Yearly Archives: 2016
Ladies’ over 60’s Tuesday 19 April
It was a full house for Noble’s this week, in the Trend sponsored over 60’s league, as Breagle were two players short. Lin Ruscoe and Pat Robertson won to single figures, but Sonja Lees had a much tougher battle before coming through 21-19 against Joyce Henry. There were some close games when Port Erin hosted Ballaugh with five matches going to double figures. Carol Kaye won to single figures for the home side, Peggy Griffin and Jenny Maddrell being the two winners for the visitors. Ann Gale almost added a third game, reaching 19 against Jackie Elliott. In the west, Peel Sunset had a comfortable win over Onchan with Joyce Kelly and Heather Horsburgh winning to single figures. The two winners for Onchan were Maureen Payne and Flo Kelly who edged out Mona Kerruish 21-20.Port St Mary A had a tough battle on their hands when they visited Douglas. All six games went to double figures, and although the two teams were locked at three games each the home side just had the advantage on points. It was a good day for Marown with a 4-2 advantage over Villa. It was also the start of a good week for Shirley Whelan as she won to single figures. The closest game of the match saw Pat Kelly come through 21-18 against Maureen Quilliam. Port St Mary B and Castletown ended level on games with all the away players reaching double figures. Castletown finished with the advantage on points partly due to Anne Oates’ win to single figures.
Isle of Man County Team Announced
Isle of Man County Squad 2015
It’s hard to believe that this is our second year in the Senior County Championships, the highest level of the team game, and after some strong performances last year I genuinely believe we can go from strength to strength as we search for our first overall match victory.
There are some exciting new initiatives this year; however, one constant that allows us to make this happen is the partnership we have with main team sponsor Paddy Power. Our thanks go to them once again as without them we would not be able to make this project happen and literally wouldn’t be able to get off the ground to travel to the UK.
I am also delighted to announce that we have a new partner for this initiative in the form of West Coast Fitness, whose name will become synonymous with performance excellence as soon as they open the doors to their new purpose built Gym in Peel on 29 April, symbolically the weekend of our first match. As well as being match day sponsor for all 3 home games they will sponsor a new 40 player super league which will play a pivotal role as a development and selection tool for the Islands top players. More information will follow on this new and exciting venture but our thanks go to them for the belief they are showing in supporting us.
Once again Gellings will sponsor our man of the match awards and we can’t thank them enough for their continued support as it has been so important as we start our journey at the top level.
Our First Match will be on 1st May against Merseyside with the home leg being played at Onchan Park and the away leg being played at Unison Bowling Club in St Helens. Thanks and praise must go to Onchan Commissioners as their hard work in getting the green in excellent condition is one of the main reasons we have chosen this venue and hopefully if we can get as many people down to support our team as possible this will repay them.
| Home Team | Away Team |
|---|---|
| Name (Playing Order) | Name (Playing Order) |
| John Kennish | Dean Kipling |
| Glynn Hargraves | Kevin Quirk |
| Neil Withers | Matthew Keggen |
| Paul Skelly | Phil Kerruish |
| Trevor Quayle | Paul Dunn |
| Ian Moore | Aaron Clark |
| Peter Collister | Alan Moore |
| Stuart Garrett | Matthew Quirk |
| Ewan Cooil | Jordan Cain |
| Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly | Paul Kelly |
| Phil Kelly | John Gelling |
| Colin Kelly | Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly |
| Reservers (Alphabetical) | Reservers (Alphabetical) |
| David Cain | Michael Collister |
| Robbie Cooil | Gary Conwell |
| Juan Hargraves | Merv Sayle |
| Mark Moorley | Adrian Skinner |
| Chris Oates | |
| Jerome Surridge |
Un’B’lievable Performance by Douglas
The much anticipated first set of fixtures of the new Ellan Vannin Fuels men’s league got underway on Monday evening, and it more than lived up to the billing of an exciting new era for the local game.
The performance of Douglas B was on par with the exciting new partnership the Grown Green Bowls Association is forging with Ellan Vannin Fuels as the firm have agreed sponsorship support which will help promote and further the domestic game as the sport strives to reach unparalleled heights.
