Yearly Archives: 2019
Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly Wins Association Singles
Association Singles Winner 2019 - Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly
Photo: Glynn HargravesOnchan Bowling Club was the host venue for the seasons first Association singles competition which attracted an entry of 52 to play on a fantastic surface which was running well on a fine day.
At the conclusion Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly was the winner, defeating home greener Rob Monk convincingly 21-8 in the final with Monk not hitting the same form he had in previous rounds.
Losing out at the semi final stage were Colin Kelly (Marown) to Monk who performed well to end the Marown mans challenge 21-16. In the other semi-final Barney ended the good run of Reginald Temporaza (Noble’s) with a 21-14 win to book his spot in the final.
Losing out at the quarter final stages were home greener Kevin Quirk to Colin Kelly 18-21, Marown man Juan Killip lost 10-21 to Monk, Nathan Hamilton (Castletown) who lost 18-21 to Temporaza in a close encounter, whilst South Ramsey’s Stefan Kelly lost 14-21 to Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly.
The presentation was made by Association Competition Secretary Matthew Keggen who thanked Onchan for hosting the competition, their club members for assisting throughout the day and the ladies for providing a good selection of refreshments. The excellent condition of the green was also mentioned along with the improvements made during the winter, most notably the new floodlights along with the sponsor boards placed around the corners of the green.
North Ramsey Stun Port St Mary
Port St Mary A who suffered a 3-7 home loss to North Ramsey A
Photo: Arnie WithersNorth Ramsey A made the long journey to the south of the island in Ellan Vannin Fuels division one to take on Port St Mary A, with the visitors pulling off a shock 3-7 win over their rivals to record one of their best wins in recent history. For the visitors Steve Walmsley got off to a good start defeating Dave McCabe 21-9, with captain Allan Callow & John Cannan beating Dan McCabe & Bernard Thackrah respectively. Gary Merrill pulled off a stunning 21-17 win to inflict a first home league loss since August 2017 on Trevor Quayle. Geoff Porter also recorded an equally good win to see off Paul Skelly in a close game 21-19. Hitting back for Port St Mary were Wayne Roberts, Rob Cooil and Tim Williams who all won fairly comfortably, but couldn’t manage to stop the visitors from taking the aggregate two points having lost out by six chalks (138-144).
Marown B had a tough night in their home fixture against Douglas A with the experienced Arnie Withers the only winner (21-12) against Gary Conwell, whilst Peter Kelly lost out 18-21 to Ian Moore.
Marown A remain top of the league after their visit to the Crofts to take on Castletown A, coming away with a respectable 2-8 win. The two winners for Castletown were Captain Ian Watson who beat Matthew Keggen 21-16, backed up by the experienced Juan Kermode who had a fine win over former team mate Paul Kelly 21-10. For the Crosby men John Gelling won 21-4 against Dean Kinley, whilst Neil Withers and Phil Kelly had to work hard to record their wins over Nathan Hamilton & Jordan Drewett respectively.
Onchan A occupy second place, they closed the gap on the league leaders by a point following a fairly straightforward 1-9 away win over South Ramsey B. The lone winner for the home team was Steven Waters with a 21-13 win over Frank Watson. Tony Dugdale came closest to taking a second win off the visitors before losing out 19-21 to Matthew Quirk.
South Ramsey A climbed up to third place following their 1-9 away win against Noble’s A, with Reginald Temporaza continuing to perform well in his debut season in the top division recording a 21-15 win over Alan Moore. The visitors won four games to single figures, whilst James Teare was pushed hard by Steve Cook before getting over the line to win 21-18 to maintain his 100% record.
Peel A sit in fourth place following their 8-2 home win over Castletown B. Ste Kelly and Andy Kennish both won to single figures for Peel, whilst for Castletown Ross Moore won 21-16 against David Proctor, with Bob Clark maintaining his 100% start to the season following his 21-16 win over Gary Smith. Clark is one of just nine players to have won their first four games in division one.
In division two Ballaugh A took a massive stride forward in their quest to return to division one recording a 10-0 home win over league leaders Port St Mary B. Thomas Keggen came closest to snatching a point for the visitors, however Edgar Cowin just got over the line to win 21-20. The result meant Ballaugh A leapfrogged Port St Mary to go top on 30 points, whilst the Port men fell to fourth spot.
Finch Hill A sit in second place level on points with Ballaugh A following a good 2-8 away win against Port St Mary C. The Finch Hill men have started the season strongly with four of their players having 100% records.
Douglas B are in third place following a good 9-1 home win over Ballaugh B, who had John Kneen to thank for sparing the whitewash with a good 21-11 win over Rob Matthews.
