramsey A won the Ramsey derby with a solid 7-3 win over North Ramsey A to keep themselves in the hunt for a rostrum finish come September. South will be hoping their rivals can cancel each other out and if they can pick up some good away at Ballaugh A they could find themselves closer to the action than they are now.

I think when I next write my league report things will be a little clearer, both at the top ant the bottom of the table. Division One has provided everything this year in terms of excitement and we are still on course for the most enthralling closely run contests in over a decade, however the next set of fixtures gives all the main contenders a chance to throw down the gauntlet to rest and make a statement.

It is easy to continually focus on the top of the table but things are even more finally balanced at the bottom with only three points separating the bottom six teams, they are so close you could throw a blanket over them.

Port Erin A bounced back in spectacular style in division 2 taking out Douglas B 8-2 to return to the top of the table. I still believe they are in line for promotion however they will need to find some consistency and start stringing some results together to keep themselves at the summit.

Port St Mary B maintained their unbeaten record with a 7-3 victory over Peel B. They are on equal points with their rivals and if they keep stringing the results together they are the more likely to take top honours at the end of the season. The only question mark surrounds their firepower, do they have enough to pick up the big wins usually required to win a championship? A tricky trip to Castletown D next time out could go somewhere to answering that question.

Castleotown C have now strung 3 wins in a row together and they finally leapfrog their D team into third place after beating them 8-2 at the Crofts. They are only two points off the lead and they certainly do have the potential to pick up big wins, consistency is the key for Town if they want to try and become the first club in history to have three teams in the top tier, promotion is not out of reach.

Division Three leaders Onchan C lost the only remaining 100% record from any division as they fell 6-4 away at Peel D. They are still four points clear at the top and favourites to pick up the trophy however this will have brought them down to earth a little after a brilliant start.

Nobles Park A are still in second and had to work hard for their 6-4 victory away at South Ramsey C. Port Erin B are the team on a charge and a great 8-2 result against North Ramsey B sees them move into third spot equal on points with Park. Park host Port B when we return after the fixture break with the result being crucial in the battle for promotion.

League Week 5 Report by Mark Kneen

 
Castletown A travelled to Isle of Man Bank Mens Division One Champions Onchan A last week and gave their all in an epic tussle near the top of the table. They left everything they had on the green, they came, they saw and they fell just short. Score lines rarely tell the full story and when you look back at the record books you will just see a 7-3 victory to Onchan, you will not see the drama that went into making this one of the most toughly contested encounters in recent memory.

Like I always say there are 3 sides to every story, yours, theirs and the truth. The Castletown version will be one of heartache and hard luck and what could have been. With the last game on the green they trailed 4-3 with their man needing to win 21-19 or better to seal the points for his team and an historic 6-4 win for the visitors, and with the leg finally balanced at 16-16 anything looked possible.

The victor’s story will be one of resilience, strength in depth and the emergence of a new hero. Despite leading 3-1 at the half way point they surrendered the lead to tie going into the last two blocks and an unthinkable defeat at their usually impenetrable fortress loomed on the horizon.  With the seventh game sealed the weight of expectation rested firmly on the shoulders of the new kid on the block, Jordan Cain who in only his 5^th league game for the champions showed composure beyond his years to bring home the tie for his team and more than justify his place in their stellar line up.

The truth as always is somewhere in between and there are two major truths I have gleaned from this result. Town may not have left with a victory but they left Onchan Park with something more than that, they left hurt. This is because for the first time since their championship winning team of the 90’s they have genuine belief that they belong at the games top table, that they can beat anyone. This pain will help them as they will not want to feel it again going into tonight’s big clash against South Ramsey A.  The Onchan story is far more frightening however as despite not firing on all cylinders yet they are still capable of dishing out that pain and any doubts on whether this year’s line-up has what it takes have been quashed, well for now at least.

