Monthly Archives: August 2019

Derek Killey Memorial Trophy

Onchan Bowling Club hosted the Derek Killey Memorial Trophy with the green once again running well 27 pairs entered the competition.

Taking the win in an entertaining final were the South Ramsey pairing of Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves who defeated Alison Keggen (Noble’s) and Neil Withers (Marown). The South Ramsey pair took the lead 13-7, then maintained a six point lead at 16-10. Keggen and Withers then took a single and a double. From there neither pairing were able to win two consecutive ends, however Keggen and Withers did manage to score two further doubles to bring the score back to 17-18 and were then lying two before Hargraves bowled in twice for the South Ramsey pair to go 20-17 ahead. On the next end Moore led a bowl less than a foot to the side only for Keggen to put one closer still, which wasn’t beaten to bring the score to 18-20 . On the last end with Keggen and Withers lying three for game Hargraves changed his peg and just made enough connection with the jack to take the win 21-18 in a keenly contested final.

Both semi-finals could not have been any closer with Moore & Hargraves taking on Rebecca Teare and Nathan Hamilton with the latter pair fighting back from a 13-18 deficit before eventually losing out 20-21. In the other semi Lyn Bolton and Trevor Quayle also lost to the same score to Keggen and Withers after recovering from a 13-17 deficit to just lose out.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Paula Firth (Noble’s) and Sid Bolton (South Ramsey), Chris Price (Port St Mary) and Dave Kelly (South Ramsey), Dee Lewis (Onchan) and Kevin Firth (Noble’s) along with Lynda and Derek Cadamy (Port Erin).

The presentation was made by Mike Thomas who thanked everyone that had entered, the ladies for running the competition along with the superb refreshments provided. Mike then said that the competition had raised a fantastic amount of £450 for Cruse Bereavement, this amount was then boosted by the runners up and winners handing back their winnings to go towards the donation. When accepting the trophy Elaine said she was pleased to win the trophy played for in memory of Derek Killey, who was well known around the greens, his legacy lives on with the popular outdoor winter league still going strong.

Season draws to a close

It’s hard to believe that the season is almost over in the ladies over 60s league.  This week saw, again,  some great games.

On Tuesday Peel Sunset just lost out at South Ramsey with the northern girls showing their home green strength and the western girls pushing them all the way. 98-95 (3-3).

Just down the road at Mooragh Park the A team secured 3 wins from  Janet Monk, Vicky Lloyd-West and Ellie Cowell in their match against Port St Mary A. The visitors pulled ahead with their 3 wins and a near miss from Wendy Kennaugh gaining them vital points and a win 93-108 (3-3).

Another close match was played at Breagle when Port Erin A were hosts to Onchan. Carol Kaye,  Lynda Cadamy and Jacqui Elliot all won their games but the visitors fought hard with Marilyn Ellison,  Norma Cowell and Dee Lewis gaining maximum points.  However it wasn’t enough and the home side won. Final score 104-97 (3-3).

Marown had a good match when they travelled to the Villa to play Douglas A. 4 wins for the team from Shirley Wilson,  Margaret Scarffe,  Mary Alderson and Phillipa Taylor plus a near miss from Celia Joughin gave the visitors a victory but Douglas A made them fight for it with some great bowls and 2 wins from Brenda Williams and Wendy Cowin plus a near miss from Patsy Rush taking the final score to 97-115 (2-4).

Ballaugh were playing at home against Douglas B. Unfortunately the visitors were 2 players short but Pauline Cowley did secure the depleted team a win. Ballaugh ‘s full compliment had 3 wins from Brenda Bowyer,  Peggy Griffin and Barbara Graham plus 2 walk overs taking the final score to 117-55 (5-1).

Thursdays matches were the penultimate ones for all the teams apart from Mooragh B, who have a sit out next Tuesday. They played their final match at home against their more experienced club players who make up the A team. All the players enjoyed their games with the B team claiming 2 wins from Peggy Freeman and Gill Malpass. Final score 80-114 (2-4).

