Author Archives: Glynn Hargraves

Marown Win Fourth Club Team Championship Title

Club Team Championship Winners 2022 - Marown

Photo: Arnie Withers

The Club Team Championship was brought to a conclusion at Nobles Park on Wednesday evening with the semi-finals being played two days earlier on Monday night. The format for the competition – being played for the fourth time was unchanged with four doubles and six singles with 14 bowlers eligible to play. The four teams reaching the semi-final were Marown, Port St Mary, South Ramsey and Onchan.

The first semi-final was held at Castletown, between Marown and Port St Mary, the same team they faced at this stage in 2020 with the Crosby outfit having a much tougher battle than their last clash which they won by 66 chalks, this time round winning by 16 chalks (195-179) proving too strong for the Port team. In terms of games Marown won 7-3, with the lowest score being 13, and five of the matches going to 17 or more. In the singles Nicola Cain caused the biggest upset for Port as she stunned Marown Captain Paul Kelly 21-19, Trevor Quayle won 21-15 against Clare Cooper, while Bernard Thackrah and Robbie Cooil performed well to beat Dean Kipling and Paul Dunn 21-14.

South Ramsey made the trip to Crosby as they took on Onchan in a fairly straightforward win by 45 chalks (189-144). Onchan did manage to win three of the 10 games with Mike Alexander edging home 21-20 against Stefan Kelly, Sue Gawne & Matthew Quirk won 21-13 against Steven Waters and Peter Collister, while Jamie Clague and Mike Thomas won to single figures (21-9) against Fiona Kennish and Glynn Hargraves.

The final got underway with South Ramsey putting out a stronger team in this competition than they have done since the competition was first played, as they looked to take home a clean sweep of the Associations top team prizes for the season, however Marown were favourites to retain the title that they have won for the previous three years the competition has been played.

Marown didn’t disappoint putting in a good performance in the singles games in the first half of the match with captain Paul Kelly gaining his revenge on Gill Dixon following the Mixed Team final last month as he won 21-14, while Rebecca Teare brushed aside Jenny Moore 21-8 on the same green that Teare recently won the IOM Bowls Festival on. Win number three arrived with Clare Cooper winning 21-16 against Toby Hart as the Crosby team opened up a commanding 25 chalk lead. In the doubles Debbie Leece and Paul Dunn extended the lead by another point as they beat Peter Collister and David Bradford 21-20. South Ramsey then picked up their first win of the night with their own 21-20 victory with Glynn Hargraves and James Teare recovering from a 14-19 deficit to sneak home against Brian Kelly and Philippa Taylor.

In the second half of the match Marown knew they just needed to score well in the games, avoiding any heavy defeats to ensure the title was theirs once again. Juan Killip and Karl Parker picked up Marown’s second 21-20 of the night in their favour as they held off Lee Dawson and Steven Waters, while Tony Dugdale fought back from a 3-13 deficit against Peter Jones only to eventually lose out 17-21. Jordan Cain then secured South Ramsey’s second win of the night with a 21-13 victory over Walter McCarthy.

With the last two games on the green Marown had enough points on the board to be safe in the knowledge the title was theirs once again as Bob Clark managed to beat Glenn Boland 21-14, with Clark leading 12-1, Boland dug deep playing a longer mark to get back into the game before losing out. The last match of the night was a good battle between Matthew Keggen and Neil Withers who were up against Elaine Moore and Fiona Kennish with the South Ramsey ladies just losing out 20-21 to the Marown men. The final score on games was 7-3 to Marown, with the all important chalks also going in their favour 194-178 as they won by 16 chalks. The match was well contested throughout with four games going to the wire 21-20, however Marown were deserved winners on the night.

The presentation was made by Association Press Officer Glynn Hargraves who thanked Nobles Bowling Club for hosting the final, providing refreshments to the players and spectators. Marown captain Paul Kelly congratulated his team for their performance, whilst also offering his commiserations to South Ramsey.

Club Team Championship Runners Up 2022 – South Ramsey
Photo: Arnie Withers

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Locals Perform Well in BCGBA Champion of Champions

Jenny Moore in Action in her Semi-Final with Lynsey Gorman

Photo: James McGurk

The BCGBA Champion of Champions Event returned to the bowls calendar for the first time in three years, with the last time it was held in 2019 the Men’s title was won by Manx Man Colin Kelly at the famous Waterloo Bowling Green in Blackpool at ‘The Wembley of Bowls’ which is sadly no longer. The Men’s competition was held on Saturday at Monk Sports & Social Club in Warrington.

Representing the Isle of Man was South Ramsey’s David Bradford, who qualified in July having won the Manx Championship for a second time. He had the unenviable task of facing Callum Wraight in the first round, with his opponent having qualified through winning the BCGBA Senior Individual Merit for the second time. In truth Wraight could have qualified for this event many times over having won over 20 competitions this season, this in itself showing the task ahead of Bradford.

The Manx Man was a last minute arrival to the venue, having difficulty getting a taxi to the bowling green that morning, however Bradford arrived with a minute to spare before going on in the first round of games. Settling into the game early Bradford opted for a longer length, with Wraight preferring a shorter mark. The game was keenly contested throughout with the score tied at 14-14, then 16-16 only for Bradford to take the initiative and go into a 19-17 lead and then 20-18 to maintain his two point lead, as Bradford made no mistake as he went on to seal a famous 21-18 victory.

In the Last 16 Bradford went on to play Alex Hassall – Midland Masters Merit winner. In this game Hassall become something of a one bowl wonder with 15 singles scored and just one double, while Bradford scored four doubles which was ultimately the difference in a keenly contested game as he went on to win 21-17 to progress to the next round.

