Monthly Archives: June 2013
Pre-Festival Singles
There was an entry of 38, including 10 visitors over for the Festival, at Mooragh Park on Sunday June 16 for the Pre-festival ladies’ singles open. The green was heavy after recent rain, but running true, and the weather stayed fair although unfortunately bringing out the midgies.
Quarter-finals;- Viv Grills 21, Chris Hardman (Tottington Con) 8; Ronnie Lyon (West Derby Recs) 21, Rosemary Quirk 19; Shirley Jones (Wrockwardine Wood) 21, Lin Ruscoe 16; Lyn Bolton 21, Elaine Moore 20.
Semi-finals:- Ronnie Lyon 21, Viv Grills 17; Lyn Bolton 21, Shirley Jones 18.
Lyn set off like a rocket, reaching 18 before Ronnie had a chance to blink !.Two 2’s from Ronnie looked as if a come-back might be on the cards, but Lyn got in again on the next end for a single which was followed by two more, giving her the match 21-10.
The presentation was made by Association vice-president, Pat Robertson, who thanked all those who had helped in any way with the smooth running of the event.
Microgaming Ladies Doubles
There was an entry of 25 pairs for the ladies’ doubles competition sponsored by Microgaming and played at Castletown on Saturday 15 June. The weather was mixed with the odd shower interspersed by warm sunshine and with the green running well there were some excellent, and very close, games played in a friendly spirit.
Quarter-finals: Maggie Wheeler and Maureen Lyons 21, Joyce Ogden and Di Moore 18; Chris Price and Janet Monk 21, Lyn Bolton and Paula Garrett 14; Lilian Slinger and Rachel Quirk 21, Heike Perry and Ann Hollingworth 17; Margaret Tasker and Tricia Bull 21, Anne Oates and Josie Harding 19.
Semi-finals: Chris Price and Janet Monk 21, Maggie Wheeler and Maureen Lyons 17; Lilian Slingr and Rachel Quirk 21, Margart Tasker and Tricia Bull 14.
The final was “nip and tuck” up to 14-14 when Chris and Janet won the next three ends to take an 18-14 lead. Rachel and Lilian were not shaken off taking the next three ends with a 3 on the third end to have a 19-18 advantage. A three from their opponents on the following end gave them the match 21-19 to end an absorbing contest.
Final: Chris Price and Janet Monk 21, Lilian Slinger and Rachel Quirk 19
Heike Perry then thanked everyone for staying before introducing Hilary Kermode to make the presentation on behalf of sponsors, Microgaming.
Hilary thanked those who had entered making it the best ever entry for this event and also thanks went to all who had helped, particularly Hannah and Heike for running the sheet.
Gladys Cowell
Report by Heather Horsburgh
There was a small, but very select, field of 18 at the rescheduled ladies’ over 60’s competition for the Gladys Cowell cup played at Peel on Wednesday 12 June. Despite the forecast. the weather was warm and sunny for most of the afternoon allowing some excellent bowling played in a friendly spirit.
Quarter-finals; Maureen Payne 21, Tricia Bull 15; Viv Grills 21, Sylvia Kennaugh 15; Lilian Slinger 21, Roma Ware 18; Mary Moffatt 21, Rose Corfield 14.
Semi-finals: Viv Grills 21, Maureen Payne 17; Lilian Slinger 21, Mary Moffatt 18.
In the final Viv took an early lead and held on despite Lilian’s best efforts coming through to win 21-12.
The presentation was made by Club Captain Heather Horsburgh who thanked everyone who had taken part as well as those who had helped in any way during the afternoon.
Tony Brown Mixed Doubles
The continuation of the glorious TT weather drew 32 pairs to a superbly prepared Castletown green on Sunday for the Tony Brown Mixed Pairs competition with the winners being Andy Clark and Elaine Moore who triumphed 21-9 in the final over Phil Kerruish and Amanda Lawler.
The husband and wife pairing of Ray and Ann Maddrell fell in the semis to the eventual winners while Neil Withers and Hannah Kermode were the other last-four players. Losers in the quarters were George and Sue Peach, Ron Williams with Kath Kinley, Rob and Janet Monk and also Juan Kermode with Doreen Ashworth.
As always the main purpose of this event is to raise money for local charities and this year the sponsor, Tony Brown, chose ‘Manx Miracles’ which is a parent led concern for families and children that have additional needs. Thanks to the generosity of all players and the sponsor, as well as several of the prize winners who returned their prizes, an excellent sum of £238.00 was raised.
