Isle of Man County Crown Green Bowling Association

Peel Sunset Bowling Club hosted the popular Peel Town Cup on Saturday afternoon, attracting an entry of 60 players. Despite blustery conditions throughout the day, competitors were greeted by a much-improved playing surface, which helped ensure an enjoyable and competitive afternoon of bowls.

The quarter-final line-up featured a strong mix of home greeners and visiting players. In an all-Peel clash, Stevie Kelly booked his place in the semi-finals with a convincing 21-13 victory over Tommy McMeiken. Another closely contested encounter saw Marown’s Neil Withers overcome teammate Jamie Box, with Withers pulling away late on to secure a 21-16 win.

The closest match of the round saw Nathan Jones (Peel) edge past Austin Hart (South Ramsey) in a thrilling contest, eventually prevailing 21-20. The final quarter-final saw Paul Dunn defeat fellow Marown clubmate Juan Killip by 21-13 to complete the semi-final line-up.

The first semi-final saw Kelly continue his impressive form with a solid 21-16 win over Withers. Kelly controlled much of the contest and gradually built an advantage before seeing the game out to reach the final.

In the second semi-final, Dunn produced a solid performance to defeat Jones, whose run was ended, with Dunn in good form taking a 21-10 win to secure his place in the final.

The final produced an excellent contest between two Island players, with Stevie Kelly overcoming Paul Dunn 21-20 to claim his maiden Peel Town Cup title. Dunn made the brighter start and looked in control during the early stages, opening up a commanding 18-13 lead, a couple of end later the Marown man was lying two for game with the score at 19-15 a superb reaching bowl from Kelly took both of Dunn’s bowls away from the jack and with it stunned the jack through for the Peel man to score two to leave the game finely poised at 17-19. A single for Dunn put him within touching distance of the trophy with the score now 20-17.

Kelly, however, refused to be beaten. Showing great composure under pressure, he dug deep to win the next two ends scoring two doubles, the four points he needed to finish the match. The comeback saw Kelly overturn a three-point deficit to complete a 21-20 victory.

It was a fitting conclusion to an entertaining day’s bowls, with Kelly producing a superb comeback to cap off an impressive run through the competition. His victories over David Bradford, Tommy McMeiken, Neil Withers and finally Paul Dunn proved to be a tough route to victory, earning him a deserved maiden Peel Town Cup success.

At the conclusion of play, the presentation was made by competition organiser Philip “Pip” Pemberton, who thanked all 60 competitors for their support, along with the club members who assisted throughout the day. He also acknowledged the efforts of the greenkeeping team for providing a much-improved playing surface that received positive feedback from those taking part. Thanks were also given to Lynda Wilson, and Vall Allwood for their work off the green.

Pemberton also thanked the competition sponsors, Island Civils & Plant, for their generous support of the event. Robert Cottier, representing the sponsors, who confirmed they will continue to sponsor the competition for another two years, then presented the prizes to the successful competitors, bringing another enjoyable Peel Town Cup to a close.

In his speech Kelly reiterated Pemberton’s comments, particularly those about the condition of the green, thanking everyone including his opponent for a good final. A special mention must also go to Pip for the smooth running of the competition.