Peel Sunset were at home to Port Erin A who struggled against the home side on their own green.  However the visitors did get 2 wins from Carol Kaye and Joyce Ogden with Jacqui Elliot just losing out to 18. Lynda Cadamy surprisingly lost her game against Joyce Kelly and moved her to 3rd place in the “merit” just 8 points behind Janet Monk who now occupies 2nd place. The final score in the Peel match was 113-82 (4-2).

Another home derby took place at the Villa between Douglas B and A. 4 players in the B team got to double figures and all the games were played in a very friendly atmosphere but in the end the A team came out on top with a final score of 78-126 (0-6).

In the other matches Onchan v Ballaugh 111-86 (4-2). Marown v Nobles 120-88 (5-1). Port Erin B v Castletown 58- 110 (2-4) and Port St Mary A v South Ramsey 100-82 ( 4-2). And so we enter the final chapter of the season and by the time this actually gets published you will probably all know the league and merit results.  Some clubs have performed very well, some have stayed the same and some are trying hard to improve while encouraging new players, but all clubs have offered the hand of friendship to each other in the true spirit of the game .

Marown March On

In Ellan Vannin Fuels division one Marown A took another step closer to the title with a hard fought 9-1 over visitors Peel A. For the home team Neil Withers won 21-16 against Tommy McMeiken, a result matched by Brian Kelly who seen off former home greener Gary Smith. Captain Paul Dunn inflicted a second league defeat of the season on Andy Kennish with a 21-17 victory, whilst Paul Kelly won 21-18 against Tom Kelly. Matthew Keggen took a 21-19 win against Jerome Surridge. Recording convincing wins were Dean Kipling with a 21-7 win over David Proctor, whilst Colin Kelly seen off Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly with a 21-11 victory. Peel captain Stevie Kelly was the only winner for the visitors with his 21-9 win over John Gelling.

Second placed South Ramsey A kept the pressure on with a 10-0 home win over Castletown A with David Bradford winning 21-1 against Peter Oates, whilst Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly was pushed hard by Dean Kinley before recovering from a 14-18 deficit to win 21-18. Nathan Hamilton came closest to picking up a point for the visitors before losing out 19-21 to James Teare.

Third placed Onchan A fell six points behind South Ramsey after their 2-8 away win against Castletown B. Both wins for the home team were to single figures with George Foy giving Tom Slinger a tough lesson with a 21-3 win, whilst Bob Clark performed well to beat Phil Kerruish with his 21-8 victory. Jordan Cain just got over the line with a 21-20 win over Nathan Cooil to prevent the home team from picking up a further point, whilst Ron Williams lost 18-21 to Mark Kelly.

Marown B kept the bottom two at arm’s length despite losing 6-4 away to North Ramsey A, whilst South Ramsey B made sure the gap didn’t get any bigger losing 6-4 away to Douglas A.

Port St Mary A put their troubles to one side to win 8-2 at home against Noble’s A. Glenn Hargraves picked up his second league win of the season with his 21-12 victory over visiting captain Kevin Firth. Winning for the visitors were Tommy Collister with a 21-14 win over Rob Cooil, whilst Glenn Boland won to the same score against Tim Williams.

In division two league leaders Peel B won 9-1 at home to Port St Mary C to extend their lead to eight points ahead of second placed Ballaugh A who have a game in hand.  The Ballaugh men took a hard fought 4-6 away win against Finch Hill A taking the aggregate by just three chalks (134-137).

Bottom of the table Ballaugh B recorded a surprise 7-3 home win over Port Erin A, whose promotion hopes are now all but over.

The feel good factor from the previous week’s Rayner Plate success carried on with Marown C taking a 7-3 home win over Port St Mary B, whilst Onchan B took a 6-4 home win over Douglas B edging the aggregate by just two chalks, with Onchan’s Mike Thomas leading the individual merit with 15 wins from 15 games played. Peel C recorded an 8-2 win over North Ramsey B.