Haldane Fisher
Report by Mark Kneen
Douglas Bowling Club played host to the Haldane Fisher Mixed Doubles competition on Mad Sunday and a good line up of 19 pairs made it onto the grid despite the rearranges TT races. Matthew Keggen & Rachel Quirk notched up their second title of the season with a 21-14 final victory over Jordan Cain & Paula Firth.
Our winners were in control of the final throughout and found themselves in a 20-9 lead before the runners up staged a bit of a fight back. Both pairs played exceptionally well over the whole day however Keggen & Quirk were more consistent on the extremely tricky green, not necessarily playing many more good woods than their opponents, but certainly less wayward ones.
In the semi-finals our eventual victors but in a brilliant performance to see off Robert & Janet Monk 21-11 whilst Cain & Firth survived an epic tussle with Stuart & Paula Garret to emerge 21-20 winners and book their final birth. Fallers at the quarter finals stage were Glynn & Kim Hargraves, John & Fiona Kennish and Tim & Katy Williams.
At the conclusion of the competition Douglas Bowling Club President Roy Williams presented the prizes thanking everyone for their support of the competition and paid particular thanks to the sponsor Haldane Fisher.
Junior Championship
Report by Mark Kneen
Port St Mary’s Sam Palmer played exceptionally well to pick up the Island Junior title at Marown Bowling Club on Saturday beating defending champion Casey Bolton 21-4 in the final.
Palmer was simply imperious in the final and left Casey no place to hide as his bowls shadowed the jack throughout. Casey should be commended for reaching the final for a second occasion and it was a great attempted defence of her title. Both finalists have qualified to travel away to represent the Island in the British Junior Merit finals in August and I wish them both every success.
Tie of the competition came in the semi-finals with Palmer just seeing off hotly tipped home greener Luke Hyland in an epic encounter 21-20. Hyland should not be discouraged as he really did nothing wrong and played his part magnificently in making this a tremendous match. In the other semi Casey put out Manx Youth Games participant Edward Walker 21-5, Walker is younger than a lot of the field and a real talent and I am sure this is not the last we will see of him. The remaining quarter finalists were Jake Cade, Bobby Thorn, Thomas Curphy and Sam Stannard-Duke.
The future of our game looks in great hands and I hope to see the numbers growing in years to come but things are certainly moving in the right direction. The day though belongs to Sam, himself a Manx Youth Games Coach, and it is great to see him emulating the form of his head coach Glynn Hargraves who picked up the senior title just a few weeks ago. Actually we better watch out for these coaches from South and with George Peach set to take part in the over 60’s championships what are the odds on them doing a clean sweep?
R H Green Fours
Report by Mark Kneen
Colin Kelly won his third men’s doubles competition in as many outings as he this time paired up with Island Champion Glynn Hargraves to win the R H Green Fours at Finch Hill bowling club on Saturday. Kelly has won every competition with a different partner, so sorry Glynn it looks like he will be throwing you on the scrap heap!
They didn’t have it all their own way in the final and had a real battle on their hands just having enough to see of the challenge of Bob Clark & Nathan Cooil 21-19 in a great game. The calibre of bowling throughout the day, and in particular in the final, was of an exceptional standard with the green was running so well and so difficult to master.
In the semi-finals Kelly & Hargraves fought off the challenge of father and son Kevin & Matthew Quirk 21-15 whilst the team of Clark & Cool had a real battle on their hands winning 21-19 against home greeners Arthur Halsall & Jerry Wordsworth.
Manx Youth Games
Report by Mark Kneen
Crown Green Bowls featured in the Manx Youth Games for the first time in the sports history on Saturday 18th May with 50 children taking part on the day. Unfortunately due to the weather the programme had to be moved inside to the bowls hall at the NSC, and whilst this is not ideal unlike a lot of sports we are so lucky to have a facility like this that we were able to use as a contingency – and if I am honest it was great as the atmosphere inside the NSC on the day was, quite frankly, electrifying.
Some of the children that took part have not been able to compete in the Games before as they were unable to find a sport suitable due to conditions that they may have, their fitness levels or just one that they felt they could master so as well as this being a first for bowls it was also a first for some of them, which is magical. The format had to be slightly adjusted on the day as we had planned to use two greens at Nobles Park however coordinator Glynn Hargraves and his team thought on their feet brilliantly changing the schedule as they went along to suit the new venue. All of the competitors took part in some singles games as well as competing over various obstacles to amass points for their regions.
