Alan Moore is club champion
A good entry of 44 competed for the honour of club champion in the Manx Petroleum sponsored Outdoor Winter League Bowling Club over two days last weekend with the outcome giving three of the main trophies to the same team.
Mean Machine recently wrapped up their eighth league crown, adding the Derek Killey memorial trophy, which was won by Glynn Hargraves and now securing the club championship to the collection, after Alan Moore beat Matthew Keggen from Louie’s Angels.
The first day saw the participants play down to the quarter-finals stage, with the Meanies having three players through in the top half of the draw, and after the openers they had two winners as Stefan Kelly joined Alan in the next round.
Kelly, who is the junior merit winner, beat overall merit holder Hargraves by just two chalks, while his team-mate was victorious in a close encounter against Lyn Bolton (Titans), one of two ladies who were playing on Sunday.
The other, Lynda Cadamy (Erin Porters) who had played extremely well on Saturday, lost out on 15 to Keggen, with the fourth player through being Dave McCabe, who overcame team-mate Alec Taylor, both from Seven-Up.
In the semis Moore and Kelly fought bowl for bowl in their clash until 11 across, but then the victor ran out on a mark, which he played particularly well.
The other game was a much closer affair, after 15 ends and with six on the card to start, it was all level at 16 apiece.
Then at 19-17 in favour of the Angels player, and with his opponent McCabe on for two, which would have levelled things up, he played with pace and after a good contact scored one himself to be within touching distance of a place in the final.
Apart from the start when Keggen fired and killed off the first end, the deciding encounter was a cautious affair and with 11 ends on the card Moore was 9-14 down, all the points having been scored as singles.
The victor then upped his game and took eight of the last 11 ends to run out 21-17 and go one better than his runners-up spot back in 2013, making him just the eighth different winner in 15 seasons.
Results – quarter-finals: Lyn Bolton 18, Alan Moore 21; Stefan Kelly 21, Glynn Hargraves 19; Alec Taylor 14, Dave McCabe 21; Matthew Keggen 21, Lynda Cadamy 15. Semi-finals: Moore 21 Kelly 11; McCabe 18 Keggen 21. Final: Moore 21 Keggen 17.
Just a few days earlier the midweek round robin had a gang of 35 split into two sections, with the trio of Shirley Whelan, Pauline Worrall and Bernard Thackrah taking the spoils by one point ahead of Allan Kennaugh, Derek Cadamy and Tricia Bull, while in third it was Erwin Gelling, Mike Ware and Mike Skelly.
One point separated the doubles group also, with Roy Moore and Ken Clarke pipping Sylvia Kennaugh and Joy Stephens, and they were followed by Lynda Wilson and Bert Quayle.
This weekend will see the final two days of the winter season, beginning with a round robin on Saturday, followed 24 hours later by the Best versus Rest event and prize presentations.
Proceedings will begin at 1pm and taking part in the latter will be the league champions, Mean Machine (Best) and the individual team merit winners, who make up the Rest team.
Representing the challengers will be Mike Thomas (Parkers) captain; Lyn Bolton (Titans); Ady Skinner (Mooragh Lakers); Margie Tasker (Louie’s Angels); Nigel Thomas (Seven-Up); Derek Allen (Erin Porters); Rosie Winckle (Bowl Rollers); Doug Allan (Govags); Tom Collins (Bits n Bobs); John Alderson (Castletown Cannons) and Tracy Moore (Castletown Corkers).
The champions will be joined by Jenny Moore, ladies merit winner, and Matthew Keggen, as club championship runner-up, the remainder of the team are yet to be confirmed.
League prizes are awarded down to fifth and from the quarter-finals onwards in the club championship, so if those concerned can be in attendance to collect their awards it would be much appreciated.