At the quarter final stage Bradford was up against Andy Proctor winner of the BCGBA Jack & Jean Isherwood Championship, with Proctor a IOM June Festival winner in 1993 enjoying something of a renaissance of late, as he built up a 10-5 lead over the South Ramsey man, with Bradford doing nothing wrong. With Proctor renowned for his striking ability enjoying considerable success with four hits from four strikes in the early stages of the game. Bradford had to big deep to get back into the game and managed to turn the game around to go into the lead by four points at 16-12. Proctor responded with two singles and two doubles to lead 18-16, only for the pair to exchange singles over three ends to put the score at 18-19. On the next end Bradford was counting for one, however a great last bowl from Proctor somewhat unbelievably made two to win the game 21-18 to end the hopes of Bradford.

Andy Proctor (left) with David Bradford prior to their game.
Inset: One of Proctor’s distinctive bowls which he won the IOM June Festival with in 1993.
Photo: James McGurk

In the semi-finals Proctor faced Chris Kelly winner of The Sandal Classic, with the former having built up a huge lead over his opponent, Kelly fought back to see the game out with a 21-19 win to reach the final. The other semi-final had Lee Kington winner of the Warwick & Worcester Merit have his run ended by IOM June Festival winner James Wilcox.

The final went to the wire with Kelly edging home 21-20 against Wilcox to pick up his first Champion of Champions title.

Ladies Event

On Sunday it was the Ladies turn to impress at the same venue with two local representatives competing, with more South Ramsey players featuring as Elaine Moore – September Isle of Man Tourism Winner took to the green with daughter Jenny Moore – Ladies Manx Champion also qualifying.

Elaine battled well in her game with Emma Tobin (British Parks Merit Winner) before succumbing 18-21 in her first round tie.

Jenny had the tough task of facing one of the top UK bowlers in Alexis Lunn-Gadd (Yorkshire Merit Winner) with Jenny putting in a good performance to win her first round game 21-14, with the final score only telling half the story as Jenny trailed 1-9 before hitting top gear as Lunn-Gadd scored just five more points to Moore’s 20 points from end seven onwards.

In the second round Jenny made a much better start against North Derbyshire Merit winner Janice Wilson with a 21-4 victory, keeping her opponent to four singles throughout the game as she progressed to the next round.

In the quarter final the game was much more evenly contested with a tough battle with Christine Davies winner of the Blackpool Spring Festival. Jenny managed to build up a seven chalk lead over her opponent to sit just one point away from victory at 20-13, however Davies had other ideas fighting back well scoring five singles and a double to tie the score at 20-20. On the deciding end Davies was counting one for game, however Jenny knocked her opponents bowl off to seal a 21-20 win.

At the semi-final stage and in her fourth game of the day Jenny faced Lynsey Gorman winner of the Merseyside Merit and another well known bowler. The game was once again well contested with Gorman eventually going into a four point lead at 14-10 after 20 ends. Jenny hit back to lead 15-14, only for Gorman to recover her four point lead at 19-15. The game looked to be going to the wire and so it proved with Jenny picking up three singles, then conceded a single to trail by two points at 18-20. A good two from Jenny tied the game at 20-20. On the deciding end Gorman played a good first bowl to beat Jenny’s lead, with Moore taking the block off the green to save the game. On the next end Lynsey once again put up a good first bowl to beat Jenny’s lead, which went unbeaten as Jenny ended up on the wrong side of a 21-20 score in this round to narrowly miss out on the final.

In the other semi-final Shannon Kernick winner of the Norden Open Singles managed to see off Lorraine Hirst (Enid Blackburn Trophy winner) with a 21-11 win to reach the final.

In the final the less experienced Kernick, had a tough battle with Gorman, however Kernick prevailed 21-17 to seal the title with a solid performance.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Top Titles Head North

South Ramsey A pictured prior to sealing the Division One League Title at Castletown on Monday Evening.

Photo: Phil Cain

The crown green bowls league season came to a conclusion this week as the league winners, promotion battles and bottom teams were settled in all three divisions along with the individual merit winners.

In Canada Life International Division One South Ramsey A proved to be the top team – but only just as they retained the Warburton Trophy after doing what needed to be done in their last game of the 2022 season with no nerves evident in their 2-8 win over Castletown A at the Crofts, to seal a back to back League and Rayner Shield double. South Ramsey were expected to walk the league this season following two good signings over the winter, however they faced some difficulties in the second half of the season following a tough to take 8-2 away defeat to Marown A. That result looked to have put Marown A in the driving seat, however the return of John Kennish to the side after almost four years out of the game gave a huge lift to the team on and more importantly off the green. The team finished three points worse off than 2021 with 170 points.

Marown A finished the season in second place with an expected 1-9 away win over Port Erin A, with Bernie Durcan once again the man preventing a whitewash for his team. The Crosby men will once again be taking a look at where they can improve next season, having got themselves into a position where the league was theirs to lose, a damaging 6-4 away defeat to a struggling Peel B ultimately cost them the league. Marown continued a run that has resulted in them finishing no lower than second place in every season since 1996 as they finished the season seven points better off than 2021, just two points off top spot. They can take heart in their improvement in points this season, were undoubtedly boosted by the signing of Peter Jones who relocated to the Island half way through the season and there are already rumours of a signing from outside the club for next season as they look to wrestle the league title back from South Ramsey.

