News: Reports
Saturdays Bowls
With a free weekend in store 32 men made their way to Nobles Park to take part in an adhoc singles competition, containing a plate competiton, that was put together last minute.
Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly got to grips with the green the best and came out on top of a quality field with a 21-14 win over Colin Kelly.
Dido led extremely well to his trademark short marks, and coped well when asked questions in the corners, and didn’t put a foot wrong as he bowled his way to victory.
Colin had his game of the tournament the previous round as he eliminated June Festival Winner John Kennish 21-1. Dido was again in good form beating Steve Parker 21-8.
Parker should take confidence in his performance though, as he has shown he can mix it at the top level and a 21-16 quarter final win over Neil Withers will do his credentials no harm at all.
In the plate competition Matthew Keggen took victory with a 21-18 final win over the evergreen David Faragher.
Thanks go to Nobles for their hospitality in allowing us to run the competition.
Junior Manx Championship
Stefan Kelly was too hot to handle for the opposition as he won this year’s Junior Manx Championships at Ballaugh.
Kelly, the red hot favourite for the competition, was in imperious form all day and looked unbeatable from the off. That said he had to work for his title with a 21-15 victory over a battling Sam Stannard-Duke 21-15.
Stefan is one of the best prospects of recent years and I am sure it will not be too long before he adds a senior open, or even a Manx Championship to his collection. Sam is also showing fine form and with time on his side I am sure he will win a Junior Championships before graduating to the senior ranks.
All of the competitors who took part played exceptionally well on a tricky, well prepared Ballaugh green. I would like to thank Ballaugh for hosting the competition and its days like this that show our sport is in a good bill of health.
Onchan A Express Still On Track
The Onchan A Express is surely on track for another title after another ruthless maximum 10-0 win stokes the fire of their title bid.
This time it was Castletown B who had to feel the wrath of the defending champions, who have now pulled away at the top of the table with sixteen points now between them and second placed Marown A. Town B shouldn’t lose heart as they are definitely improving and still have a chance of remaining in division 1 nest term if they can string some positive results together.
Despite losing ground second placed Marown A will be delighted with their result in game of the week as they beat third placed South Ramsey A 8-2. The result was not as one sided as it seems, however, as a reverse of two 21-20 wins to the home side could have been the ending to a very different story.
Douglas A remain in fourth place but were made to fight for the win by Castletown A at the Villa with the homesters having just enough in the tank to come home 7-3.
Port St Mary A are on a charge and are on equal points with Douglas having played a game less. They had their own 10-0 maximum win over Ballaugh A to really put some steam behind their season. They are now only four points behind South and will hope to make use of their extra game to leapfrog the two teams above them.
The mid table battle saw North Ramsey just come out on top as they picked up a solid 6-4 win away at Finch Hill A.
Whilst not out of the relegation dogfight just yet Port Erin A find themselves in the relative safety of ninth place after a good 7-3 home win over Nobles A leaves their opponents flagging behind them.
It all change at the top of Division 2 after leaders Douglas B travelled to South Ramsey B. South were on the top of their game to not only topple their opponents 7-3 but to also relieve them of top spot as there are now two points ahead of the men form the Villa.
Port St Mary B had their own 7-3 win away at Onchan B to move on to level points with Douglas and keep themselves well in the hunt for glory. Its going to be a race to the finish with all of these teams perfectly positioned to take top spot.
North Ramsey B kept their season going with a great 9-1 win over Nobles B, however they are still eleven point adrift of third place and its going to be hard for them to make up ground on the leading three.
Division 3 leaders Onchan C had to work hard for their win over second placed Peel C, coming out on the right side of a 6-4 win. This leaves them eleven points ahead of the govags in the title race and hot favourites to taste glory at the end of the season.
Dreswick Cup
On Thursday 16th of July a good entry of 50 made their way to Port St Mary BC for the annual Dreswick Cup competition once again generously sponsored by Pat O’Meara and family of the Albert Hotel P.S.M. The day ran well in blustery but mostly dry conditions with the heavens only deciding to open as the final got underway, the player who handled the tricky conditions best at the end of the day was Port St Mary’s own Trevor Quayle who got the better of Marowns Neil Withers 21-15 in the final. At the semi final stage Trevor overcame a resurgent Dave Faragher (Castletown) who reached his second semi final of the week, while Neil got the better of the ever dangerous Dave “Dido” Kelly (South Ramsey). Fallers at quarter final stage were a couple of old campaigners in Ian kissack (Marown) and Dave “Barney” Kelly (Douglas) along with newer faces at this stage in the form of Stefan Kelly (South Ramsey) and Chris Oates of Port St Mary.
At the conclusion of play Roy Dixon president of the club gave his thanks to the sponsors as well as everyone else who had made the day a success especially the ladies of the club who once again but on a fantastic spread and also to Sean Lillee for running the sheet and the greenkeepers for supplying a tricky playing surface before presenting the prizes on behalf of the injured sponsor.
