Yearly Archives: 2026
JEAN KELLY KNOCKOUT FINAL
Jean Kelly Winners 2026
On Thursday evening, 6 August, the Ladies Association Jean Kelly Knockout final was played on Onchan Bowling Club sponsored by the family of the late Jean Kelly. Match was between Marown A with a handicap of +16 and South Ramsey with a handicap of +20. With only 4 points difference; a good crowd in attendance and great support for both teams, a highly contested night of bowls was anticipated.
First jack on the green was Zoe Pearson for Marown against Kim Hargraves. Zoe started off the stronger and despite a spirited attempt by Kim, Zoe ran out to win 21-17. Second jack was between South’s Lesley Murray and Louise Tebay. Unfortunately for Lesley, Louise who has been playing well all season, continued with her on-form performance winning the game 21-6. Third jack pitted Marown’s Rebecca Kelly against Judy Kelly. Rebecca got into her stride straight away and not looking back won 21-9. Fourth jack was between South’s Jackie Murley and Lyn Bolton – this game could have gone either way as both ladies were leading well, but with a push at the end Lyn won 21-15. Fifth jack saw Marown’s Debbie Leece take on Elaine Moore. This was certainly a game off two halves as at one point Elaine led 15-3, but once Debbie got hold off the jack and playing some exceptional lead bowls, she ran out to win 21-16.
Score at this point in the match, including the handicaps was Marown 121, South Ramsey 83. With South having an uphill climb, tension around the green was being felt as only four games remained.
Jenny Moore for South was next on the green taking on Clare Cooper. Jenny gave South a fighting chance winning to 10 against Clare and South’s first win of the match. The seventh game was between Marown’s Helen Withers and Fiona Kennish. Just as the game between Debbie and Elaine, Helen got off to a great start to lead 14-4, but with determination and some good lead bowls, Fiona fought back to win 21-18 to give South their second win of the night reducing the deficit in points to 24. Eighth game was a battle to the end between South’s Gill Dixon against Lynda Cadamy with Lynda eventually taking the honours 21-19. Last game was between Philippa Taylor for the Crosby ladies against Sue Collier. Philippa sealed South’s fate with a solid 21-10 win; the final point being an amazing bowl by Philippa who played a bowl full corner to corner to rest on the jack – bowl of the match!
Final total (including handicaps) – Marown A 192 (7 games) South Ramsey 154 (2 games).
Presentation was made by Linda Wilson, Secretary of the Ladies Crown Green Bowling Association, who thanked the Kelly family for their continued sponsorship of the competition; Onchan for the use of the green and congratulating all the players on a good night of bowling before introducing Carolyn Kelly, on behalf the Kelly Family, to present the prizes to both teams and the shield to Jayne Smith, Captain of Marown A. Jayne also thanked the Kelly family for their continued sponsorship and support of the competition; congratulating her team on their performance and thanking the South Ramsey ladies for a good match.
Congratulations to Marown A on their win and commiserations to South Ramsey on what was a great night of bowls.
Kennish & Bradford Win Doubles Championship
Association Doubles Championship Winners 2026 - John Kennish & David Bradford
Photo: Arnie WithersThe Islands premier doubles competition the Association Doubles Championship was held at Marown Bowling Club on Sunday. The competition was played 21-up off a handicap of +3 for all competitors. The event was well supported with 26 pairs entering in a bid to win the coveted title.
At the quarter final stage, the home pairing of Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly eased to a 21-11 win over Noble’s pair Jim Callister and Alex Yates, whilst another home pairing – Colin Kelly and Peter Jones won by a bigger margin, 21-6 against Breagle Glen pair Wayne Roberts and Trevor Quayle, who had just put out the current holders Glynn Hargraves and Jamie Box (South Ramsey/Marown) in the previous round.
In the other half of the draw it was an all-South Ramsey affair, with John Kennish and Bradford up against Tony Hart and Lee Dawson, as the former pair went on to win 21-14, having trailed 9-12, Kennish and Bradford scored four threes in five ends to secure a 21-14 win. The closest tie of the quarter finals was between Jordan Cain and Matthew Quirk (South Ramsey/Onchan), who were up against Marown pair Paul Dunn and Neil Withers. The home pairing led 17-11 after 13 ends, only for their opponents to close the deficit to two chalks at 18-20. Dunn and Withers went on to pick up the one chalk needed to secure a 21-18 win to advance to the next round.
In the semi-finals an all-home tie took place, with Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly facing Colin Kelly and Peter Jones, with the latter pair securing their second consecutive single figure win as the cruised to a 21-9 victory to book their spot in the final.
