News: Men’s
Positive Week for South Ramsey
South Ramsey A
Photo: Steve MooreThe first Rayner Shield semi-final was played on Wednesday evening with South Ramsey A hosting Onchan A. The green was in fantastic condition and was running superbly considering the amount of rain throughout the day, with the gusting winds playing its part affecting the bowls.
First game off on the night was home captain Glynn Hargraves who was ruthless recording a 21-3 win over Mark Kelly, with Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly not far behind with his 21-6 win over Steve Parker. After just two games with a 32 chalk lead the home team became huge favourites knowing two more wins would be likely enough to secure the win on the night barring any heavy defeats. Kevin Quirk responded for the visitors with a 21-14 win over Peter Collister. The last game of the first half was a great battle between David Bradford leading 20-16 against Peter Slinger, only for Slinger to dig in to take four consecutive singles to level at 20-20 and lying one for game with a 15-inch bowl Bradford held his nerve to bowl in for game in what was an entertaining game to watch.
In the second half Stefan Kelly put in a good performance scoring four doubles on the bounce to go from 8-6 up to 16-6 to take control, to beat Matthew Quirk 21-12. Alan Moore was next off and was the second home player on the night to get home 21-20 with Phil Kerruish 17-20 down he took three singles to level it at 20-20, only for Moore to put up a great first bowl to end the game. James Teare brought home the third 21-20 win of the night with his win over Frank Watson fighting back from a 16-20 deficit to win. With the match long over it was Chas Grills and Jordan Cain left on the green to entertain the crowd, with Grills leading 16-10 Cain dug in to run out with 11 consecutive chalks to take a 21-16 win.
The match of the season in Ellan Vannin Fuels division one took place at Crosby on Monday night between league leaders Marown A and current champions South Ramsey A. The visitors started strongly with captain Glynn Hargraves winning 21-13 over Dean Kipling after taking a 15-1 lead, Kipling dug in to claw his way back into the game. Next off was Alan Moore who had the visitors biggest win 21-12 against Phil Kelly, with Moore winning 17 ends to Kelly’s seven ends. James Teare continues to impress for the A team to make it 3-0 to the visitors with a good 21-14 win over Paul Kelly. Neil Withers took the only win in the first half for Marown with a 21-5 victory over Ian Moore to reduce the chalks difference to eight in favour of the visitors. In the second half the match was finely balanced with Colin Kelly swinging the aggregate in favour of Marown with a 21-9 win putting the home team four chalks ahead. Next off was David Bradford who claimed a hard fought 21-18 win over Paul Dunn, with Bradford taking a 9-1 and 14-6 lead which helped as Dunn found his rhythm to fight back well to get some all-important chalks on the board. Securing a fifth win on the night for South Ramsey was Stefan Kelly who held a 10-1 lead over Matthew Keggen, which he then extended to 19-9 only for Keggen to respond with three doubles on the bounce which would prove crucial in the match result. Kelly finished the game off with two singles to claim a 21-15 win. Last match on the green was between John Gelling and Peter Collister, with Collister performing well in the second half of the game to recover from a 4-15 deficit before losing out 15-21. Not many teams will go to Marown and take five games off the Crosby men yet South Ramsey did just that, however Marown had the last laugh of the night to edge the aggregate by a solitary chalk (135-134) to take the draw which kept their opponents at arm’s length.
Onchan A capitalised on the clash at Crosby to take a good 9-1 home win over Marown B to close the gap by four points on the league leaders. For Marown Peter Kelly prevented the whitewash with a 21-12 victory over Frank Watson.
In the other matches Castletown A brushed aside their B team with a 9-1 win, with Bob Clark the only winner with a 21-17 victory over Juan Kermode.
Noble’s A took a good 4-6 win away from Mooragh Park with their win over North Ramsey A with Tommy Collister merciless with his 21-0 win on the night.
South Ramsey B closed the gap on Marown B despite slipping to a 3-7 home loss to Peel A, whilst Douglas A did enough to take a 6-4 home win over Port St Mary A.
