Monthly Archives: August 2026
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!