North Ramsey Bowling Club hosted the Ken Parker Memorial Rose Bowl at Mooragh Park on Saturday, with 23 pairs entered on a much improved surface, which was running well.

At the quarter final stage all four games were keenly contested with John Kennish and David Bradford (South Ramsey) beating Glenn Boland and Jordan Cain (Marown/South Ramsey) 21-16. Onchan pair Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker got over the line 21-18 against the home pairing of John Piekalns and Bryan Corner. In the bottom half of the draw Mooragh pair Rob Monk and Paul Allison were trailing 11-16 against Marown pair Philippa Taylor and Lynda Cadamy, as the home duo went on to win 21-18 on a longer length. The closest game of the quarter finals was between South Ramsey’s Dido Kelly and Glynn Hargraves and Marown’s Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly, with the South men edging home 21-19 to take their place in the next round.

It was the end of the road for Quirk and Parker at the semi-final stage, as they were defeated 19-21 to Kennish and Bradford in a keenly contested game. In the other semi-final the home pairing of Monk and Allison were tied 13-13 with Kelly and Hargraves, as the Mooragh men went on to see the game out 21-13.

In the early stages of the final neither pairing was able to get a run of the jack with the score tied 9-9 after six ends, with six singles scored. Kennish and Bradford made their move as they went on to win five of the next six ends scoring heavily to take the lead 18-10.

What looked to be an unlikely comeback from the Mooragh men, after taking two singles, and a four to put the score at 16-18, which was followed by three good singles to put Monk and Allison ahead 19-18. To get into this position Monk had led brilliantly at the front to his own jack, putting pressure on with every bowl played, while Allison came to the rescue when they weren’t counting.

A single was picked up by the South Ramsey men to level the game at 19-19. On the following end Kennish played a short round peg, putting up two great bowls, with Monk taking the time to consider playing a reaching bowl which connected perfectly to count for one. Allison put the pressure on playing a good bowl to count for two, with Bradford saving one to buy another end. On the following end a great lead from Monk over distance ultimately went unbeaten to seal the comeback and a 21-19 victory. A final which was played with great sportsmanship between both pairings in the right spirit.

North Ramsey competition secretary Gary Merrill thanked those who had entered the competition. Ken was a popular member at both North & South Ramsey clubs. Gary introduced Ken’s daughter in law Caroline Parker to present the prizes. Thanks were also given to those that had helped run the competition, for the preparation of the green & running of the afternoon in particular the ladies in the beehive.

The 2025 Apollo mixed doubles comp was held at Finch Hill  in sunny & windy conditions the threat of Storm Floris did not deter the 22 entries. The Preliminary round saw Jamie Box and Debbie Leece (Marown) off to a flying start – “home-greeners” Les Brookes & Lil Smith, Peter Woods & Anne Hon had mixed fortunes with the latter pair narrowly missing out gaining six points when all-but against.

In round one the enthusiastic youngsters Grayse & Martha Blencoe (Mooragh Park) put up a creditable performance against the maturity of Les & Lil; surprise upset when youngsters Sam Quayle & Lacey McMullan (Castleotwn/Mooragh Park) narrowly progressed against the experience of Sid Bolton & Clare Cooper (Marown). Jamie & Debbie’s pairing again triumphed against the in-form Kim Hargraves and Alan Moore (South Ramsey) Willie & Pauline Cowley (Douglas/Ballaugh) saw off the runner up of Saturday’s competition – Brian Kelly & Sue Gawne (Marown/Nobles).

Calmer conditions had set in by the time of the quarter finals which saw two close fought games with remaining” home-greeners” Les & Lil winning by two points over Willie & Pauline and Sam & Lacey by three points over Steve & Judy Kelly (South Ramsey). Although hard fought, in the two other matches James Teare & Jenny Moore and Jamie & Debbie sailed comfortably into the semi-finals.

At the bottom half of the draw the good form of James & Jenny proved too strong for Les & Lil; in the top half of the draw Jamie & Debbie’s accuracy ended Sam & Lacey’s afternoon adventure.

The final was hard fought affair with Jamie & Debbie closing in on the eventual winners whilst they were standing at “all-but” for five ends finally the final bowl of the 20^th end clinched it.