In the second semi-final Kennish and Bradford had a tougher game, but were always in control against Dunn and Withers, as they eased their way to a 21-12 win.
The final got underway with Kennish and Bradford having won the title for the first four years looking to get their fifth win to match Withers and Dunn, with Kelly and Jones looking to pick up their maiden win in this competition, with only three different pairs winning the title over the first 10 years the competition has been played.
With the rain getting heavier conditions worsened throughout the final, in what was a low scoring match, with just five doubles scored during the entire match, the rest of the scoring ends being singles.
Kelly and Jones favoured the corners, whilst Kennish and Bradford preferred a shorter length. After five ends the South Ramsey pair had built up a four-chalk lead, to put the score at 9-5. The Marown men responded to win seven of the following nine ends in their favoured corners to lead 13-11. Getting back in on the following end, with Kennish put up good lead bowls to keep the pressure on, the South Ramsey pair went on to win nine of the last 11 ends taking a 21-15 win to secure the title for the first time since 2019, deservedly picking up title number five in this competition.
The presentation was made by Competition Committee member Brian Kelly, who thanked Marown Bowling Club for providing refreshments throughout the day, everyone who had helped with the smooth running of the competition and those who had entered.
South Ramsey A Win 9th Rayner Shield
Plumbmaster Rayner Shield Winners 2026 - South Ramsey A
Photo: Bod BolandThe final of the 2026 PlumbMaster sponsored Rayner Shield took place on Friday evening at Nobles Park with the Number One green being used, on a good surface that was running better than it had been recently. A healthy crowd were in attendance to watch events unfold.
The top two were contesting the final, with Marown A the clear favourites on the night, holding a massive 16-point lead in the league after 16 games played, (with two games to play) whilst also beating South Ramsey A home and away in the league this season.
Marown, the current holders have won the Rayner Shield 18 times, whilst South Ramsey have won it eight times, with six of those wins in the past 11 years. The teams have faced each other five times in Rayner Shield finals over the years, with Marown winning the first three finals (1997, 2014 & 2017), whilst South have won the last two contested (2019 & 2022).
The draw took place on the night, with South Ramsey winning the toss, they elected to take the jack on the even number games, with Marown taking the jack on the odd games.
Jamie Box got things underway in the final, on a green he will be familiar with having played in the festival numerous times over the years as he faced John Kennish, with the latter making a strong start taking an early 6-1 lead. The South Ramsey man never fell behind in the game, with Box fighting to hang in having trailed 7-13 and 11-18 before ultimately losing out to 15-21 to the 12-time Manx Champion.
The next game on saw South Ramsey take a 2-0 lead on games, with Division One individual merit leader Jordan Cain performing well against Marown’s youngest player Glenn Boland to build up a 15-7 lead. Boland fought back to reduce the deficit to just three chalks at 15-18, only for Cain to score a single and a double to secure a 21-15 win.
The third game off was between Tom Kelly and David Bradford, with the Marown man having better joy in the early stages, taking a 6-1 lead, extending the lead to 12-6, then maintaining the six chalk advantage at 14-8. Bradford battled back to close the deficit, eventually going on to take the lead for the first time in the game on the 28th end 18-17. With an exchange of ends over the next five ends, it was Kelly who won three of those five ends, crucially scoring a two on the way to securing a 21-20 win to get Marown’s first win of the night.
The next game off was between the youngest player turning out for both sides, with Toby Hart showing nerves of steel against seven-time Manx Champion and 2019 Champion of Champions winner Colin Kelly. The Marown man would have been a heavy favourite to win this one, however Hart dug deep to put in a huge performance to stun Kelly and the watching crowd. The South Ramsey man had scored three doubles by the eighth end on his way to lead 8-5, these proved to be the last of the doubles, with Hart scoring 13 singles after that winning 18 of the 31 ends played. Hart played superbly to lead 17-11, with five consecutive singles, with Kelly doing all he could to stay in the game playing saving bowls, to prevent the damage of giving away costly doubles.
Being the player and opponent that he is, Kelly fought back to get himself level for the first time in the game at 19-19 after 29 ends. The following end saw Kelly counting, with Hart as calm as he been all game, playing a superb bowl, just nipping inside of the counting bowl to score a single to lead 20-19. Hart played two good bowls on the following end, with the Marown man certain to be up at the end, he didn’t disappoint playing a reaching bowl, making good contact, it looked to the watching crowd that the game was going to a deciding end, however Kelly’s bowl hadn’t quite won the end, as Hart secured South’s third win of the night.
This put the match score at 3-1 to South Ramsey at the halfway point, with a 13-chalk lead (83-70).