Onchan Increase Gap On Rivals Marown
Onchan A are starting to run away in the Isle of Man Bank Men’s division title race as another 10-0 maximum win sees them move fourteen points clear of second placed Marown A.
Staggeringly their white wash of Port Erin A at Onchan Park is their sixth maximum in just fourteen matches. The frightening ease in which they dispatch their opponents this season is surely the key to them unlocking another championship door, which would be their twelfth in just thirteen years.
There is still a long way to go in the title race and there are three or four teams capable of beating the Champions in a one off, but there is no other team with the strength in depth to match their devastating consistency.
Second placed Marown A will be kicking themselves as they lost more ground even after a strong 8-2 showing away at Ballaugh A they will be wondering what they have to do to catch the leaders.
South Ramsey A had their work cut out in a battle with Douglas A just getting the better of the travelling side 6-4 after a hard fought battle. They will be hoping to catch Marown and be the first team to break into the top two since Castletown A finished second to Marown way back in 2002, the year before Onchan’s decade of dominance began.
Result of the week though came at the Crofts where Castletown B managed to overcome their A team 6-4 after some spirited performances from the second string. Town B are still firmly routed to the bottom of the table but results like this will do their chances of survival no harm at all.
North Ramsey A have made sixth place their own this term and an 8-2 win over Peel A helps them cement this place. In the final fixture of the week Finch Hill A continued their brilliant season beating Nobles A 8-2 away from home.
Douglas B are still at the top of Divison Two after their 6-4 home win over Ballaugh B, but only just.
Second placed South Ramsey B have started their assault on the title in earnest and have closed the gap to just two points with an impressive 8-2 away win at Castletown C.
Port St Mary B are closing in on a promotion spot in third place just two points further back that South after beating Marown B 6-4 away from home. These teams now have an eleven point buffer over the chasing pack and I can’t see anyone else winning either the title or promotion.
Onchan C’s 9-1 win away at Peel D has seen them move even further ahead at the top of division 3 and they are now nine points ahead of Peel C, who in turn are 8 points ahead of Port St Mary D.
Ramsey Town Cups
Ramsey Town Cup Winners 2015
Mens: Dave 'Barney' Kelly presented by Mike SkellyLadies: Jenny Moore
North Ramsey Bowling Club hosted a men’s singles and a ladies’ singles played in tandem at Moorage Park on Saturday 11 July. There was an amazing entry of 64 men and 34 Ladies sharing the green at one point utilising eight jacks.
The men’s competition, was sponsored by the Ramsey Commissioner’s who are celebrating their 150 years while the ladies’ was sponsored by the IOM bank who are also celebrating their sesquicentenary. The Commissioners and dignitaries gathered before play began and got things under way by doing the toss for the first two games.
Men’s Result
Isle of Man Captain Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, who has seen a new lease of life since the national teams inclusion in the senior county championships, turned back the years to win the coveted trophy.
Kelly is still a force to be reckoned with and was at the top of his game this weekend with a 21-11 final win over Ramsey homester Geoff Porter. Porter had a red letter day himself by making it to the final taking some great scalps along the way.
In the Semi-finals Kelly overcame the spirited challenge of Dave Faragher 21-15 whilst our runner up eliminated stable mate Rob Monk 21-11.
Fallers at the quarter final stage were Tony Smart, Phil Kelly, David Thomas and Bernie Durcan.
North Ramsey should be praised for the effort and innovation they have put into this now rejuvenated competition. Players vote with their feet and the evidence that their hard work is paying dividends is the number and the quality of bowlers that they attracted. Keep up the good work.
Ladies Result
Quarter-finals: Jenny Maddrell 21, Alison Keggen 20; Paula Garrett 21, Lil Smith 12; Jenny Moore 21, Gill Morgan 10; Mavis Franks 21, Casey Bolton 15
Semi-finals: Paula Garrett 21, Jenny Maddrell 10; Jenny Moore 21, Mavis Franks 18
In the final Paula won the first two ends before Jenny took control, allowing Paula just three more singles during the game, running out a 21-11 winner.
The presentation was made by club competition secretary, Mike Skelly, who thanked those who had entered, those who had helped during the afternoon and particularly the sponsors, Ramsey Commissioners and the Isle of Man Bank.
Spar Mixed Doubles
SONY DSC
SONY DSCOn Sunday Ballaugh Bowling club held the spar Mixed Pairs. With an entry of 44 pairs it was always going to be a long day but the weather kept fair and there was good bowling.
The final saw the husband and wife duo of Matthew and Alison Keggen in their first final against defending champions Trevor Quayle & Lyn Bolton. The Keggen’s raced into a 13-5 lead before a great bowl from Trevor under pressure got them on the score-sheet and with the block they had a run taking them into a 15-13 lead. Matthew & Alison regained the jack on a tight measure and with the jack back ran out to win 21-15 and their first mixed doubles.
