Yearly Archives: 2025
Top Two Clash – South Ramsey A Hit Top Spot
Photo: Mike Ashmole
The top two teams in Division One over the past 10 years Marown A and South Ramsey A clashed at Crosby on Monday evening in ideal bowling conditions on an excellent surface.
Last season the Marown men did the double over South Ramsey in the league. The draw looked to be extremely well matched between the two teams. In the first half of the match David Bradford held onto the jack all game, as he defeated fellow island player Neil Withers 21-0, without doubt a first for the Marown man to not score a single point. Marown captain Paul Dunn hit back with a 21-10 win over Peter Collister, with the latter fighting back from a 1-14 deficit to close the gap to six chalks at 10-16, only for Dunn to get back in and finish the game over the next four ends. The top two players over the past 30 plus years Colin Kelly and John Kennish took to the green once more to battle it out with Kennish winning the first end then trailing all game, going five behind at 13-18 only for a strong finish from the 12-time Manx Champion to beat seven-time Champion Kelly 21-19, thanks to winning five of the last six ends scoring three doubles on the way to victory. Another colossus battle saw Jones and Clark go head-to-head, with the game being tight all the way through with the South Ramsey man edging ahead by three chalks at 17-14, the biggest gap all game. Jones managed to level the game up at 18-18 after 30 ends, with Clark rallying once more to see the game out 21-18. At the halfway point South Ramsey led 3-1 and by a margin of 15 chalks, this easily recoverable with one or two good wins for the home team.
South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves was next off with a 21-8 win over Dean Kipling, which made the score 4-1, gave an unassailable 28 chalk lead, with the remaining games on the green all into double figures. Tom Kelly got back to winning ways with a solid performance winning 21-14 against Dido Kelly, having trailed after three ends once he got in front he never let the lead slip. A third win soon arrived with Paul Kelly holding off Jordan Cain 21-19, having trailed 11-15 and 14-18, the Marown man only conceded one more chalk to seal his comeback. Comebacks from losing positions were the order of the night, as James Teare trailed Glenn Boland 9-15, only to edge in front at 18-17. Boland scored two singles, on the following end and was counting for one only to hit in Teare’s short bowl. The South Ramsey man took full advantage of this to win the next two ends and seal an unlikely 3-7 win for his team as South Ramsey hit top spot for the first time this season, to put daylight between the two teams.
Whilst South may think it might well have been a 2-8 victory, Marown will think what might have been had all the close games gone in their favour, it would have resulted in a 6-2 victory on games, with the aggregate still likely to have gone in the visitors favour to leave a unusual 6-4 victory.
Onchan A claimed their first league win of the season, as they beat Douglas A 8-2 at home. Kevin Quirk won 21-3 against Mervin Sayle, whilst Mike Alexander and Peter Slinger had to battle for their 21-20 and 21-18 wins over Ian Moore and Andy Cannell respectively. For the visitors Nick Firth is quickly adapting to life in Division One, as he picked up another win, defeating Will Penhallurick 21-15, whilst Dave McCabe beat Reg Temporaza 21-9.
Peel A suffered another home defeat, this time 4-6 at the hands of Marown B. Phil Kelly had to scrap for his 21-17 win over Andy Mackie, Peter Greenlees returned to his old stomping ground to beat Paul Quirk 21-7, whilst Juan Killip impressed with a 21-14 win over Stevie Kelly. Dave ‘Costa Del Barney’ Kelly returned to the Island to see off John Gelling 21-19, with the pair no doubt discussing their recent adventures, whilst David Proctor beat Brian Lindsay to the same score.
South Ramsey B picked up five valuable points at home to North Ramsey A to keep themselves ahead of the Mooragh men in a true 5-5 draw, as both teams won four games and shared the aggregate (138-138). Winning for the home team were Tony Dugdale, Eddie Carlyle, Toby Hart and George Brew, whilst Tom Collins, Rob Monk, Paul Allison, and Steve Walmsley responded for the visitors.
Breagle Glen A hosted Castletown A, with the teams evenly matched on the night, however the home team managed to secure a 6-4 win, taking the aggregate by nine chalks (151-142) in a high scoring match, however they missed out a possible three extra wins as Steve Durcan, David Cain and Dan McCabe lost 18, 18 and 19 to Jordan Drewett, Ian Watson, and Nathan Cooil respectively. For the home team their closest game was Wayne Roberts’ 21-17 win against Andy Clark, whilst former Town player Chris Lever beat Dean Kinley 21-16.
In Division Two Ballaugh A reached top spot thanks to a 9 -1 home win over Onchan B, missing out on the whitewash by four chalks as Mark Dimsdale lost out 17-21 to Derek Allen. The Onchan men will feel hard done by having lost three games to 17, and a further two games to 18 and 19.
In a rearranged fixture Noble’s B had their toughest test of the season at home to Marown C (report to follow)…
Noble’s A came away from the Crofts with a 4-6 win over Castletown B. The visitors won 5-3 but couldn’t edge the two-point aggregate as this was shared (137-137). Ron Williams returned to the B Team having turned out for the C team the previous week, went on to win 21-8 against Stephen Corkill. For the visitors Kevin Moore was the best winner as he beat John Holden 21-11, whilst Jim Callister held off Patrick Cooper 21-18.
Finch Hill A kept up their good form with a 9-1 home win over Breagle Glen B, with four of their wins to single figures. Peter Hulley ensured the Breagle men didn’t go home empty handed with a 21-11 win over Kevin Stannard, with Seamus Whelan closest to picking up a second point for the visitors losing out 19-21 to Pat Maher.
Douglas B lifted themselves off bottom spot, jumping two places as they beat opponents Peel B 6-4. Single figure wins were secured for the Villa men from Paul Cowley, Kevin Firth, and Steve Cook, with Dougie Allan returning the favour for Peel with a 21-6 win over Paddy Murphy. Both teams shared a 21-20 win with Willie Cowley holding off Harry Kelly, whilst Andrew Cover got over the line against Bob Callow.
