Monthly Archives: May 2017
Gladys Cowell ladies’ over 60’s competition
There was a disappointing field of 22 at Peel, on Saturday 13 May, for the Gladys Cowell Over 60’s competition sponsored by Gladys’ grandson Nigel Rawlinson. However, as the competitors said, what the entry lacked in quantity was more than made up for by the quality! The standard of play and some very close matches confirmed the truth of that statement.
The horrible weather during the morning cleared to give a reasonable afternoon, although it was beginning to get very cold for the final stages.
Quarter-finals: Mary Moffatt 21, Margaret Tasker 6; Philippa Taylor 21, Libby Andrade 14; Maureen Payne 21, Tricia Bull 10; Rosie Winckle 21, Celia Joughin 16.
Both semi-finals were tense affairs. In the first Philippa had the better of the early exchanges, taking a lead of 13-8 before Mary won three of the next four ends to close to13-14. Once again Philippa took control and looked a shoo-in to win the game at 19-14, but Mary dug in to win the next six ends and move into the final. In the other semi-final things were pretty even for the first half of the game with Maureen 13-12 ahead after nine ends, before winning three of the next four ends to lead 17-13, when Rosie upped her game to level at 17-17.However Maureen won the next three ends to book her place in the final.
Semi-finals: Mary Moffatt 21, Philippa Taylor 19; Maureen Payne 21, Rosie Winckle 17.
In the final Maureen was ruthless racing to a 16-7 lead after nine ends, but as she showed in her semi-final, Mary is a fighter and scored 7 on her next four ends to get back within two points, before Maureen finally ran out the winner 21-15.
The presentation was made by club president, Heather Horsburgh, who congratulated the players and thanked everyone who had helped during the afternoon.
Trio at the top.
On Thursday 4th May Castletown A welcomed Ballaugh B to the Islands former Capital and the Southerners soon showed their intention of hanging on to their lead as they beat the men from Ballaugh 8-0.
Castletown’s B Team travelled in the other direction to play Ballaugh A and this time it was Ballaugh A who won 6-2 in a match which saw a close game between Bob Unsworth and Juan Kermode which Bob eventually won 21-19.
At the Villa Marina Douglas A played Douglas B with the A Team emerging as 6-2 winners with Arthur Ashcroft and Malcolm Black being the two winners for the B Team.
Nobles B travelled along the T.T Course to Marown where the Crosby men beat them 7-1 with Geoff Crellin being the only winner for Nobles by beating Steve Bridson 21-15.
The Nobles A side hosted Finch Hill and the home side took a 5-3 win in a match which could easily have gone either way as there were some very close games.
North Ramsey A beat Port St Mary B 6-2 while the North Ramsey B Team travelled to the South to play Port St Mary A and again the Southerners took the points with a 5-3 win while the other Northern Team South Ramsey hosted Port Erin and this time it was the Northerners who took the points with a 6-2 win.
Onchan B took on Peel Sunset A at Onchan Park and this ended in a hard fought 4-4 draw whilst the Onchan A side went to the Sunset City to take a 5-3 win from Peel Sunset B.
Game 11.
With League Leaders Castletown A having a bye for this game there was a chance for the chasing Teams to close the gap and by the end of the afternoon two of the top teams had done exactly that.
Onchan A were hosting Douglas B and the former men showed that they were determined to chase hard for the title this year as they beat the Douglas side 7-1 with Bob Banning being the only winner with a 21-20 victory over Colin Hinds. Vic Sewell of the Douglas B side needs credit for pushing Mike Thomas in their game with Vic who has just returned from illness played well to eventually lose 21-19.
Onchan B travelled the short journey to the Villa to play Douglas A and they brought ‘double trouble’ to the Douglas Club as they went back up the hill to Onchan with a 5-3 victory despite a spirited comeback in the second half by the men from the Villa.
Another ‘tip for the top’ this year are Nobles A and they travelled to Port Erin to take part in a match with some very close games but the Nobles A Team held their nerves despite pressure from Port Erin to eventually run out 6-2 winners with a score line that doesn’t appear to do justice to the Southerners.
Peel Sunset A hosted North Ramsey A and the home side put on a strong performance to win 6-2 while the Peel Sunset B side were visitors to the Mooragh Park where they beat North Ramsey B 5-3. The Westerners C Team visited Nobles Park B where they lost 6-2 with their two wins coming from Clyde Quine and Bert (the bowler) Quayle.
Elsewhere Ballaugh B put on a good show to get a draw at home to a strong Port St Mary A side while the Ballaugh A Team got the same result against Port St Mary B at Port St Mary.