The other major contenders in the division had things more their own way. Leaders Marown continued to top the tree and pulled another point away from Onchan with an 8-2 home win over North Ramsey A. The only thing I would say is that although this is a good result, they were winning games like this 10-0 a few weeks ago so maybe there is a chink appearing in their armour? Douglas A leapfrogged town back into third place with a solid 8-2 win over Peel A at this Villa, whilst South Ramsey remain in fifth place, tied on points with Town, thanks to a 7-3 win over Nobles Mixed.

Port Erin A have finally managed to reach the summit of division 2 after a crushing 10-0 defeat of Peel C. On this evidence I think they may pitch their tent and remain there for the remainder of the expedition. As I have said before they are a class outfit and will take some shifting in this tier. Castletown D remain on course for a shock promotion and they picked up another big win to find themselves in second spot, just one point adrift.

Port St Mary B are now stringing some form together and in reality are likely to soon surpass Town D and move into a promotion place and their 7-3 win over Finch Hill B will do their chances no harm at all. The only other outfit I see with a realistic chance at promotion are Castletown C and their superb 9-1 win away at Port St Mary C keeps them in the hunt. There are a lot of teams in this division capable of taking points of each other and this championship race really could come down to the wire.

Division 3 leaders Onchan C have settled nicely into their groove and a comfortable 8-2 win against Douglas C sees them four points clear of Nobles Park A in pole position. I was at the Villa Marina for that game and it was amazing to see a handful of new young bowlers on the display. The future of our sport certainly is in good hands.

Nobles Park A won the derby against their B team to keep them in second spot and in line for promotion at the end of the season.

League Week 4 Report by Mark Kneen

As I reviewed the results from last week’s double set of fixtures in Isle of Man Bank Men’s Division One, I sat perplexed, scratching my head to try and find what I should focus on for my report as nothing significant had really happened, but when I looked harder something had happened, normality had returned.

After a yoyo start to their season Champions Onchan finally managed to get some momentum going stringing together back to back 9-1 wins over Port St Mary A & Nobles Mixed to move them within striking difference of leaders Marown, only 3 points adrift.

Marown in turn also managed two much needed wins as they turned up the heat on the chasing pack. They started their week with a 9-1 win over Nobles Mixed before going to Castletown and slugging their way to a hard fought 6-4 win. Marown have what looks like a formality tonight as they entertain North Ramsey A at the memorial playing fields and they will look to give themselves more breathing space at the top of the tree with another strong home win.

Town had begun the week well with an impressive 8-2 win away at Ballaugh A and this is the form they will hope to take with them tonight to Onchan Park to face the champions. Despite their midweek defeat they find themselves in a lofty third place four points ahead of Douglas A and will want to pick up some good away points to keep them there.

Douglas had only one game last week and they picked up an impressive 8-2 win away at Castletown B. They face this seasons surprise package Peel A at the Villa Marina tonight and will hope they can amass enough points to leapfrog Town A back into the top 3. South Ramsey A also kicked into top gear with two wins in a week to find themselves on equal points with Douglas. South still have a most of the main contenders to square off again but even so they have to be happy with their start to the season.

If any of the chasing pack want to seriously challenge for top spot this year they need to do two things they need to either beat or match the top two in head to head matches but more importantly they need to match or better their results against the other teams. This second point will be the key that could unlock the door to success it is not simply enough to win, they have to win big.

If normality has returned to division one then insanity reigns in the second tier as Casteltown D find themselves in pole position after five games. They picked up a great 9-1 win on Tuesday against Port St Mary C before suffering their first defeat of the campaign at the Villa the following evening going down 7-3 to Douglas B. Surely this is the first time a D team has ever topped the second division?

Port St Mary B & Port Erin A both picked up two wins each to close in on Town D and bring some sanity back to proceedings. Port St Mary B are the only undefeated team in the division and draw level with the leaders whilst Port Erin are only one point behind in a title race that could end in a photo finish come September.

Onchan C top division 3 and even this early in the season they are the only team in any division who can boast a 100% record. A brilliant 8-2 win away at South Ramsey B is enough to see them two points clear at the summit ahead of Port Erin B who picked up a good 7-3 win away at Douglas C.

