Monthly Archives: April 2017
Ladies’ Night League Wednesday 5 April
The ladies’ night league, sponsored once again by C Tarleton Hodgson, had it’s first matches, in fine weather, on Wednesday 5 April. It is nice to see Onchan fielding a team, but it is a pity that luck was not with them when the fixtures were made, as they started their campaign against Castletown, at Castletown – a start that no team in the league would welcome !! The home side posted a maximum with only three of the visitors reaching double figures. Re-building is never easy, as Mooragh Park can confirm, but perseverance will bring reward in the long term. Douglas were another team to struggle as they played host to South Ramsey, who will surely be contenders again this year. The visitors won eight games, seven of them to single figures, the sole winner for Douglas being Paula Garrett. Champions Port St Mary were on fine form against their near neighbours, Purt le Moirrey, winning 6-3 on games with none of their players scoring less than 17 points. It was a strange match at Noble’s, with most of the games being a little one sided. The home side won 6-3 on games and a large points margin. The only close game saw Mavis Franks come through 21-18 against Paula Firth. Marown had the better of Ballaugh in a low-scoring game, winning 5-4 on games with three wins to single figures, while this year Peel have made a cagey start with a game that could so easily have been a draw, winning by one point and 5-4 on games with Maureen Lacey (Wright) so nearly reversing that as she reached 20 against Rose Corfield.
Ladies’ Over 60’s Thursday 6 April
The ladies’ over 60’s got under way on a fine morning, with seven teams passing the 100 point mark.Reigning champions, Port St Mary A, played host to Castletown and took 5 of the 6 games. The lone winner for the visitors was Ann Hollingworth who won to single figures, although Barbara Young came close to adding a second game reaching 19 against Win Collister. Douglas also finished with 114, winning four games, the featured match seeing Moire Turner edging out Margaret Corlett 21-20.Sylvia Kennaugh and Flo Price, winning a close game against Libby Andrade, were the two winners for Noble’s at Onchan where the home side ended with a big points advantage, while Hesba Skelly made experience count when she just pipped Anne Chapman 21-20 in Breagle’s win at Mooragh Park. Marown had a successful journey to Port Erin, finishing with a good points victory in a match that ended 3-3 on games. The closest result of the morning was at Ballaugh, where despite, being a player short, the five who played dropped only one point between them when Ann Gale just lost out 20-21 to Edwina Reid. Another close match-up saw Voirrey Oates come through 21-20 against Brenda Hawkard.
Over 60’s Games 1 and 2.
Game 1
The much anticipated start to the 2017 Men’s Crown Green Bowling Season was on Tuesday 4th April with the first shock being the 6 -2 defeat of last years runners up Port St Mary A by Onchan B at Onchan Park.
The performance off the day in this match has to be the 21-9 defeat of Ron Maycox by Peter Wallis but there were steady performances by many of the Onchan Lads with a good win for Gary Lee over Brian Lowe being worthy of mention as Gary only took up Crown Green towards the end of last season.
Last years winners Castletown A travelled just a little farther South to Port Erin and came out winners by taking five of the eight games. Unfortunately Port Erin were a player short so Castletown had one walkover and with Derek Cadamy only losing 21-18 to Mike Hargraves and Ken Horsley losing 21-17 to George Peach there was always a chance that the team from Port Erin could have picked up at least one point.
Nobles A with a very strong team this year had an 8-0 victory over Peel Sunset C with the nearest of the Sunset City Players to a win being Steven Bradley who only just lost out 21-20 to Roy Murphy. I mentioned Nobles A last week as being a possible strong contender this season and I certainly think that they will finish in the top three.
Elsewhere South Ramsey had a 5-3 home win over Nobles B with Chris Penketh being top man there beating Tony Jones 21-1. At Port St Mary the Ports B Team beat Peel Sunset B 5-3 with Tom Wilson winning the battle of the ‘Wilsons’ by beating Jeff Wilson 21-19.
In Douglas the Douglas A Team beat the League’s newest Team Ballaugh B 7-1 at the Villa with David Quirk of the Douglas side performing very steadily in only his second league game in Crown Green before eventually losing 21-16 in a good game with Ray Parry.
Peel Sunset A had a battle with Marown with the Westerners running out 5-3 winners but a close battle between Phil Parker and Alan Kennaugh which ended 21-18 in favour of Phil could easily have made this a draw. Ballaugh A lost 3-5 to Onchan A and the Finch Hill match with North Ramsey B ended all square at 4-4 and finally Castletown B beat Douglas B 6-2 with the well known ex local Football Referee Willie Cowley making his debut for Douglas B but sadly he was shown the Red Card by Dave Ali of Town who managed to beat Willie on this occasion.
Game 2
Thursday 6th April saw the second games of the Season for the over 60’s and saw the League’s newest Team Ballaugh B gain their first victory by defeating Finch Hill 6-2 in a match of mainly very close games with Ray Parry of Ballaugh continuing his good form with a 21-5 defeat of Kevin Skillicorn.