The individual merit winner went to the wire, it was Marown stalwart Colin Kelly who sealed the accolade as he won 21 games from 22 played, his one and only defeat of the season arrived in the first game at the hands of Nathan Hamilton. Finishing in second place was Onchan’s Matthew Quirk who ended the season with a 20-21 defeat to Dean Kinley as Quirk won 20 games out of 22. Marown Captain Paul Dunn finished in third place with 19 wins from 21 games, followed closely by three South Ramsey players all with 18 wins.

Onchan A had a tough night on Monday losing 3-5 on games at home to Peel A, however they won the aggregate by 15 chalks to draw 5-5 on the night.

Marown B suffered the shock of the night losing 2-8 at home to Port St Mary A, this didn’t stop the Crosby men finishing in fourth spot to confirm my early season prediction, which they achieved fairly ahead of Peel A who were six points off the pace.

Both teams that were promoted last season, Onchan B and Port Erin A finished in the bottom two to confirm an immediate return to Division Two, with the three teams above them Peel B, Castletown A and North Ramsey A never really in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.

In Division Two runaway league leaders South Ramsey B had no pressure on them going into their last game of the season at home to Castletown B as they could enjoy the night with a 10-0 victory to win the league by a staggering 19 points with 169 points. This bodes well for them in 2023, as they look to ensure they do not become another yo-yo team.

South Ramsey B – Division Two Champions who ended the season in style winning 10-0 at home to Castletown B
Photo: Ben Dugdale

Finishing in second place were Marown C on 150 points, as they finished seven points ahead of Ballaugh A thanks to their 8-2 away win over Noble’s A. It is great to see a team – led by Stephen Rundle start together and come through the leagues, with a little ambition going a long way as they have all improved with a number of their players pushing for a place in their B Team. Bar a major restructure of the divisions next season they will be gaining vital first division experience whilst also competing against their higher ranked teams.

Ballaugh A finished in third place, as they face another season in division two, they may well be looking to bring players into their A Team who will be keen to test themselves in the first division as they look to gain promotion.

Finishing in rock bottom on 66 points were 2021 division three winners Ballaugh B, who like most promoted teams went straight back down. Also finishing in the bottom two were Port St Mary B, who probably struggled to adapt to their temporary home at Breagle Glen as they finished on 69 points despite a 7-3 home win against Douglas B. Bucking the trend of immediate relegation back to the third division were Onchan C, who picked up enough points in their last game of the season as they lost 4-6 at home to a tough South Ramsey C team.

The individual merit went to South Ramsey B player Alan Moore, who managed to finish top of the pile with 18 wins from 21 games played (10 chalks dropped). Finishing in second place was team-mate Tony Dugdale, who led for most of the season before suffering a defeat in the South Ramsey derby to James Evans last week as Dugdale won 18 out of 22 games (14 chalks dropped). Marown man Peter Kelly proved he can still compete with 17 wins from 19 games played as he finished in third place (11 chalks dropped).

In Division Three it was North Ramsey B who made it a clean sweep for the Ramsey teams as they won the Chatel Cup sealing the title with 145 points following their 3-7 win at the Villa. Their cause was undoubtedly helped with five of players having previously played first division bowls now plying their trade in the lower leagues.

North Ramsey B – Division Three Winners at The Villa on Tuesday Evening.
Photo: Lee Christian

Finishing six points behind the league winners were Noble’s B, who had a tough looking and season defining away fixture against Marown D with the hosts needing to win 8-2 to ensure they finished in second place. The match was as well contested as expected, for the home team Richard Bregazzi lost out 17-21 to Alex Hampson, while Alan Gault just fell at the last hurdle 20-21 to Phil Salmon. James Kelly managed to hold off Terry Bates 21-19, while Phil Dunn beat Noel Ash 21-18. Marown D cruelly just missed out on finishing in second place by two points despite winning 6-4 on the night.

Sealing the individual merit was Marown D player Jay Waters with a 21-14 win over Grahem Moore, with Waters safe in the knowledge the merit was already his – with 19 wins from 20 games played (four chalks dropped). Finishing second overall was another young player with Sam Stannard-Duke winning 17 games out of 19 (27 chalks dropped).

It is great to see a healthy number of new and junior bowlers gaining vital experience, with Alex Hampson proving to be the most successful junior bowler in division three with 11 wins out of 20 as he capped off a fine season having impressed for the Junior Island Team back in June.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Jones Wins First Manx Masters Title – Moore Takes Fifth Successive Win

Mens Felton’s Manx Masters Winner 2022 - Peter Jones with sponsors Lynnette and Chris Perry of Felton’s. Inset - Ladies Winner Jenny Moore who picked up the title for a fifth successive year

Photos: Arnie Withers

South Ramsey hosted the Manx Masters on Sunday, one of the highlights of the Manx bowls calendar with four separate competitions taking place throughout the day. The green proved a challenge, with it running as well as it has all season.

Young Manx Masters

The Young Manx Masters was contested by six players – all girls. This competition was played in a round robin format with the girls in the same group playing eight ends with the last end played as a ‘power’ end with points scored counting double. After a good morning of bowls, it was Grayse Blencoe and Bailey McMullan (Both Mooragh Park) who topped the group tied on 44 points. This resulted in a three end shootout with the latter winning all three ends to go one better than last year to pick up her first win in the competition.

Young JP Corry Isle of Man Manx Masters Winner 2022 – Bailey McMullan
Photo: Arnie Withers

Junior Manx Masters

The Junior Manx Masters was played as a straight knockout 21up off a handicap of +6 for the older and more experienced players with 12 players braving the early morning start. The title was won for the first time by home greener Toby Hart in his last year of being eligible to play, as he defeated the 2021 winner Madison McMullan (North Ramsey). Toby made a good start going into a 13-8 lead, which he extended further to lead 17-10. Madison pulled the score back to 14-17, however four successive singles from Toby was enough to secure the victory.

