Isle of Man County Crown Green Bowling Association

The final of the 3R’s Limited sponsored Rayner Plate took place at Finch Hill Bowling Green on Friday evening in fine conditions, with both teams looking to etch their name into the history books with Division Two Side Noble’s A (+45) taking on first division team North Ramsey A (+15).

The Mooragh Park men were favourites on the night, however they would have been wary of their opponents who have formed a good team bond, as the club continues to rebuild.

North Ramsey got off to a solid start with Rob Monk and Allan Callow both winning 21-7 against Mark Quinn and Martyn Hobson respectively to quickly reduce a 30 chalk deficit to just two two chalks. Paul Allison was next off for North as he had to battle for a 21-17 victory over Juan Qualtrough, with captain Gary Merrill following with a hard earned 21-19 win over Yates to put North Ramsey four chalks ahead (99-95) at the halfway stage.

In the second half of the match the next two blocks off went in favour of Noble’s with Mark Bradshaw performing well to beat Brian Colquitt 21-19. The next game off was Jim Callister who at one point led 18-3 and was lying two against Adrian Skinner only for the latter to pull out a huge bowl which completely changed the complexion of the match. Skinner dug deep to pick up another 15 chalks, with Callister not doing a lot wrong as he eventually won 21-18. At this point Noble’s had just edged ahead by one chalk.

With the last two blocks on the green, Dave Naughton led 18-15 against Steve Walmsley, with John Cannan leading 18-13 against last minute stand-in Steve Hampson. Walmsley managed to get over the line thanks to two doubles followed by two singles to claim a 21-18 win over Naughton to put the Ramsey men two chalks ahead. John Cannan only needed to get to 19 against Steve Hampson to secure the win on the night, as his team had already won five games. Cannan managed to see the game out with a 21-15 win, with Hampson performing well in the second half of the match having recovered from a 0-10 deficit to put up a decent fight.

Whilst a lot of the plaudits must go to North Ramsey who picked up their second Rayner Plate following their last win in this competition in 2005, a special mention to Noble’s who put up a fantastic fight on the night to make for a good final. The Noble’s team can take pride in their performance as they continue to rebuild having nearly collapsed on more than one occasion over the past few years, the club still has another final to look forward to in the Mixed Plate competition later this month. The presentation was made by Competition Committee Officer Wayne Roberts, who thanked Finch Hill Bowling Club for the use of the green and for their hospitality, whilst also mentioning how well the handicap system had worked to make for a good final. Rob Matthews from 3R’s Limited then presented the trophy to the North Ramsey captain Gary Merrill, who offered his commiserations to Noble’s and complimented them on how far they had come with the challenges they have faced.

North Ramsey A	+15	+45	Noble’s A
Rob Monk	21	7	Mark Quinn
Allan Callow	21	7	Martyn Hobson
Paul Allison	21	17	Juan Qualtrough
Gary Merrill	21	19	Alex Yates
Brian Colquitt	19	21	Mark Bradshaw
Adrian Skinner	18	21	Jim Callister
Steve Walmsley	21	18	Dave Naughton
John Cannan	21	15	Steve Hampson
6 Games Won	178	170	2 Games Won