The first game off in the second half of the match was between South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves and Paul Kelly, with the South captain putting in a solid performance with the only single figure win for South on the night, picking up seven doubles on his way to a 21-9 victory. This put the match score at 4-1 to South, and a healthy 25 chalk advantage, South knew either one more win or securing the chalks would ensure a win on the night.
The next game off followed swiftly with Marown pulling a game back, with Neil Withers putting in a dominant performance against James Teare, with a 21-7 win, scoring nine doubles on his way to victory, keeping the South man down to seven singles. The match looked to be finely poised, with the match score now 4-2 to South Ramsey and the lead reduced to just 11-chalks.
The last two games on the green at this point saw South Ramsey in the lead in both games, they quickly ensured that there was no hope of a comeback with Dido Kelly performing well to lead 16-9 against Peter Jones, whilst Peter Collister led 17-10 against Marown captain Paul Dunn, meaning the most chalks that could be dropped at this stage of the match for South were nine chalks.
With word seemingly getting round the green, it was the Marown men who kicked on as Jones won nine of the last 10 ends performing well, playing some great second bowls to run out with a 21-17 victory over Kelly.
This left Dunn and Collister on the green, with the Marown man finishing in a similar fashion to Jones, as Dunn won nine of the last 11 ends to secure a hard fought 21-19 win. This put the match at 4-4 on games won, with South Ramsey winning the match by five chalks to pick up their ninth Rayner Shield win, (147-142) to bring a conclusion to an entertaining final.
The presentation was made by IOMCCGBA President Mark Kneen, who thanked the sponsors Plumbmaster for their ongoing support, competition secretary Matthew Keggen for running the evening and Nobles Bowling Club for hosting the final. Upon accepting the trophy South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves expressed how proud he was of his team for their performance on the night, offered his commiserations to Marown, who contributed to a good final, whilst also congratulating Marown A on winning back the league, which is due to be sealed officially this week.
LADIES OVER 60s LEAGUE
On Thursday morning last week, 30 July, Castletown A and Ballaugh A put in impressive performances as both teams scored full houses. Castletown A were at home to Ballaugh B (126-50) with four of the Town ladies winning to single figures. Closest game was a 21-14 win for Barbara Young against Carol Holt. Ballaugh A were home to Castletown B (126-39) with all but one game being won to single figures; this one game was a 21-12 win for Alison Millard against Sheila Preston. Home derby between Breagle Glen A&C resulted in a 5-1 win for the ‘A’ ladies dropping only two points (124-65) with four of their wins being won to single figures. Stopping the whitewash was Wyn Collister who won to 19 against Linda Dawson. Breagle Glen B also won 5-1 away at Mooragh Park B (118-72) with Jacqui Elliott and Pauline Worrall for the visitors winning to single figures. Sole winner for Mooragh was Joan Henderson who won to 13 against Elaine MacFarlane. South Ramsey B won 4-2 at home against Finch Hill (119-100) with all games going into double figures. Two winners for Finch were Anne Hon who just edged Lesley Murray 21-20 and Lil Smith who won to 15 against Sue Collier. South’s Ann Gale and Jackie Murley both crossed the line 21-17 against Wendy Cowin and Sue Caley. Mooragh Park A won 4-2 away at Onchan dropping only six points (120-99) with Mooragh’s Lynn Mayers being the only player to win to single figures. Two winners for Onchan were Maureen Payne and Sue McCourt who both won to 18 against Janet Monk and Chris Sims. Closest game was a 21-20 win for Maureen Hamilton against Lesley Nicholl. Nobles won 4-2 at home to Marown (116-87) with Sue Gawne for the home team being the only player to win to single figures. Two winners for Marown were Philippa Taylor who won to 18 against Libby Andrade and Rosemary Winckle to 14 against Sylvia Kennaugh. Closest game saw Marilyn Ellison cross the line 21-19 against Lynda Cadamy. Peel Sunset drew three all at home to South Ramsey A but took the honours on points (91-86). Mary Moffatt and Joyce Kelly for Peel plus Anne Buck for South all won to single figures. South’s Elaine Moore had a real tussle with Val Allwood eventually winning 21-15.