As expected Castletown A are still a force to be reckoned with as shown by their 8-0 victory over Port St Mary B whilst the Castletown B Team drew 4-4 with North Ramsey B at the Mooragh Park.
Douglas B hosted Peel Sunset A at the Villa but found the men from the West too strong as they took an 8-0 victory back home to Peel although there were some valiant performances from some home players with three games being closely contested.
Port Erin travelled to Marown and although there were some close games Marown ran out 6-2 winners with Bernard Thackrah and Seamus Whelan being the two winners for the Southerners.
Ballaugh A travelled to Nobles Park B and not to be outdone by their new B Team they also came away with a 6-2 win John Clague and Tony Jones being the only ones to be successful against the men from Ballaugh.
North Ramsey A travelled from the Mooragh Park to Onchan Park to play a strong Onchan A Team with the home lads gaining a 5-3 victory in a match that saw Norman Radcliffe now back playing this year for North Ramsey beat Mike Alexander 21-5, Mike Thomas of Onchan beating Jimmy Moffatt 21-6 and his team mate Colin Hinds beating Mike Skelly 21-6.
Peel Sunset C lost 5-3 at home to Onchan B and Peel Sunset B drew 4-4 with a very strong Nobles A with Roy Murphy of the Nobles Team having a 21-3 win over Ted Cain.
Last years runners up Port St Mary A who lost last game to Onchan B were back on form defeating South Ramsey 7-1 although the Northern Team were one player short with Chris Penketh being the only winner for South Ramsey.
So with Douglas A having the bye in Game 2, the League Table sees four Teams at the top each with four points, these being;
Peel Sunset A, Castletown A, Onchan B and Onchan A
Over 60’s Men’s 2017 Season Preview.
The eagerly awaited 2017 Crown Green Over 60’s Men’s Bowls Season begins on Tuesday 4th April with the League having one extra Team added, this being Ballaugh B.
Although some of the participants may have been playing for many years their enthusiasm never wains and with the addition of new players who have reached the ‘magic age’ of sixty we look forward to an exciting season with some very good bowls as always from our ‘senior competitors’.
To predict who may be challenging for the League Title we obviously have to look at last years Champions Castletown A who were taken ‘right down to the wire’ by Port St Mary A with both finishing with sixty eight points but Castletown edging it on chalks. It would be a brave man who would write either of these Teams off and I firmly believe that they both have to be considered as equal favourites.
Historically Castletown have won the League every year since 2008 with the exception of 2015 when they were pipped to the post by North Ramsey A who slipped to eighth place last year hampered by the fact that they had to play their ‘home games’ on the South Ramsey Green due to a problem with their Green at the Mooragh Park. The northerners are back on their home Green this year and will be looking to mount a challenge once more as will their northern neighbours at South Ramsey who on their day are capable of beating anyone.
If however I were to name the Team that I think will mount a serious challenge to last years top two I would nominate Nobles A who finished in third spot last season and have some very good consistent players who will be motivated to move to a higher league position. A good test of Nobles A strength will be on the third match of the season when they entertain Castletown A at Nobles Park.
If however I were to choose my ‘Match of the Day’ for the opening day on the 4th April I would go for Peel Sunset A v Marown with both teams being more than capable of getting in the mix and challenging for the title. I will put my head on the block and tip Peel Sunset A to just edge this one with the advantage of playing on their home green.
Although I have mentioned a few teams I believe that this year may see a number of teams battling it out to the end for the title and possible even a surprise winner but only time will tell.
Well with nothing left for me to do now but to wish all players and teams the best of luck and enjoyable bowling and for some of us to work on our excuses such as ‘the green was too heavy’, or ‘ he was lucky’ and perhaps we can hear some more original ones for 2017.
Wishing good bowling to all for the 2017 Season.
South Ramsey Trio Triumph
With no open competitions on Saturday, there was a good entry of 66 at Port St. Mary for the C. Tarleton Hodgson & Son Ltd sponsored Mixed Triples Jubilee Cup on Sunday.
Eventual winners after five tough games were the South Ramsey trio of Kim Hargraves, Glynn Hargraves and Dido Kelly, with a 21-14 victory under the floodlights over last year’s winners Lyn Bolton (South Ramsey), Sid Bolton (South Ramsey) and Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary).
Losing out in the semi finals to the eventual winners were homegreeners Chris Price, Wayne Roberts and Ewan Cooil 21-16.
In the other semi final Janet Monk (Mooragh Park), Robert Monk (Onchan) and Jordan Cain (Onchan) were unlucky to lose out 21-18.
The presentation was made by club President Ken Karran, who thanked the sponsors, everyone involved, from the team who prepared the excellent green and surrounds to the club members who ran the competition, not forgetting the ladies who provided the refreshments throughout the day.
Marown Teams Make Strong Start
Despite the poor weather conditions Marown A got their season off to a solid start with a 9-1 win at home to Douglas B. The visiting team would have been disappointed not to have taken one or two more points off the home team having lost out 21-19 & 21-20 with both the Douglas players letting commanding leads slip away.