Losing out at the semi-final stage were the Colquitt brothers from Marown, with the younger brother Alex putting up a good fight against Toby Hart before losing 15-21, while Sam lost out 8-21 to Madison McMullan.

Junior JP Corry Isle of Man Manx Masters Winner 2022 – Toby Hart
Photo: Arnie Withers

The standard of play in both events was excellent and some of the bowls played would not have been out of place in the senior events taking place in the afternoon, made all the more remarkable with having to contend with a tricky green.

The junior competitions had a new sponsor on board this year with JP Corry Isle of Man pleased to be supporting the event for the first time with the prizes presented by Steven Waters. All competitors who took part received a prize. A huge thanks must go to the coaches – Clare Cooper, Phil Kelly & Colin Kelly who helped the younger players with their games throughout the morning.

Once the Junior competitions came to a conclusion the Felton’s sponsored Men’s and Ladies events got underway with the Ladies event being an invitation of 16 players, whilst the Men’s event had 32 invited to play. In a change this year home greeners forfeited the jack on the first end to visiting bowlers.

Ladies Manx Masters

In the Ladies event losing out at the quarter final stages were Louise Tebay (Ballaugh) 14-21 to Jenny Moore (South Ramsey), Jayne Smith was well beaten 7-21 by home greener Fiona Kennish. Clare Cooper edged home 21-20 in a battle with team-mate Debbie Leece, while Paula Firth ended the challenge of Kim Hargraves (South Ramsey) 21-15.

At the semi-final stage Moore ended the run of Kennish with a 21-10 win to book her place in the final, whilst Firth managed to see off Cooper with a hard fought 21-18 victory to reach her first final in this event.

In the final Firth kept in touch with Moore trailing by just two chalks after 10 ends at 9-11. From there the latter stepped up a couple of gears to score three doubles and four singles, conceding just one more chalk to run out with a deserved 21-10 victory to win the title for a fifth successive year, with Moore reaffirming her status as the number one player in the Ladies game.

Mens Manx Masters

In the Men’s event four of the eight last 16 games were well contested with the player losing out scoring 16 or more. Losing out at the quarter final stage were home greener Bob Clark who battled well before losing out 18-21 to team-mate Glynn Hargraves, Matthew Quirk (Onchan) was beaten 15-21 by Marown captain Paul Dunn. In the bottom half of the draw Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) was well beaten 13-21 by Peter Jones (Marown) while last year’s finalist Kevin Quirk (Onchan) had his hands full with Stevie Kelly (Peel) as the Onchan man lost out 18-21.

In the semi-final Kelly was just two points behind Jones at 14-16 after 18 ends, with the latter going on to score a single and two doubles to run out with a 21-14 win. In the other semi-final it went to the wire with the game well contested throughout, with Dunn prevailing 21-20, the difference being Dunn scoring five doubles to his opponents four to book his place in the final.

In front of a healthy crowd who had stayed for the duration, the final started under the floodlights, however this did not reduce the standard of bowls from either player. It was nip and tuck in the early stages of the game with the score tied at 9-9 after 10 ends. Jones went on take control of the game with some excellent first bowls to his own jack to build up a seven-point lead at 17-10.

Dunn got in with a double just before a break in play as a minute’s silence at 8pm was impeccably observed by the players and spectators. The Marown captain went on to concede a single, then scored four successive singles to close the gap to just two chalks at 16-18 to stand a fighting chance. Jones ensured the comeback ended there as he got in with his first bowl, then scored two more singles to see the game out with a 21-16 victory to seal his first win in this competition in his first time playing in the event.

At the end of the competition the presentation was made by South Ramsey club captain Glynn Hargraves, who thanked Alan Moore for his excellent work running the sheets for all four competitions, the Ladies who once again outdone themselves with the catering and the club members who assisted throughout the day. Long term supporters of the event Chris & Lynnette Perry were then introduced to present the prizes from the sponsors Felton’s Ironmongers who without their support this event would not be possible. Upon accepting the trophy Jones thanked the club for hosting the event, stating he was delighted to have won the competition and was made up with how welcoming the local bowls community had been since he & his wife Cathy had moved to the Island three months ago.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

South Ramsey A Edge Closer to Title

In Canada Life International Division One it was a double week for all night league teams with clubs’ floodlights being put to good use as the nights draw in. It is three weeks since league fixtures last took place, as we reach the business end of the season.

South Ramsey A started their week with a visit down south to take on Port Erin A. The visitors came away with a strong 1-9 victory, with Bernie Durcan preventing the whitewash as he put in a good performance to win 21-12 against Peter Collister who suffered only his third league defeat of the season. Winning to single figures for the visitors were David Bradford, John Kennish, Bob Clark, Stefan Kelly and Glynn Hargraves. James Teare managed to hold off Steve Durcan 21-16, while Jordan Cain recovered from a 10-16 deficit against Alan Crebbin to win 21-16.

On Friday evening South Ramsey A took on third placed Onchan A who have been in good form of late, however the Ramsey men made home advantage count as they won 8-2. Winning for the visitors were Reg Temporaza who beat Glynn Hargraves 21-17, while Matthew Quirk won 21-16 against Stefan Kelly in a good quality game. Two wins to single figures from Bob Clark and Peter Collister helped with the two points for the aggregate (159-119). John Kennish won 21-16 against Kevin Quirk after leading 15-3. Jordan Cain was always in control with his 21-13 win over Phil Kerruish, while David Bradford won 21-15 against Neil Dunwell. A big comeback from James Teare who trailed Will Penhallurick 5-15 and then 11-19 could prove crucial at the end of the season as the former won 21-20 to secure his side an extra point.