On Tuesday morning, 4 August, Marown A had a comfortable 5-1 win at home against Mooragh Park B, dropping only 2 points (124-60) with Philippa Taylor and Lynda Cadamy winning to single figures for the Crosby ladies. Lone winner for Mooragh was Jane Casey who won to 19 against Sue Hammond. Peel Sunset won 5-1 away to a one player short Finch Hill (124-68) with Val Allwood and Terri Berry for the westerners winning to single figures. Saving Finch’s blushes was Lil Smith who won to 19 against Joyce Kelly. Sue Caley and Brenda Williams just missed out on wins for Finch when they lost to 18 and 19 against Shirley Corrin and Beverley Wilson. South Ramsey B made the short distance to Ballaugh B coming away winning 4-2 (101-98). South’s Sue Collier and Gail Curphey for Ballaugh were the only players to win to single figures. The other winner for Ballaugh was Brenda Clayton who won to 12 against Sue Kinrade. Breagle Glen A won 4-2 away at Mooragh Park A (110-101) with Janet Monk for the home team being the only player to win to single figures. Chris Sims was the other winner for Mooragh winning 21-20 against Trish Bull with Margaret Tasker for Breagle also winning 21-20 against Elaine Slack. Breagle Glen B won 4-2 at home against Onchan (111-107) with all games going into double figures. Two winners for Onchan were Maureen Payne who won to 15 against Jean Thackrah and Rosemary Quirk who won to 12 against Voirrey Curphey. Closest game of the match was a 21-19 win for Breagle’s Pauline Worrall against Jane Lothian. Following morning, Wednesday, two postponed matches from the previous day due to weather conditions, were played. First of these was Castletown B home to Nobles. The Nobles ladies were again on good form winning 5-1, dropping three points (123-67) with three of their wins being won to single figures. Stopping a full house was Sheila Preston who won to 18 against Pam Makin. Another close game resulted in a 21-17 win for Sylvia Kennaugh against Judith Moore. Second rearranged match was between South Ramsey A home to Ballaugh A. South won 4-2 (119-91) with Jill Quayle for the home team being the only player to win to single figures. Two winners for Ballaugh were Michele Cubbon who won to 18 against Gillian Jopson and Barbara Graham who won to 17 against Helen Caley. Christine Macdonald just missed out on another win for Ballaugh when she lost to 18 after a nip and tuck game against Elaine Moore. The only scheduled match of the morning saw Castletown A on fine form winning 5-1 away to Breagle Glen C dropping only two points (124-84). Town’s Sue Peach was the only player to win to single figures. Saving Breagle from a whitewash was Steph Swift who won to 19 against Jenny Saunders. Next closest game was a 21-15 win for Chris Price against Kay Primrose-Smith.
With only three matches remaining, barring a disastrous three last matches, the Nobles ladies are on course to retain the Over 60s league title as they have scored 3230 points, 149 points ahead of second placed team Breagle Glen A on 3081 points, followed closely by Castletown A on 3021 points and Ballaugh A on 2976 points. Still all to play for ladies!
LADIES OPEN AGE LEAGUE
Wednesday evening, 29 July, South Ramsey’s chances of being in the running for the league title were dealt a heavy blow as Marown A, who are also very much in the running, won 6-3 at South Ramsey (168-122) with four of the Crosby ladies winning their games to single figures. Three winners for South were Gill Dixon, Elaine Moore and Kim Hargraves who all won to 14 against Lyn Bolton, Philippa Taylor and Helen Withers. Closest game resulted in a 21-20 win for Zoe Pearson against South’s Judy Kelly. Breagle A won 7-2 against stablemates Breagle B (160-129) with Linda Dawson, Alison Stockham and Trish Bull for the ‘A’ team, plus Voirrey Curphey for the ‘B’ team all winning to single figures. Claire Cain was the ‘B’ team’s other winner winning to 10 against Betsy Skelding. Closest game of the match was a 21-19 win for Angela Bennett against Karolina Urbaniak. Ballaugh A took on Peel Sunset at home and although Ballaugh won 7-2, they only won by 10 points (162-152). Two winners for Peel were Emilie Moss and Olivia Harrison who both won to single figures with Helen Cowley just missing out another win for Peel when she lost to 19 against Yvonne Ward. Mooragh Park travelled to Douglas coming away with a solid 6-3 win (172-121) with Janet Monk plus sisters Shannon and Bailey McMullan all winning their games to single figures. Three winners for Douglas were Mel Molesworth who won to 19 against Lacey McMullan, Rebecca Jacobs who won to 16 against Katie Johnson and Graiagh Smith who won to 11 against Jackie Hassall. Ballaugh B won 5-4 away to Castletown B (166-143) with Shirley Watling and Maggie Hughes for Ballaugh plus Aalish Moore for Castletown winning to single figures. Three close winning games for Castletown resulted in a 21-20 win for Sonja Mercer against Rachel Thomas with Rachel Palmer and Sue Wilshaw both winning to 19 against Charlotte Neeson and Natalie Cubbon. A rearranged match from this fixture between Marown B and Nobles was played on Thursday 23 July which resulted in a 6-3 win to the Nobles ladies, winning by only two points (159-157). Marown’s Emily Cooper was the only player to win to single figures. The other two winners for Marown were Lil Smith who won to 13 against Colese Creer and Celia Joughin to 12 against Liz Vipond. Castletown A didn’t play this fixture as it was their turn to sit-out.
