Defeat for merit leader
The first full weekend of action in 2016 took place in the Manx Petroleum sponsored Outdoor Winter League Bowling Club and saw a first defeat for the merit leader, the season’s 11th maximum score line and three positional changes in the table.
Another very wet morning didn’t help the conditions on Saturday and it was perhaps fitting that Lakers were the team to take advantage, carrying on where they left off before the festive break.
First up they beat Castletown Corkers and notched up 119 points in the process; next they just missed out on a full house with success against Parkers.
There was also a very good win in this session for Bits n Bobs when they dropped just three chalks against Corkers, who as a result saw their average slip.
Parkers won the other outcome from this group, but also saw their average fall and as a consequence of their loss slipped down a position to sixth.
Lakers meanwhile moved in the opposite direction and took over second spot from Seven-Up by the slender margin of 0.01 off a point – which equates to them both now about 13 behind the leaders.
Results for Saturday, January 9: Parkers 120 (5) Bits n Bobs 94 (1), Castletown Corkers 83 (1) Mooragh Lakers 119 (5), Mooragh Lakers 125 (5) Parkers 85 (1), Bits n Bobs 123 (4) Castletown Corkers 95 (2).
There were three different winners on the second day also, with top outfit Mean Machine beginning with a close success over Titans, before racking up the campaign’s eleventh maximum victory when they took on Govags.
It wasn’t all good news for the leaders, however, when Glynn Hargraves, the last undefeated player in the merit table, was beaten 21-17 by Lyn Bolton (Titans).
He still heads the list for the Derek Killey memorial trophy on an average of 20.7, but is now only three points ahead of teammate Alan Moore and a further one behind comes Stefan Kelly, also Mean Machine.
Two more players are averaging 20 plus, in fourth is the leading woman, Jenny Moore (Moorage Lakers), closely followed by Mike Thomas (Parkers).
Making up the top ten are Rob Monk (Lakers), Nigel Thomas (Seven-Up), Adrian Skinner, Steve Parker (both Lakers) and Margy Tasker (Angels).
Back to the action where Govags began the afternoon with only their second win, achieved when they overcame fourth placed Louie’s Angels and as a result of their efforts the westerners moved out of the bottom two.
Titans meanwhile proved they have the capability to upset any side on their day and inflicted a heavy defeat on Angels, who after two defeats slipped further behind the top three and now have a tough ask to bridge that gap.
Results for Sunday, January 10: Mean Machine 111 (3) Titans 100 (3), Louie’s Angels 111 (3) Govags 113 (3), Titans 124 (5) Louie’s Angels 89 (1), Govags 79 (0) Mean Machine 126 (6).
A rare dry afternoon had 34 entrants compete in the midweek round robin with the pairing of Derek Clarke and John Lightfoot topping their group ahead of Bernard Thackrah and Alec Taylor, while in third it was Philippa Taylor and Ken Clarke.
The trio of James Teare, Derek Allen and Doug Allan won the other gang, with second going to Peter Kelly, Rob Cowley and David Clucas, just ahead of Allan Kennaugh, Jean Thackrah and Terry Bates.