In Division Three Breagle Glen C picked up their best result of the season drawing 5-5 at home to Noble’s C, winning five games, but losing the aggregate by six chalks (118-124) due to being a man short. Mike Caley was the lucky recipient of a walkover. A blast from the past saw Terry Collister return to crown green bowls after an absence of 13 years, he shown he hasn’t lost his touch with a 21-3 win over Pete Bass. Hitting back for the visitors was Andrew Bell, who beat Mark Pendlebury to the same score.
South Ramsey C picked up a solid 3-7 away win over Ballaugh C, with Ian Moore stepping in to beat Ray Corlett, whilst Franz ten Donkelaar beat Simon Clarke 21-4. John Kneen managed to win 21-19 against recent open winner Paul Routledge despite not having a good start to his evening by turning up at the wrong green!
Noble’s D won 7-3 at home to Ballaugh B, with 14 chalks separating the two sides (142-128). John Andrew and Michael Johnson both won to single figures for the home team, whilst Gordy Moore won 21-7 for the visitors.
Marown D hosted North Ramsey B at Crosby, with the home team preventing the Mooragh men from hitting top spot with a 7-3 win. Winning close games for Marown were Steve Walters, Eddie Rough, and Jay Waters against Paul Cannan, Lee Christian, and John Corteen respectively.
In Division Four South Ramsey D hosted Finch Hill B, it was the visitors who went away the happier of the two teams with a 3-7 victory. Elsewhere Peel D edged the aggregate by a solitary chalk (135-134) to seal a 7-3 home win, with three of the wins being close. Noble’s E beat Douglas C 7-3 at home, with nine chalks separating the teams (153-144). Onchan C maintained their lead at the top with a 3-7 away victory over Douglas D as all four league games finished with a 7-3 scoreline. The Park men missed out on a whitewash by eight chalks with Roy Corlett losing out 17-20 to Clark Kelly, Marcus Avery was defeated 18-21 by Dave Jones, whilst Paul Callister was pipped at the post 20-21 to David Manley.
JEAN KELLY KNOCKOUT GETS UNDERWAY
Jean Kelly Knockout competition: (Handicaps in brackets) The prelim rounds of the Jean Kelly knockout competition were played last Thursday night. Marown B (+46) were at home to Mooragh Park A (+45). Mooragh put in a solid performance winning 7-2 on games, points 214-158. Janet Monk, Bailey and Madison McMullen for Mooragh, plus Grace Cooper for Marown all won to single figures. Breagle Glen B (+48) played host Marown (+18). Marown put in a strong performance winning the match 9-0, (207-115). Six of Marown’s wins were won to single figures with the closest game being Breagle’s Jean Thackrah losing to 15 against Debbie Leece. South Ramsey (+15) travelled to Douglas (+46) winning 7-2, (169-190) with three of South’s games being won to single figures. Best game of the match was between South’s Gill Dixon and Paula Garrett with Gill just crossing the line 21-20. Nobles (+24) were at home to Castletown B (+62) resulting in a 7-2 win for the Nobles Ladies, (205-180). Two winners for Castletown were Marie Ashurst and Barbara Young who won to 19 and 15 with Grace Gawne and Paula Firth for Noble’s also having tough games winning to 16 and 17 respectively. Castletown A (+20) put in a solid performance away to Ballaugh B (+57) winning 7-2 on games (203-166). Town’s Jenny Saunders, Tracy Moore and Hilary Kermode all won to single figures, with Ballaugh’s Julie Cannon just missing out on a win for Ballaugh when she lost to 16 against Kellie Maddrell.
Quarter finals will be played on Thursday 8th May – draw is: Ballaugh A vs Nobles; South Ramsey vs Marown A; Castletown A vs Mooragh Park and Breagle Glen A vs Peel Sunset
Over 60’s league: There were two extremely close matches in last Thursday’s Over 60’s fixtures. First of these saw Peel Sunset win their match against Mooragh A 4-2 and by one point (97-96). The two winners for Mooragh were Janet Monk and Lynn Mayers who won to 6 and 7 with Lynda Wilson (Peel) also winning her game to 9. Peel’s Mary Moffatt and Beverley Wilson had tough battles against Chris Sims and Karen McGurgan respectively with the Peel ladies both crossing the line 21-16. Second close match saw Marown visit Finch Hill coming away with a 3 all result but winning the match by two points (90-92). Four of the games were won to single figures – two to Finch and two to Marown. Closest game resulted in a 21-16 win for Finch’s Elaine Vincent against Celia Joughin. Breagle Glen A scored their best result to date when they won 4-2 at home against Ballaugh B scoring 121 to Ballaugh’s 76. Kay Primrose-Smith nearly made it 5-1 to Breagle when she lost to 20 against Brenda Bowyer. Ballaugh A were at home to Nobles winning 4-2 on games and by nine points (108-99). Paula Firth and Marilyn Ellison were the two winners for Nobles winning to 14 and 10. Closest games resulted in 21-17 wins for Ballaugh’s Christine McDonald and Michelle Cubbon. South Ramsey A played Castletown A with the northerners winning 4-2 on games and by 23 points (108-85). Helen Caley and Joyce Ogden for South both won to single figures with Elaine Moore (South) having a nip and tuck game with Hilary Kermode before eventually winning to 15. Castletown B played host to Onchan winning the match 4-2 and by six points (100-94). Caroline Heathcote nearly made the match three all when she lost to 20 against Pat Rigby. Castletown’s Elaine McElroy and Judith Moore plus Onchan’s Wendy McDowell all won to single figures. Breagle Glen B travelled north to Mooragh Park B coming away with a 4-2 win (74-106). Two winners for Mooragh were Joy Morris and Joan Henderson who won to 12 and 10 respectively, with Breagle’s Angela Bennett, Pauline Worrall and Voirrey Curphey winning to 5, 6 and 2. The following morning (Friday) South Ramsey B made their way south to Breagle Glen C. Match finished 4-2 (100-75) to Breagle with three games to Breagle and two to South being won to single figures. Closest game was between Breagle’s Joan Ryder and Liz Ten Donkelaar with Joan just crossing the line 21-17.