Report by Mark Kneen

Castletown played home to the Cain Cup on Saturday and most of the games major players were out in force. Kevin Quirk was in imperious form all day and whilst others struggled to get to grips with the green he mastered it with ease to pick up his first singles win of the season, beating current Island champion Glynn Hargraves 21-8 in the final. Castletown is the venue for the Manx Championship in 2 weeks’ time and if Quirk picks up from where he left off you wouldn’t bet against him winning his third title.

The eventual winner was in control of the final from the off and never looked like falling at the final hurdle despite Hargraves’ best efforts to change things around. Quirk made it to the final thanks to a 21-14 win over home greener Andy Clark in the semi-finals. Hargraves played his best game in the semis just doing enough after surrendering a big lead to beat Colin Kelly 21-18.

Fallers at the quarter final stage were Ken WIllams, John Kennish, David Bradford & Stuart Garrett.

League Week 3 Report by Mark Kneen

I have been trying to write a fitting headline to sum up the breath taking performance put in by Peel A  last Monday as they defeated champions Onchan A in Isle of Man Bank league division one, and to me the score is the headline. It is remarkable in every way. On paper Peel were outclassed, outmatched and after losing 10-0 away at Marown last week looked set to face another mauling, but bowls isn’t played on paper and every member of the Govags first string ripped up the form book and stunned the champions.

I am struggling to quantify just how impressive this score line is. In sport sometimes the opposition can play the game of their lives, their cup final and cause a massive upset but in bowls it isn’t like that. It is a team sport, but a match is made up of eight individual games so in essence to take four games off the champions and win on aggregate took eight cup finals. Captain Frank Watson led the way for his men with, quite frankly, a superb 21-13 win over two times Island Champion Kevin Quirk.

I could try and run down the performance of Onchan and say they were under par or complacent after last week’s big victory over Douglas but this wouldn’t be fair on the boys from the Sunset City. On Monday night champions Onchan A were weighed, they were measured and they were found wanting. This and other recent results are building towards the most exciting season for over a decade and I am literally salivating to see how things unfold. All that is left to say to Peel is well done lads brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

Marown A capitalised with another ruthless 10-0 win, this time away at Port St Mary A. The boys from the port are not as strong this term but even still for a team to leave there with maximum points is amazing. Whilst other teams are making all the headlines the men from the memorial playing fields are mercilessly going about the business of racking up points, and if the other title challengers are not careful they could find themselves with too big a bridge to build.

Douglas A bounced back from last week’s defeat as they picked up and impressive 8-2 home victory over the much fancied South Ramsey. South are a much tougher proposition than last season, but so are the mercenaries from the Villa who were more than a match for the opposition on this occasion. This is the first time I have seen the new look South outfit and once they get their players firing on all cylinders though I am sure they are more than capable of causing a few upsets, and whilst I feel they are a little short of challenging for top honours this time around it may only be a matter of time.

Castletown A kept momentum going, and the pressure on Marown, with a solid 9-1 home victory over North Ramsey A at the crofts. If I am honest I would expect a score line like this in favour of Town at home, but like all teams wanting to challenge Onchan & Marown it will be how they travel that makes all the difference. In the divisions final fixture Nobles Mixed picked up a much needed 6-4 home win over Ballaugh A. Both these teams could find themselves down the bottom of the table and who knows how vital these points will be at the end of the season?

Both Castletown teams kept the pressure on at the top of division 2. This week the D performed better with a really good 6-4 victory away at Finch Hill B who are always tricky to beat on their own patch. The C had a battle on their hand at home to Port St Mary B and whilst they won 5-3 on games they lost on aggregate sharing the spoils 5-5.

I fancy Port Erin to be near the top of the tree at the end of the season and a 7-3 win away at Ballaugh B will do their chances no harm at all. They are a quality outfit and if they continue to pick up points away and win their matches at home we be real contenders for silverware.