Marown A were looking to bounce back from their disastrous 6-4 defeat away to lowly Peel B. This time out they took on Peel A at Crosby with a solid 8-2 win with Neil Withers once again heavily defeating Dean Kinley 21-3, Colin Kelly beat Gary Smith 21-5, while Phil Kelly put in a great performance to win 21-7 against Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly. Marown captain Paul Dunn had a comfortable 21-10 win against Tommy McMeiken, Paul Kelly beat George Gadsby 21-9 with the game of the night being won by Harry Barton who beat Stevie Kelly 21-20, with the former recovering from a 12-19 deficit to lead 20-19, only for Kelly to break the run and go level at 20-20. On the deciding end a good bowl from Barton settled the game to pick up Marown’s fifth win of the night. Winning for the visitors were Peter Greenlees who was level with Peter Jones at 15-15 and ran out from there to win 21-15, while Tom Kelly put in a fine performance to beat Dean Kipling 21-5.

On Friday evening Marown A took on their B Team, with a number of the B Team players looking to prove they have what it takes to play for the higher ranked team next season, with four of their players in the top 32 of the individual merit as the B team continue to fly high and on course to finish in fourth place. The A team won the fixture 7-3 but will have been hoping for a better result as they looked to pile the pressure on the league leaders going in to the last game of the season. Winning for the B Team were Glenn Boland who beat Harry Barton 21-12, Jerome Surridge won 21-16 against Phil Kelly, while Matthew Keggen caused the biggest upset of the night as he took on A Team captain Paul Dunn, with the scores level at 9-9, Keggen went on a 12 point scoring streak to run out with a 21-9 victory as he presses his claim for a recall to the A Team next season. For the A Team Neil Withers was the best winner as he beat John Gelling 21-7.

South Ramsey A are now three points ahead of the Crosby men and have an away fixture against Castletown A at the Crofts, whilst Marown A travel to Breagle Glen to take on Port Erin A in the deciding fixtures. A 7-3 win for South Ramsey should be enough to ensure they retain the title, however could there be one more twist to follow in a highly unpredictable season? South Ramsey were predicted to run away with it this year, however that has not been the case.

Relegation has now been confirmed for the bottom two sides Port Erin A 31 points from safety on 48 points, while Onchan B are second from bottom with 65 points. Peel B are in 10th place as they have picked up 16 points in three fixtures to secure their top flight status. A good last result of the season for Peel B at home to Onchan B, and a heavy defeat for North Ramsey A could see the Peel men leapfrog the Mooragh Park men.

South Ramsey B Tie Up Division Two

In Division Two South Ramsey B maintained their 17-point lead at the top and officially secured their place as Division Two Champions following a 9-1 home win over Finch Hill A on Monday with Les Brookes preventing the whitewash with a 21-20 win over Sid Bolton. This result was followed up as they overcame their C Team on Thursday night with an 8-2 win. The only real upset of the week was for Tony Dugdale who suffered a defeat at the hands of James Evans 19-21 to slip to second place in the individual merit with team mate Alan Moore going above Dugdale. Lee Dawson was the other winner for the C Team as he inflicted a second defeat of the week on Sid Bolton. The northern men look well placed to hold their own in Division One next season as most teams that get promoted do so by the skin of their teeth, however they have gone on to build a good lead as the season has gone on.

Marown C have their destiny in their own hands as they went seven points clear of third placed Ballaugh A, enjoying an excellent week with a 9-1 away win against Ballaugh B, they then took Peel C apart at Crosby 10-0, with both teams they faced this week failing to score 100 chalks. Whilst Marown wouldn’t be the first club to have three teams in the same division it does show their strength in depth, is also a great story with most of the team starting around the same time and improving together as they show a little ambition can go a long way, as they look to go into the top division of Manx bowls to test themselves against the best week in week out.

Ballaugh A whilst picking up two wins this week did drop six points to Marown’s one point in a pivotal week for both clubs. A hard fought 4-6 away win over Onchan C by 15 chalks (134-149) was followed up with an 8-2 win over their lower ranked B Team, the result could have been even worse as Philip Quayle and Gordie Moore both won 21-20 against Mike Buckeridge and Dicky Watson respectively.

Marown C go on to finish their season with an away fixture against Noble’s A, while Ballaugh A are at home to Finch Hill A who are notoriously bad travellers on the road.

Sitting joint bottom in Division Two are Port St Mary B and Ballaugh B on 62 points. Both teams need a minor miracle of pulling off big wins to give one of them the chance to get out of trouble with Port at home to Douglas B, while Ballaugh host Peel C. Onchan C are the only other team in danger of the drop, they are third from bottom on 67 points as they welcome South Ramsey C to the Park on Tuesday evening with the bottom two teams relying on a heavy defeat for Onchan to stand a chance of one of them staying up.

North Ramsey B Stay on Course for Division Three

In Division Three Jay Waters cannot be caught in the race for the individual merit despite suffering his one and only defeat of the season to Andrew Cover 17-21 as the team won 3-7 away to Peel. His week did start off a bit better as his team won 9-1 at home to Douglas C, with Waters winning 21-17 against Greg Tomlinson.

League leaders North Ramsey B will be crowned league champions barring a disaster as they are three points ahead of Noble’s B and seven points ahead of Marown D, as they take on Douglas D in their final fixture of the season. The Mooragh Park men only played one fixture this week as they won 3-7 away to Ballaugh C.