Congratulations to James Teare & Jenny Moore on their victory. Thank you to Chris Reynolds of Apollo Blinds for support & sponsorship; to Joyce Ogden for her competent management of the event and to all Finch Hill members who helped and provided the refreshments.

Published by David Holmes

Last Saturday, 2^nd August saw Onchan Bowling Club host the Derek Killey Memorial Charity Trophy for mixed doubles. The weather was excellent for the 22 teams who entered.

The final was played between Sue Gawne and Brian Kelly (Nobles/Marown) against Kim Hargraves and Dido Kelly (South Ramsey) with both pairs having played the extra game in the preliminary round.  

Jenny Moore and James Teare (South Ramsey), considered strong contenders, were narrowly defeated in the first round by Mike Spooner and Julie Riley (Ballaugh) with a score of 21-18, after Spooner and Riley secured three points on the final end.

Three very close games were contested in the quarter finals with Gawne, and Kelly winning over Breagle Glen pair Anita and Wayne Roberts 21-19. Spooner and Riley couldn’t quite repeat their first round going down this time 18-21 to Debbie Leece and Jamie Box (Marown).

In the third quarter final Rose and Tom Waterworth (Ballaugh) edged out Cherise Fiahlo and Matthew Keggen 21-19 (Marown). In the last quarter final Hargraves and Kelly had a decisive win over Ballaugh’s Edward Trustham and Michele Cubbon 21-8.

The first semi-final was a close game at 11-11 until Gawne and Kelly picked up a single, three two’s and a three to beat Leece and Box 21-11. In the other semi-final the Waterworth’s were leading 15-9 over Hargraves and Kelly then lost a four, three singles, a two and finally a three going down 9-21.

In the final Hargraves and Dido Kelly were leading 16-6 after just seven ends played (with 5 handicap). Gawne and Brian Kelly took four points in the next three ends to make it 10-16 but Hargraves and Kelly replied with the same scores in the next three ends to make it 20-10. Once again Gawne and Kelly replied with singles on the next three ends to make it 13-20 but ran out of steam going down 21-13.

The presentation of the trophy and prize money was made by Onchan Bowling Clubs President Kevin Quirk who congratulated the finalists and thanked those who had helped to run the competition.

The winners and runners up kindly donated their winnings to this years charity which is the Parkinsons Disease Society Isle of Man. This added to the entrance fees, catering profit and a donation from the club came to £400.  A big thank you to all who entered.

Published by David Tait

The Isle of Man Team took part in the 2025 BCGBA Senior Supplementary County Championship which was held on Sunday at Fleetwood Bowling Club. The day started in wet conditions, with the wind playing a factor for the first two rounds of matches.

Drawn in Group 1, the opposition was tough with Staffordshire, North Midlands and Cheshire awaiting. The matches were played for on chalks with two points for a win, and one for a draw.

In the first round of matches the eight man team were up against Staffordshire, with the Manx men winning by 13 chalks (149-136). Peter Jones won 21-20 against Paul Evans, Neil Withers also crept home 21-19 against Reece Farr, with the latter hitting a high percentage of his strikes as the Marown man kept his composure to see the game out having trailed 13-19. Tom Kelly performed brilliantly leading 16-5 against Daryl Handley, as he went on to win 21-12 to give the Manx men an eight chalk lead at the halfway point.

The second half of the match saw Colin Kelly win 21-8 against Owen Evans, while Paul Dunn beat Kevin Hocknall 21-14. The five wins helped the team to secure the two points to get their day off to a good start.

In their second round match North Midlands were the opposition, they managed to share four individual games with the winners being Neil Withers who stormed to a 21-12 win against Ronan Allen, Glynn Hargraves wasn’t far behind as he beat Tyler Dewes 21-13, David Bradford won 21-16 against Jordan Badderley, while Paul Dunn beat Matt Horton 21-14. Tom Kelly lost out 18-21 after a good battle with Will Beal, while Colin Kelly lost out 20-21 to Max Jefferson. The chalks went in favour of the Island men by 10 (149-139) to put the team on four points and sitting in top spot after two games played.