This ground breaking sponsorship agreement sees the Peel firm put their name to three of the associations premiere competitions in the shape of the Ellan Vannin Fuels Men’s League, Ellan Vannin Fuels Mixed League and Ellan Vannin Fuels Isle of Man Junior Championships. All of these competitions are vital for future development across all levels of our sport and we look to a fruitful partnership which I am sure will flourish for all involved.
Douglas B hosted reigning champions Onchan A, in their first game in the top flight since securing promotion last season, and there were a couple of questions on everyone’s lips. Do the champions have enough fire power in their arsenal to defend their title after a couple of changes in personnel and will the newly promoted side have what it takes to avoid the dreaded drop?
Whilst last weeks match does not give us definitive answers the Villa Men’s staggering victory must at least raise a few eyebrows of everyone else in the league and the signs look good as they set sail in the unchartered territory of the first division. Douglas B should be really proud of what was a magnificent team performance as it is the win on aggregate which is truly remarkable with every single point making a difference. Similarly, an under par Onchan A will hope to put this behind them and bounce back this week as they entertain Ballaugh A.
Douglas A didn’t share the good fortune of their B team and travelled to the highly fancied South Ramsey A team who were just too strong for them on the night. South will hope to pile the pressure on early doors to show the other teams around them that they mean business and are here to stay. It really wouldn’t surprise me if we see their name on the trophy come the end of the season.
Early leaders Marown A will be hoping to put a stop to that sort of talk and their 9-1 win away from home at Ballaugh A will go some way to doing that. Marown have a settled side and are course and distance men. If Onchan don’t bounce back quickly they could be the team with the staying power required to lift a trophy.
Port St Mary A are another team that will hope to do well this season and last year’s third placed outfit were made to fight all the way for a 7-3 home victory over division 2 champions South Ramsey B.
Port Erin A will be delighted to have got off to a winning start and a 7-3 victory over Nobles A is a good performance. They have nicely balanced team this year which will make Breagle Glen a difficult place to visit this year.
There was a thriller at Finch Hill in the final first division fixture of the round with the home side taking the win on games 5-3 but losing out by one point on aggregate 146-147 for Castletown A to seal the extra points and a 5-5 draw overall.
Castletown B got off to a flyer on their return to division two and were just too strong for Ballaugh B running out 9-1 winners at the Crofts. If they want to bounce straight back up to division one results like this will do their chances no harm at all.
Peel A won the Sunset City derby beating their B team 7-3 in a close match. Peel A are another team with aspirations of promotion and picking up points in their home games will be vital to their cause.
The Onchan derby finished in a similar fashion with the B team sealing a solid 7-3 victory over their C team. Onchan B will be there or there about in the shakeup at the end of the season and they will be hoping to bring this form with them this week on their travels to Port St Mary C.
There were some big performances in the third division but none more notable than at the memorial playing fields in Crosby where the newly formed Marown C picked up a magnificent 8-2 win over Peel D, with all but 1 of their players making their competitive debuts.
It is wonderful to see a team littered with new players making an immediate impact on proceedings and it is a testament to the growth and development at Marown in recent years as only a few years ago they had to drop their B team due to a shortage of players. How times change. I wish the C team and the club every success with this initiative and I get the feeling this plucky band of newbies may turn a few heads as the season progresses.
Port Erin B and Douglas C wont let them have things their own way though and both picked up impressive 8-2 wins of their own, with Douglas topping the tree on aggregate. This has been the most exciting division in recent memory and I expect this season to be no different with the lead swapping hands more than the baton in a relay competition at the Olympics.
Win by Manx ladies at Blackpool
Philippa Taylor, from Peel Sunset, and Jean Thackrah, from Port Erin, joined forces to enter the Ladies’ Doubles at the Blackpool Spring Festival played at the Waterloo in March. In a strong field they came through to win (meeting Pat Lonsdale,well known from our Festivals, in the final).
Congratulations to both ladies!
British Ladies’ Individual Merit Qualifier
There was a field of eight for the British Crown Green ladies’ merit qualifier played at Finch Hill on Sunday 17 April. The weather stayed fair and at times there was a hint of warmth in the sun.