Open Age League: Only two teams managed to score in the 170’s in last Friday evening’s fixtures. The first was Breagle Glen A away to Nobles. Match finished 6-3 to Breagle (points 178-109). Mavis Franks, Tricia Bull and Voirrey Curphey for Breagle all won to single figures, with Dee Lewis, Marilyn Ellison and Colese Creer for Nobles winnning to 17, 18 and 17 respectively. Second highest scoring team of the night was Ballaugh A who won 7-2 on games (176-128) away to Marown B. Rose Waterworth for Ballaugh plus Marown’s Lil Smith both won to single figures. Barbara Graham for Ballaugh just missed out on a win for Ballaugh when she lost to 20 against Grace Cooper. South Ramsey A made their second visit of the week to Douglas coming away with a 6-3 win (162-132). Sue Collier and Jenny Moore for South won their games to single figures with Melanie Smith just missing out on a win for Douglas losing to 19 against Gill Morgan. Breagle Glen were at home to Castletown B winning 5-4 on games (164-135). Breagle’s Angela Bennett and Jean Thackrah won their games to 6 and 8, whilst Town’s Sue Peach and Jo Robert both had tough games coming through to win 21-19 and 21-18. Mooragh Park travelled to neighbours Ballaugh B coming away with a 6-3 win (160-139). Mooragh’s Madison McMullan and Janet Monk plus Ballaugh’s Yvonne Ward won to 4, 7 and 6 respectively. Ballaugh’s Karen Young, Alison Millard and Sherriee Pedley just missed out on winning their games when they lost to 18, 19 and 18. Castletown A were at home to Peel winning 7-2 on games (167-122) with Alison Kearsley and Hannah Drewett for ‘Town’ plus Shirley Corrin for Peel winning to single figures. A nip and tuck game saw Anne Oates for Castletown just pip Gill Clarke 21-20.
British Merit Qualifier: The British Merit Qualifier was played at Finch Hill on Sunday afternoon attracting an entry of 21 lady bowlers. Getting through to the semi-finals were Hannah Drewett (Castletown) who beat Lil Smith (Marown); Fiona Kennish (South Ramsey) winning to 15 against Marown’s Helen Withers; Debbie Leece (Marown) winning to 20 in a hard fought game against Louise Tebay (Ballaugh), and Marown’s Clare Cooper who beat her daughter Grace 21-13. In the semi-finals, Hannah and Debbie were too strong for their opponents with Hannah winning to 7 against Fiona and Debbie winning to 9 against Clare. The final, as expected, was keenly contested with the score tied 12 all after 10 ends. The next three ends saw Hannah take a slight lead 13-12, but not one to give up Debbie piled on the pressure eventually running out 21-14 after 17 ends. Many congratulations to Debbie on her win and also to Hannah who between them treated the spectators to a great final of bowling. Debbie with possibly Hannah will represent the Isle of Man at the British Merit Championships being held at Littleover BC, Derbyshire, on Saturday 5th July. Thanks must go to Chris Holland and Jenny Moore (Competition committee) for the smooth running of the competition and to Finch Hill for hosting and providing refreshments throughout the afternoon.
Four in a Row for Dunn & Withers
Lancaster Cup Winners 2025 - Paul Dunn & Neil Withers
Photo: Arnie WithersPeel Sunset Bowling Club hosted the Lancaster Cup Open competition on Sunday 27th April.
Lancaster’s have been sponsoring this competition over the last ten years; A Peel business supporting local clubs. This was a men’s doubles. 21 pairs entered and handicaps were applied.
Under blue skies and warm sunshine, the competition started with five preliminary round games, 10 clubs were represented. There were some really close games and some excellent bowling.
Onto the semi-finals the Marown favourites Neil Withers and Paul Dunn knocked out Peel pair Tommy McMeiken and Andy Jackson with Dougie Allan and Harry Kelly (Peel) battling it out against Peter Jones and Glenn Boland with the Peel men winning 21-19.
The final therefore was a Marown versus Peel affair, Dougie and Harry built up a lead after 9 ends 14-10 but Neil and Paul managed a full house on the 10th end 14-14. After the 13th end they were neck and neck at 16 across with the Marown pair gaining ground on the last 2 ends winning 21-16. Both pairs played brilliantly.
Peels President, Dave (Barney) Kelly presented the prizes. As Peel’s new Men’s Competition Secretary Pip Pemberton ran his first open competition smoothly.
Routledge Takes Maiden Win
Magic Carpets Winner 2025 - Paul Routledge
Photo: David BradfordMarown Bowling Club were the host club on Saturday as they held the Marown Magic Carpets Mixed Singles for the fifth time attracting an entry of 56, an increase of 14 on 2024, this being the same number of Ladies bowlers participating.
The competition was once again played in a big smash style format, which has proved popular in the U.K. and is played over 15 ends with ends 5, 10 and 15 played as ‘power’ ends with the points scored counting double. If scores were tied after 15 ends a one bowl shootout would take place to decide the winner of the game.
Losing quarter finalists were Brian Lindsay (Peel) 11-14 to Glenn Boland (Marown), whilst Colin Kelly beat fellow home greener Stevie Rundle 23-5. In the bottom half of the draw Toby Hart defeated South Ramsey clubmate and current holder David Bradford in a play off, with the score finishing 12-12 after 15 ends. Another South Ramsey player made through as Paul Routledge beat Marown man Walter McCarthy 16-13.
