Wraight Completes Holy Grail
One of the biggest events on the bowls calendar – The Isle of Man June Bowls Festival took place this week, with the event attracting well over 500 entries in both the men’s and ladies’ events, as entries continue to improve, with the weather from Wednesday to Friday perfect conditions for the visiting bowlers to bask in the sun. The spectators were treated to an entertaining finals day to cap off a superb week.
In the Men’s event it was Callum Wraight (Llanrwst BC) who picked up his first June Isle of Man Festival win, despite having won the Isle of Man September Festival in 2021, the June title was the one he really wanted. Wraight now has all the top U.K. titles on his C.V.
Wraight took home the winners’ cheque for £3,200 and lifted the famous trophy as he beat local man Matthew Quirk (Onchan) 21-13. Quirk made a positive start scoring on the first end, on the second end he was counting for two only for Wraight to kill the end with one of his renowned strikes. A further single was scored by the Onchan man to lead 7-5. Wraight got in on the following end with a perfect bowl to score his first point of the game.
Wraight got into his stride playing his customary short marks to take the lead 14-9, with the local man never far away. Quirk started to find his way back into the game, closing the deficit to three chalks at 11-14 after 12 ends. The 13th end was decided by a measure with Wraight picking up the point, whilst the following end saw all four bowls finish on the same line with Matthew scoring to trail 12-15. A poor end followed to gift wrap a cheap double for Callum, with Quirk missing the opportunity to double up himself on the following end.
A single from Wraight saw him lead out at 18-13, with Quirk playing a great bowl. What happened next will be remembered for a long time. A full-blown strike and direct hit from Wraight saw the side of Quirk’s bowl smash and fly up in the air, in what must be a first in a major final. Almost unnoticed the jack eventually rolled off the green to kill the end. The rules allow for bowls to be changed during a game – if a bowl is damaged. Whilst a replacement pair of the same make of bowls and weight were sourced it led to a short break in the game.
With play back underway, Wraight scored a single from the corner, then played an even shorter length on the following end as the Shropshire man secured the two points needed to lift the June title for the first time and with it the cheque for £3,200.
Wraight reached the final with a comfortable 21-11 win over previous Festival winner Phil Lee (St Mary’s) taking 16 ends to claim the win, whilst Quirk progressed with a 21-16 victory over Dean Missere (Sheffield), with the former scoring more consistently over the course of the game.
The quarter finals saw Wraight get his day off to a dream start with a 21-6 win over James Fitzpatrick (West Kirby Vics), as the Merseyside man only managed to score one chalk with a running bowl on the second end of the game. Despite both players preferring a shorter length the Shropshire man dominated the game. Lee reached the next round with a 21-14 win over Martin Gaut (Wrockwardine Wood), whilst in the other half of the draw Quirk eased to a 21-8 victory over Gareth Lally (Crossgates) with a great display. Missere also made safe passage to the semi-finals with a 21-12 win over Peter Jones Llanrwst BC).
Quirk picked up the George Craine Trophy as the only local bowler to reach finals day, whilst he also took home a cheque for £1,250 for his efforts throughout the week.
At the presentation Wraight thanked the Department of Economic Development for their continued support of the event, expressed his pleasure at finally achieving the Holy Grail in Crown Green Bowls, having now secured all the top titles to be won in the game.
Men’s Tourism
The Men’s Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 1, and it was Chris Kelly (Thongsbridge) who picked up the Tourism title to see off Kevan Shaw (Red Lion), with Kelly taking a five-chalk lead at 14-9, Shaw fought back to close the deficit to one chalk at 14-15. The Thongsbridge man shortly put paid to any hopes of a win for Shaw, as he picked up the Tourism Title with a 21-16 victory.
In the semi-finals Kelly took on Callum Wraight (Llanrwst BC) the man who would go on to lift the main event the following day, making light work of Wraight. Despite losing the first two ends, 11 consecutive scoring ends from Kelly, with five doubles and six singles saw the Thongsbridge man romp home 21-8, whilst Shaw beat Conor Chamberlain (Stretton- Anglesey) 21-14.
