Isle of Man County Crown Green Bowling Association

The Islands premier doubles competition the Plumbmaster Doubles Championship was held at Ballaugh Bowling Club on Saturday. The competition was played 21up off a handicap of +3 for all competitors. The event was well supported with 29 pairs entering in a bid to win the coveted title.

At the quarter final stage, home pairing Tim Merriman and Mike Spooner fell 7-21 to South Ramsey’s Jordan Cain and Glynn Hargraves, whilst Richard Blencoe and Steve Parker (North Ramsey/Onchan) lost out 9-21 to John Kennish and David Bradford (South Ramsey).

In the other half of the draw Barry MacDonald and Patrick Grant (Ballaugh) lost 12-21 to Peel pair Pip Pemberton and Peter Greenlees, whilst the current holders Paul Dunn and Neil Withers (Marown) had a tough battle with Brian Lindsay and Eddie Carlyle (Peel/South Ramsey), as the former eventually prevailed 21-18.

In the semi-finals Kennish and Bradford won comfortably 21-9 against clubmates Cain and Hargraves, whilst Dunn and Withers won 21-10 against Pemberton and Greenlees.

Kennish and Bradford won the first end in the final, then conceded seven consecutive ends and 12 chalks to trail 4-15, with Dunn and Withers playing a round peg mark off the edge of the crown. The comeback started as the South Ramsey pair scored six chalks on a longer length to work their way back in to the game to trail 10-15. A single stopped the rot for the Marown pair, however they then conceded a three with a loose end.

With the score now 13-16, on the following end Kennish and Bradford were counting for two, with Withers condemning his reaching bowl, only to somewhat fortuitously knock his short bowl onto the nearest counting bowl to pick up a single. Another single was scored by the Marown men, with the South Ramsey pair picking up two singles. The next end proved to be a game changer with Kennish and Bradford counting for three in the corners, as Withers changed his peg to play a reaching bowl and trailed the jack to count for two to go 20-15 ahead. A huge five point swing took place, as the score would have been 18-18 with jack in hand in the corners. A good single was scored on the next end to secure a fifth consecutive Doubles Championship for the Marown men.

The presentation was made by Competition Committee member Steve Moore, who thanked Ballaugh Bowling Club for providing refreshments throughout the day.