The games started at the quarter-final stage and some players got to grips with the green more quickly than others.
Quarter-finals: Debbie Leece 21, Lil Smith 15; Sylvia Kennaugh 21, Mary Alderson 14; Rosie Winckle 21, Shirley Whelan 10; Elaine Moore 21, Helen Martin 14.
In the semi-final Elaine got off to a flyer against Rosie, at one point leading 16-5. Although the game was more even from that point Rosie had left herself too much to do and Elaine came through 21-11. The other semi-final was a game of two halves as Sylvia streaked into a 16-6 lead. Debbie then took control to level things at all-but across, but it was Sylvia who took the next point to win 21-20 and progress to the final.
In the final Elaine took control, and despite Sylvia’s best efforts she could make little impact on Elaine’s progress.
Final: Elaine Moore 21, Sylvia Kennaugh 8
The presentation was made by Association president, Rosie Winckle, who thanked those who had taken part, and those who came to spectate. Special thanks went to Anne Caine who had come along to open up and to make the very welcome teas and coffees.
Elaine will be representing the island at Owley Wood Recreation Club, Northwich, on Saturday 9 July
Ladies’ league Friday 15 April
It is a very rare event for a team to score the maximum 189 points in the C Tarleton Hodgson sponsored ladies’ league but it was a feat achieved by two teams on Friday 15 April. Port St Mary won all nine games against Marown with three players winning to single figures, while Mary Alderson came closest to spoiling their party, reaching 19 against Kath Looney.. Five Ballaugh players won to single figures when they recorded a full house against Onchan whose best scores were achieved by Rita Callan, who reached 18 against Ann Gale, and Leslie Nicholl who scored 19 against Alison Millard. Last year’s runners up, South Ramsey, were in no mood for leniency towards the team who finished just behind them. Castletown could manage only two wins, by Hannah Drewett and Hilary Kermode, both to single figures, while their opponents won five of their seven games to single figures. It was closer in the west where Peel Sunset won 5-4 on games against Douglas. Some of the games were very close, and Sarah Quirk. making her second appearance of the year for the westerners played particularly well to reach 19 against Paula Garrett. It was also 5-4 at Port Erin where all the home players reached double figures, the toughest game of the match saw Lynda Cadamy come through 21-18 against Chris Price. Mooragh Park had a tough struggle against Noble’s, winning just three games, but with so many new players the rebuilding of the team must be on the way up.
Ladies’ night league 8 April
It was a miserable night on Friday but all games went ahead despite the rain which got heavier as the evening progressed. Leading scorers were South Ramsey, 6-3 ahead on games with four of their players winning to single figures. The three winners for Ballaugh were Ann Gale, Mary Simmonds and Christine Mc Donald. Mooragh Park also passed the 170 point mark against a depleted Onchan side, with the home side having two winners in Maureen Payne, to single figures, and Rita Callan. Despite a narrow 5-4 win on games, with three of their players winning to single figures, and Wendy Cowin reaching 20 against Celia Joughin, Douglas had a comfortable win on points against Marown. Over in the west, Peel Sunset won 7 games, Joyce Kelly’s win to single figures being balanced by Lynda Cadamy’s for Port Erin. The rest of the games were close with Jackie Elliott beginning to make a habit of taking her opponent to the wire, this time just losing out 20-21 to Sue Jones. The two winners for Noble’s against Port St Mary were Rebecca Teare and Clare Cooper who both won to single figures, as did Val Macfarlane and Jayne Kneen for the visitors. Purt le Moirrey won 5-4 on games against Castletown, but with three wins to single figures and Ann Hollingworth scoring 20 against Edwina Reid the points victory went to Castletown.
C Tarleton Hodgson sponsored ladies’ league
The C Tarleton Hodgson Sponsored ladies’ league got their 2016 season under way on Wednesday 6 April, when although cold the weather was not too inclement. As was to be expected the best starts were made by the current champions, Port St Mary, and the team tipped as one of their leading contenders, South Ramsey.