In division three Noble’s B ended the hopes of South Ramsey C going through the entire season unbeaten taking a 6-4 home win over the runaway league leaders. Port Erin B lost 4-6 at home to Ballaugh C, with the home captain Harry Minor leading the third division individual merit with 14 wins from 15 games played.

Castletown C won 5-3 on games at home to Onchan C, however due to suffering two heavy defeats the town men lost the aggregate by four chalks resulting in a 5-5 draw. South Ramsey D hosted Finch Hill B with the Finch men taking a 3-7 win. Douglas C lost 8-2 at home to Noble’s C with the two home wins coming from Keith Fearnley and John Ferguson.

Marown Retain Club Team Championship

The Club Team Championship was brought to a conclusion at Port St Mary bowling club on Saturday afternoon with the semi-finals being played and the final being held immediately after.

This year the format changed to four doubles and six singles following an increase in the number of players in a team from 11 to 14 with the ladies now eligible to play. The four qualifiers from the group stages were Marown, Noble’s, Peel & South Ramsey.

The change in format seemed popular with a good atmosphere around the green, which attracted over 120 people.

In the first semi-final Noble’s were up against Peel, with Noble’s using seven ladies in their starting line-up. Peel won 6-4 on games, however in this format the matches are decided on chalks, which Peel took comfortably by 31 chalks (179-148). The closest match was between Mary Moffatt (Peel) and David Pease (Noble’s) with Mary taking a 21-19 win. A big factor in swinging the match in Peel’s favour was three wins to single figures with Andy Kennish & David Proctor pairing up to defeat Steve Hall & Jan West 21-4, Tommy McMeiken won 21-7 against Kevin Firth whilst Joyce Kelly beat Terry Bates 21-8. Tom Kelly put in a good performance to defeat Debbie Leece 21-11, whilst for Noble’s Alison Keggen beat Paul Quirk 21-15. Noble’s other three wins all came from their doubles games.

In the second semi-final Marown were pushed fairly closely by South Ramsey who used six ladies in their team. The games won also ended 6-4 in favour of Marown with the chalks favouring Marown by 17 (185-168). There were several close individual encounters with Peter Kelly just getting past Edward Carlyle 21-20, James Kelly & John Kelly were paired together and just got over the line 21-19 against Elaine Moore & Chas Grills, whilst Neil Withers had a tough encounter with Shelley Kennish with Withers winning 21-18. South Ramsey secured two 21-19 wins in the doubles with Lyn Bolton & Stefan Kelly holding off Juan Killip & Colin Kelly, whilst Tony Dugdale & Sid Bolton got home against Philippa Taylor & Rosie Winkle. In the singles Dean Kipling put in a superb display to see off James Teare 21-7, whilst Fiona Kennish did likewise for South Ramsey with a 21-9 victory against Matthew Keggen. Dido Kelly put in a good performance to defeat Paul Kelly 21-12.

The final started immediately after the conclusion of the semi-final matches with Marown heavy favourites to retain the title they took last year. Marown didn’t disappoint putting in a good performance to take control in the first half of the match winning the first five games to take a 44 chalk lead with two big wins in the doubles from John Kelly & Bobby Thorne (21-7) against Mick Kavanagh & David Proctor, whilst Dean Kipling & Paul Kelly won 21-8 against Tom Kelly & Paul Quirk. In the singles Matthew Keggen won 21-10 against Paul ‘Pookie’ Quirk, Rosie Winkle won 21-16 against Harry Kelly, whilst Harry Barton performed well to beat Andy Kennish 21-20.

In the second half Peel managed to pick up three wins with Mary Moffatt & Stevie Kelly teaming up to defeat Peter Kelly & Colin Kelly 21-15, Gary Smith & Peter Greenlees beat Philippa Taylor & Juan Killip 21-12 with Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly picking up a win in the singles with a hard fought 21-17 victory over James Kelly. In the remaining two games John Gelling beat Joyce Kelly 21-11, whilst Neil Withers had to work hard to hold off Tommy McMeiken 21-17. Marown won by a margin of 39 chalks (191-152).