In division two Ballaugh A continued their good form with their 2-8 away win over second from bottom North Ramsey B, whilst Port Erin B took a hard fought 4-6 away win over Marown C who continue to hold their old own in a match that had five games losing to 19 and above in a finely contested match.
Port St Mary B slipped to a disastrous 3-7 home defeat to their C team with the result suggesting some of their players should be playing in different teams. Finch Hill A performed well to see off close rivals Onchan B with a 6-4 home win.
In division three runaway leaders South Ramsey C recorded a hard fought 6-4 home win over Onchan C, whilst the fight for second goes on with second placed Noble’s B winning 9-1 at home to Douglas C, Finch Hill B lie in third after their 3-7 away win against Port Erin B, whilst Ballaugh C were ruthless with their 10-0 home win over Peel D. Just four points separate second place Onchan (74) and fourth placed Ballaugh (70).
HART & DAWSON CLAIM LANCASTER CUP
Lancaster Cup Winners 2019 - Tony Hart & Lee Dawson
Photo: Tony Hart
Peel hosted the Lancaster Cup men’s doubles with 27 pairs taking part.
At the end of the competition it was two new names on the trophy with the South Ramsey duo of Tony Hart and Lee Dawson winning the final against home greeners Dougie Allan & Gordon Corrin 21-13. With the score at 13-9 to Hart/Dawson they conceded a four to allow Allan and Corrin to level the score at 13-13. This kick started Hart and Dawson to respond by running out to take a deserved 21-13 win.
Losing out in the semis to the winners were the home pairing of Alan Cromwell & Tony Carroon (14-21), whilst the other semi was well contested with home greeners Brian Lindsay & Peter Greenlees losing out 18-21 to Allan and Corrin.
Losing out in the quarter finals were home pairing and competition favourites Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly and Tom Kelly, David Proctor (Peel) & Glenn Boland (Noble’s), Alan Moore (South Ramsey) & Sam Clague (Castletown) along with Derek Allen (Port Erin) & Alec Taylor (Peel).
The presentation was made by Peel competition secretary Dave Kelly, who thanked the sponsor David Lancaster, the team who ran the competition, all the club members who had helped throughout the day.
Second Half of Season Underway
The men’s night league teams commenced the second half of the season, with Marown A carrying on their fine form to take a good 1-9 away win over North Ramsey A. Preventing the whitewash for the home team was Steve Walmsley who recorded a convincing 21-10 victory over Dean Kipling. For the visitors standing in for the A team captain Paul Dunn was B team captain Harry Barton who claimed a good 21-8 win over Ray Skelly. Three of the Crosby men had to work hard for their wins with Phil Kelly winning 21-17 against John Cannan, Matthew Keggen won 21-18 against Bryan Corner, whilst Paul Kelly just got home 21-19 against Gary Merrill.
Noble’s A hosted Peel A with the visitors taking an 2-8 away win. Winning for Noble’s were David Quayle who won 21-12 against Alec Taylor, whilst Tommy Collister beat Jerome Surridge 21-14. For Peel Harry Kelly beat Steve Cook 21-20, Tom Kelly & Gary Smith both won 21-18 against Mark Quinn and John Ruscoe respectively. Captain Stevie Kelly won 21-17 against David Pease, with father Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly winning comfortably 21-12 against Glenn Boland, whilst Andy Kennish continued his fine form to make it 10 wins from 11 games with a 21-11 win over Kevin Firth.
South Ramsey A hosted Douglas A on a green that has seen remarkable improvement since the start of the season. The home team recorded an 8-2 win with captain Glynn Hargraves winning 21-1 against Gary Conwell, team mate Alan Moore also running out with a 21-3 victory over Shaun Seal. Stefan Kelly had to battle hard for his 21-17 win over Jimmy Sansom, whilst Peter Collister held his composure to just get over the line with a 21-20 win over Douglas captain Andy Cannell, with Collister having a 20-16 lead only for Cannell to level up at 20-20 and Collister beating a good bowl on the last end to take the win. Winning for Douglas were Stuart Garrett and Ian Moore.