Port St Mary played hosts to Onchan, who were unfortunately a player short. Maureen Payne was the lone winner for the visitors while three of the home players, Ann Maddrell, Tricia Bull and Margaret Tasker won to single figures. A depleted Mooragh Park, one player short and other key players missing, travelled across town to South Ramsey. With a win to Gill Morgan and Helen Martin reaching a hard-earned 19 against Shelley Kennish, the visitors could glean some positives and with a plethora of new players their rebuilding could be under way. Purt le Moirrey had a fruitful journey to Ballaugh, winning 7 of the 9 games. The two winners for the home side were Jenny Maddrell and Ellie Faragher while Ann Gale reached 19 against Chris Price. Noble’s against Marown gave us a mixture of close, and not so close, matches with three wins to single figures for the home side and one for the visitors. In contrast Sylvia Kennaugh and Celia Joughin went all the way with Sylvia just edging it 21-20.The closest match of the night was at Port Erin with the home side having a 5-4 advantage on games. Lynda Cadamy and Carol Kaye won to single figures as did Jan Osborne for Douglas .Brenda Williams took Jackie Elliott to the wire before going down 20-21.There were some good games between Castletown and Peel Sunset, although the visitors were always on the back foot, and althoughPeel lost by just the one game the home side had the distinct advantage on points.
Bowls Season gets underway
The 2016 Tower Insurance Over 60’s Bowls League got underway this week with the Defending Champions North Ramsey A having to play all their home matches at their fierce rivals South Ramsey, and North Ramsey B have to make the short trip to Ballaugh for all their home fixtures. This has been brought about by the Mooragh Green being closed for the season. Can I on behalf of all the bowling fraternity thank both South Ramsey and Ballaugh for their help to North Ramsey in their moment of crisis. This year also has a first with Peel Sunset fielding a third team again I would like to wish them good luck. After the first games Defending Champions North Ramsey defeated Marown 5-3 while runners up Castletown A used home advantage to beat Onchan A 6-2, Port St Mary A, and Peel A both had 8-0 wins over Douglas B and Peel C respectively, Nobles A had an excellent win at Ballaugh 6-2, while Peel B went one better on their travels with an excellent 7-1 win at Finch Hill, Onchan B beat Castletown B 5-3 in the battle of the b teams, Port Erin and North Ramsey only had seven players each at the Breagle, with North Ramsey came away with the points in a close game 4-3 and finally South Ramsey came away from their visit to Nobles B with both points in a6-2 victory. The Second round of games was much closer with 4 games ending all level, South Ramsey and Peel A had a very close encounter as did Marown and Douglas A, while Douglas B got their first point of the season in holding Ballaugh, while Southsiders Castletown B and Port Erin shared the spoils at the crofts. Port St Mary B had a good 5-3 win over Nobles B while the following four teams have maximum points after their first two games, Peel B who had a superb 8-0 win over Onchan B, Castletown A also had a 8-0 win on their trip to Peel C, while fellow southerners Port St Mary A played North Ramsey B at Ballaugh and came away with a 7-1 win, and Nobles A had a good win over Finch Hill by 8 -0
Ladies’ over 60’s Thursday 14 April
Moira Anderson denied Port Erin a full house against Mooragh Park, when the visitors were the day’s top scorers. Villa were not far behind as they won 4-2 on games, the two winners for Port St Mary B being Gill Aughton and Roma Ware. Despite losing 4-2 on games, Ballaugh won by 10 points with Jane Teare getting 19 against Moire Turner and Mary Simmonds and Brenda Bowyer both scoring 18, showing the value to the team of fighting for every point. Peel Sunset’s visit to Port St Mary did not go as planned as the home side won four games to single figures. The two winners for Peel were Heather Horsburgh and Mary Moffatt who just came out ahead in a tough tussle against Win Collister. Onchan had a good win over Marown with Dee Lewis and Maureen Payne winning to single figures, while for Marown Mary Black took Joyce Gardiner all the way before going down 20-21. There was another battle royal at Castletown when Sue Peach and Lin Ruscoe fought out a 21-20 game that ended in Sue‘s favour. Castletown finished with a 4-2 advantage, the two winners for Noble‘s being Sylvia Kennaugh and Sonja Lees.