A strong performance at home from Marown saw them take an 8-0 victory over Finch Hill and Castletown B beat South Ramsey 5-3.
So after a sunny afternoons bowls there were three teams equal on points at the top of the League with eighteen points, these being Castletown A, Nobles A and Onchan A who are then followed by Marown and Port St Mary A both on 16 points.
Ismay Cup
Wednesday the 3rd May saw the Round one of the Ismay Cup taking place and saw South Ramsey lose 4-5 to Port St Mary A while Nobles A defeated Marown 7-2. In the South Castletown B beat Peel Sunset B 7-2 whilst in Douglas the Douglas A side lost 7-2 to North Ramsey A.
Mini Cup
In the Quarter Finals of the Mini Cup Peel Sunset C lost 3-6 to Finch Hill and Port Erin beat Port St Mary B 5-4 whilst North Ramsey B beat Douglas B 7-2 and Onchan B beat Nobles B 6-3.
Onchan Ladies’ Singles
Onchan Ladies Singles Winner 2017
Paula FirthThere was an entry of 29 for the Onchan ladies’ singles which was played on Wednesday 10 May on a warm and sunny afternoon. The green was running well, if a little heavier than some players were used to.
The players relished the warm conditions and there were some very competitive games played in a friendly atmosphere.
Quarter finals: Lil Smith 21, Lynda Cadamy 20; Chris Price 21, Margaret Tasker 17; Philippa Taylor 21, Lynda Clarke 19; Paula Firth 21, Sylvia Kennaugh 17.
After the very even quarter finals the semis were a little disappointing as the two eventual finalists upped their game and their opponents perhaps ran out of steam a little, although this did not detract from their fine play throughout the afternoon..
Semi-finals: Chris Price 21, Lil Smith 12; Paula Firth 21, Philippa Taylor 13.
In the final Paula was on fire, determined to lift the trophy that she had already won three times in the past. This showed in the quality of her play to which Chris, despite her best efforts, could find no answer.
Final: Paula Firth 21, Chris Price 11
The presentation was made by the club’s lady captain, Libby Andrade, who thanked all those who had entered on an afternoon when the weather could not have been better. Thanks also went to those whose efforts ensured the smooth running of the event, the men who measured and the ladies responsible for the refreshments.
Jean Kelly Memorial Team Handicap
The quarter finals of the Jean Kelly Memorial team handicap competition took place on Thursday 11 May. Nobles played host to Mooragh Park, whose 35 point handicap advantage could not stop the progress of their opponents who were on brilliant form, dropping just one point thanks to Rosemary Quirk coming through 21-20 against Alison Keggen. Having recently had a close battle against Marown, where they won by just two points, Peel Sunset did not feel confident about facing them again, particularly as they started with a 25 point advantage. The visiting players struggled to come to terms with the Peel green, only Mary Alderson and Shirley Whelan winning their games, although Lil Smith came close reaching 20 against Joyce Kelly. Port Erin were very much in the ascendancy against Purt Le Moirrey, winning six games,four of them to single figures. The three winners for the visitors were Roma Ware, Linda Dawson and Tracy Moore who just edged Lynda Cadamy 21-20. Rita Callister almost gave her side a fourth game reaching 20 against Voirrey Curphey. The fourth match looked very tasty as last year’s winners faced the reigning league champions with a 10 point start on handicap. Port St Mary took five games to Castletown’s four, but with three of their players winning to single figures they had a big enough points lead to make the handicap irrelevant.
Ladies’ over 60’s league Tuesday 9 May
There were two maximums posted in the Trend sponsored ladies’ over 60’s league on Tuesday 9 May. Port St Mary A were quite ruthless against their club colleagues, Port St Mary B. Tricia Bull and Val Macfarlane both won to single figures while the main resistance came from Chris Holland who reached 18 against Win Collister. Douglas rued their visit to Port Erin as the home side showed them no mercy, winning all six games, two of them to single figures. Sue Caley came closest to giving the visitors a game, reaching 19 against Jean Thackrah. There were two close games in the west when Maureen Payne and Wendy McDowell, for Onchan, won to 19 and 18 against Heather Horsburgh and Cath Parker to keep Peel Sunset just 5 points short of a full house. Castletown won 4-2 on games at Marown in a match where all six players gained double figures, Mair Moore coming closest to levelling the games score when she reached 18 against Joy Stephens. Mooragh Park fought well at Ballaugh, with wins by Moira Anderson, to single figures, and Ann Chapman,while it was a nail-biter at Villa,where the match ened as a draw on games with the home side snatching victory by one point.