Marown B brushed aside South Ramsey B with relative ease in their 8-2 home win. Brian Kelly made light work of his game with Edward Carlyle to win 21-4, whilst Jamie Joughin stepped up from the C team to take a 21-10 win against Christian Caley. Bobby Thorne having recently returned from university won 21-10 against Ian Moore, whilst Peter Kelly had a good 21-15 victory over Tony Dugdale. For the visitors Sid Bolton just got home 21-19 against James Kelly, captain Ben Dugdale continued his return from injury to win 21-18 against Juan Killip, with Austin Hart just losing 19-21 against Luke Hyland.
Port St Mary A welcomed Castletown B with the home team taking a 6-4 win. Winning for the Port men to single figures were Dan McCabe, Trevor Quayle & Wayne Roberts over George Foy, Dave Faragher and Ross Moore respectively, with Dave McCabe winning 21-14 against Mark Saunders. Winning for the town men were Bob Clark who beat Tim Williams 21-7, captain Ron Williams who beat Rob Cooil 21-16, whilst Nathan Cooil and Aaron Richardson won 21-17 against Glenn Hargraves and Bernard Thackrah respectively.
Castletown A rescheduled their home fixture with Onchan A to a later date due to a number of their team having Southern 100 commitments.
In division two Ballaugh A remain top on 85 points after their 7-3 home win against Port St Mary C with Ronnie Callow and Colin Leece preventing a heavier defeat with wins over Patrick Grant (21-18) and John Keenan (21-19) respectively. It would take a run of poor results to stop the Ballaugh men from going back up to division one next season.
The fight for second spot can be any one of five teams with Port St Mary B occupying second place on 75 points having played a game more than the teams below them. Peel B sit in third on 71 points after seeing off their C team with a 7-3 win, Port Erin A (69) continue to climb the table and are by no means out of it after their 8-2 home win over Port St Mary B with Finch Hill A also on the same number of points slipping up with their 3-7 away loss to bottom of the table Ballaugh B. Onchan B make up the top six on 68 points, claiming a hard fought 6-4 home win over Marown C taking the aggregate by just three chalks (141-138).
In division three runaway leaders South Ramsey C extended their lead by another point to 25 points following their 3-7 away win over Peel D. The Ramsey men are looking on course to win all 20 games this season and there is no doubt that they will be playing second division bowls next season.
It is looking to be a straight fight for second spot between Finch Hill B who occupy second on 66 points, taking a 6-4 home win over Ballaugh C winning the aggregate by just five chalks (146-141) and Noble’s B in third (65) who had a comfortable 2-8 away win over South Ramsey D. Onchan C are not completely out of it on 60 points.
Tom Kelly Wins Ramsey Town Cup
Ramsey Town Cup Winner 2019
Photo: Margaret KellyNorth Ramsey Bowling Club hosted the popular Ramsey Town Cup on Saturday with the competition attracting a good entry of 47, no doubt helped by the fine weather.
The winner was Peel man Tom Kelly who claimed a deserved 21-15 victory over Reginald Temporaza to claim his first open competition title. There would no doubt have been some nerves from both players with neither player having reached the final of a singles open competition previously, it was Kelly who made a good start with two doubles to take a 10-6 lead playing a short round peg, extending this further to 15-9 after switching tactics to a short mark over the middle of the green which had served him well throughout the day, before Temporaza hit back with a six point run on a round peg to level the game at 15-15. Kelly got back in on his favoured mark to run out with two singles and two doubles to claim his first open win and the £80 first prize. Kelly had performed well all day with his ability to hit strikes serving him well.
In the semis Tom Kelly had the unenviable task of overcoming his father Colin Kelly, with Tom doing just that beating Colin 21-20 to take his place in the final after fighting back from a 17-20 deficit and brilliantly saving game to beat two good bowls in the corners. Tom went on to claim two singles and a double, forcing Colin to strike on the last end but not getting the result he hoped for with the hit, whilst Temporaza was always in control in his game performing well to beat Steve Parker (Onchan) 21-11.
Losing out at the quarter final stage were Stefan Kelly (South Ramsey), who lost to Tom Kelly (17-21) in a good quality game, along with fellow South Ramsey men James Teare who lost to Colin Kelly (9-21), Sid Bolton was beaten by Temporaza (18-21) and Dean Kinley (Castletown) lost to Parker (15-21).