The standard of bowling on the day was exceptional considering it was the first time most of the children have ever played on the artificial indoor surface, it cannot be overstated enough how different this is to the outdoor greens they have practiced on and the way they adapted to their new surroundings over the day was simply mesmerising. They were magnificent. I think what worked exceptionally well is that as well as ensuring there was an element of competition the main focus was on fun and this shone through on the day as all of the children left with smiles on their faces, at one time all of the parents got involved and had a go which was certainly one of the highlights of the day, and I am sure they now appreciate that bowls isn’t as easy as their talented children made it look.
The overriding message to be taken away is that Crown Green Bowls in not an old persons game, it is a sport for all ages and we are now in the age of the Manx Youth Games. It is very fitting that the next day coordinator Glynn Hargraves retained his Manx Championship and that this current champion is helping spearhead an initiative that will almost certainly be the birthplace for the champions of the future.
As development officer for the sport it is hard to put into words how important this initiative is for us and whilst it might not be the most important development for the sport in my lifetime it is certainly in the top 1
Any Port in a Storm
League Week 6 Report by Mark Kneen
Port St Mary A stole the headlines last week is Isle of Man Banks Men’s Division 1 as they defied logic and form beating Peel A 2-8 in the Sunset City. Port have been below underachieving until now but they proved they can still be a destructive force in the top flight as they crushed the Govags and left them no place to hide or take shelter. This win drags them off the bottom of the pile and they will be hoping they can gather momentum and that the remainder of their season will be a little more plain sailing from now on.
Onchan A returned to the top of the tree after an 8-2 home win over Ballaugh A. They are now 2 points clear of early pace setters Marown, although they have played a game more that their rivals. There is a fixture break now until after TT but all eyes will be fixed on the park on 10th June as the Champions host the Crosby outfit in a top of the table shoot out which is too close to call. If Marown win they will return to the top of the table with a game in hand and be in a great position however if they lose they will want to get as close as they can to the mighty Champions to keep them in the hunt and be afford them the opportunity of cashing in the extra game they have in their bank.
Third placed Douglas A kept things moving along nicely as they dispatched Nobles Mixed 8-2 at the Villa Marina. Fourth placed Castletown A picked up a good 8-2 win over their B team keeping them just two points behind the Elixir Drinkers. Town are set to host the Douglas Men out and you really cannot predict what is going to happen. This fixture has the potential to overshadow the scheduled main event and if both team are on their games and come out all guns blazing there will certainly be fireworks. Whatever happens the victors of this highly anticipated showdown will find them in pole position for the hotly contested third place.
South Ramsey A won the Ramsey derby with a solid 7-3 win over North Ramsey A to keep themselves in the hunt for a rostrum finish come September. South will be hoping their rivals can cancel each other out and if they can pick up some good away at Ballaugh A they could find themselves closer to the action than they are now.
I think when I next write my league report things will be a little clearer, both at the top ant the bottom of the table. Division One has provided everything this year in terms of excitement and we are still on course for the most enthralling closely run contests in over a decade, however the next set of fixtures gives all the main contenders a chance to throw down the gauntlet to rest and make a statement.
It is easy to continually focus on the top of the table but things are even more finally balanced at the bottom with only three points separating the bottom six teams, they are so close you could throw a blanket over them.
Port Erin A bounced back in spectacular style in division 2 taking out Douglas B 8-2 to return to the top of the table. I still believe they are in line for promotion however they will need to find some consistency and start stringing some results together to keep themselves at the summit.
Port St Mary B maintained their unbeaten record with a 7-3 victory over Peel B. They are on equal points with their rivals and if they keep stringing the results together they are the more likely to take top honours at the end of the season. The only question mark surrounds their firepower, do they have enough to pick up the big wins usually required to win a championship? A tricky trip to Castletown D next time out could go somewhere to answering that question.
Castleotown C have now strung 3 wins in a row together and they finally leapfrog their D team into third place after beating them 8-2 at the Crofts. They are only two points off the lead and they certainly do have the potential to pick up big wins, consistency is the key for Town if they want to try and become the first club in history to have three teams in the top tier, promotion is not out of reach.
Division Three leaders Onchan C lost the only remaining 100% record from any division as they fell 6-4 away at Peel D. They are still four points clear at the top and favourites to pick up the trophy however this will have brought them down to earth a little after a brilliant start.
Nobles Park A are still in second and had to work hard for their 6-4 victory away at South Ramsey C. Port Erin B are the team on a charge and a great 8-2 result against North Ramsey B sees them move into third spot equal on points with Park. Park host Port B when we return after the fixture break with the result being crucial in the battle for promotion.