Last Friday evening, all three teams vying for the top spot (Castletown A, Marown A and South Ramsey) all put in good performances. Castletown scored a full house at home to a one player short Douglas team (189-85) with four of the Town ladies winning to single figures. Nearly winning a game for Douglas was Harley Garrett who lost to 20 against Kellie Maddrell. Marown A hosted Ballaugh A, and although the match finished 5-4 to Marown, Marown only dropped nine points due to their four losses being lost to high scores. Lyn Bolton and Deborah Leece for Marown were the only players to win to single figures. Just missing out on winning for Ballaugh were Maria Dimsdale, Rose Waterworth and Alison Quaggan who all lost to 19. South Ramsey made their way south to Breagle Glen A coming away with a solid 7-2 win on a very tricky green (174-152). Two winners for Breagle were Alison Stockham who was the only player to win to single figures and Karolina Urbaniak who won to 19 against Lesley Murray. Another close game saw South’s Kim Hargraves just pip Margie Tasker 21-20. Mooragh Park also had a comfortable 7-2 home win against Castletown B (176-110) with four of the northerners winning to single figures. Two winners for the Castletown ladies were Rachel Palmer who won to 17 against Katie Johnson and Susan Kerruish who won to 12 against Jackie Hassall. Another 21-17 win was scored by Lynn Mayers against Sonja Mercer. Ballaugh B won 6-3 at home to Marown B (159-124) with four of the Ballaugh ladies winning to single figures. Three winners for Marown were Lola Tebay and Grace Cooper who both won to 10 against Victoria Johnson and Julie Cannon plus Emily Cooper who won to 13 against Gill Clarke. Closest game was a 21-19 win for Natalie Cubbon against Jo Kelly. Nobles won 5-4 at home to Breagle Glen B (143-137) with Jo Smith, Joanne Kelly and Colese Creer for the home team plus Anita Roberts and Chrissy Woodward for the visitors winning their games to single figures. Breagle’s Zoe Durcan just missed out on reversing the scoreline when she lost to 19 against Larna Colquitt.
With only three fixtures left to play, Marown A are currently top, Castletown A second and South Ramsey third, but with Marown having their sit out next Wednesday, league title is still very much up for grabs – watch this space!
LADIES ASSOCIATION PLATE FINAL
Ladies Plate Winners 2026
The final of the Ladies Association Plate was played on Thursday night, 30 July, at South Ramsey Bowling Club. Final was between Marown B who had a handicap of +46 and Nobles with a handicap of +24. With a deficit of 22 points, the Nobles ladies knew they had to dig deep. Draw was made by the Captains of both teams (Lisa Pugh for Marown B and Lisa Bradshaw for Nobles) and winning the toss of a coin for the jack, Nobles ladies chose the odd numbered games and Marown the even numbered games; all games played 21 off scratch.
The final was certainly a match of two halves. The first five games off were won fairly comfortably by Marown as Grace Cooper won to 17 against Sylvia Kennaugh; Elaine Dewhirst to 18 against Tina Hampson; Charlotte Clarke to 3 against Marilyn Ellison; Lola Tebay to 12 against Libby Andrade and Celia Joughin to 17 against Jo Smith, giving Marown a lead of 60 points including the handicaps (151-91).
With only four games left to play, the Nobles team had an uphill climb ahead of them and they certainly tried their best to get to the top! First three games off the green in the second half went in favour of the Nobles ladies as Sue Gawne won to 6 against Rosie Winckle; Colese Creer won to 1 against Lillie Barrett and Grace Gawne winning to 7 against Lisa Pugh reducing the deficit to 12 points giving Nobles a glimmer of hope. Last game on the green, and the closest game of the night, resulted in another win for Nobles as Jo Kelly after a real tussle with Emily Cooper won 21-20, but Emily’s points were enough for Marown to win the final.
Result : Marown B (+46) 186-175 Nobles (+24) : 5 games to 4
Many congratulations to both teams; they certainly kept the spectators on the edge of their seats to the very end!
Presentation was made by Clare Cooper, Ladies Association Competition Secretary, who congratulated Marown on their win, thanking both teams for a great night of bowls and to South Ramsey for hosting for the final before handing over the trophy and prizes. Lisa Pugh, Captain of Marown B thanked the ladies Association for running the competition, thanking Nobles for a great match, but most of all how proud she was of her team!