The presentation was made by Association Press Officer Glynn Hargraves who thanked Port St Mary Bowling Club for being such superb hosts for finals day, with the club having helpers on hand to measure and the ladies providing superb refreshments, whilst also wishing the club well with their future. When accepting the trophy the winning captain Paul Kelly thanked his team, whilst also pointing out that it had been a club effort having used 28 players throughout the competition.

Mooragh Park Juniors Help Clinch Big Win

In round 21 of the Ladies Bowling League, it was league leaders Nobles turn to sit out giving their rivals a chance to catch up. As it happens second place Castletown A had to postpone their game due to the weather and will play their re-arranged match on Thursday 22nd August.

Douglas hosted South Ramsey with the away team taking home a deserved win by 67 chalks. Elaine Moore won 21-8, Jenny Moore 21-4, Sue Collier & Moira Anderson 21-10, Lyn Bolton 21-12, Kim Hargraves 21-15 and Fiona Kennsh 21-6. Douglas picked up two wins from Paula Garrett 21-18 and Wendy Cowin 21-19. Match score 117-184 (2-7). The result moves South into second position but Castletown A and Port St Mary A remain close and have a game in hand.

Port St Mary A took on neighbours Port Erin and dropped only 16 chalks on their way to a 173-116 (6-3) victory. Wendy Kennaugh, Jayne Kneen and Margaret Tasker performed well and won to single figures. Ann Maddell, Mavis Franks and Trish Bull also won for PSM. Port Erin’s three winners were Lynda Cadamy, Jean Thackrah and Caroline Whitehead. PSM sit fourth 197 points from the top.

Mooragh Park had a fine home performance to beat Marown by 51 chalks with some great results from their junior members. Victoria Johnson, Aalish Haworth, Vicky Lloyd-West and Rosemary Quirk all won to single figures. Janet Monk, Caroline Parker and Shannon McMullan also picked up wins on the night. Philippa Taylor and Rosie Winckle were the sole winners for Marown with the match ending 159-108 (7-2).

Ballaugh won six of the nine games against Port St Mary B with the home side only able to claim a narrow four-point win. PSM ladies score was bolstered thanks to their three winners coming through to single figures. Brenda Hawkard and Debra Cooper both won 21-9 and Edwina Reid 21-4. Ballaugh winners were Gill Dixon 21-6, Barbara Graham 21-10, Michelle Cubbon & Pat Mason 21-14, Brenda Bowyer 21-18 and Voirrey Oates 21-19. The match finished 148-144 (6-3).

The final match from last week saw Peel Sunset take on Castletown B. Peel picked up their third consecutive win following a 175-128 (6-3) win. Mary Moffatt top scored on the night winning 21-3 with Shirley Corrin, Joyce Kelly, Pat Robertson, Heather Horsburgh and Cath Parker. Jo Robert, Rachel Palmer and Linda Dobinson won for the away side.

Next week could be a defining point in the season as current champions Port St Mary A play their catch up game before their away match against Nobles on Friday. Their catch up game will prove equally as tough against South Ramsey who themselves are pushing to finish in the top three.

Castletown A also has an away match against Douglas and will look to pounce on Nobles should they drop points.

Elaine Moore remains undefeated at the top of the merit. With the merit ranked on points scored she is closely followed by Mary Moffatt (396 – W18 L2), Rebecca Teare (395 – W17 L2) and Jenny Moore (387 – W17 L2).

Hargraves Doubles Up

Onchan Bowling Club hosted the Commissioners Cup for the second any combination doubles of the weekend with the green running well and 33 pairs taking part.

Taking his second win of the weekend and third win in this competition in four years South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves paired up with teammate Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly taking on fellow teammates Alan Moore and Stefan Kelly in an entertaining final with the latter pair just losing out 18-21. Dido Kelly & Moore both played some superb bowls throughout a well contested final.