Noble’s B will have been pleased with their weeks work as they bettered Marown D this week to ensure they went four points clear of the Crosby men as they beat Castletown C 2-8 at the Crofts, then beat Finch Hill B 9-1 at home.

The deciding fixture of the season sees Marown D take on Noble’s B on Tuesday night at Crosby with only an 8-2 win for the home team being good enough to ensure they finish in second place and go ahead of Noble’s B.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Leece & Clark Win Last Mixed Doubles of 2022 Season

Wilfrid Quayle Mixed Doubles Winners 2022 - Debbie Leece & Bob Clark

Photo: Glynn Hargraves

Castletown Bowling Club hosted the Wilfrid Quayle mixed doubles on Saturday with the competition attracting 28 pairs.

The eventual winners were Debbie Leece (Marown) and Bob Clark (South Ramsey) taking a hard earned win over home greener Kim Foy and Marown man Paul Dunn.

In the early stages of the final neither pairing was able to build a lead with the score tied at 14-14 after nine ends with Foy and Dunn scoring two threes’ with Leece and Clark kept down to singles and two’s. The latter pair then scored four points over two ends with a single and a three to lead 18-14. Foy and Dunn bounced back wo win four consecutive ends to lead 20-18, however three good singles from Debbie and Bob were enough to see the game out with a 21-20 win in an entertaining final.

Losing out 11-21 at the semi-final stage were Tracy Moore (Castletown) and Nathan Hamilton (Port St Mary) to the winning pair, Margie Tasker (Port St Mary) and Derek Allen (Port Erin) were defeated 14-21 by Foy and Dunn.

Falling at the quarter final stage were Paula Firth (Onchan) and Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) who lost out 10-21 to Leece and Clark. South Ramsey pair Jenny Moore and James Teare were defeated 13-21 by Moore and Hamilton. Sue Gawne (Onchan) and Andy Kennish (Onchan) were pipped at the post 19-21 by Foy and Dunn, Husband and Wife pairing Alec & Philippa Taylor (Peel/Marown) just lost out 18-21 to Tasker and Allen.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Kath Kinley who thanked everyone who had entered, along with the club members who had helped with the smooth running of the competition throughout the day.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

August CLI Players of the Month

AUGUST 2022 - CANADA LIFE INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE MONTH

Photos: Arnie Withers/Glynn Hargraves

Congratulations to August Canada Life International Award winners:-

Men’s Player of the Month: Paul Dunn – Marown

Ladies Player of the Month: Caroline Whitehead – Port Erin

Under 21’s Player of the Month: Madison McMullan – Mooragh Park

Paul was the standout player in the men’s game during August, winning both of his league games, as well as both of his games in the Club Team Championship. Dunn also managed to retain the Doubles Championship with regular playing partner Neil Withers, represented the Island playing three games, successfully qualified for the Crown Green Masters at Fleetwood, whilst also getting through the qualifying rounds to reach the finals day of the Famous Talbot trophy. Dunn also took part in the North versus South Challenge in the U.K. winning both games that he played in, with his game with Phil Lee – one of Merseyside’s top bowlers proving to be a good watch for the spectators.

Caroline was the pick from the Ladies section this month winning three league games and scoring highly in two defeats. In addition to this Caroline was delighted to win the Sowerbutts trophy in the mixed doubles to pick up her first ever open win on Port Erin on Bank Holiday Monday.

Madison was an easy choice for her achievements in August as she won the Rheuben Thomas Memorial Trophy, whilst maintaining a 100% record in the newly formed Junior League. For her club Madison won both league games and her game in the Club Team Championship. Whilst it had already been decided that Madison would be Under 21 player of the month, she also recently reached the final of the Junior Girls Merit at Heswell only to just lose out 12-15 to Cerys Parry from Wales. A superb month for Madison which fully deserves this award.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Glover Emulates His Father to Win First IOM Festival 

IOM Mens September Festival Winner 2022 - Stephen Glover

Photo: Arnie Withers

One of the biggest events on the bowls calendar – The Isle of Man September Bowls Festival took place last week, with the competition one of the longest running, having first taken place in 1921.

In the Men’s event it was Stephen Glover (Liverpool CC) who picked up his first Festival win, 31 years after his father Terry won the same competition in 1991, when Stephen was just four months old, history repeated itself with Stephen recently becoming a father himself as he got his hands on the famous trophy and took home the winners cheque for £3,000. Glover more than deserved his victory as he had to overcome the challenge of another regular visitor, a two-time September winner from 2017 and 2019 John Bailey (Castlefields), whilst also beating another former winner in Graeme Wilson on finals day, Glover also got past June 2008 winner Colin Kelly (Marown) in the Last 16 to reach finals day.

The final started with Glover performing brilliantly to storm into a 14-5 lead playing his customary short length, albeit on a different mark to previous rounds, with Bailey not doing much if anything wrong. Bailey, looking to pick up his third September title and being the competitor that he is, responded well winning six of the next seven ends on a longer length to close the deficit to just three chalks at 12-15 after 13 ends, helped by Bailey playing a great last bowl when lying two down on the 12th end.

Glover got back in at just the right time with a single, thanks to a good last bowl just as Bailey was starting to find his stride. Two brilliant quick-fire doubles on the edge that Glover had enjoyed success on in previous rounds put him within touching distance of victory at 20-12. A good lead on the last end was beaten by Bailey, with Glover then beating the bowl to count one for game. Bailey played a reaching bowl, but failed to connect with anything as Glover picked up a fully deserved 21-12 victory as he expressed his joy with a gentle fist pump. Bailey took home a cheque for £1,000 as consolation for his efforts throughout the week.