At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by competition secretary Gary Lenton who thanked everyone who had entered, along with the club members who had helped with the running of the competition. North Ramsey club president Helen Martin was then introduced to present the prizes.
Kerruish & Hargraves Win Tynwald Day Pairs
Tynwald Day Grimshaw Pairs Winners 2019
Photo: Arnie WithersMarown hosted the popular Tynwald Day R & A Grimshaw Trophy on Friday with 34 pairs taking part on a tricky green.
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 Onchan/South Ramsey pairing of Phil Kerruish and Glynn Hargraves, who beat the Marown duo of Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly 21-18. The final started with neither pairing able to break away from the other, with no more than two points between the finalists until Kerruish & Hargraves trailing by one point at 13-14 took the next three ends with a three, a single and a double to leap ahead 19-14. The Marown pair fought back with two doubles in between a single to the opposition to pull the score back to 18-20 before Kerruish/Hargraves secured the one point needed to take the win and the trophy.
Losing out in the semi-finals to the winners were the young pairing of Sam Clague (Castletown) and Glenn Boland (Noble’s) who lost out 12-21. The other losing semi-finalists were Onchan pair Jordan Cain and Matthew Quirk who lost out 14-21.
Losing out in the quarter finals were home greeners Gary Cooper & Arnie Withers, Paul Dunn & Neil Withers, South Ramsey duo Stefan Kelly & James Teare, along with Peel men David Proctor and Andy Kennish.
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. Marown President Lil Smith was then introduced to present the prizes.
Peel Bounce Back
South Ramsey A kitted out in their new team shirts provided by sponsor Callow Building Services
Photo: Steve MooreIn Ellan Vannin Fuels division one Peel A bounced back from two poor results last week to win 9-1 away to Marown B at Crosby. Andy Kennish led the way for Peel with a 21-3 win against John Kelly with Tom Kelly following up with a 21-5 win over Juan Killip. Pushed harder for the visitors were Gary Smith who won 21-17 against Peter Kelly, David Proctor who held off Steve Bridson 21-18, whilst Harry Kelly was closer still winning 21-19 against Brian Kelly. Sparing the whitewash was home captain Harry Barton with a good 21-15 win over Tommy McMeiken.
Champions elect Marown A won 3-7 away from home against Noble’s A with the Crosby men nearly dropping another point, however John Gelling just got over the line 21-20 against Reginald Temporaza. Winners for the home team were Tommy Collister who made it nine wins from 11 games with a 21-16 victory over Paul Kelly, Kevin Firth recovered from a slow start to win 21-17 against Phil Kelly, whilst Dave Pease inflicted a first league defeat of the season on merit leader Paul Dunn 21-16. Also winning for the visitors were Neil Withers, Colin Kelly, Matthew Keggen and Dean Kipling.
Onchan A made the trip south to take on Port St Mary A coming away with a 3-7 win. On another night it could have ended up as a draw (5-5) or a whitewash (0-10). Their three losses were close with captain Peter Slinger losing 17-21 to Paul Skelly, a result matched by Matthew Quirk who lost to Wayne Roberts, whilst Steve Parker pushed Rob Cooil hard before losing out 19-21. On the flip side Jordan Cain recovered from a 14-20 deficit to run out with a 21-20 win over Dan McCabe, whilst Frank Watson just got home to the same score against Dave McCabe.
South Ramsey A missed out on the opportunity to close the gap on Marown & Onchan with their fixture at home to Castletown B, having only lost one game in the Rayner Shield fixture last week they dropped three games with their 7-3 home win over the Town men. Winning for the visitors were Bob Clark who beat Chas Grills 21-9, backed up by captain Ron Williams with a 21-19 victory over James Teare, whilst Ross Moore held off Roger Thomas to win 21-14. For the home team David Bradford, Stefan Kelly and Alan Moore all won to single figures over Dave Faragher, Aaron Richardson and George Foy respectively.