Both semi-finals were well contested with the home pairing of Maureen Payne and Mike Thomas losing out to the winning pair 17-21, whilst the other semi-final was even closer with another South Ramsey pair Jenny Moore and James Teare reaching the latter stages before losing out 19-21 to the runners up.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were the home pairing of Kelvin McNicholl and Allan Kennaugh, the South Ramsey pairing of Elaine Moore & Steven Waters, Sue Gawne (Onchan) & Brian Kelly (Marown) along with the Marown pair Walter McCarthy & Colin Kelly.

The presentation was made by Kevin Quirk who thanked everyone that had entered, the club members for their help with the running of the competition and the ladies for the superb refreshments. The prizes were then presented by competition secretary Mike Thomas. In his speech Glynn Hargraves commented on the good condition of the green, which had suited them throughout the day.

Bradford Retains Ken Parker Trophy

North Ramsey hosted the Ken Parker Trophy any combination doubles on Saturday with the green holding up well despite the wet weather throughout the day 28 teams took part.

The eventual winners were the South Ramsey partnership of David Bradford and Glynn Hargraves who favoured playing the corners all day, seeing off the North Ramsey/Ballaugh pairing of Allan Callow and Fred Waggett with a 21-10 victory.

Losing out at the semi-final stage were the home pairing of Shannon McMullan and Alex Yates who lost 13-21 despite scoring a four on the first end, they reached the highest score of anyone against the eventual winners.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were the home pairing of Katie Johnson and Vicky Lloyd-West, the South Ramsey pairings of Anthony Kelly & Dave Corkill, Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly & Steven Waters along with mother and son Janet & Rob Monk (Mooragh Park/Onchan).

At the conclusion of play North Ramsey Competition secretary Gary Lenton thanked everyone who had took part, the club members for their help with the running of the competition and the ladies for the refreshments. The prizes were presented by Ken Parker’s son Steve who sponsors the competition. In his speech David Bradford spoke well of Steve’s father Ken who was a well liked member of the bowling community for many years. Bradford managed to retain the trophy having won it with John Kennish last year.

Grace Takes Bill Oliver Junior Title

14 Juniors took part in the Bill Oliver Junior Competition held at Port St Mary on Wednesday.

In the semi-finals Clark Kelly played Grace Gawne with Grace winning 7-5. In the other semi-final Rebekah Kelly came up against Dylan Marsh, with Dylan playing at his best to win 8-4.

In the final the bowls at times would not have been out of place in the senior game, with only 2 points separating the pair at the last end. Grace kept her nerve to win the end and take the overall trophy 12-9.

Medals were presented to all the young bowlers and a replica to the runner up. The winner received the trophy and a replica presented by Roy Oliver who is the son of the original sponsor.

Marown C Stun Port St Mary A

The final of the Rayner Plate took place at Onchan on Friday evening with the expected rain holding off for the majority of the match. The two teams contesting the final were Port St Mary A (+10) who currently occupy seventh place in division one and Marown C (+50) who after being promoted from division three last season sit in a respectable ninth place in division two.

The Port men started as favourites on the night, they got off to a good start with Rob Cooil taking a 21-12 win against Matt Derrick. The first shock of the night came from Crosby man Jamie Joughin who performed brilliantly putting in a man of the match performance to record a stunning 21-8 win over Wayne Roberts. In another shock result James Kelly recovered from a 11-17 deficit to stun Paul Skelly with a superb 21-20 win. The last game off in the first half was a second win for Port St Mary with Bernard Thackrah winning 21-15 against Darren Kerruish. At the half way stage with the 40 chalk handicap included the Crosby men still held a big lead of 39 chalks.

In the second half of the match as the skies darkened the floodlights were put on in front of a good crowd there was plenty of support for both teams around the green. First off in the second half was Port St Mary captain Trevor Quayle who won 21-12 against Kevin Kelly, who did well to reach double figures against the 2018 league merit winner. Next off for Marown was Walter McCarthy who recorded a great 21-16 win over Tim Williams, whilst Marown captain Stephen Rundle battled well before losing out 15-21 to Dave McCabe. With the match and Rayner Plate now secured for the Crosby men Dan Smith put the icing on the cake to win 21-15 with a superb performance against Dan McCabe.