Onchan B bounced back from last week’s defeat with 6-4 home victory over Peel B whilst Peel C won by the same score line as they entertained Douglas B. Port St Mary C produced some goo home form against Finch Hill to win 7-3 on the night.

Report By Mark Kneen

John Kennish made it two men’s singles open wins in as many weeks and he picked up the Henry Kissack trophy at Marown on Saturday beating Jordan Cain 21-15 in the final. The green was a joy to behold, although it was still tricky to find your length consistently, Arnie Withers and his helpers have done a fine job over the winter.

If I am totally honest Kennish was not at his fine best but had just enough to grind out the victory on the day, and that is the sign of a great champion when they win despite struggling to find their form. Respective hard fought 21-17 victories over Gary Conwell & Michael Collister in the semi & quarter finals were enough to see him progress to the final and keep his 100% record in singles competitions this season alive.

Cain was slightly below par in the final and fell at the last hurdle after some breathtaking performances in the previous rounds. In the semi finals he put out Onchan team mate David Bradford 21-15 after an exceptional start whilst in the quarters he kept his nerve after surrendering a 20-9 lead against home greener Phil Kelly to see the game out 21-20. If Cain keeps knocking on the door it will not be long before it opens.

The other quarter finalists were Derek Clarke who put up a fine showing just losing out 21-20 to Bradford and Neil Withers who fell at the hands of Conwell. At the conclusion of the competition Phil Kelly from Marown presented the prizes.

League Week 2 Report by Mark Kneen

The Onchan A express got their title challenge firmly back on track at the top of Isle of Man Bank Men’s League Division One last Monday as they steamed to an 8-2 victory over Douglas A, derailing the visitor’s hopes of an upset in the process.

In theory this sounds like a one sided affair however the reality on the night was very different and with only 7 points separating 8 games this is the closest 8-2 I have ever witnessed. If all of Douglas’ players had scored one more point or conceded one less they would have left with a 5-5 draw, as they would have turned around a 21-20 defeat and taken the two aggregate points.

After such a valiant attempt away at the champion’s lair many would say that the men from the Villa deserved more. In sport, however, you don’t get what you deserve, you don’t get what you are given, you get what you take and the champions took their chances and in more than one game on the night grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat.

This close encounter leaves me with two enduring proofs. Firstly, Douglas proved that their new line up is a match for anybody, home or away, and that their challenge for honours must be taken seriously. Secondly, and more poignantly, Onchan proved why they are perennial Champions and that if anybody wants to challenge them they will do so the hard way, with a fight on their hands.

Marown A bounced back from last week’s defeat with a crushing 10-0 defeat of Peel A at the memorial playing fields. Peel had to postpone their first match due to snow on their green and made their return to the top tier the hard way, missing out on their first opportunity to put points on the board.

What Marown’s maximum did show is that it is not necessarily how you perform against the top teams but how big you win against the lower ranked teams which might determine the fate of the championship, as they moved to the top of the table. I think the boys from Crosby will definitely be there again in the shake-up come September, and if they can continue to rack up the big wins who knows how close they can get to Onchan?

All eyes were on a rejuvenated South Ramsey A who made their first appearance of the season and a 7-3 over Castletown B win has set them up nicely. They didn’t have things their own way however and Town pushed them all the way picking up another important 3 points. The focus will shift to the Villa Marina tonight (Monday) as the boys from South line up against Douglas with the result of this match possibly going someway to setting the tone for the rest of the season for these sides.

In the other top flight match up North Ramsey A produced some good performances to notch up their first win of the season beating Nobles Mixed 7-3. The men from Mixed have had a tough start to the season and will be looking to get some momentum going tonight as they host Ballaugh A.
Castletown C & D kept up their respective charges for glory at the top of division 2 both picking up 7-3 victories to maintain momentum after a strong start to the season by both sides. No club has ever had 3 teams in the top division and whilst I expect the D to flounder a little as the season progresses I think the C can go all the way and etch their club into the history books.

