Isle of Man County Crown Green Bowling Association

Following the break over T.T. fortnight it was back to bowls with the Rayner Shield quarter finals taking place on Monday and Tuesday evening.

Peel A had a tricky looking tie away to second division league leaders South Ramsey B, with the home team putting in a good performance to draw 4-4 on the night, however the chalks went comfortably in favour of the visitors who won by 17 chalks (118-135). For the home team Tony Dugdale was the best winner as he beat Alec Taylor 21-9, Alan Moore won 21-14 against Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Ben Dugdale performed well to beat Dean Kinley 21-13, with Steven Waters winning 21-15 against Peter Greenlees. Two big wins for the visitors ensured a draw on games was enough to progress to the next round with Gary Smith winning 21-6 against Austin Hart, while Tommy McMeiken won 21-5 against Eddie Carlyle. Tom Kelly went on a run to win 21-11 against Chas Grills, while George Gadsby won 21-12 against Sid Bolton.

Douglas A welcomed Marown A to the Villa with the visitors’ favourites to progress, they managed to take home a 3-5 win with Dean Kipling having to battle for his 21-17 win, while Neil Withers was the best winner with a 21-7 win over Alistair Lothian. For the Crosby men Stuart Garrett and Andy Cannell won 21-12 against Harry Barton and Sam Clague respectively, while Jimmy Sansom crept home 21-20 against Paul Kelly.

The final game of Monday evening had Port St Mary A reaching the semi-finals courtesy of a 5-3 win over Marown C, with two 21-20 scores going in their favour being the difference, as Tom Collins seen off Dan Smith, with Nathan Hamilton sealing the victory with his win over Walter McCarthy.

On Tuesday evening South Ramsey A made home advantage count with a 7-1 win over Marown B, with the visitors having several regulars missing. Kevin Kelly was the lone winner with his 21-18 win over Bill Callow, with Kelly recovering from a 12-18 deficit to run out on his opponent. Stuey Clague was next closest to picking up a second win for the visitors before losing out 21-17 to Peter Collister. For the home team David Bradford and Dido Kelly were the best winners as they won to single figures.

Rayner Plate

Third Division Marown D marched into the semi-finals of the Rayner Plate following a victory by just three chalks (171-174) over second division Outfit Peel C at their temporary home – Noble’s Two green. Despite the Crosby men losing 2-6, two single figure wins from Alan Gault who beat Paul Baker 21-9 and captain Steven Rough who led from the front with his 21-6 win over Jeff Wilson the handicap was enough to claim the victory.

Noble’s A had their second visit in succession to Breagle Glen after getting through a close game by just four chalks against Port Erin A (159-163) the previous week they repeated the trick at the same green as they crept into the next round (180-184) despite losing 3-5 on games they managed to progress into the next round.

Third Division team Noble’s B (+40) welcomed Rayner Plate favourites Division One side North Ramsey A (+15) who had to claw back a 25 deficit on the handicap, which they did in style thanks to three single figure wins. Paul Allison set the tone for the evening with his 21-1 win over Ciaran Broad, Adrian Skinner wasn’t too shabby with his 21-3 victory over Barry Salmon and Allan Callow just kept it to single figures with his 21-9 win over Terry Bates. Whilst Noble’s lost out by 29 chalks (146-175) they did impress as they took three games off a first division team with Phil Salmon beating Tony Smart 21-17, Stephen Corkill won 21-19 against John Cannan, while Grahem Moore did likewise against Brian Colquitt.

Despite a 45 chalk head start Peel D (+65) were beaten convincingly by Finch Hill A (+20) by 21 chalks with the total chalks 165-186. The lone winner for the Peel men was Andrew Cover who beat Paddy Murphy 21-19. Single figure wins from Tony Epifani (21-7) and Les Brookes (21-2) helped their cause as did two 21-11 wins from Paul Dougherty and Dave McCabe as these four results alone more than recovered the handicap, with their other two wins ensuring they reached the next round.

Division One League Action

League Action resumed on Wednesday in Canada Life International Division One as we reached the half way point in the league South Ramsey A hosted Castletown A with the home team winning 9-1. Mark Moorley prevented the whitewash for Town as he beat Stefan Kelly 21-16 after recovering from a 1-8 deficit. Next closest to winning for the visitors was George Foy who performed well, as he led 16-15 only to lose 21-16 to Glynn Hargraves. For the home team, Dido Kelly and David Bradford for the second time this week won to single figures. South Ramsey A top the pile ahead of Marown A by a single point with all to play for in the second half of the season.

Marown A matched the league leaders to stay firmly in the hunt as they also won 9-1, seeing off visitors Port Erin A at Crosby with five players winning to single figures they kept the Breagle Glen men down to just 78 chalks. Winning for the visitors Steve Durcan had a comfortable 21-14 win over Sam Clague.

Peel A hosted Onchan A at their temporary home Nobles Two green, however the visitors won 2-8 despite being a man short, with Peter Greenlees the lucky recipient of the walkover. Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly was ruthless with his 21-5 win over Phil Kerruish. For Onchan Neil Dunwell got over the line 21-20 against George Gadsby, Matthew Quirk beat Tommy McMeiken 21-19. Winning big were Mike Thomas with a 21-5 win over Gary Smith, while Reg Temporaza beat Dean Kinley 21-8. Will Penhallurick claimed another scalp as he beat Tom Kelly 21-15, while Peter Slinger won 21-11 against Dave Smith.

North Ramsey A welcomed Douglas A to Mooragh Park with the home team claiming a 7-3 win. Paul Allison picked up another win as he won 21-5 against Alistair Lothian, while Allan Callow impressed with his 21-16 win over Andy Cannell. Winning for the visitors were Villa captain Merv Sayle with a 21-10 win over John Piekalns, Keith Rise prevailed 21-14 against Gary Merrill, while Gary Conwell returned to the A Team with a 21-19 win over Paul Cannan.

Port St Mary A made the most of Marown B missing some key players as they recorded an impressive 8-2 home win at Breagle Glen. Jordan Drewett continued his recent renaissance as he won 21-18 against Brian Kelly, Paul Skelly impressed with a 21-17 win over John Gelling, while Trevor Quayle was the best winner on the night with a 21-3 victory over Dan Smith. The two wins for the visitors were close with Darren Kerruish beating Tim Williams 21-18, while Walter McCarthy had to dig deep for his 21-19 win.

Rounding off the action in Division One were Onchan B and Peel B who played at the Park, with the home team suffering a defeat on games 3-5, however they won the aggregate comfortably by 15 chalks to pick up the bonus two points to snatch a 5-5 draw thanks to two 21-6 wins from Colin Spence and Mark Kelly over Michael Kavanagh and Gordon Corrin respectively, while Mike Alexander beat Paul Quirk 21-10. For Peel David Proctor was the best winner as he beat Bernie McPhee 21-13, while Andy Mackie had to dig deep for his 21-19 win over Frank Watson.