North Ramsey A turned in a good home performance against visitors Douglas A to win 7-3. Captain Allan Callow had a good 21-15 win over Stuart Garrett. Geoff Porter was ruthless with his 21–1 victory over Peter Wilcox, whilst Tony Smart used home advantage well to see off Andy Cannell 21-10, whilst Steve Walmsley had his work cut out to hold off Merv Sayle to win 21-19. For the visitors Ian Moore won 21-19 against Bryan Corner, with Bob Banning performing well to beat John Cannan to the same score. Shaun Seal will have been pleased with his 21-4 win over Ray Skelly.
Castletown A kept rivals South Ramsey B at arms length with their 6-4 home win. Home team winners were Peter Oates, Sam Clague, Ian Watson and Jordan Drewett with the latter edging home 21-19 against Sid Bolton. For the visitors Austin Hart returned from his weekend with the Juniors Island Team in fine form to take a 21-8 win over Dean Kinley, whilst team mates Ben Dugdale, Steven Waters and Tony Dugdale also won. Castletown took the win thanks to winning the aggregate by nine chalks (137-128).
In division two Ballaugh A slumped to a 2-8 defeat away to Port Erin A despite the Breagle Glen outfit only fielding seven players, whilst Finch Hill A also suffered a setback losing to the same score away to Peel B. Port St Mary B capitalised on these defeats winning a tough game 3-7 away to fifth placed Onchan B to climb up to second place to sit nine points off league leaders Ballaugh. Peel C travelled to the Villa to take on Douglas B with the visitors taking a 4-6 away win thanks to edging the aggregate by a single chalk (135-136), whilst Port St Mary C will have been delighted with their 3-7 away win over North Ramsey B.
In division three runaway leaders South Ramsey C had a potentially tricky away fixture against second placed Finch Hill B, will have been pleased to come away with a 4-6 win to extend the gap to 24 points.
Bry Rad’s Mens Doubles
Bry Rad’s Men’s Doubles Winners 2019
Photo: Richard FaragherOn Sunday Ballaugh Bowling Club hosted the Bry Rad’s Mens Doubles. With the weather set fair with a gusty breeze and just one shower 22 pairs took part in the competition.
Bowing out in the quarter finals were Alan Moore & James Teare (South Ramsey), Patrick and Stephen Grant (Ballaugh), Lee Dawson and Tony Hart (South Ramsey), and Bernard Thackrah and Mike Skelly (Port St Mary/North Ramsey).
Losing out in the semi-finals were home greeners Dickie Watson and John Kneen along with Derek Cadamy & Dave McCabe (Port Erin/Port St Mary).
The final was home greeners John Keenan & John Maddrell versus the Peel combination of Harry Kelly and Andy Kennish. The two John’s picked up two three’s and a two at the beginning of the game, only for Harry and Andy to almost peg them back before the home greeners got the jack back to win 21-16 to ensure it was a win for John Keenan and John Maddrell.
The presentations were made by Competition Secretary Richard Faragher, on behalf of the sponsor Bry Radcliffe, who thanked the club members for organising such a good event thanks especially to the ladies in the kitchen. In his speech John Maddrell thanked Richard Faragher for running the competition together with the players for supporting the event and the members of Ballaugh for helping run the event.
Town Stun Peel
After a week’s break of league action In Ellan Vannin Fuels Division one Castletown A pulled off the shock of the week to defeat Peel A 3-7 away from home. Whilst Peel were missing three regulars they would still have been favourites to win against the town men who have struggled this season. Winning for Peel were Andy Kennish, David Proctor and Tommy McMeiken. Responding for the visitors were David Quayle, Peter Oates, Juan Kermode, whilst Jordan Drewett was no doubt keen to get one over his pal Tom Kelly with a 21-12 win and captain Ian Watson holding his nerve to win 21-19 against Gary Smith.
Onchan A hosted South Ramsey A at the Park on a superb playing surface. The home team took a deserved 7-3 win with wins from Peter Slinger, Phil Kerruish, Matthew Quirk, Frank Watson with Jordan Cain working hard get over the line 21-19 against visiting captain Glynn Hargraves after recovering from a 9-15 deficit to go 19-15 ahead thanks to winning five ends with doubles with Hargraves killing two ends in between. Hargraves got back in to level up at 19-19 only for Cain to get back in and play two good bowls on the last end which weren’t beaten. Winning for the visitors were Alan Moore, James Teare whilst David Bradford had a tough game against Kevin Quirk with Bradford winning 21-18. The result lifts Onchan up to second place just one point ahead of their opponents on the night.