In their final match they faced Cheshire. The team knew a win or a draw would guarantee safe passage to a first ever final, with a defeat leaving them in the unenviable position of relying on results in the other game. This fixture turned out to be their closest as they managed to secure a win by just three chalks (145-142) despite losing 3-5 on games, which says a lot about the games they did win and the chalks scored by the players who lost. Losing out 18-21 were John Kennish and Tom Kelly, with the former having a tough day at number one, but scoring well in each game as he lost to Richard Peach, while Tom lost out to Simon White. The three winners for the Island Team were Matthew Quirk who beat Nathan Brown 21-13, Neil Withers kept his 100% record going with a 21-15 win over Andy Gregory, as did Paul Dunn who was the last man on the green needing to win to 21-12 or better, he took any tension out of the situation with a 21-9 win over Darren O’Hanlon.

Taking six points from the group stages was enough to top the group with a chalks difference of +26. Staffordshire were runners up in the group with four points and a slightly better chalks difference of +28.

Group 2 consisted of Shropshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, and Merseyside with the latter topping the group to take their place in the final.

The final got underway with the first four games played on the green that the Manx men had been on all day. Tom Kelly didn’t get the chalks to reflect his performance as he lost 12-21 to Matt Gilmore, Paul Dunn had a battle with Stephen Glover only to lose out 17-21, Neil Withers picked up Manx win number one in the final as he trailed Phil Lee 15-17, finishing the game strongly with three doubles to win 21-17. Glynn Hargraves trailed 8-17 against Danny Barwise, with the former picking up another eight chalks to lose out 16-21.

The second half of the match moved to Green 2, with the Merseyside men building on the 14 chalk lead that they had built up from the first four games. Wayne Ditchfield won 21-5 against John Kennish to put the Merseyside men into a 30 chalk lead, to all but put the match beyond any doubt. Next off was Peter Jones who lost 15-21 to John Finch, swiftly followed by Matthew Quirk 12-21 to Andy Hayes. The last match off saw David Bradford recover from a 14-18 deficit to win 21-19 against Nick Burridge as the team lost by 43 chalks 119-162, picking up their second win of the match, as the Merseyside men took a deserved win.

The Isle of Man Team who were managed by Bob Clark and assisted by Nicola Kneale outdid any performance of any Manx team over the years as they reached the final, they can be proud of their performance to win all three group games and reach the final of this competition. Thanks must also go to Bob and Nicola for their efforts on the lead up to the day, especially on the day, with the incoming storm leading to a change in travel arrangements at short notice.

A great team effort overall, with Paul Dunn winning three out of four games, while teammate Neil Withers won all four games. The performance by the team and support from the supporters throughout the day was superb.

Douglas Bowling Club hosted both the Mens & Ladies Jaks Group Douglas Town Cups on a very tricky Villa Marina Green this Sunday, on what was a great day for bowls, despite a couple of minor showers.

The green was in fantastic condition and running faster than much of what we’ve seen on the Island this year. In fact I would say, especially in the early stages, the playing surface was each bowlers toughest opponent. Changing weather conditions mean a changing green and the winners were those who adapted the best throughout the day.

Clare Cooper of Marown reigned supreme in the ladies competiton beating the prolific Janet Monk (Mooragh Park) 21-14 in a high quality final. Both players were excellent all day but Clare really had the bit between her teeth in the final and ran out the deserved winner.

Defending champion Paula Garrett (Douglas) went out 21-15 at the semi final stage to our eventual winner whilst Janet ended the charge of Breagle’s Margie Tasker 21-14.

Just falling short at the quarter finals stage were Martha Blencoe (Mooragh Park), Lyn Bolton (Marown), Jane Lothian (Douglas) & Trish Bull (Breagle Glen) .

Trevor Quayle (Breagle) won the coveted trophy for a second time halting the efforts of Paul Dunn (Marown) who is still to add this title to his ever growing resume. The game was nip and tuck in the early stages but Trevor found tip gear and accelerated to a 21-15 win.