In division three this week league leaders South Ramsey C had another solid performance with an 8-2 home win over Ballaugh C to jump up to 33 points after four games played.
Noble’s B sit in second place on 23 points following their 2-8 away win against Peel D, with Ballaugh C sat in third place on the same number of points.
Moore & Hargraves win Avant Amenity Mixed Doubles
Avant Amenity Mixed Doubles Winners 2019
South Ramsey pairing Glynn Hargraves & Elaine Moore pictured with sponsor Mike Atherton of Avant Amenity Photo: Norman KneenSaturday 13th April saw the staging of the Avant Amenity Mixed Doubles played on what many described as a superb playing surface on Douglas Bowling Club Green at the Villa Marina.
The conditions however could be described as challenging with a very strong and cold wind coming off the sea and the green running quickly for so early in the season.
With an entry of 31 pairs we saw some good early games and at the quarter final stage we saw Voirrey Curphey and Lee Dawson beat Derek Allen and Margaret Tasker 21-20, Stefan Kelly and Kim Hargraves beat Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly and Chris Price 21-20, Glynn Hargraves and Elaine Moore beat Lyn Bolton and Trevor Quayle 21-15 and Matthew and Alison Keggen took a 21-17 victory from Stuart and Paula Garrett.
The semi-finals then saw the Hargraves/Moore pairing win a very tough battle against Matthew and Alison Keggen to take the honours 21-20, whilst Stefan Kelly and Kim Hargraves defeated Voirrey Curphey and Lee Dawson 21-10.
The final was played in bitterly cold conditions, but with the green still running well it was Glynn Hargraves and Elaine Moore who put on a show of great bowls to take the win 21-9 from Kim Hargraves and Stefan Kelly.
At the presentation which was performed by Mike Atherton of Avant Amenity, Glynn thanked the sponsor and Douglas Bowling Club for staging the competition and remarked on the great condition of the green.
Castletown A Topple Champions
Following the first double week of fixtures, Castletown A lead the way at the top of the Ladies Night league following their wins over Champions Port St Mary A and Port Erin.
Castletown are always tough on their own green but despite winning six of the nine games they only managed to win the tie by six chalks underlining how close the sides are. Anne Oates, Kim Foy and Tracy Moore all came through close games to win 21-19, 21-18 and 21-17 respectively. Kath Kinley, Sue Peach and Hannah Drewett also won for the home side. Port St Mary’s three winners were Val Macfarlane, Margaret Tasker and Jayne Kneen who was the only player to win to single figures on the night. The final score was 163-157 (6-3).
Port St Mary B were visited by South Ramsey with the home side performing well winning four games to restrict the title challengers final score. Linda Dawson, Rita Callister, Wyn Collister and Lesley Coker won for the home side. Away wins for Sue Collier plus single figure wins for Elaine Moore, Jill Quayle, Jenny Moore and Fiona Kennish gave South Ramsey the advantage winning 120-151 (4-5).
Onchan managed to win six games but ended up narrowly winning the match by a single chalk against Mooragh Park. Janet Monk and Helen Martin both won to single figures for Mooragh and with their other players pushing Onchan all the way just fell short losing 157-156 (6-3).
In the remaining matches on Wednesday Nobles won comfortably by 40 chalks away to Peel Sunset 137-177 (2-7), Port Erin defeated Ballaugh at Breagle Glen 151-132 (6-3) and Douglas won 164-125 (6-3) against Castletown B.
On Friday South Ramsey faced Nobles with these teams occupying 3rd and 4th places in the league last season. Elaine Moore, Lyn Bolton and Sue Collier won to single figures backed up with wins from Ann Gale, Kim Hargraves and Jenny Moore. Nobles managed three wins from Paula Firth, Clare Cooper and Sylvia Kennuagh. South Ramsey won the tie by 24 chalks 158-134 (6-3).
Marown, who sat out from the matches earlier in the week, travelled to face Douglas. Shirley Whelan, Rosemary Winckle, Pat Withers and Mary Alderson all won to single figures with Helen Withers and Joyce Ogden the other winners for the away side. Paula Garrett, Muriel Cain and Maureen Wilcox won for the home side but the final score was 124-157 (3-6) in favour of Marown.
Castletown A continued their dominant start to the season picking up a strong 186-123 (8-1) victory against Port Erin. Castletown were denied a full house by Voirrey Curphey who won 21-18 for the away side.