Ladies Plate Runners Up (Nobles)
RACE ON FOR OPEN AGE LEAGUE TITLE
Last Wednesday and Friday evenings (22 and 24 July), second and third placed Marown A and South Ramsey kept their hopes up of being contenders for the league title, as both teams closed the gap on current leaders Castletown A.
Wednesday evening: South Ramsey took on Castletown A at home winning the match 5-4 (169-125); scoreline for South was helped by Jenny Moore, Gill Dixon and Elaine Moore winning their games to single figures. Closest game saw Town’s Rebecca Teare cross the line 21-18 after a good battle against Fiona Kennish. Marown A played their B team with the A ladies scoring a full house (189-122) with Jayne Smith, Deborah Leece and Lyn Bolton winning to single figures. Lola Tebay and Lisa Pugh nearly won two games for the B team when Lola lost to 20 against her mum Louise and Lisa losing to the same score against Helen Withers. Current fourth placed team, Breagle Glen A, also had a good 5-4 win (170-146) away to Castletown B with Trish Bull and Alison Stockham for Breagle winning to single figures. Two closest games of the match resulted in 21-19 wins for both Margaret Tasker and Katy Williams for Breagle against Judith Moore and Susan Kerruish. Another solid performance was by Mooragh Park at home to Nobles. Mooragh won the match 7-2 (167-96) with five of the Mooragh ladies winning to single figures, Two winners for Nobles were Colese Creer who won to single figures and Anne Mullan who won to 14 against Deborah Taylor. Douglas were at home to Ballaugh B winning the match 5-4 (160-124) with Mel Molesworth, Jane Lothian, Pauline Henry and Harley Garrett for Douglas plus Elaine Fenton for the visitors all winning their games to single figures. Closest game resulted in a 21-18 win for Ballaugh’s Rachel Thomas against Erin Quayle. Peel Sunset made their way to Breagle Glen B coming away with a 5-4 win (154-132) with Diane Flemming, Emilie Moss and Shirley Corrin for the Peel ladies plus Jean Thackrah for the home team winning to single figures. Anita Roberts and Olivia Harrison had a nip and tuck game with Anita taking the honours for Breagle 21-19.
Friday evening, Castletown A bounced back from their loss on Wednesday night with an impressive 8-1 win at home dropping only five points (184-117) against Ballaugh A. Rebecca Teare for the Town ladies was the only player to win to single figures. Sole winner for Ballaugh was Caroline Parker who won to 16 against Anne Oates. Marown A were again on exceptional form scoring another full house (189-87) at home to Breagle Glen B with four of the Marown ladies winning to single figures. Highest scoring games were 21-14 wins for mother and daughter Lyn Bolton and Zoe Pearson against Jean Thackrah and Anita Roberts. South Ramsey were again on fine form winning 8-1 (184-150) away to Peel. Gill Dixon for South was the only player to win to single figures. Sole winner for Peel was Helen Cowley who won to 16 against Lauren Groen, although the Peel ladies just missed out on making the scoreline 6-3 when both Mary Moffatt and Olivia Harrison both lost to 20 against Kim Hargraves and Sue Collier. Mooragh Park kept up their good form winning 8-1 (179-96) away to Ballaugh B with five of the Mooragh ladies winning their games to single figures. Stopping a whitewash was Alison Millard who won to 11 against Elaine Slack with Elaine Fenton just missing out on a win for the home side losing to 20 against Katie Johnson. Nobles also put in a solid home performance winning 8-1 (177-80) against Castletown B with six of the Nobles wins being won to single figures. Saving Castletown’s blushes was Sonya Mercer who won to single figures. Closest game saw Joanne Kelly win to 14 against Susan Kerruish. Marown B won 7-2 (168-139) away to Breagle Glen A with Enya Christian and Jo Kelly for the Crosby ladies winning to single figures. Two winners for Breagle were Trish Bull who won to 11 against Lil Smith and Nicola Cain who won to 10 against Lillie Barrett. Two closest games were 21-19 wins for both Grace Cooper and Celia Joughin against Alison Stockham and Margaret Tasker.