At the semi-final stage it was already decided that it would be a Marown versus South Ramsey final, the first game was settled after 13 ends with Kelly leading 13-6, the deficit was too large for Boland to claw back. In the other semi-final Routledge finished the game solidly, whilst also winning the three power ends to progress to his first final with a 17-8 win.
Kelly started the final as huge favourite on home turf, however Routledge kept calm throughout the game winning the first two ends taking singles. By the first power end Routledge won this to lead 8-2. Kelly then started to work his way back into the game scoring four chalks over the next four ends to close the deficit to three chalks at 6-9 ahead of the second power end.
The South Ramsey man picked up another single on the 10th end to keep his opponent at arm’s length with the score 11-6.
Two quickfire doubles on ends 11 and 12 left the game finely poised. The 13th end saw a good lead from Kelly beaten by Routledge in the corners with Kelly changing his peg and playing a brilliant bowl to count for two to lead for the first time in the game at 12-11.
On the 14th end Kelly was in ascendency in his favoured corners having picked up three successive doubles. A good last bowl from Routledge displayed nerves of steel to level the game at 12-12 going into the final end with the winner of the final power end certain to pick up the title.
If his winner the previous end was superb the lead on the deciding end was fantastic sitting just five inches away from the jack, perfectly in line to give Kelly no target. Kelly’s first bowl just slid through, then Routledge whilst failing to make two to really pile the pressure on left his second bowl in Kelly’s way preventing him from attacking the counting bowl, as the Marown man failed to beat it.
This was a superb achievement with Routledge plying his trade in Division Three for South Ramsey C, having never previously reached the quarter finals of an open competition, he played great throughout the final and the day, crucially winning all three power ends in the final, which ultimately proved to be the difference.
At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by Marown Bowling Club President Brian Kelly, who thanked Magic Carpets for their continued sponsorship, the Ladies for the refreshments, the players for entering.
Leagues Take Shape
Onchan A prior to their 7-3 defeat away to South Ramsey A on Wednesday evening
Photo: Phil CainAfter a week’s break of league action following first round Rayner Shield fixtures, the third round of league fixtures were held this week. On Wednesday evening the top two Division One teams Marown A and South Ramsey A had tricky fixtures for different reasons.
South Ramsey A faced Onchan A with the visitors in a very false position having played teams that usually occupy the top spots in the league in their previous two fixtures Peel A and Marown A. The game resulted in a third consecutive 7-3 defeat for Onchan, with three of their top four players picking up wins with Matthew Quirk edging home 21-19 against David Bradford, Peter Slinger beat Dido Kelly 21-18, whilst Reg Temporaza held off a late fightback from James Teare to win 21-15. Alan Moore stepped into the A team with a solid performance to beat Kevin Quirk 21-13, whilst four single figure wins arrived from Bob Clark, Glynn Hargraves, Jordan Cain, and Peter Collister albeit the last win 21-0 against Steve Parker who injured himself during the first end of the game and was unable to continue.
Marown A had a tough fixture away to North Ramsey A, which is notoriously a tough place to go, so it proved as they had to battle for a 3-7 victory, despite keeping the home team under 100 chalks, thanks to four single figure wins from Peter Jones, Paul Kelly, Colin Kelly, and Marown captain Paul Dunn. Winning for the home team were captain Rob Monk with a 21-2 win over Tom Kelly, Steve Walmsley beat Dean Kipling 21-16, John Cannan picked up an impressive 21-12 win over Neil Withers, whilst Tom Collins just missed out 18-21 against Glenn Boland.
Castletown A bounced back in style from their Rayner Shield defeat to beat South Ramsey B 9-1 at the Crofts, just missing out on the whitewash by a solitary chalk as Toby Hart ensured they didn’t go home empty handed with a 21-20 win over Nathan Cooil. The Town men are sitting pretty in third place, with Kieran Krypner getting his first Division One league win under his belt beating Eddie Carlyle 21-14, as he played with his new bowls, Dean Kinley and Jordan Drewett won to single figures, whilst Ian Watson had the toughest game on his hands with Tony Dugdale, with the former winning 21-16.
The closest match in the top division took place between Marown B and Breagle Glen A at Crosby, with a 6-4 win going to the home team, with 11 chalks separating the teams (145-134). Phil Kelly was the only single figure winner for the home team beating Bernie Durcan 21-6, whilst Dan McCabe responded with a 21-8 win over John Gelling. Chris Lever edged the battled of the captains with a 21-19 win over Juan Killip.
Douglas A were defeated 4-6 at home to Peel A, losing the aggregate by 35 chalks (110-145). Three single figure wins arrived from Gary Smith, Tommy McMeiken, and Stevie Kelly, with the latter winning 21-0 against former Villa teammate Mark Kneen. Hitting back for the home team were Andy Cannell, Ian Moore, Dave McCabe, and Gordy Wynne-Smythe.
In Division Two Noble’s A were the biggest winners of the week as they beat Douglas B 9-1 at the Park, with the Villa men struggling for form in the early part of the season. The lone winner for the visitors was Willie Cowley who delivered a 21-15 win against Mark ‘Postie’ Quinn. For the home team Alex Yates, Stephen Corkill, Mark Bradshaw, and Jim Callister kept the visitors down to just 86 chalks.
Finch Hill A, who are notoriously poor on the road, pulled off the biggest shock of the season, as they won 4-6 away to early pacesetters Marown C, just pipping the aggregate by five chalks (134-139). For the home team Jamie Joughin won 21-4 against Dave Dixon, whilst Stephen Oates hit back with a 21-2 win over Dan Smith. Three home wins were close – 21-17 going in favour of Darren Kerruish, Walter McCarthy, and James Kelly, whilst Sam Stannard-Duke beat Sid Bolton 21-19 for the Finch men.
Noble’s B came away from Onchan Park with a hard fought 4-6 win over Onchan B, as they took the two-point aggregate by just two chalks (140-142). Captain Steve Cain led the way for his men, as he was the only single figure winner beating Sid McKnight 21-8, whilst Lee Price held his nerve to beat Neil Richmond 21-20. The Noble’s men have settled into Division Two life without any issues, they will look to see how far they can go this season.
