Isle of Man County Crown Green Bowling Association

Castletown Bowling Club hosted the inaugural Dave Quayle Mixed Doubles Open on Sunday, attracting a healthy 39 pairs with the competition providing an excellent day of crown green bowls and some closely contested games as the competition reached its latter stages.

As the field was reduced to the final eight, the quarter-finals saw Fiona and John Kennish (South Ramsey) progress at the expense of Walter McCarthy and Lynda Cadamy (Marown). Beverly Wilson and Andy Kennish (Peel and Castletown) also secured their place in the semi-finals, defeating Charlotte Clarke and Tom Kelly (Marown).

In the bottom half of the draw, Hannah Drewett and Nathan Hamilton (Castletown) continued their run with victory over Shane and Emilie Moss (Peel), while James Teare and Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) booked the last semi-final place after overcoming Sue Gawne and Mike Spooner (Nobles & Ballaugh).

The first semi-final saw Fiona and John Kennish produce an impressive performance against Beverly Wilson and Andy Kennish, running out 21–8 winners to book their place in the final.

The second semi-final proved a more closely fought contest, with Hannah Drewett and Nathan Hamilton eventually overcoming James Teare and Jenny Moore 21–14 to set up an all-action final against the Kennish pairing.

Final

The inaugural title came down to Fiona and John Kennish against Hannah Drewett and Nathan Hamilton.

In what proved to be a thrilling conclusion to the first running of the competition, Drewett and Hamilton held their nerve when it mattered most to edge out the Kennish pairing 21–20 scoring a game winning three chalks with the score set at 20-18 to the South Ramsey pairing, securing their names as the inaugural winners of the Dave Quayle Mixed Doubles Open.

A fantastic final was a fitting conclusion to a successful first running of the competition, with both pairs producing some excellent bowls and keeping the contest alive right to the final chalk.

Congratulations to Hannah Drewett and Nathan Hamilton on becoming the inaugural Dave Quayle Mixed Doubles Open champions, with Fiona and John Kennish finishing as worthy runners-up.

A huge thank you goes to everyone who entered, supported and helped run the competition, and to everyone who contributed to making the inaugural event such a great success.

Club President Hilary Kermode made the presentation and thanked all the club members who helped throughout the day, as well as everyone who entered the competition. Hilary also gave a special thanks to The Sidings, not only for sponsoring the event but also for being a lifelong friend of Dave’s.

Nathan and Hannah echoed Hilary’s words, with Nathan giving a special thanks to Hilary and Juan for their invaluable help with organising the draw and keeping the competition sheet running smoothly throughout the day.

The competition looks set to become another popular open on the Castletown calendar.