Peel Sunset bounced back from their defeat earlier in the week defeating Onchan 178-133 (7-2). Gill Clark, Shirley Corrin and Mary Moffatt performed well winning 21-5, 21-8 and 21-8 respectively. Dee Lewis and Joanne Kelly were the only winners for Onchan with Marylin Ellison just losing 21-20.
In the final matches from Wednesday Port St Mary B and Ballaugh collected their first wins of the season. Port St Mary B beat Castletown B 166-106 (7-2) and Ballaugh won 166-139 (6-3) against Mooragh Park.
Port St Mary A sat out from Fridays matches so drop from the top places in the league which are currently held by Castletown A, South Ramsey and Nobles.
Ladies’ British Merit Qualifier
Eight hardy souls turned up on a bitterly cold afternoon on Sunday 14 April at Finch Hill. They were battling for the right to represent the Island at the British Merit finals which will be taking place at St Helens on Saturday 13 July.
A pleasing number of spectators and supporters turned up to cheer their favourites on, and were treated to some fine bowling and competitive games.
Coming through the first round we had Clare Cooper knocking out team-mate Debbie Leece 21-10, Janet Monk getting the better of Alison Keggen 21-8, Kim Hargraves getting into double figures against Caroline Whitehead before losing out 21-12. The closest game of the round saw Fiona Kennish eventually see off last year’s winner, Lynda Cadamy 21-17.
In the semi-finals, Clare was in control, despite Fiona’ best efforts, moving into the final 21-12. Perhaps the most nail-biting match of the afternoon was between Janet Monk and Caroline Whitehead. After a cagey start which saw the players level at 7-7 after ten ends, Janet had a good run to lie 15-9 after fifteen ends. Caroline got back to 18-18, a 2 then giving Janet a 20-18 lead, but her opponent would not lie down and came through to win 21-20.
Caroline had another tough battle in the final, although she got off to a flyer, leading 19-10 after eighteen ends, then on to 20-13, at which point Clare started to find her length and begin to creep up on Caroline, getting back to 18-20, before the Port Erin player took the next end to win 21-18 and earn the right to represent the Island at St Helens in July.
Thanks go to Finch Hill for their help and the use of their facilities, and also the spectators who turned up to add to the atmosphere of the event.
A Thriller at the Villa
On Thursday Douglas A played a very close match against visiting team South Ramsey.
Jan Osbourne, Elaine Vincent and Brenda Williams all won their games for Douglas A but this wasn’t enough to clinch victory as South Ramsey also had three wins by Elaine Moore, Moira Anderson and Ann Gale. The final score was a one point victory for South Ramsey 105-106 (3-3). It really doesn’t get much closer than that.
In the other results on Thursday Mooragh Park A travelled south to play Port Erin B and secured a good win 75-125 (1-5); Port St Mary B lost to Onchan A 100-114 (2-4) and Castletown won against Peel Sunset 110-90 (4-2).
Mooragh Park B were at home to Douglas B . Chris Sims and Maureen Hamilton both won their games but unfortunately Mooragh were unable to field a full team and lost 94-110 (2-4).
Nobles were at home to Port St Mary A and secured a good win against a strong side 118-100 (4-2) and Ballaugh were at home to Port Erin A, Brenda Bowyer and Barbara Graham for the home side won their games but the visitors secured 4 wins and won the match 94-116 (2-4).
Meanwhile earlier in the week Port St Mary A and Marown both had clean sweeps against visiting sides Douglas A and Mooragh B with some close games and nail biting finishes on both greens.
Castletown were away to Onchan A and just piped Onchan to the podium by 2 chalks. Clear wins by Sue Peach and Barbara Young put the visitors ahead even though Onchan’s Maureen Payne, Wendy McDowell, Dee Lewis and Jean Quine all won their games. After a very close game the final score was Onchan A 95 Castletown 97 (4-2).
Peel Sunset were at home to Nobles with the home side winning 107-82 (4-2). Port St Mary B travelled to Douglas B. The visitors winning 4 games with the final score 90-100 (2-4).
Port Erin A travelled to Ramsey and had a convincing win against Mooragh Park A 77-109 (2-4).
Ballaugh visited South Ramsey who were prevented from a clean sweep by Elizabeth Morrison of Ballaugh who won her game. The final score was a good win for South Ramsey.
With only 3 matches played so far and some very close games it’s too early to make any predictions but one thing for sure is that there will be some great bowls played this season.