Douglas B notched up their first win of the season with a 7-3 victory over rivals Onchan whilst elsewhere Finch Hill B got the better of Peel C 7-3 in what could already be a battle for survival, even only two games into the season. Porst St Mary B overturned a 3-1 deficit to run out 7-3 winners at home to Ballaugh B whilst in the final game of the division much fancied Port Erin A won the local derby downing Port St Mary C 8-2.

The highlight of the third division this week has to be Port Erin B’s 10-0 defeat of Ballaugh C. Douglas C and Onchan C made it two wins out of two both claiming good 7-3 victories up north at South Ramsey and North Ramsey respectively. I think all of the teams in this division are capable of surprise results meaning that at this early stage things are far too close to call.

League Week 1 Report by Mark Kneen

The bell rang for the start of Isle of Man Bank men’s division one with a gladiatorial like contest between rising contenders Douglas A and former champions Marown A at the Villa Marina last week. On paper the outcome looked too close to call with both protagonists evenly matched.

Douglas did all the work in the early rounds and after some strong performances led 3-1 one at the half way point. The second half however was a different story with the seasoned war horses from Crosby throwing all they had at their adversaries to gain the upper hand and move into a slender 4-3 lead on games.

This left the final bout on the green to decide the outcome of this epic encounter. Peoples champion Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly led Mike Cain 18-11, needing to ensure his opponent scored less than 17 to secure the win on aggregate for the home side. Cain showed the steely grit and determination of a battle hardened veteran closing the deficit to 15-18 and, with jack in hand, look like he would steal the points for the visitors. Kelly however had other ideas, showing that he has not only an iron will but an iron arm, delivering the knockout blow with a 21-15 win completing a hard fought 6-4 victory for Douglas.

Reigning champions Onchan A started their title defence with what looked like a routine high scoring victory away at Castletown B. Nobody, however, told the homes side this and the boys from the crofts put in some gargantuan performances pushing the favourites all the way. Town played magnificently to pick up 4 wins on the night, drawing on games and narrowly losing out on the aggregate points to go down fighting 4-6.

With Castletown B tipped by many for relegation, performances like this will go some way to proving their doubters wrong. Not many teams have picked up 4 wins against this stellar Onchan line-up so I cannot overstate how impressive this result is, and how vital these 4 points may be at the end of the season.

Onchan will be a wounded animal and ready to prove why they are once again odds on favourites for the league as they entertain Douglas A at the park tonight (Monday). I think Douglas will be a good test for the Champions but on their home pitch you have to fancy them to pick up the win.

Elsewhere in the division highly fancied Castletown A avoided a potential banana skin coming back from 3-0 down at Nobles Mixed to complete a strong 7-3 victory and get their 2013 campaign off the a strong start. Ports St Mary A weathered the close season storm and came out of the blocks strongly with a solid 7-3 home win over North Ramsey A.

Casteltown D are the surprise leaders at the top of Division 2 after an excellent 8-2 win over Peel C. Town as a club have strengthened in depth this year and this is evident across all of their teams as hot on their heels are Town C after a strong 7-3 home win over newly promoted Douglas B.

My love affair with division 3 continued as I had the pleasure of watching newly formed teams Douglas C and Peel D slug it out at the Villa. There is something magical about this division for me and to see a mix of Peel’s old guard continuing to play into their twilight years and some of the new boys from Douglas was a joy to behold.

The match had all the tension and drama of the previous night’s division 1 thriller and after some strong performances from both sides , noteably Mike Ashmole (Peel) & Clive McGreal (Douglas), was again finally poised with the aggregate points hanging in the balance. Ted Cain of Peel led 19-7 and needed to prevent debutant Thomas Keggen from getting to 9 to grab victory for his team, but Keggen dug deep and in only his first match managed to battle hard going down 21-9 ensuring his sides first ever league campaign started with a 6-4 win by the narrowest of margins winning 109-108 on points.

North Ramsey B are another new team in this division and again started excellently picking up a 6-4 win on their trip to Nobles Park B. I wish all the new teams well and this week’s action in all divisions has only wet my appetite for a fantastic season ahead.