Castletown B remain winless but managed to pick up four points in their 6-4 defeat away to Breagle Glen B, losing out by just seven chalks (155-148) in a high scoring match. The Town men could have picked up a further three points with James Drinkwater, Patrick Cooper, and John Holden just losing out 20,19, 19 respectively. The Breagle men may also have felt two or three games could have gone their way with Seamus Whelan, Rod Swift and Derek Cadamy losing out 17, 18, and 20 respectively. Derek Cain’s win was never in doubt as he beat Sam Quayle 21-6.
Peel B suffered a heavy defeat 2-8 at home to Ballaugh A, with Dougie Allan and Phil Clarke the two winners. Just losing out for the home team were Jimmy Corlett 18-21 to Tony Quine, Jeff Wilson 19-21 to Richard Hainge, and Ross Menton 20-21 to Mark Dimsdale. For the visitors captain Phil Quayle led the way for the Ballaugh men with a 21-9 win over Ian Gray. Despite suffering defeat just 15 chalks separated the sides (139-154).
In Division Three Peel C sit in top spot with a four point lead following their 8-2 home win over Noble’s D. Home captain Jimmy Lee beat John Andrew 21-14, Matthew Venables won convincingly 21-7 against Rob Bell, whilst Nathan Jones crept home 21-20 against Alex Hampson. For the visitors Stephen Hampson beat Stuart Morrison 21-19.
Occupying second spot North Ramsey B hosted Ballaugh C at Mooragh Park, with the home team prevailing 8-2.
Elsewhere Nobles C drew 5-5 at home to Marown D despite winning 5-3 on games, as they lost the aggregate by just three chalks in a high scoring game (145-148). Ballaugh B picked up their biggest win of the season 9-1 at home to Breagle Glen C, with Alan Crebbin preventing the whitewash with a 21-12 win over Steve Bassil.
In Division Four Onchan C secured a 10-0 home win over North Ramsey C, with the Mooragh men unfortunate not to pick up any points with losing scores of 17, 18, 19 and 20. Onchan extended their lead to nine points after the third round of fixtures.
Castletown C sit in joint second on 17 points following their 7-3 home win over South Ramsey D. The Town team fielded four juniors, once again it was Freddie Palmer who pulled off another win as he beat Chris Brown 21-8, whilst his father Chris Palmer beat Billy Blair 21-16.
Elsewhere Finch Hill B lost 4-6 at home to Douglas D, with the home team suffering three defeats to single figures which ultimately sealed their fate. Douglas C won 9-1 at home to Peel D, with five of the games finishing to single figures.
CASTLETOWN ‘A’ LADIES ON FORM
Open age league : Wednesday night of week four saw Castletown A ladies travel to Marown B coming away with an 8-1 win dropping only three points. Alison Kearsley for ‘Town’ won to single figures with the lone winner for Marown, Rosie Winckle, winning 21-18. Marown nearly won two more games as Grace Cooper and Sue Hammond both lost to 19. South Ramsey played host to Breagle Glen B winning 8-1. Six of South’s wins were won to single figures with Roz Cannon being the only winner for Breagle winning to 13. Nobles travelled to Peel winning 5-4 with four of Nobles ladies winning to single figures. Emilie Moss (Peel) and Tina Hampson had a nip and tuck game with Tina crossing the line 21-19. Ballaugh A were at home to Marown A with the Crosby ladies winning 5-4 with four of these games being won to single figures. Rose Waterworth (Ballaugh) and Zoe Bolton had a good game resulting in a 21-14 win for Rose. Mooragh Park were at home to Douglas with the Northerners winning 6-3. Grayse Blencoe, Olivia Johnson and Janet Monk for Mooragh plus Rebecca Jacobs for Douglas all won to single figures. Closest game saw Mooragh’s Bailey McMullan win to 18 against Paula Garrett. Breagle Glen A had a good 7-2 home win against Ballaugh B with three of Breagle’s ladies winning to 9, 8 and 7. Katy Williams (Breagle) had a good battle with Alison Millard with Katy eventually winning 21-20.
Over 60’s league: Castletown A ladies continued with their good form this week scoring two maximums. On Tuesday morning they made their way north to Mooragh Park B scoring their third maximum of the season with five of the six games being won to single figures. Irene Goodall was the sole player for Mooragh to reach double figures losing 21-15. Peel were home to South Ramsey B winning the match 5-1. Closest game saw Peel’s Joyce Kelly just get the better of Anne Buck to win 21-14. Sole winner for South was Sue Collier who won to 8. Nobles ladies made their way south to Breagle Glen A coming away with a 4-2 win. All games went into double figures with Caroline Whitehead (Breagle) and Sue Gawne (Nobles) winning their games to 16. Ballaugh A put in a solid performance winning 5-1 at home to Marown dropping only four points. Pat Mason and Christine McDonald for Ballaugh won to 7 and 6, with Marown’s lone winner, Rosie Winckle, winning to 17. South Ramsey played host to Finch Hill winning the match 5-1. It was a battle of the ‘Caleys’ as Finch’s sole winner Sue Caley won 21-12 against Helen Caley. Ballaugh B made their way to Castletown B with the match finishing three all. Elizabeth Faragher and Shirley Watling for Ballaugh both won to single figures with Castletown’s Elaine McElroy and Marie Ashurst both pipping their opponents 21-18. Onchan hosted Mooragh Park A with Mooragh winning 4-2. Onchan’s two winners were Maureen Payne and Pauline Cowley who won to 12 and 18 respectively. Only player to win to single figures was Mooragh’s Janet Monk. On Wednesday morning, Breagle Glen C played their B team with the B winning 5-1 and dropping only four points. Sole winner for the C team was Joan Ryder who won to 17 with Edwina Reid just missing out on another win for the C team when she lost to 18 against Jean Thackrah.