In the quarter finals Kelly started his morning with a battle against Joshua Mordue (Pudsey BC) taking the win 21-17. Wraight beat Jon Edmondson (Heckmondwike BC). In the bottom half of the draw Shaw had the closest game of the round with a 21-18 victory over James Davison (Thongsbridge), whilst Chamberlain made light work of Ryan Marks (Wirral) with a 21-7 win to progress to the next round.
Other Events
The Men’s consolation was won by Dan Edmonds (Dalton Cricket Club) who beat Gareth Coates (Ackroydon Victoria) 21-20 in the final, having led 20-16 with Coates fighting back to 20-20 only for Edmonds to get the one chalk required. Edmonds beat Paul Bradley (Fairfield) 21-17 in the semi-final, whilst Coates had a comfortable 21-11 win over Ian Howard (Meanwood BC).
The Ladies consolation final was more straightforward for the winner Sarah Weaver (Wrockwardine Wood) who beat Jessica Pickthall (Lindal BC) 21-10 in the final, with the latter scoring four singles. Weaver reached the final courtesy of a 21-10 win over Diane Harrison (Lune Road), whilst Pickthall took her place in the final with a 21-14 win over Natalie Sanderson (Crossgates BC).
The Visit.Com Flyer title went to Callum Wraight (Llanrwst BC) who had a warmup on the green ahead of the men’s main final, as he made light work of Dave McCabe (Douglas) 9-1, whilst the Last Chance Mixed Final was won 21-20 by Andy Gregory (Comberbach) in a final that went to the wire against Harry Hargreaves (Two Gates).
In the doubles competitions the Open doubles was won by Michael Coupe (Wirral) and Rob Fitzpatrick (Lever Club), following an entertaining final against Neil Withers and Paul Dunn (Marown), which went all the way 11-10. Both semi-finals were keenly contested as Coupe and Fitzpatrick reached the final with a 11-9 win over Chris Mordue (Pudsey BC) and Gaz Lally (Crossgates BC), whilst Withers and Dunn got over the line 11-10 against Phil Lee (St Mary’s) and Louis Fazakerley (St Mary’s).
The Men’s doubles final saw an emphatic 11-1 win for Ian Hazlehurst (Wirral) and Phil Lee (St Mary’s) who retained the title they won in June 2024 as they beat Simon Walder (Crossgates BC) and Gareth Coates (Ackroydon Victoria). Hazlehurst and Lee won their semi-final 11-5 against Barry Simm (Lune Road) and Gareth Jones (Dalton Cricket Club), whilst Walder and Coates booked their place with a 11-8 victory over James Fitzpatrick (West Kirby Vics) and Paul Roberts (West Kirby).
The Ladies doubles final saw a good tussle with Sharon Rigden and Clair Russell up against Carly Williams and Paula Gamon, with the latter pair leading 6-0, only for Rigden and Russell to get over the line 11-8. The winning pair got through to the final with a hard fought 11-9 win over Emma Earlam (Castle Sports & SC)) and Wendy Allen (Castle Sports & SC), whilst the losing finalists were run closer again, with a 11-10 win over Sharon Gadd (Ossett Flying Horse) and Amanda Nicholas (Gresford Colliery).
Winning the Mixed pairs were Carly Williams (Comberbach) and Colin Crawford (Two Gates BC) with an emphatic 9-1 win over Tricia Bull (Breagle Glen) and Steve Shannon (Woodlands Park). Williams and Crawford progressed to the final with a 9-5 win against Suzanne Sinclair (Lowther Gardens BC) and Paul Moore (Chesterfield), whilst a 9-7 win for Bull and Shannon over Emma Earlam (Castle Sports & SC) and Barry Simm (Lune Road) booked their place in the final.

Photo: Arnie Withers