LADIES OVER 60’s LEAGUE
Last Thursday morning, three full houses were scored. First of these was by the in-form and current leaders, Nobles, at home to Mooragh Park B (126-50) with three of their ladies winning to single figures. Closest game resulted in a 21-13 win for Marilyn Ellison against Irene Goodall. Second full house was by Mooragh Park A at home to Ballaugh B (126-58) and as like Nobles, three of the Mooragh ladies won to single figures. Closest game saw Chris Sims just pip Elizabeth Faragher 21-18. Third full house was by Ballaugh A at home to Breagle Glen B (126-63) with Michele Cubbon and Christine Macdonald winning their games to single figures. Alison Millard had a tough game against Jenny Cain eventually crossing the line to win 21-18. Marown had a good 4-2 win (108-77) away to Peel Sunset with three of the Crosby ladies winning to single figures. Two winners for Peel were Mary Moffatt who won to 14 against Elaine Dewhirst and Joyce Kelly who won to 10 against Mair Moore. Castletown A put in a solid home performance winning 4-2 (116-84) against South Ramsey A with Barbara Young and Hilary Kermode for the Town ladies winning to single figures. Two winners for South were Jill Quayle who won to 18 against Pat Rigby and Elaine Moore who won to 14 against Anne Oates. Breagle Glen A were on form winning 5-1 (121-105) at home to Finch Hill with all games going into double figures. Sole winner for Finch was Lil Smith who won to 16 against Jean Thackrah with Breagle’s Margaret Tasker crossing the line 21-19 against Iris Kermode. South Ramsey B won 4-2 (107-78) at home against Castletown B with Sue Collier and Ann Gale for South plus Elaine McElroy for the visitors winning their games to single figures. Other winner for the Town ladies was Susan Kerruish who won to 16 against Jackie Murley. Onchan won 4-2 (112-87) at home against Breagle Glen C with Maureen Payne and Wendy McDowell for Onchan winning to single figures. Pauline Cowley for Onchan and Dot Mylchreest for Breagle both won to 18 against Kay Primrose-Smith and Kay McKiernan.
Tuesday morning, Ballaugh A travelled to Marown coming away with a solid 4-2 win (91-82) with Christine Macdonald and Barbara Graham for Ballaugh plus Marown’s two winners Elaine Dewhirst and Lyn Bolton winning to single figures. Closest game was a 21-16 win for Michele Cubbon against Celia Joughin. Onchan won 5-1 (119-77) away at Mooragh Park B with Caroline Heathcote and Maureen Payne winning to single figures. Sole winner for the Mooragh ladies was Jane Casey who won 14 against Anne Bannan. Peel Sunset made their way to Castletown B winning the match 4-2 (99-89). Two winners for Castletown were Marie Ashurst and Elaine McElroy who both won to single figures as did Terri Berry for Peel with the closest games being 21-14 wins for Shirley Corrin and Beverly Wilson. Breagle Glen A put in a good away performance winning 5-1 (120-72) against Ballaugh B. Breagle’s Alison Stockham was the only player to win to single figures with Brenda Clayton stopping the whitewash winning to 15 against Trish Bull. Another 5-1 away win (115-82) was by Castletown A at Finch Hill. Town’s Kath Kinley was the only player to win to single figures with sole winner for Finch, Lil Smith, winning to 10 against Barbara Young. Sue Caley and Wendy Cowin just missed out on wins for Finch as they both lost to 18 against Hilary Kermode and Sue Peach. Home derby between South Ramsey A & B resulted in a 4-2 win for the A ladies (117-74) with Elaine Moore and Judy Kelly for the A team winning to single figures. Two winners for the B team were Sue Collier who won to 16 against Gillian Jopson and Liz ten Donkelaar who won to 17 against Helen Caley. Nobles were away to Breagle Glen B putting in another good performance winning the match 5-1 (121-69) with three of their wins being won to single figures. Stopping the Nobles team from getting a full house was Pauline Worrall who won to 16 against Sylvia Kennaugh. The following morning, Mooragh Park A won 5-1 (119-73) away to Breagle Glen C. Janet Monk for the Mooragh ladies was the only player to win to single figures. Sole winner for Breagle was Kay Primrose-Smith who won to 14 against Chris Sims.
OLIVIA & Co GOLD CUP
Report of the inaugural Olivia & Co Gold Cup 2026 held at Peel Sunset BC on Saturday 25th July.
Ladies Open
Twenty pairs entered this new competition. It was run as a round robin with power ends, giving everyone four games to play. There were many new ladies from various clubs who were learning the ropes and of course the very well-known seasoned bowlers too. The weather, for most of the afternoon was good, with an odd shower that didn’t spoil the event. Groovy music in the background and lovely refreshments in the clubhouse! The green was running well and as usual, tricky in places!
There were 4 groups: Group A winners Shirley Corrin and Lynda Wilson: Group B winners Sue Gawne and Lynda Cadamy: Group C Kellie Maddrell and Paula Gamon: Group D Jayne Smith and Louise Tebay. All winning all 4 games in each group.
Onto the semi-finals: Corrin and Wilson v Gawne and Cadamy 16-21 with Maddrell and Gamon v Smith and Tebay 21-15 all played neck and neck ending with similar scores!