It was great to see two seasoned veterans having a great run to the semi-finals with Steve Parker (Onchan) going down 21-9 to Dunn whilst home greener Keith Rise turned in a battling performance to narrowly lose out 21-18 to Quayle.

Neil Withers, Paul Kelly, Peter Greenlees ( all Marown), and Merv Sayle (Douglas) all had good days before dipping out in the quarters.

At the conclusion of the event Mark Kneen thanked Jaks Group for their continued support and introduced Steve Pickett who presented the prizes on behalf of the sponsor.

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the Roy Williamson Memorial Cup Junior Boys competition on Saturday morning, with a good standard of bowls from the Juniors.

With nine entries Arran Dunn beat Alex Colquitt to reach the quarter finals in the only preliminary round game.

The first quarter final saw Sam Colquitt beat Arran Dunn 21-18. Sam Quayle lost out 20-21 to Clark Kelly. In the bottom half of the draw Freddie Palmer beat Bertie Moss 21-7, while Alex Hampson won 21-11 against Archie Dunn.

In the semi-final both games were straightforward wins as Colquitt won 21-12 against Kelly, while Hampson beat Palmer 21-10.

The final swung one way and then the other as Colquitt took the first four ends. By end 20 Hampson held a one chalk lead at 13-12. A six end winning run saw Colquitt go within touching distance of the trophy to lead 20-13. Five consecutive singles for Hampson, saw the deficit close to just two chalks, only for Colquitt to score the single needed to secure a 21-18 victory to win the trophy for the first time.

The presentation was made by Tina Hampson, with Roy’s wife Jacqueline Williamson presenting the prizes to all competitors.

The Kennish Cup took place at South Ramsey Bowling Club on Sunday afternoon with 38 pairs taking part, with the competition played for a second time in an any combination doubles format. The competition was once again sponsored by Voice Over Sarah Hart.

Losing out in the quarter finals were home greeners Toby Hart and Alan Moore 16-21 to Marown pair Peter Jones and Glenn Boland. Ballaugh’s Shay and Tom Waterworth lost out 19-21 to Andy Kennish and Lee Dawson (Peel/South Ramsey). In the other half of the draw John Kennish and David Bradford (South Ramsey) won 21-15 against Kieran Krypner and Nathan Hamilton (Castletown), while an all South Ramsey tie was won 21–8 by Glynn Hargraves and Dido Kelly against Jenny Moore and James Teare.

In the semi-finals Boland and Jones eased through their game with Andy Kennish and Lee Dawson, having trailed 7-12 the Marown men scored heavily over six ends to win 21-12, while John Kennish and Bradford finished the game strongly to win 21-15 against Hargraves and Kelly.

The final got underway with the Marown pair winning the first three ends to lead 10-5, then the lead went to 12-7 after six ends. Some heavy scoring over distance in tough conditions saw Kennish and Bradford score 10 chalks with two three’s and a full house (four) to take the lead 18-14. By this point the rain had become particularly heavy, it took three singles for the South Ramsey men to see the game out 21-14 as they retained the trophy.

The presentation was made by South Ramsey Chairman Steve Moore, who thanked the sponsors for supporting the competition, the ladies for the catering, the team who helped run the competition, along with the measurers. James Teare then presented the prizes on behalf of the sponsors.

Ballaugh Bowling hosted the Spar Mixed Doubles on Sunday afternoon with a superb entry of 51 pairs taking part, with the glorious weather continuing from the following day. The green was in excellent condition, proving tricky for the 102 bowlers taking part.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Sue Gawne and Brian Kelly (Noble’s/Marown) 12-21 to South Ramsey pair Jenny Moore and James Teare, Shannon McMullan and Joe Kneale (North Ramsey) got the better of Ballaugh pair Lynn Mayers and Stephen Swift 21-20. In the other half of the draw Michele Cubbon and Ed Trustham got over the line 21-19 against Kian Bradford and David Bradford (South Ramsey) 21-19, while another home pair Louise and Nigel Tebay lost 14-21 to Helen Withers and Karl Parker.

The first semi-final saw Moore and Teare up McMullan and Kneale, as the former pairs greater experience paying off with a 21-11 win. In the other semi-final the home hopes ended with Cubbon and Trustham losing out 15-21 to Withers and Parker.