Marown A continued their march towards their first league title since 2013 with a 9-1 home win over Douglas A, however the visitors put up a good fight with Keith Rise beating Matthew Keggen 21-9, whilst Mervin Sayle lost out 17-21. Stuart Garrett & Ian Moore just lost out 19-21 to Neil Withers and Paul Kelly respectively. The Crosby men have a bit of breathing space with a 10 point lead, will be keen to keep their rivals at arm’s length.
South Ramsey B hosted Port St Mary A on a vastly improved green and came away happy with a 6-4 home win thanks to taking the two points aggregate for the chalks (132-130). Winning for the home team were captain Ben Dugdale who won 21-6 against Tim Williams with Dugdale getting back into form following time out with a back injury this season. Tony Dugdale, George Brew and Austin Hart also won, whilst Edward Carlyle just missed out 20-21 against Rob Cooil. Also winning for the visitors were Wayne Roberts, Trevor Quayle and Dave McCabe.
Noble’s A also took a 6-4 home win over Marown B with all but one game finishing 21-14 or above. Glenn Boland won 21-7 against James Kelly for the home team which helped secure the aggregate (147-143). Also winning for Noble’s were Reginald Temporaza & David Quayle who both won 21-19 against Brian Kelly and John Kelly respectively, with David Pease also winning. Responding for the visitors were the young duo of Harry Barton and Luke Hyland, backed up by the experienced Peter Kelly and Juan Killip.
North Ramsey A hosted Castletown B at Mooragh Park with the home team taking the spoils 8-2, however it could been a whitewash with Bob Clark just winning 21-19 against Bryan Corner, whilst Aaron Richardson held off Steve Walmsley 21-18.
In division two top of the table Ballaugh A continued their charge towards gaining promotion following their 8-2 win over near rivals Onchan B to extend their lead to 12 points.
Finch Hill A remain in second place on 64 points following their 7-3 home win over Peel C, with Onchan B just two points behind.
Peel B are six points behind Finch Hill and their cause wasn’t helped this week after sacrificing three players to their A team as they slipped to a 3-7 win over Marown C who are on course to stay in division two.
Port St Mary B disposed of Ballaugh B 9-1 with the Ballaugh men looking odds on for an immediate return to division three sitting 12 points adrift of the nearest team above them.
Port Erin A had a worthwhile trip to Mooragh Park taking a 3-7 win against North Ramsey B, whilst Douglas B secured a 7-3 home win over Port St Mary C.
In division three, South Ramsey C showed no mercy to their opponents with a 10-0 win over Douglas C to extend their lead to what looks an unassailable 21 points.
Noble’s B sit in second place following their 9-1 home win over Castletown C, whilst Finch Hill B are just one point behind Noble’s in third with a game in hand following their 3-7 away win to Onchan C.
Ballaugh C won convincingly 8-2 at home to South Ramsey D, with Peel D just losing out in the closest match in division three 4-6 against Noble’s C by just five chalks (141-146). Ryan Tate continues to impress with a superb 21-17 win over the experienced Roy Murphy.
As we reach the Rayner Shield quarter finals the top teams have not yet come up against each other, with Marown A winning 8-0 at home to Finch Hill A, Onchan A winning 5-3 away to Ballaugh A with young Patrick Grant impressing against Jordan Cain only to eventually lose out 15-21.
South Ramsey A won 7-1 at home to Castletown B with the lone winner Bob Clark playing his part in what was a superb game to watch for the spectators. Clark took a 14-3 lead against David Bradford with both players playing good length bowls and hitting strikes throughout the game. Bradford managed to get ahead at 18-17 with some excellent bowls in the corners only for Clark to get back in to level at 18-18. Bradford scored a single with Clark replying with a double to go 20-19 ahead. On the next end Bradford counted one to once again level the game at 20-20. On the last end the counting bowl changed four times with Bradford playing a good lead, Clark put his first bowl even closer. After considering his options Bradford played through with weight to take out Clark’s bowl cleanly to once again count one for game. Clark then played a perfect bowl to secure a 21-20 win in a game of the highest standard.