The losing semi finalists were Ann Gale and John Breen and Elaine Moore and Stefan Kelly. At the conclusion Club Vice President John Keenan presented the prizes and thanked our sponsors spar for their continuing support, Richard Faragher & Paul Bradford for running the competition and the ladies of the Club for keeping us all fed and watered.
Ladies’ over 60’s League Game 16 & 17
Tuesday 7 July
Port St Mary A scored another maximum, this time at Douglas who were unfortunately a player short. Joyce Gardiner was the party-pooper for Castletown against Onchan B, winning her game to sigle figures to deny them a full house. Breagle had two winners against Port Erin, Kay Primrose-Smith and Sylvia Maddrell who crept past Mavis Franks 21-20. Nobles had the better of Onchan A 4-2 on games, the game of the match being Flo Kelly’s 21-19 win over Shirley Fargher, while Marown also won 4-2, the two winners for Villa being Brenda Williams and Pat Kelly. Lilian Slinger, to single figures and Maureen Wright were the two winners for Mooragh Park against Ballaugh while Port St Mary B and Peel Sunset drew on games, The visitors having the advantage on points with all their players getting well into double figures.
Thursday 9 July
There were no maximums in the Trend over 60’s league on Thursday 9 July, but several clubs got close. Port St Mary A won five games but were denied their full house by Jean Thackrah, while Eileen Killey was the fly in the ointment for Peel Sunset. In that match Theresia Britten almost gave Onchan B another game, reaching 19 against Joyce Kelly. Onchan A fell one short of the 120 point mark, winning four games, Flo Kelly to single figures, while Hazel Hughes just lost out 20-21 to Mary Kinrade.Port St Mary B won 4-2 on games with Gill Aughton and Pauline Worrall winning to single figures. The two winners for Villa were Brenda Williams and Kay McKiernan while Pat Kelly just lost out 20-21 to Edwina Reid. Ballaugh put in a good performance against Douglas whose two winners were Wendy Cowin and Jan Osborne who prevailed over Mary Simmonds 21-20.Castletown and Noble’s ended level on games without any of the games being particularly close, the visiting team ending with a 9 point advantage. Marown had the better of Breagle in a close match which they won 4-2 on games, which all went to double figures, and a margin of four points.
Ladies’ League Friday 10 July
Only five games took place in the C Tarleton Hodgson and Son Ltd sponsored ladies’ league on Friday 10 July as Mooragh Park had members “across” representing the island. Their match against Peel Sunset will be played on Tuesday 21 July.
After their exploits in the Jean Kelly final on Thursday night, South Ramsey had another close encounter _ this time against Castletown. The visitors had the advantage 5-4 on games with Kath Kinley winning to single figures. Gill Dixon also won to single figures for the home side, the rest of the games going to double figures with South Ramsey losing out by 4 points. Top scorers of the night were Onchan who had the better of Douglas 6-3 on games. The visitors three winners were Paula Garrett, to single figures, Pat Kelly coming through 21-19 against Libby Andrade and Muriel Cain who just pipped Dee Lewis 21-20. Port St Mary also won 6-3 on games ,with three wins to single figures, the three winners for Purt le Moirrey being Tracy Moore, Pauline Worrall and Gill Aughton. Marown could only garner two games against Ballaugh, their two winners being Rosie Winckle and Pat Withers, while Port Erin had the better of Nobles 5-4 with Lynda Cadamy winning to single figures. There were some very close games in the match, the pick of the bunch being Clare Cooper’s 21-20 against Di Benson.
Isle of Man vs Lancashire
Isle of Man vs Lancashire
The Isle of Man did themselves and the Island proud on real Tynwald Day as they recorded their first ever home leg win in the Senior County Championships, and fell just six points short of an overall win.
It’s hard to quantify how brilliant this performance is and also the scale of improvement they have shown in each of their three matches in the Crosfield Cup this season.
Every single one of the Manx team left everything they had on the green, both home and away and some of the performances were some of the best ever seen by players wearing their national covers.
Dean Kipling’s 21-1 inhalation of one of the games finest players, former Waterloo champion Alan Broadhurst, away from home is arguably the best ever individual showing by an Island player and as the first game off either green set the Manx men up for an historic day. Kipling’s performance earned him the Endsleigh Insurance man of the match award.
Over at Nobles part things were also going the way of the Island as they chalked up six winners, three to single figures, to beat Lancashire by 21 points in the home leg.
Peter Slinger, Ian Moore, John Kennish, David Bradford, overall man of the match Jordan Cain and Glynn Hargraves were all victorious but this was a real team performance with every player fighting for every point to ensure the win.
Phil Kelly and Colin Kelly chipped in with wins away from home as the Island came within six points of winning the overall match, just dipping out as they lost by 27 chalks away from home.