Glover reached the final courtesy of a fairly comfortable 21-15 win over four-time winner Graeme Wilson (AEU), with Bailey having to battle for his 21-18 victory over Bob Clark (South Ramsey) after leading 16-8 the local man fought back well before losing out. Clark was the local player who had progressed the furthest and received the Chris Quayle Memorial trophy for the furthest Manx Man, as he reached his first finals day and will undoubtedly have gained vital experience from it. 

The quarter finals were all fairly straightforward for the winners with Glover ending the hopes of Gareth Coates (Akroydon Victoria) with a 21-16 win, with the score at 16-15 in favour of Coates a four end winning streak saw Glover run out. Wilson made light work of Dan Edmonds (Levens) with a 21-10 win after the latter had disposed of the 2021 winner Callum Wraight (Castlefields) 21-8 in the Last 16.

In the other half of the draw Clark performed well to beat Nathan Brown (Lloyd Hotel) 21-15, after trailing 9-14 Clark went on to win seven of the next eight ends to progress to the semi-final. Bailey was up against a surprise package in Alex Yates (Noble’s) who took up the game just six years ago, who more than deserved his spot in the quarter finals, coming through some tricky games to make finals day. Yates had to give one chalk away on the handicap playing on his home green, managed to hang in the game really well trailing by just one chalk after 12 ends with the score at 11-12, however the experience of Bailey came through in the end, as he went on to win 21-12. Yates can consider the week a success with his good run not going unnoticed as he picked up £300 for his efforts.

Men’s Tourism

The Men’s Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 1, and it was Callum Wraight (Castlefields) who performed well to see off his Stepdad Richie Goddard (Castlefields) to take the Tourism title with a comfortable 21-9 victory, with the result never really in doubt.

Both semi-finals were well contested with Wraight edging home 21-18 against Ben Phillips (Lloyd Hotel). Goddard booked his place in the final with a hard fought 21-19 win over Daniel Petcher (Littleover).

In the quarter finals Wraight progressed with a 21-11 win over Craig Richardson (Castlefields), Phillips (Lloyd Hotel) reached the semi-final with a 21-14 victory over Alan Gilpin (Netherfield), whilst Petcher ended the challenge of Ian Liley (Lune Road) 21-10. The closest game of the quarter finals was between Bob Clark (South Ramsey) and Goddard with the latter taking the win 21-19 to progress to the semi-final.

Other Events

The Men’s consolation was won by Neil Rigden (Bretherton) who beat Matthew Clegg (West Shore) 21-14 in the final, with Ridgen winning 21-12 against Thomas Dennison (Levens) in the semi-final, whilst Clegg won 21-13 against Martin Gaut (Wrockwardine Wood).

The Ladies consolation was won by Christine Lawton (Garswood Hall) defeating Lisa Downham (Bowling Green Lancaster) in the final. Lawton reached the final courtesy of a 21-14 win over Violet Dennison (Levens), whilst Downham won 21-17 against Eileen Pye (Canberra Club).

The Visit.Com Flyer title went to Martin Gilpin (Netherfield) who had an emphatic 9-1 win over Harry Chapman (Baddesley Colliery), whilst the Last Chance Mixed Final was won by Martin’s son Alan Gilpin (Netherfield) who beat Ken Wale (Whitby) 21-15 in the final.

In the doubles competitions the Open doubles was won by Callum Wraight and John Bailey (Both Castlefields) with a resounding 11-0 win over Paul Kissock (Netherfield) and Barry Simm (Lune Road). Wraight and Bailey reached the final with a 11-0 win over Amanda and Kevin Nicholas (Gresford Colliery), whilst Kissock and Simm ended the challenge of South Ramsey pair Jenny Moore and James Teare 11-5.

The Men’s doubles were won by Marown pair Colin Kelly and Peter Jones who performed well to see off John Colebourne and Ian Johnson (Both Chesterfield Cylinders) 11-2 in the final. Kelly and Jones reached the final with a hard fought 11-9 win over Paul Kissock and Matty Stewart (Both Netherfield), while Colebourne and Johnson also won to the same score against James Higgins (Sheffield) and Ian Nicholson (Netherfield).

The Ladies doubles were won by Sue Gawne (Onchan) and Sue Emmerson (Whitby) defeating Debbie Leece (Marown) and Veronica Lyon (Unison) 11-10 in a close final. Gawne and Emmerson reached the final with an 11-6 victory over Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) and Janet Hargreaves (Netherfield), whilst Leece and Lyon won 11-3 against Elaine Hawkins (Port St Mary) and Diane Harrison (Lune Road).

Winning the Mixed pairs were Eileen Pye (Canberra Club) and Michael Coupe (Wirral) thanks to a 9-3 win over Catherine Wilson (AEU) and Stevie Cain (Marown) in the final. Pye and Coupe reached the final with a 9-3 win over Kath Watkinson (Mere Brew) and Andy White (Two Gates), whilst Wilson and Cain won 9-0 against Nicola Gilmore-Coupe and Matthew Gilmore (Both Wirral) to reach the final.

The Triples returned this year with the competition played on three greens over six ends on Wednesday morning down to the winner from each green. Winners at the Villa were Paul Bailey (Meersbrook), James Higgins (Sheffield) and Matt Whitaker (Sheffield), with the Marown trio of Colin Kelly, Neil Withers and Juan Killip winning on Noble’s 1 green, while Brian Rathbone (Fairfield), Matt Sands (Lloyd Hotel) and Nathan Brown (Lloyd Hotel) were the winners on Noble’s 2 green.