Defending champions South Ramsey A had a tough home fixture against local rivals North Ramsey A with the ‘North’ men taking two points off the home team & running close in a couple of other games.
Douglas A shrugged off the disappointment off losing over half of last year’s team with a comfortable 9-1 victory over a visiting Ballaugh team who tend to struggle on their travels. Onchan A matched the Villa side with a 9-1 scoreline.
South Ramsey B made the trek to Port St Mary & will have been pleased to have taken three points off the home team, who don’t drop many points on their home turf.
Castletown A used their home advantage to take a 6-4 victory over Peel A, with the result being 4-4 on games, but just edging out Peel by one chalk to take the crucial aggregate to gain the two ‘bonus’ points.
In the second division Marown B had an excellent start to their season having beat Finch Hill A 9-1 away from home.
Nobles A came closest to matching Marown B with a 7-3 victory, dropping only six chalks.
Peel B started their season with a 7-3 win over Onchan B, however this doesn’t tell the whole story with only three chalks separating the teams.
In the third division Douglas introduced a D team for the first time despite losing a number of players over the winter. It is really positive to see six new players taking up the game. The newly formed D Team did themselves proud to take 4 games off the visitors.
Marown C look to have stuck together, having introduced a new team last season & will look to improve on last season’s fifth place finish. I am sure they will improve on last season’s league position with an extra year’s experience under their belt.
Ballaugh B made an assured start to their season with a 10-0 win over Finch Hill B with the visitors failing to reach the 100 point mark.
Ladies’ Result Cards
Captains are reminded that match results are to be sent to Matthew via phone, text or e-mail, and the cards to be posted to me immediately after the match. The extra time taken when we cannot enter the results in one sitting is frustrating and could result in a delay in getting them on to the web-site.
Can I also issue my usual instructions on filling in the result cards :
1. Please fill in the names of the two teams at the top of the card. I have already received one card in which this was not done !!
2. Please put in the players full name, not an initial. Also ensure that all the names are on the card.
3. Put in the scores of all games played – in the rush at the end of a match the score for the final game played is often left out.
4. Use capital letters.
5. Both captains should sign the card. – this is not a formality, but says that you both agree that the information on the card re players names and scores, and final totals are correct. Please check that they are before signing.
World Club Championship
Following their Historic title win last season South Ramsey recently travelled to Fox Lane in Leyland to compete in the World Club Championship.
With the competition being played in a straight knockout format South Ramsey were looking to progress in the competition. Unfortunately this wasn’t their day with the team only managing two individual victories and going close in a couple of other games. I am sure the experience will have served them well and no doubt the team will be looking to challenge for the league again this year in an attempt to return next season.
IOMCCGBA withdraw from the County Championship
County In Doubt
It is with deep regret that, following last night’s emergency meeting of the IOM County Management Committee, it has been decided that the Isle of Man will not be able to fulfil its fixtures in the Crosfield Cup this season.
This decision was reached with a heavy heart and after a lot of soul searching. However, it was felt that, given the overwhelming increase in our costs that the collapse of Citywing brought about at such short notice (just 3 weeks ago), to proceed with the fixtures could jeopardise the financial stability of the county association and this was a risk that the committee felt they could not take.
We are immediately looking into alternative plans for the IOMCCGBA’s participation in the Crosfield Cup 2018, which will hopefully be cost effective and sustainable for future years.
We must take this opportunity to thank the BCGBA and the three counties involved in our efforts to hastily arrange alternative arrangements for this season’s fixtures, for a while we thought we could find a way through this disaster, but unfortunately time has been our enemy.
Specific thanks must go to off Island support from John Crowther, Duncan Reeves, Graeme Wilson, Mike Holden and Phil Brown.
Once again many thanks for everyone’s help and support, we are saddened to have to take this decision but we feel it is the best course of action to secure future development and safeguard finances across the whole of the IOMCCGBA.
Neil Withers
Chairman IOMCCGBA
Hands Trophy
There was a small, but select, field gathered at Castletown for the Hands “Non-winners” Trophy which had been held over from the end of last year.
On a sunny afternoon there were some very close matches and some very good bowling on display.
Barbara Young started with a bye, but then went all the way with Rita Callister coming through 21-20. She had a further tough battle with Margaret Tasker in the semi-final, booking her place in the final with another score of 21-20.
In the other half of the draw Paula Firth seemed in control in all three matches on her way to the final, although none of them was easy – 21-13 against Lisa Boland, 21-17 against Celia Joughin and another tough 21-15 against Mary Alderson.
In the final her battles in earlier rounds took their toll on Barbara allowing a determined Paula to come through 21-9 to take the trophy for the fifth time. Does this, in her own words, make her the greatest duffer of all time ?
The presentation was made by Association president, Rosie Winckle, who thanked the Castletown club for the use of the green and their members for their efforts in measuring and stewarding during the afternoon.