All the plaudits must go to the Marown men who started as the underdogs, however each and every player raised their game, with a C team winning four games against a first division team almost unheard of. The four players that lost for Marown all contributed heavily by reaching double figures with two losses of 12 and two losses of 15 playing a big part in securing their second Rayner Plate win to add to their 2017 success.

The presentation was made by Association Press Officer Glynn Hargraves, who thanked Onchan Bowling Club for the use of the green and for their hospitality. Congratulations were given to the winning team with commiserations offered to Port St Mary. Stephen Rundle was then presented with the trophy with the Marown captain congratulating his team for their superb performance and thanking the club members for their support on the night which made for a great atmosphere around the green.

Zurich International Life Mixed Doubles

Saturday saw a quality field of 35 teams of mixed pairs take to the green at Finch Hill in excellent playing conditions to compete in the Zurich International mixed doubles competition.

With late entries, a pair being scratched and three preliminary matches it was a slow start for many competitors but once we got into the first round it was clear that there were going to be quite a few front runners spread throughout the draw.

First out of the blocks in the top half of the draw was Alan Moore and Shelley Kennish who raced into the quarter finals only dropping five points in three matches which must surely be a record. Philippa and Alec Taylor were also showing good form as they comfortably made their way into the quarter finals with two victories 21-10 and 21-8. Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves had a harder draw as they had to overcome Fiona Kennish and Steve Waters and then James Teare and Jenny Moore to make it into the quarter finals. Sue Gawne and Brian Kelly played well throughout the day but made it into the quarter finals courtesy of wins over Eddie Carlyle and Lil Smith 21-16 and then home favourites Peter and Hazel Hughes 21-15.

In the bottom half of the draw Debbie Leece and Glenn Boland showed good form to make it into the quarter finals with two comfortable wins whilst Wayne Roberts and Joyce Ogden followed them with similar results. Derek Allen and Margaret Tasker eased their way into the quarter finals dropping only seven points in their two matches. Completing the bottom half of the draw was Chris Price and Dave Kelly who had won this event twice in the past three years and they were up against Tina and young Alex Hampson playing in his first competition. What a baptism of fire this was but a great experience also for the youngster and it was great to see Dave chatting to him as they crossed the green together. After the match, which they understandably lost, Alex said he had hoped to win his first match, perhaps not realising the pedigree of their opponents. In their second match Chris and Dave made it into the quarter finals with a 21-11 win over Maureen Payne and Mike Thomas.

In the quarter finals Philippa and Alec Taylor continued their good form with a 21-12 win over Alan Moore and Shelley Kennish. Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves had a closer match with Sue Gawne and Brian Kelly and despite leading 19-12 at one point it took them another eight ends to get over the line 21-19. Wayne Roberts and Joyce Ogden overcame Debbie Leece and Glenn Boland 21-16 in a high scoring rapid fire match. Chris Price and Dave Kelly made quick work of Derek Allen and Margaret Tasker taking just 10 ends to win 21-12.

Philippa and Alec Taylor met Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves in the semi-final and this produced one of the closest matches of the day. The Taylors got off to a great start with a four on the first end and lead most of the first half but after 15 ends it was 20-20 and all to play for. The final end saw Philippa and Alec take the victory with a two.  In the other semi-final Chris Price and Dave Kelly got off to a slow start against Wayne Roberts and Joyce Ogden and after seven ends were 12-9 down but a consistent run of two’s saw them over the line and into the final.

The final was nip and tuck all the way with Philippa and Alec Taylor leading 15-14 at one point but with repeated short ends being played by Chris Price and Dave Kelly and their acceptance of single point ends it was the latter that after eight hours of competition ran out winners for the third time in four years.

The prize presentation was made by Mary Alderson as last year’s winner of the competition on behalf of Finch Hill. Special thanks go to our generous sponsors Zurich International, to our ladies and Frank Christian for keeping everyone fed and watered throughout the afternoon, to John Harris for prepping the green and to all those stewards, measurers and markers who helped make this one of the most successful competitions staged at Finch Hill for many years.