The final started with the Marown pair edging ahead by one point 11-10 after seven ends, with the South Ramsey duo going on to win three consecutive ends, scoring a two, a three and a single to go ahead 16-11. A change in the playing order saw Parker go up, this seemed to have an immediate impact as they scored a three to close the deficit to two chalks at 14-16.

Jenny and James put an end to any hopes of a win, as they managed to see the game out with two doubles and a single, in between conceding a single as they wrapped up the game with a 21-15 victory to lift the trophy once more.

The presentation was made by Ballaugh Assistant Competition Secretary Mark Dimsdale, who thanked Julie Reilly and the club members for helping run the competition along with the ladies for providing the catering throughout the day.

In the Ladies main event Jenny Moore etched her name further into the history books, smashing more records along the way as the South Ramsey favourite picked up her fourth festival title following her previous successes in June 2016, September 2021 & 2023.

What made this win more impressive, due to previous success in the festival, is that Moore was four points back on all her opponents, starting off +1, with Jenny incredibly facing the prospect of being off -2 in the September festival, with the winner being docked three chalks for picking up the title.

With Moore having to score 20 chalks to her opponents 16 chalks to win, a good start was vital as Jenny took on her biggest rival on the Island for several years Janet Monk (Mooragh Park), as the four-chalk deficit was swiftly turned into a three-chalk lead after six ends to lead 9-6.

Jenny only relinquished the lead once from this point, crucially did not trail as the game was level at 13-13 after 14 ends. Jenny made her move once more scoring five chalks over three ends on a longer length to lead 18-13. Janet went on to pick up two singles, only for Moore to jump in with a double to restore her five-chalk lead at 20-15.

As Jenny headed for the corner, a good two bowls from Janet saw a glimmer of hope for Monk, as the Mooragh Park player headed to the crown. The Mooragh Park bowler picked up another single to close the score to 18-20. Monk then headed from the crown back to the corner. With nerves of steel Moore bowled in with a great last bowl to secure her second June festival title and fourth overall.

Whilst receiving the £1,250 first prize, Jenny also received the visitiom.com trophy for being the furthest local lady. Janet could console herself with the runners up prize of £625.

In the semi-finals Jenny put paid to the challenge of Clair Russell (Alkincoats PWA) with a 21-10 win, whilst Janet had a battle on her hands with Elaine Moore (South Ramsey), with the latter leading 14-9 Janet used all her experience to overturn the deficit and book her place in the final with a 21-17 victory.

Moore started her day with a comfortable 21-9 victory over previous festival winner Alexis Lunn-Gadd (Ossett Flying Horse), whilst Russell beat rising star Alex Edmondson (Pudsey BC) 21-14. In the other half of the draw Monk held off Emma Earlam 21-16 (Castle Sports & SC), whilst Elaine overturned a 10-16 deficit against Jayne Kent (Meersbrook BC) to edge home 21-20.

Having picked up the Tourism Title on Thursday morning, it is believed that Jenny is the first to achieve the feat of winning the ladies June main event and Tourism Title in the same week, and only the third person to do this overall following Katrina Caley (Bentley Colliery) in September 1995, and Jane Jones (Wirral) in September 1994. The week saw Jenny go 14 singles games unbeaten – seven games in the Main event giving her opponents a four-chalk head start and a further seven games in the Tourism.

Ladies Tourism

The Ladies Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 2 green, with Jenny Moore setting herself up nicely for the last 32 in the main event on Thursday afternoon, with a hard fought and nail-biting 21-20 victory over Louise Cotton (Wrockwardine Wood). Moore had led 17-8 at one point in the game, looked to be cruising only for Cotton to get hold of the jack to pull the deficit back to one chalk at 16-17 after 15 ends. Jenny got back in at the right time to maintain her lead, however both players alternated winning ends from this point until the end of the game for the score to be tied at 20-20. Cotton led out and played a good lead bowl approximately 18 inches past the jack. Showing no sign of pressure Jenny played a front toucher gently nudging the jack to count one for game. Louise was unable to beat this, which sealed the Tourism title for Jenny.