On Thursday morning, Castletown A recorded their fourth maximum to date at home to Finch Hill although due to unforeseen circumstances Finch were two players down. Sue Caley for Finch almost clinched a win losing to 20 against Joy Stephens. Mooragh Park A had a good 5-1 win at home against Castletown B dropping only two points. All players reached double figures with Castletown’s Judith Moore putting up a good fight against Maureen Hamilton before losing to 15. Sole winner for Castletown was Elaine McElroy who won to 19. Ballaugh A travelled to Breagle Glen B putting in a solid performance winning 5-1 dropping only three points. Ballaugh’s Kay McKiernan, Julie Reilly and Rose Waterworth all won to single figures, with Breagle’s lone winner, Jenny Cain, winning to 18. Marown played Mooragh Park B at home. Match finished 5-1 to Marown with four of Marown’s wins being won to single figures. Mary Bruce was Mooragh’s sole winner winning to 15. Peel visited Ballaugh B coming away with a 5-1 win. Val Allwood, Mary Moffatt and Joyce Kelly for Peel, plus Shirley Watling for Ballaugh won to single figures. Closest game saw Peel’s Lynda Wilson just getting the better of Elizabeth Faragher 21-18. Nobles were at home to Breagle Glen C winning 5-1 on games and dropping five points. Stopping a full house was Gwen Tuck who won to 16 against Marilyn Ellison. Sue Gawne, Paula Garrett and Jo Smith for Nobles all won to single figures. Breagle Glen A travelled north to South Ramsey B and although the match finishing three all, Breagle won by 37 points. Closest games saw South’s Lorraine Moore and Jackie Murley winning to 16 and 19. South Ramsey’s A team travelled to Onchan winning 4-2 with all of South’s wins being won to single figures. Two winners for Onchan were Maureen Payne who won to single figures and Sue McCourt who had a good battle with Gillian Jopson coming from 7-17 down to win 21-19.
£1,250 raised for Local Charity – Hargraves, Quirk and Cain Retain Trophy
Chas Grills Memorial Trophy 2025 - Glynn Hargraves, Matthew Quirk, and Jordan Cain with Chas Grills' sister Suzanne Nicholas
Photo: Kim HargravesSouth Ramsey Bowling Club held the Chas Grills Memorial Trophy for the third time on Sunday. The format of triples once again proved to be popular amongst the Islands bowlers as 24 teams – 72 bowlers took part. The competition was once again supported by CTH Insure.
Losing out at the quarter final stage were the Ballaugh trio of Becky Mitchell, Stephen Swift, and Richard Green 11-21 to the Marown team of Colin Kelly, Walter McCarthy, and Tom Kelly. In a repeat of the 2024 final Marown’s Glenn Boland, Peter Jones and visiting bowler Jamie Box took on Jordan Cain, Glynn Hargraves (both South Ramsey) and Matthew Quirk (Onchan) with the latter team prevailing 21-8 as they kept their opponents down to three singles.
In the other half of the draw another Marown team reached the semi-finals as Rebecca Teare, Clare Cooper, and Debbie Leece held off a late fightback from home greeners Sue Collier, Geoff Collier, and Greg Barlow having led 20-12, before getting over the line 21-19. The shortest game of the round was between the home team of Jenny Moore, James Teare, and David Bradford, who made light work of Brian Lindsay, Eddie Carlyle, and Les Brookes (Peel/South Ramsey/Finch Hill) in just nine ends with a 21-9 win.
Both semi-finals were keenly contested as the Kelly’s and McCarthy took on Cain, Hargraves and Quirk, with the Marown team needing to win just four ends to build a 14-9 after eight ends. This breathing space turned into a four-chalk deficit three ends later as a single followed by two quickfire fours from the current holders saw the game at 14-18. The Marown team hit back with two doubles and a single to lead 19-18, were counting one in the corners only for the last bowl up by Tom to somewhat unluckily flick in their opponent’s bowl. With this Jordan, Glynn, and Matthew rallied to finish with three consecutive singles to book their place in the final with a hard fought 21-19 win.
The second semi-final didn’t lack any drama either as the home green team of Moore, Teare, and Bradford took on the Marown Trio of Teare, Cooper, and Leece. The visiting bowlers won 10 ends of a 16-end game, it was the South Ramsey team that progressed to the final despite only winning six ends, when they did score, they scored heavily with a full house (six), a four, two doubles, two singles to see the game out with a 21-18 win.
In the final it was one-way traffic early in the game with Jordan, Glynn, and Matthew leading 14-6 after just six ends on a short mark over the middle of the green. A four scored on the eighth end, extended the lead to 18-9, with Jenny, James, and David having picked up a single and a double in between conceding the four. Within two ends the game was over as a double, followed by a single secured a deserved 21-9 victory for Cain, Hargraves, and Quirk to retain the trophy.
The presentation was made by competition secretary James Teare, with Chas Grill’s sister Suzanne Nicholas then introduced to present the prizes. Upon accepting the trophy Glynn thanked his fellow players Jordan and Matthew, the competition sponsors CTH Insure, also Darren Kerruish for providing prizes to the finalists on behalf of local businesses Domino’s Pizza, Starbucks and KFC for a second successive year. Thanks were given to Steve Moore for running the sheet on the day, competition secretary James Teare, along with the work that had gone in by club members to prepare the green, the ladies for the superb choice of refreshments, also everyone who had supported the competition with their generous donations.
It was then confirmed that Alzheimer’s Society Isle of Man were the charity supported this year, with a grand sum of £1,250 raised on the day, thanks were given to the generosity of everyone who had entered and supported the charity.
Photo: Alan Moore
Bradford & Kelly Win Cringle Fours
Cringle Fours Winners 2025 - David Bradford and Dido Kelly with Murray Cringle’s son - Phil Cringle
Photo: Glynn HargravesCastletown Bowling Club hosted the Charity Cringle Fours men’s open competition on Saturday attracting 24 pairs to compete for the trophy, an increase of eight pairs on last year.