Ladies’ over 60’s Thursday 4 May
Four teams shared the top score of 116 points, and with another four clubs passing the 100 point mark it was a high scoring morning. Peel travelled to face champions Port St Mary A and managed to win two games, courtesy of Joyce Kelly and Mary Moffatt, while Lynda Wilson reached 20 against Kath Looney. Jenny Cain spoiled the party for Villa, being the lone winner for Breagle, although Hesba Skelly almost added a second game as she just lost out 19-21 to Mary Black. Onchan were in storming form against Ballaugh who had just the one winner in Voirrey Oates while Ellie Cowell was the sole winner for Mooragh Park against Port Erin. Port St Mary B were a player short at Castletown but did come away with two wins from Brenda Hawkard and Chris Holland who edged out Joy Stephens 21-20. The closest match of the morning was at Nobles where the match ended level on games with a win to single figures for each team. The stand-out game saw Josie Harding just come through 21-20 against Marcia Pearson in a match which saw a win for the away side by 3 points.
Ladies’ over 60’s Tuesday 2 May
Breagle may have wondered whether their journey north, in the Trend sponsored over 60’s league on Tuesday 2 May, had been worthwhile, as their opponents, Marown, finished the morning with a full house. However with all six players reaching double figures the visitors ended with a respectable points total. Things were much tighter at Douglas where it ended level on games, with two games won to single figures by each side. .Douglas made the most of home advantage coming through to win by one point. At Ballaugh Peggy Griffin was the lone winner for the home side, denying Port St Mary A a maximum while at Peel good wins by Barbara Young and Ann Hollingworth kept the home team’s score down. Port St Mary B drew on games with Nobles, but with Sylvia Kennaugh winning to single figures and all the Nobles’ players reaching double figures the visitors ended with a fair points advantage. It was also close at Port Erin, where the home side won by just eight points.
Ladies’ league Friday 5 May
With the match between Castletown and South Ramsey being held over until Tuesday 9 May, there were only five matches played in the C Tarleton Hodgson sponsored ladies’ league on Friday 5 May.
Three teams passed the 170 point mark with Nobles falling just short on 169. Top scorers were Port St Mary with 178, as only Celia Joughin from the Marown team managed to take a game off them.
On 174 were two teams, Port Erin and Peel Sunset. Douglas had two winners in Paula Garrett an Jan Osborne, with Mary Black almost adding a third as she reached 19 against Caroline Whitehead, but with three games won to single figures Port Erin finished with a healthy points margin.
It was a similar tale at Peel with Edwina Reid and Tracy Moore being the two winners for Purt le Moirrey. The game of the match saw Sarah Quirk come back from 17-6 down to just edge out Lesley Coker 21-20.Onchan had three winners against Ballaugh but with each of their other players being unable to reach double figures their opponents ended with a big points difference.
For Onchan the only way is up, and with a lot of new talent on show it will be interesting to see their results this time next year.
Mooragh Park are another club who have had to rebuild, and already they are beginning to be a force to be reckoned with. Although well beaten on points by Nobles, they did win four of the nine games.
Onchan Close Gap
Port St Mary C Mens Team 2017
Back: Steve Hall, Pete Collins, Macauley Robinson, Tim Williams, Colin LeeceFront: Thomas Keggen, Tom Wilson, Mike Ashmole
In the first division Onchan A closed the gap on rivals South Ramsey A by a point, following their visit to South Ramsey to take on the B Team, coming away with a convincing 10-0 win, with three of the home players running the visitors close before losing 17, 18 & 19 respectively. Onchan & Marown will both be hoping to close the gap further with South Ramsey sitting out the next round of fixtures.
Castletown A made the trip to Crosby, with their winning start to the season coming to an end, losing out 7-3 to Marown A, however they will have been pleased to have taken three points from a green that they have struggled to get much out of over the years. Bob Clark did all he could to get the extra point for the home team, going 20-19 up on Castletown’s Mike Hargraves, with Clark lying one for game, Hargraves then played Clark out to make two, in doing so taking the victory 21-20, to gain an extra point for the visitors.
South Ramsey A maintained their position at the top of the table, with what looked like a convincing 9-1 win away to Port Erin A, the reality was anything but that, with the home team considering themselves unlucky to be 4-0 down after the first four blocks, as it could quite easily have been 3-1 or 4-0 the other way. David Bradford notably coming back from 20-13 down to run out on Peter Addison. The lone winner for the home team Bernie Durcan dug in to come back from 16-4 down to win 21-18 against Peter Collister, in doing so picking up an all important point for his team.