Moore reached the final thanks to a 21-15 win over Jayne Kent (Meersbrook BC), whilst Cotton finished her game with Hazel Borradaile (Netherfield BC) strongly to get over the line 21-19.

In the quarter finals Moore beat Katie Morgan (Denby Grange) 21-14, whilst Kent beat Sharron King (Kirkham) 21-12. In the other half of the draw Cotton started her day with a 21-15 win over Karen Hill (New Mill), whilst Borradaile just got over the line 21-20 against Caroline Bushell (Lindal BC).

One of the biggest events on the bowls calendar – The Isle of Man June Bowls Festival took place this week, with the event attracting well over 500 entries in both the men’s and ladies’ events, as entries continue to improve, with the weather from Wednesday to Friday perfect conditions for the visiting bowlers to bask in the sun. The spectators were treated to an entertaining finals day to cap off a superb week.

In the Men’s event it was Callum Wraight (Llanrwst BC) who picked up his first June Isle of Man Festival win, despite having won the Isle of Man September Festival in 2021, the June title was the one he really wanted. Wraight now has all the top U.K. titles on his C.V.

Wraight took home the winners’ cheque for £3,200 and lifted the famous trophy as he beat local man Matthew Quirk (Onchan) 21-13. Quirk made a positive start scoring on the first end, on the second end he was counting for two only for Wraight to kill the end with one of his renowned strikes. A further single was scored by the Onchan man to lead 7-5. Wraight got in on the following end with a perfect bowl to score his first point of the game.

Wraight got into his stride playing his customary short marks to take the lead 14-9, with the local man never far away. Quirk started to find his way back into the game, closing the deficit to three chalks at 11-14 after 12 ends. The 13^th end was decided by a measure with Wraight picking up the point, whilst the following end saw all four bowls finish on the same line with Matthew scoring to trail 12-15. A poor end followed to gift wrap a cheap double for Callum, with Quirk missing the opportunity to double up himself on the following end.

A single from Wraight saw him lead out at 18-13, with Quirk playing a great bowl. What happened next will be remembered for a long time. A full-blown strike and direct hit from Wraight saw the side of Quirk’s bowl smash and fly up in the air, in what must be a first in a major final. Almost unnoticed the jack eventually rolled off the green to kill the end. The rules allow for bowls to be changed during a game – if a bowl is damaged. Whilst a replacement pair of the same make of bowls and weight were sourced it led to a short break in the game.

With play back underway, Wraight scored a single from the corner, then played an even shorter length on the following end as the Shropshire man secured the two points needed to lift the June title for the first time and with it the cheque for £3,200.

Wraight reached the final with a comfortable 21-11 win over previous Festival winner Phil Lee (St Mary’s) taking 16 ends to claim the win, whilst Quirk progressed with a 21-16 victory over Dean Missere (Sheffield), with the former scoring more consistently over the course of the game.

The quarter finals saw Wraight get his day off to a dream start with a 21-6 win over James Fitzpatrick (West Kirby Vics), as the Merseyside man only managed to score one chalk with a running bowl on the second end of the game. Despite both players preferring a shorter length the Shropshire man dominated the game. Lee reached the next round with a 21-14 win over Martin Gaut (Wrockwardine Wood), whilst in the other half of the draw Quirk eased to a 21-8 victory over Gareth Lally (Crossgates) with a great display. Missere also made safe passage to the semi-finals with a 21-12 win over Peter Jones Llanrwst BC).

Quirk picked up the George Craine Trophy as the only local bowler to reach finals day, whilst he also took home a cheque for £1,250 for his efforts throughout the week.

At the presentation Wraight thanked the Department of Economic Development for their continued support of the event, expressed his pleasure at finally achieving the Holy Grail in Crown Green Bowls, having now secured all the top titles to be won in the game.

Men’s Tourism 

The Men’s Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 1, and it was Chris Kelly (Thongsbridge) who picked up the Tourism title to see off Kevan Shaw (Red Lion), with Kelly taking a five-chalk lead at 14-9, Shaw fought back to close the deficit to one chalk at 14-15. The Thongsbridge man shortly put paid to any hopes of a win for Shaw, as he picked up the Tourism Title with a 21-16 victory.