The quarter finals saw Glynn Hargraves and Jamie Box (South Ramsey/Quarry) beat Marown pair Neil Withers and Paul Dunn, whilst the Peel/Marown combination of Pip Pemberton and Peter Greenlees ended the run of James Kelly and Trevor Quayle (Marown/Breagle Glen). In the other half of the draw Jordan Drewett and Dean Kinley were the furthest home greeners after seeing off Castletown clubmates Nathan Cooil and Aaron Richardson, whilst Crosby duo Glenn Boland and Peter Jones lost out to South Ramsey pair David Bradford and Dido Kelly.
Hargraves and Box booked their place in the final, with the score tied at 15-15 after 13 ends, it took a one, two and three in that order to secure a 21-15 win over Pemberton and Greenlees, helped in part by two full houses earlier in the game. The other semi-final saw Drewett and Kinley close the deficit with Bradford and Kelly to just two chalks (12-14) after 14 ends. A strong finish from the South Ramsey men ensured a 21-14 win.
The final got underway with the score tied at 6-6 after five ends, then a couple of fours for Bradford and Kelly gave the South Ramsey pair plenty of breathing room as they took a 15-9 lead. This quickly turned to 20-9, with Hargraves and Box lying one a great last bowl from Kelly sealed a deserved 21-9 victory. Bradford was looking for a partner in the morning, with Kelly stepping in at the 11th hour, it proved to be a successful partnership.
The presentation was made by competition secretary Nathan Hamilton, who introduced Murray Cringle’s son Phil Cringle to present the prizes. A grand total of £325 was raised for Sight Matters, with all prize winners putting their winnings back into the pot, this boosted the final figure raised.
PlumbMaster Rayner Shield Underway
Castletown A pictured prior to their Rayner Shield Match with South Ramsey A
Photo: Phil CainThe Plumbmaster Rayner Shield got underway last week, this gives teams from the lower divisions the opportunity to test themselves against stronger teams, with preliminary and first round losers going into the draw for the Rayner Plate.
Just one first division team went into the Rayner Plate as Castletown A suffered a heavy 8-0 defeat away to South Ramsey A, in what was a replay of the Rayner Shield final from last season. The visitors scored just 65 chalks, with David Quayle the highest scoring Town player with 13 chalks, whilst Jordan Drewett was the only other Castletown player to reach double figures, scoring 12 chalks. A subject that seems to get raised every year if first division teams suffer heavy defeats like this, this begs the question should lower division teams automatically go into the Rayner Plate?
Marown A hosted Ballaugh A at Crosby, the home team recorded an 8-0 win with four of the Ballaugh men reaching double figures, with Richard Hainge losing out 14-21 to Peter Jones.
Onchan A crushed Division Two league leaders Marown C 8-0, however the visitors passed the 100-chalk mark losing out 168-106. Three of the games were close with two losses to 18 and a defeat to 19. Just one game didn’t go to double figures as Will Penhallurick beat Steve Rough 21-3.
A much-changed Peel A team didn’t have it all their own way away to Onchan B, as they won 2-6 on the night with 15 chalks between the teams (124-139). Mike Kelly beat Phil Clarke 21-8, whilst Neil Richmond won 21-5 against Michael Kavanagh. For the visitors three of the Peel men had to battle for their wins as Pip Pemberton won 21-17 against Mike Thomas, whilst Tommy McMeiken and Harry Kelly won 21-19 against Colin spence and Bernie McPhee respectively.
Douglas A beat seven-man Castletown B 7-1 at the Villa, with green keeper Ian Moore the recipient of the walkover. The Town men were probably not expecting a result against a first division team, especially away from home.
Division Four side Peel D hosted North Ramsey A in the Sunset City, with Adam Kelly the only winner on the night 21-6 against Junior bowler Landon Allison, with the latter given the opportunity to make his A team debut against a lower league team.
South Ramsey B were in a tough game away to Noble’s D, with the score 2-2 at the half way point, only for the visitors to win 3-1 in the second half of the match to secure a 3-5 win. Winning for the home team were Alex Hampson, Grahem Moore, and Michael Johnson.
Marown B just missed out on an 0-8 away win against Breagle Glen C as they won 1-7, with Arran Dunn fighting back from a huge deficit against Alan Crebbin, only to cruelly lose 20-21. The Crosby men had the return of John Gelling, who made his first appearance of the 2025 season.
Of all the first division teams to progress to the second round Breagle Glen A had the toughest test, as they won 3-5 away to Finch Hill A, with just 10 chalks separating the teams (138-148). Two of the games that could have swung the result the other way had the scores been reversed were Pat Maher losing 19-21 to Pat Maher, whilst Paul Dougherty just lost out 20-21 to David Cain.
Ladies League Reports
Over 60’s League Tuesday
Tuesday morning saw three maximums being scored. First of these saw the Nobles ladies travelling to Castletown B with Paula Garrett (Nobles) winning to single figures. Second and third maximums were scored by South Ramsey A who were at home to Mooragh Park B and Castletown A who were away to Breagle Glen C with eight games between the two matches being won to single figures. Peel hosted Breagle Glen B winning 5-1 on games. Lone winner for Breagle was Kay Primrose-Smith who won to 6. Finch Hill ladies travelled to Ballaugh A with the match finishing 4-2 to Ballaugh. Pat Mason and Julie Reilly (Ballaugh) both won to single figures with Lil Smith and Wendy Cowin for Finch winning to 10 and 12. Breagle Glen A drew three all at home against Marown but won by 10 points. Rita Callister and Caroline Whitehead for Breagle, plus Lynda Cadamy for Marown all won to single figures. Mooragh Park were at home to Ballaugh B winning 5-1 and dropping only 3 points. Stopping the full house was Carol Holt who won to 18. South Ramsey B visited Onchan. Unfortunately despite a good effort, South lost 4-2 and by 14 points. Anne Bannan for Onchan won to single figures as did Sue Collier for South.