North Ramsey A made the trip down South to take on Castletown B, managing to come away with a 6-4 victory, losing out 19-21 and 20-21 to miss out on taking another two points off the home team.
Douglas B hosted Port St Mary A, with the visitors coming away from the Villa with a good 8-2 win.
Ballaugh A made the short journey down the West Coast to take on Peel A, with the home team winning 8-2. For the visitors Barry McDonald & John ‘Shirt’ Keenan lost out 18-21 & 19-21 respectively.
In Division two Onchan B put the brakes on Marown B in their quest for promotion to the top flight, using their home advantage to win 7-3, in doing now sit on top of the table one point ahead of the Crosby outfit.
Noble’s B now sit in fourth place in the table, winning 7-3 against Peel B, thanks to getting the two bonus points for the aggregate, winning by two chalks overall. Peel B, who are on the same points, but with a better ‘games for’ managed to stay above Noble’s B.
Noble’s A visited the Mooragh to take on North Ramsey B, coming away with a 6-4 win.
Port Erin B made the short trip to take on Port St Mary B, but it wasn’t their night losing out 9-1 to a strong home team.
Finch Hill A continued their return to winning ways, taking home a 6-4 victory following their visit to Onchan C.
Port St Mary C (pictured) cruised to a 9-1 win over Douglas C, with Tommy Rougvie being the only winner for the visitors.
In division three South Ramsey D took on their C team, with the D Team giving a good account of themselves, taking four games off their higher ranked club mates.
Douglas D hosted Marown C, with both teams having a number of new bowlers taking each other on. The Crosby men’s extra years experience being the difference and giving hope to the Villa men that they could make similar progress themselves next season.
Peel C suffered a setback in their challenge for promotion following their visit South to take on Castletown C, with the home team managing to take a 6-4 victory despite having to give a game away.
Ballaugh C had a 7-3 away win over Peel D, whilst Noble’s C just got over the line to win 5-4 away to Finch Hill B.
Castletown A go clear at the top.
The highlight of the eighth game of the 2017 Season had to be the top of the table clash between Castletown A and Onchan A at the very scenic Castletown Bowling Green.
As expected this was a close match with the Castletown lads running out 5-3 winners in a match that saw some very good bowls played and left Castletown A top of the League.
While the above match was being played the Castletown B Team travelled to the East to play Onchan B Team and this time it was the Onchan side that ran out 5-3 winners. This match saw some very close games with Paul Bailey beating Juan Kermode 21-20 and Phillip Watterson of Onchan losing 20-21 to Dave Hollingworth.
Port St Mary B travelled to the Villa to play Douglas A and put up a great show in holding the hosts to a 4-4 draw while the Douglas B Team travelled the other way to play Port St Mary A with the southerners winning 7-1 where Bob Banning was the only winner for the visitors when he beat Brian Lowe 21-14.
In the West of the Island Peel Sunset A beat Peel Sunset B 7-1 while the westerners C Team lost 6-2 to North Ramsey B.
Farther down the Coast to the North we saw South Ramsey playing a very strong Nobles A side with the men from Douglas winning 5-3 and across the Town at the Mooragh Park we saw the home side of North Ramsey A defeat Port Erin 6-2.
Ballaugh A beat Finch Hill 5-3 and the Ballaugh B Team travelled to Crosby where the Marown Team were 7-1 winners.
As we came to Game 9 we saw the two Castletown Teams playing the two North Ramsey Teams with Castletown B winning 5-3 on their home green against North Ramsey A and the Castletown A Team beating North Ramsey B 6-2 at the Mooragh Park.
Douglas A travelled to sunny Peel to play Peel Sunset A with the home side winning 6-2 and back at the Villa the Douglas B side went down to a similar 6-2 score line with wins from Bob Banning and Vic Sewell for the home side.
Peel C went down the west coast to Ballaugh and lost 6-2 against the Ballaugh B Team and the Ballaugh A side got a good result after a long trek to Port Erin where they came away with a 6-2 victory.
Finch Hill hosted South Ramsey and this ended in a 4-4 draw while up the road at Nobles Park Nobles B lost 6-2 to Nobles A .
Two of the top teams met at Onchan Park where Onchan A used the home advantage to beat Port S.t Mary A 5-3 and back in Port St Mary the Onchan B team also beat the Port St Mary men 5-3.
So after last Tuesdays games Castletown A have established a two point lead from Nobles A and Onchan A with Port St Mary A one point behind in fourth place.
In the Individual Merit there is now a clear leader after nine games and this is Chris Oates of Port St Mary A but there is a long way to go until the end of the Season and there will be many twists and turns along the way.