In the semi-finals Kelly took on Callum Wraight (Llanrwst BC) the man who would go on to lift the main event the following day, making light work of Wraight. Despite losing the first two ends, 11 consecutive scoring ends from Kelly, with five doubles and six singles saw the Thongsbridge man romp home 21-8, whilst Shaw beat Conor Chamberlain (Stretton- Anglesey) 21-14.

In the quarter finals Kelly started his morning with a battle against Joshua Mordue (Pudsey BC) taking the win 21-17. Wraight beat Jon Edmondson (Heckmondwike BC). In the bottom half of the draw Shaw had the closest game of the round with a 21-18 victory over James Davison (Thongsbridge), whilst Chamberlain made light work of Ryan Marks (Wirral) with a 21-7 win to progress to the next round.

Other Events 

The Men’s consolation was won by Dan Edmonds (Dalton Cricket Club) who beat Gareth Coates (Ackroydon Victoria) 21-20 in the final, having led 20-16 with Coates fighting back to 20-20 only for Edmonds to get the one chalk required. Edmonds beat Paul Bradley (Fairfield) 21-17 in the semi-final, whilst Coates had a comfortable 21-11 win over Ian Howard (Meanwood BC).

The Ladies consolation final was more straightforward for the winner Sarah Weaver (Wrockwardine Wood) who beat Jessica Pickthall (Lindal BC) 21-10 in the final, with the latter scoring four singles. Weaver reached the final courtesy of a 21-10 win over Diane Harrison (Lune Road), whilst Pickthall took her place in the final with a 21-14 win over Natalie Sanderson (Crossgates BC).

The Visit.Com Flyer title went to Callum Wraight (Llanrwst BC) who had a warmup on the green ahead of the men’s main final, as he made light work of Dave McCabe (Douglas) 9-1, whilst the Last Chance Mixed Final was won 21-20 by Andy Gregory (Comberbach) in a final that went to the wire against Harry Hargreaves (Two Gates).

In the doubles competitions the Open doubles was won by Michael Coupe (Wirral) and Rob Fitzpatrick (Lever Club), following an entertaining final against Neil Withers and Paul Dunn (Marown), which went all the way 11-10. Both semi-finals were keenly contested as Coupe and Fitzpatrick reached the final with a 11-9 win over Chris Mordue (Pudsey BC) and Gaz Lally (Crossgates BC), whilst Withers and Dunn got over the line 11-10 against Phil Lee (St Mary’s) and Louis Fazakerley (St Mary’s).

The Men’s doubles final saw an emphatic 11-1 win for Ian Hazlehurst (Wirral) and Phil Lee (St Mary’s) who retained the title they won in June 2024 as they beat Simon Walder (Crossgates BC) and Gareth Coates (Ackroydon Victoria). Hazlehurst and Lee won their semi-final 11-5 against Barry Simm (Lune Road) and Gareth Jones (Dalton Cricket Club), whilst Walder and Coates booked their place with a 11-8 victory over James Fitzpatrick (West Kirby Vics) and Paul Roberts (West Kirby).

The Ladies doubles final saw a good tussle with Sharon Rigden and Clair Russell up against Carly Williams and Paula Gamon, with the latter pair leading 6-0, only for Rigden and Russell to get over the line 11-8. The winning pair got through to the final with a hard fought 11-9 win over Emma Earlam (Castle Sports & SC)) and Wendy Allen (Castle Sports & SC), whilst the losing finalists were run closer again, with a 11-10 win over Sharon Gadd (Ossett Flying Horse) and Amanda Nicholas (Gresford Colliery).

Winning the Mixed pairs were Carly Williams (Comberbach) and Colin Crawford (Two Gates BC) with an emphatic 9-1 win over Tricia Bull (Breagle Glen) and Steve Shannon (Woodlands Park). Williams and Crawford progressed to the final with a 9-5 win against Suzanne Sinclair (Lowther Gardens BC) and Paul Moore (Chesterfield), whilst a 9-7 win for Bull and Shannon over Emma Earlam (Castle Sports & SC) and Barry Simm (Lune Road) booked their place in the final.