Thursday morning fixtures
There was only one maximum scored on Thursday by Finch Hill at home to Mooragh Park B. Closest game saw Joan Henderson (Mooragh) losing to 18 against Pat Heesom with Lil Smith, Anne Hon and Wendy Cowin for Finch winning to 7, 9, 4 and 6. Marown hosted Breagle Glen C winning 5-1, only dropping five points. Stopping a full house for Marown was Kay Primrose-Smith who won to 16. Local derby between Mooragh Park A at home to South Ramsey A ended with a 4-2 win for Mooragh in a low scoring match. Janet Monk, Maureen Hamilton and Gill Malpass for Mooragh all won to single figures as did Joyce Ogden and Elaine Moore for South. Ballaugh A made their way to Castletown A. Town won 4-2 with four of their players winning to single figures. Christine McDonald and Julie Reilly were the two winners for Ballaugh winning to 14 and 13. Nobles won 4-2 at home against Peel dropping only four points. Libby Andrade and Dee Lewis (Onchan) won to single figures with Joyce Kelly and Val Allwood (Peel) winning to 20 and 18. Home derby between Breagle Glen B and A resulted in a 4-2 win for the B team. Trish Bull (A team) just missed out making it a three all draw losing to 20 against Pauline Worrall. Onchan travelled to Ballaugh B coming away with a three all draw but winning the match by two points. Closest game saw Ballaugh’s Brenda Clayton winning to 18 against Norma Cowell. South Ramsey B were at home to Castletown B and although match finished three all, Castletown took the honours by 10 points. Sue Collier for South, plus Castletown’s Pat Rigby, Marie Ashurst and Elaine McElroy all won to single figures.
Open Age League
Wednesday night saw the second set of fixtures played. Ballaugh A recorded a maximum at home to Castletown B with four of Ballaugh’s games being won to single figures. Closest game saw Joy Stephens (Castletown B) narrowly losing to 19 against Julie Reilly. Castletown A won 7-2 at home against Nobles with Aalish Moore, Hilary Kermode and Hannah Drewett all winning to single figures, as did Paula Firth for Nobles. Douglas travelled to Peel coming away with a 5-4 win. Winning their games to single figures were Harley Garrett for Douglas and Jo Corkill for Peel. Closest games saw Louise Horsfall and Beverly Wilson (Peel) winning to 19 and 18 against Katie Jacobs and Emma Sayle. Home derby between Breagle A and B resulted in a 7-2 win for the A team. Margie Tasker (A) had a good battle with Hannah Leece with Margie just pipping Hannah 21-20. Two winners for the B team were Roz Cannon and Alison Stockham who won to 7 and 16. Marown B were at home to Ballaugh B winning 6-3 with Crosby ladies Lil Smith and Sue Hammond winning to single figures. Elaine Fenton narrowly missed out winning another game for Ballaugh when she lost to 19 to Grace Cooper. South Ramsey played host to Marown A winning 6-3 on games with Jenny Moore and Kim Hargraves (South) winning to single figures. Closest games saw Rebekah Kelly for Marown and Gillian Jopson for South winning their games to 20 and 19 respectively. Mention must be made about the game between Lauren Groen and Clare Cooper – it was such a good game that both sides of the scorecard were used with Lauren eventually winning to 18. As Clare said ‘it was lovely night for a game of bowls and we were trying for a record number of ends’ – not sure if they did enough!
On Friday night Marown A were at home to Castletown B. Marown won 7-2 with Rebecca Teare and Helen Withers, plus Barbara Young for Castletown all winning to single figures. Closest game of the match saw Marown’s Jayne Smith just edging out Anne Oates 21-19. Castletown A hosted Ballaugh A winning 7-2 on games. Two winners for Ballaugh were Louise Tebay and Caroline Parker winning to 7 and 16. Closest game saw Stella Watterson just pip Ballaugh’s Christie McDonald 21-20. Marown B travelled to Nobles coming away with a 5-4 win. Celia Joughin and Jo Kelly for Marown plus Jo Smith and Colese Creer for Nobles all won to single figures. Marown’s Pippa Clague and Charlotte Clarke plus Nobles Kerri Hampson for Nobles all won their games to 18. Breagle Glen A visited Douglas winning the match 6-3. Two games for Breagle were won to 18, with two games for Douglas being won to 17. Margie Tasker (Breagle) was the only player to win to single figures. Ballaugh B were at home to Peel with the Peel ladies winning the match 6-3. Four of Peel’s wins and one of Ballaugh’s were won to single figures. Closest game saw Gill Clarke for Peel winning to 20 against Brenda Clayton. Mooragh Park travelled to Breagle Glen B coming away with a 7-2 win. Janet Monk, Katie Johnson and Madison McMullan all won to single figures for Mooragh with the two winners for Breagle, Angela Bennett and Roz Cannon, winning to 17 and 11 respectively.
Ladies Association Triples Competition
The Ladies Association triples competition was held on Sunday at Breagle Glen attracting an entry of 11 triples. Getting through to the first of the semi-finals were Tracy Moore, Joyce Ogden and Caroline Whitehead who played Debbie Leece, Helen Withers and Clare Cooper. This was a close game with Debbie, Helen and Clare eventually winning to 16. Second semi-final saw Sue Gawne, Paula Firth and Lynda Cadamy put in a solid performance to beat Voirrey Curphey, Jacqui Elliott and Jean Thackrah 21-9.
In the final, Debbie, Helen and Clare took control of the game and never looking back won 21-8 against Sue, Paula and Lynda. Congratulations to Debbie, Helen and Clare, and to all the lady bowlers who took part. Also thanks to Breagle for hosting the competition and to the Competition committee for the smooth running of the competition.