Onchan Edge It Against Peel – Marown go top
League Leaders Marown A who beat Port St Mary A this week
Photo: Arnie WithersIn division one Onchan A hosted Peel A with the match ending 4-4 on games. Onchan secured the aggregate to seal a 6-4 win by just two chalks (132-130). For the home team Phil Kerruish and Rob Monk both won to single figures against David Proctor and Gary Smith respectively, backed up by Matthew Quirk who won 21-13 against Jerome Surridge and Jordan Cain sneaking home 21-19 against Andy Kennish. For the visitors Tom Kelly won 21-9 against former team mate Frank Watson, Tommy McMeiken performed well to win 21-11 against Peter Slinger, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly won 21-12 against Steve Parker with Stevie Kelly also turning in a good performance to beat Kevin Quirk 21-16.
Marown A recorded a good 9-1 home win over Port St Mary A with the visitors feeling they could have got more on the night. Home team winners were Matthew Keggen, Neil Withers and Phil Kelly all winning fairly comfortably. Paul Dunn inflicted a first league defeat of the season on 2018 league merit winner Trevor Quayle, with Colin Kelly getting home 21-17 against Paul Skelly. Dean Kipling won 21-19 against Wayne Roberts with Harry Barton stepping up from the B team to also win 21-19 against Tim Williams. The win takes Marown top by two points.
South Ramsey A got their season back on track with a 9-1 home win over near neighbours North Ramsey A. David Bradford and Stefan Kelly both won to single figures for the home team, whilst for the visitors Tony Smart was the only winner seeing off Chas Grills 21-10.
Douglas A hosted Castletown A at the Villa with the home team taking the spoils with a 7-3 win. Keith Rise and Mervin Sayle won to single figures over Dean Kinley and Peter Oates respectively. Also winning for the home team were Captain Andy Cannell, along with Stuart Garrett and Shaun Seal who both won 21-17. For the visitors Ian Watson won comfortably 21-14 against Gary Conwell, with Derek Lewney and David Quayle battling through to see off Jimmy Sansom and Ian Moore.
Marown B currently sit in fifth place thanks to a good 4-6 away win over Castletown B. The Crosby men took the extra two points courtesy of winning the aggregate by 19 chalks. For Marown Peter Kelly won 21-4, with son John Kelly also winning comfortably. Darren Kerruish had to work hard to beat Willie Corkill 21-18, along with Over 60’s player and ‘Dad’s Army’ Captain Steve Bridson who held off Ross Moore to the same score.
South Ramsey B played their home fixture on Tuesday evening against Noble’s A recording a good 8-2 home win to lift them clear of the bottom of the league. Austin Hart seems to be settling into division one having had a tough first season, with the experience of last year no doubt helping this season. Hart recorded a fine 21-6 win over Steve Cook. Also winning for the home team were Tony Dugdale, Edward Carlyle, Sid Bolton, Ian Moore and Christian Caley. For the visitors the ever reliable Tommy Collister won comfortably against George Brew with Reginald Temporaza picking up another win to beat Steven Waters 21-10.
In division two Port St Mary B lead the way on 25 points following their 8-2 home win over North Ramsey B. For Port St Mary Peter Collins, Paul Russell, Dave Saxon and Thomas Keggen all won to single figures, whilst Brian Corrin and Ray Maddrell also won. For the visitors Brian Colquitt beat Tom Collins 21-17, with Rheuben Thomas winning 21-18 against Louis Callister.
Finch Hill A sit in second place on 22 points following a tough home game against Port Erin A, taking a 6-4 win mainly due to Port Erin being in the unfortunate position of being a player short on the night.
Ballaugh A lie in third place following their 7-3 home win over Douglas B, whilst Peel B won 9-1 at home to Ballaugh B with the visitors losing three games 19-21 and a 20-21. On another night the match could have ended in a 5-5 draw.
Marown C are coping quite well with life in division two following their 6-4 home win over Port St Mary C. The Crosby men taking the aggregate by just nine chalks, with relative newcomer Karl Parker just missing out on taking an extra point losing 20-21 to the experienced Chris Oates.
On Tuesday evening Peel C hosted Onchan B with the visitors coming away with a 3-7 win.
South Ramsey C were the only away winners in division three this week following a good 9-1 win away to Noble’s C, with James Evans, Tony Marler and Anthony Kelly all winning to single figures. For Noble’s Les Brookes was the only winner defeating Paul Routledge 21-5. The result leaves South Ramsey top of the table by two points.
Ballaugh C recorded a good 8-2 home win over Onchan C, whilst Castletown C won 7-3 at the Crofts against Douglas C. Noble’s B just managed to secure a 6-4 win against Finch Hill B by just three chalks (143-140) and Port Erin B also won to the same score despite being a player short against Peel D taking the aggregate by just seven chalks (126-119).