The Final: Maddrell and Gamon v Gawne and Cadamy. Maddrell and Gamon took command of the game leading 6-1 after 3 ends, the quality of bowling from Maddrell & Gamon was superb making Gawne and Cadamy constantly on the defensive and only managing to score 9.
The presentation was made by Olivia Harrison owner of Olivia & Co and sponsor of this competition. Kellie Maddrell (ex-Peel Sunset BC currently Castletown BC) said that they had a brilliant day and enjoyed every minute of it! She thanked the sponsor and David Allwood for running the sheet.
Town Men Retain Rayner Plate
Plumbmaster Rayner Plate Winners 2026 - Castletown A who retained the trophy with an 8-chalk victory over Onchan C at Peel on Thursday evening
Photo: Hannah DrewettThe final of the 2026 PlumbMaster sponsored Rayner Plate took place on Thursday evening in the Sunset City on a vastly improved Peel Bowling green.
First Division side Castletown A, the current holders were looking to become the first side to ever retain the trophy, which is a feat in itself with two things needing to happen – losing in the first round of the Rayner Shield, which they duly did 3-5 at home to Marown A despite losing two close games, and having to claw back some sizeable deficits at the start of play to lower ranked teams in each round of the Plate competition. Their route to the final included a 14-chalk victory away to Noble’s C, who had a 20-chalk start, a quarter final victory by the same margin (14-chalks) at home to Marown D who had a 50-chalk head start on the Town men, whilst their semi-final win was much more comfortable at home to Ballaugh A, winning by 52 chalks, despite having to overturn a 25-chalk deficit.
Onchan C who ply their trade in Division Three are well accustomed to turning out in the Rayner Plate, they faced Noble’s D in the first round of the Plate, held on to their 20-chalk advantage to ultimately win by a comfortable 33-chalks. Their quarter final contest was much closer, with their home advantage over South Ramsey C enough to turn over a 5-chalk deficit on the handicap to win by 11-chalks. At the semi-final stage the Onchan men were drawn away to Noble’s B, their 40-chalk head start was enough to hold onto victory by 18-chalks on the night.
The final got underway with the Town men favourites despite having to give Onchan a 40-chalk start on the night. Castletown A (+30) and Onchan C (+70).
Game by game the Town men started to pull the handicap back, with Stefan Kelly having plenty of experience in the bag, as he ran out with a 21-5 win over Michael Jones to get the night off to a perfect start. The next three games off gave Onchan hope as they knew they didn’t have to win games, they just had to score well, which is exactly what they did. Kieran Krypner got over the line 21-17 against Roy Corlett, Andy Kennish the most experienced man on the green, who has three Manx Championships to his name held off Kelvin McNicholl 21-19, whilst Town veteran Ian Watson beat Colin Brown 21-20.
At the halfway point the 40-chalk deficit had been reduced to 17-chalks, with Paul Callister giving Onchan some hope with a 21-17 win over Aaron Richardson to put the advantage back to 21-chalks in favour of Onchan. The turning point in the match came from Nathan ‘Billy’ Cooil who recorded the second 21-5 win of the night for Town as he beat Lawrence McMullen.
This win proved to be decisive with the change in atmosphere spurring on Town with captain Nathan Hamilton putting in a captains innings with a 21-13 win over Rob Cowley. With Castletown now ahead by three chalks, leading for the first time on the night Dean Kinley needed only to get to 18 chalks to seal the win with Town already having the superiority on games won. Kinley managed to see the game out to win 21-16 against Marcus Avery to help the Town men to win by eight chalks, to bring a conclusion to an entertaining final.
The presentation was made by Tracy Moore and Lynda Wilson, who kept the evening ticking over. Upon accepting the trophy Castletown captain Nathan Hamilton expressed his delight at becoming the first team to ever retain the Rayner Plate, also paid tribute to Onchan C for putting up a good fight, with their performance not being out of place in the first division.
| Castletown A | +30 | +70 | Onchan C |
| Kieran Krypner | 21 | 17 | Roy Corlett |
| Andy Kennish | 21 | 19 | Kelvin McNicholl |
| Ian Watson | 21 | 20 | Colin Brown |
| Stefan Kelly | 21 | 5 | Michael Jones |
| Aaron Richardson | 17 | 21 | Paul Callister |
| Nathan Cooil | 21 | 5 | Lawrence McMullen |
| Nathan Hamilton | 21 | 13 | Rob Cowley |
| Dean Kinley | 21 | 16 | Marcus Avery |
| 7 Games Won | 194 | 186 | 1 Game Won |