The shock of the Rayner Shield came on Thursday evening with South Ramsey B hosting Peel A with the visitors fancied to take a place in the semis. The match ended in a 4-4 draw on games meaning the result was decided on chalks with the home team taking this by just four chalks (144-140). The winners for the home team were Edward Carlyle, Christian Caley, Tony Dugdale & Ben Dugdale, whilst the players who lost all scored vital points to help secure the win. Winning for Peel were Stevie Kelly, Tommy McMeiken, Gary Smith & Tom Kelly.
In the Rayner Plate quarter finals Port St Mary A progressed to the semis with a 36 point win over Onchan B (170-134), Port Erin B scraped home by seven chalks against Finch Hill B (191-184), Onchan C were well beaten at home by Marown C (173-214) whilst Peel D had a comfortable win by 28 points over Ballaugh C (222-194).
Colin Kelly Wins Association Cup
Association Cup Winner 2019 - Colin Kelly
Photo: Arnie WithersAn entry of 45 took part in the Association Cup hosted by Marown Bowling Club.
The winner was home greener Colin Kelly who held off the strong challenge of South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves with a hard fought 21-17 win. Hargraves had the better of the early part of the game leading 12-9 and 13-11 only for Kelly to get in on his favoured corners and take the lead 17-13. Hargraves fought back to lie one behind at 16-17 with Kelly just missing with his reaching bowls two ends running. Hargraves then led a good bowl nine inches to the side of the jack only for Kelly to just sneak between the bowl and the jack to count one. Kelly followed this up with a double to go 20-16 ahead with Hargraves getting back in on the next end. At 17-20 Kelly played a good first bowl, which Hargraves couldn’t beat allowing Kelly to secure the Association Cup to hold the Associations top two trophies this season to reaffirm his dominance of the men’s game.
Both games at the semi-final stage were well contested with Paul Kelly just losing out 19-21 to Hargraves with young Sam Clague again reaching the semi-final stage in this competition only to lose to the same score (19-21) to Colin Kelly.
Falling at the quarter final stage were Paul Dunn (Marown) to team mate Paul Kelly 20-21, Neil Withers (Marown) lost to Hargraves 19-21, David Bradford (South Ramsey) also lost out 20-21 to Colin Kelly, whilst another home greener Jamie Joughin performed well before losing out to Clague.
The presentation was made by Association Chairman Neil Withers who thanked everyone who had helped throughout the day and to the ladies for putting on the refreshments. A special mention was also given to the team who prepare the green due to the improvement since the start of the season.
Quirk Wins Ken Williamson Memorial
Kevin Quirk - Ken Williamson Memorial Winner 2019
Photo: Arnie WithersAn entry of 33 took part in the Ken Williamson Memorial Cup on what would have been the big man’s 90th Birthday. Ken was a popular player amongst the bowling community. The Onchan green was in superb condition with many visitors during festival week commenting on how brilliant the green was to play on. To match the green the sun shone throughout the day.
The winner was home greener Kevin Quirk who recovered from a 5-11 deficit against Marown’s Brian Kelly to win 21-12 to record his second open win of the season and his eighth win in this competition since the competition was first played in 1996.
Losing out at the semi-final stage were Mike Hargraves (Castletown) to Quirk 10-21, whilst Brian Kelly ended the hopes of home greener Mark Kelly with a 21-17 win to take his place in the final.
Falling at the quarter final stage were Stevie Kelly (Peel) to Hargraves, Neil Withers (Marown) lost to Quirk, Reg Temporaza (Noble’s) lost to Brian Kelly, whilst Harry Barton (Marown) lost to Mark Kelly.
The presentation was made by Mike Alexander with thanks given to everyone who had helped throughout the day and to the ladies for putting on refreshments. Ken Williamson’s niece Diane Crossley was then introduced to present the prizes.