The preliminary round and first round of the Rayner Shield also took place this week with Port St Mary A travelling north to take on South Ramsey A in the tie of the round. The visitors ran the home team close before South Ramsey managed to take a 5-3 (136-126) win. David Bradford and Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly won comfortably with Dan McCabe and Wayne Roberts responding for the visitors. In the second half of the match Paul Skelly eased to a 21-4 win over Glynn Hargraves, with Chas Grills seeing off Rob Cooil 21-14. With the match score at 3-3 South Ramsey were trailing on the aggregate by five chalks after six games, however Stefan Kelly won 21-14 against Dave McCabe and James Teare secured their place in the next round with a 21-13 win over Bernard Thackrah.
There were no shocks to report on at team level, although Onchan B hosted Peel A with the home team losing 5-3, with Gary Lee pulling off a shock 21-16 win over Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly.
Hands Trophy
The Hands Trophy for the 2018 non-winners, which had to be held over from last year, took place on Saturday 6th April at South Ramsey. Perhaps due to it being so early in the season combined with the inclement recent weather there was a small, but select , entry of thirteen.
The day was sunny and players and spectators were surprised by the pleasant conditions which contributed to some fine bowling on show.
In the first semi-final Joyce Ogden and Lyn Bolton were neck and neck all the way with Joyce actually getting to 20 first before Lyn came through 21-20. In the other semi final, Margaret Tasker produced some good woods but Lynda Cadamy had an easier passage coming through 21-11.
In the final Lyn got off to a flyer reaching 13-6 before Lynda had a chance to blink. Lynda scored a 2 on the next end but was unable to stop Lyn winning with a final score 21-12.
Association Vice-president Heather Horsburgh thanked all those who had entered and also thanked the South Ramsey Club for the use of their facilities and also for providing the refreshments.
Peel & Castletown Hit Maximums
The opening matches of the 2019 season were held on Thursday in cold, but dry, blustery conditions. Both Peel Sunset and Castletown got off to a flying start with both teams winning all 6 games against Douglas A and Douglas B.
South Ramsey travelled to take on Port Erin A and had a good win with a margin of 104 to 68 chalks.
Marown also travelled south to take on Port St Mary B team who they beat by 40 chalks. Brenda Hawkard and Pauline Worrall both won their games for Port St Mary but Marown’s performance by Philipppa Taylor, Shirley Whelan, Celia Joughin and Mary Alderson tipped the scales in Marown’s favour winning 4-2 in some close games .
Ballaugh had a very friendly game against Port St Mary A . Barbara Graham playing for Ballaugh won her game against Wendy Kennaugh but Port St Mary A won the match 5-1.
Mooragh B were at home against Port Erin B and had a very close game with the home side winning on chalks 95-92.
Quirk Seals First Singles Open Win
Matthew Quirk - Jubilee Cup Winner 2019
Photo: Wayne RobertsA good entry of 40 bowlers contested this seasons C. Tarleton Hodgson Insurance sponsored Jubilee Cup at Port St Mary.
Traditionally a mixed triples format, this season was changed to a mixed singles in order to promote mixed singles competitions. Blessed with sunny weather after a week of chilly conditions, it turned out to be a pleasant day to play, and watch.
The first quarter final was between Alec Taylor (Peel) & Matthew Keggen (Marown), after coming through three tough matches, Taylor lost out 13-21 against an in form opponent. The next quarter final between two home greeners saw Trevor Quayle beat Bernard Thackrah 21-13. Thackrah had a good win in the previous round beating Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) 21-17, who had himself beaten Barney Kelly (Peel) before that. The third quarter final between Philippa Taylor (Marown) & Brian Lowe (Port St Mary) went all the way, with Philippa scoring two on the last end to win 21-20. The last quarter final was a good battle between two top players with Matthew Quirk (Onchan) winning 21-16 against Janet Monk (Mooragh Park).
The first semi-final saw a great match between Keggen & Quayle. This one could of gone either way, but Keggen scored the last point to win 21-20. The second semi-final was between Philippa Taylor & Matthew Quirk. Quirk built up a good lead early on. Philippa fought back well but Quirk was bowling very well and won 21-12.
In an excellent final between the two Matthew’s, both players had been on top form all day. Every point was hard earned in the final, and Matthew Quirk was slightly more consistent in the final winning 21-13 to seal his first singles open win.
The presentation was made by Wayne Roberts, thanking the sponsors, C. Tarleton Hodgson Insurance, the Port St Mary ladies for their excellent catering, Ray Watterson for the excellent condition of the green, everyone who helped in anyway and to those that took part.