League fixtures return
The league programme swung back into action after the festive break, over two days of bitterly cold winds in the Manx Petroleum sponsored Outdoor Winter League Bowling Club and saw the season’s 11th maximum score, while all teams remain as they were in the table.
All fixtures were reversals from earlier in the campaign and five of the sides improved their totals with the biggest benefactors being Erin Porters who recorded 31 points more this time round.
Leaders Rule Breakers had two maximums when they played the same fixtures back in November, but dropped 25 on Saturday – 10 in their opener against Parkers, then another 15 when Erin Porters took three games off them.
Parkers may have lost both outings, not helped by being a player short, but in fact bettered their points total from last time and managed to draw on games against Castletown Corkers, only losing out by a margin of 11.
Corkers having earlier defeated Porters with the highest score of the afternoon and remain in sixth spot in the standings.
Results for Saturday, January 10: Rule Breakers 116 (5) Dave Kelly, Parkers 90 (1) Mike Thomas; Castletown Corkers 119 (4) Sid Bolton, Erin Porters 99 (2) Caroline Whitehead; Porters 96 (3) Derek Allen, Breakers 111 (3) Glynn Hargraves; Parkers 102 (3) Terry Moore, Corkers 113 (3) Sid Bolton.
The second session was also a set of matches reversed from the first half and the afternoon kicked-off with a maximum win for Mooragh Lakers as they recorded the double over Govags.
Next up second placed Seven-Up were against Bowling for Soup who are currently holding on to third and once again a close battle took place between the pair. They drew back in October with 113 points apiece, whereas this time they were separated by a gap of just two in favour of Seven-Up.
Two more evenly balanced encounters ended the afternoon when Bowling for Soup revenged a loss by beating Mooragh Lakers by nine points and so maintain a slender lead over their opponents in the league table. Whilst Seven-Up notched up the double over Govags, with an advantage of just seven, both fixtures ended three-all on games.
Results for Sunday, January 11:Govags 87 (0) Ray Hardman, Mooragh Lakers 126 (6) Lilian Slinger; Bowling for Soup 112 (3) Tony Dugdale and Frank Watson, Seven-Up 114 (3) Jordan Cain; Lakers 100 (3) Jenny Moore, B4S 109 (3) Nigel Thomas; Seven-Up 116 (3) Jordan Cain, Govags 109 (3) Phil Parker.
Unfortunately the wet and windy weather put paid to any chance of the first midweek round robin session of the New Year.