Bob Clark – Winner of Chris Quayle Memorial – Furthest Manx Man 2022
Photo: Arnie Withers
IOM September Mens Doubles Winners 2022 – Peter Jones & Colin Kelly
Photo: Arnie Withers

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Teare’s for Rebecca With First Festival Title

IOM Ladies September Festival Winner 2022 - Rebecca Teare

Photo: Arnie Withers

In the Ladies main event local bowler Rebecca Teare (Marown) took on Sarah Weaver (Wrockwardine Wood) in the final. It proved to be Rebecca’s day, with the Ladies final going to the wire, with plenty of drama for the spectators throughout the game.

Teare made a strong start to the game, with Weaver lying two down on the third end a good strike killed the end, the score could have been worse than 13-7 after eight ends. With Weaver threatening a comeback at 9-13 and counting for two a great last bowl from Teare kept her opponent at arms length to put the score at 14-9 to the latter.

A huge turning point in the game arrived with the rain setting in and Weaver having the jack with the ever changing pace of the green proving crucial as Weaver took five of the next seven ends to close the deficit to just two chalks at 13-15 after 14 ends.

Another twist was to follow with Weaver sitting just one chalk behind at 15-16 and lying a good two bowls a strike was expected from Teare, however Rebecca played no more than a yard over to flick off Weaver’s bowl just over a foot away from the jack as it came to rest to the side of the jack to count for one. A good two followed on the next end for Teare to lead 19-15.

Setting a mark along the edge, perhaps a bit of nerves understandably set in with Rebecca’s first bowl going in the ditch which Weaver punished to full effect. Teare over-corrected with her second bowl taking too much out to leave Weaver an easy two.

Three successive singles followed for Weaver, with another crucial moment arriving with Teare sitting out her opponent’s second counting bowl to prevent giving away a two to her opponent. With the score now 20-19 to Weaver a two foot lead was beaten by Teare, with her opponent playing a ‘reacher’ as her bowl flicked the jack closer to the counting bowl to give Rebecca the opportunity to get another in for game. A measure to decide who was in for second bowl went in favour of Rebecca who won her first Festival title in an excellent final.

In addition to taking her first win and the winners cheque for £1,000 Rebecca received the Blanche Kaye Trophy for the furthest Manx Lady, while Sarah took the runners up prize for £600.

In the semi-finals Rebecca was always in control as she booked her place in the final with a comfortable 21-16 win over good friend Sharon Rigden (Penwortham), while Weaver’s result was never in doubt with a 21-13 victory over September 2018 festival winner Elaine Moore (South Ramsey).

Teare started her day in good form with a 21-15 win over Sarah Fox (Maltby BC), while Ridgen had a battle with Joanne Smith (Little Eaton) before winning 21-17. In the other half of the draw Moore progressed thanks to a 21-15 win over Angela Gaut (Wrockwardine Wood), while Weaver had to dig deep for her 21-19 victory over Joyce Ogden (Marown) after leading 19-13 the latter fought back before losing out.

Ladies Tourism

The Ladies Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 2 green, it was local bowler Elaine Moore (South Ramsey) who had a successful week taking a comfortable 21-11 victory over Catherine Wilson (AEU) in the final.

Moore booked her place in the final with a hard fought 21-18 win over Jane Glaister (Windermere), whilst Wilson also had to battle for her hard earned 21-19 victory over Tracy Wraight (Castlefields).

In the quarter finals Moore progressed with a 21-14 win over fellow local bowler Joyce Ogden (Marown), Glaister had a comfortable 21-11 win over Janet Monk (Mooragh Park). In the other half of the draw Wilson took a hard earned 21-18 victory over Jenny Moore (South Ramsey), while Wraight made light work of Helen Clee (Wrockwardine Wood) with a 21-9 win.

IOM September Tourism 2022 – Runner Up Catherine Wilson with Winner Elaine Moore
Photo: Arnie Withers

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

South Ramsey Trio Triumph in PSM Threesomes

Port St Mary Any Combination Threesomes Winners 2022 - Glynn Hargraves, PSM President Margaret Tasker, Jenny Moore and James Teare

Photo: Wayne Roberts

Port St Mary hosted the Any Combination Threesomes at Breagle Glen on Sunday. With 75 bowlers from around the Island taking part despite the heavy rain forecast, the competition proved to be popular.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were the trio of Eddie Carlyle (South Ramsey), Les Brookes (Finch Hill) and Brian Lindsay (Peel) who battled well after leading 17-14 against the South Ramsey team of Glynn Hargraves, James Teare and Jenny Moore, the former conceded a five and a single to lose out 17-21. Also performing well were the Marown team of Lisa Oliver, James Kelly and Helen Withers who were level at 17-17 against another South Ramsey team consisting of Fiona Kennish, Kim Hargraves and Elaine Moore only for the Marown trio to concede a four as they were defeated 21-17.

In the other half of the draw the youthful team of Jordan Drewett (Port St Mary), Tom Kelly (Peel) and Nathan Hamilton (Port St Mary) eased past the Onchan team of Matthew Quirk, Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker 21-12. An all Marown battle of girls versus the boys saw the girls take the bragging rights as Rebecca Teare, Clare Cooper and Debbie Leece won 21-18 against Phil Dunn, Paul Dunn and Neil Withers who could take consolation in being able to go home to get dry.

In the first semi-final an all South Ramsey battle took place with Glynn, James and Jenny keeping Fiona, Kim and Elaine to three scoring ends with the former winning 21-10 to take their place in the final. In the second semi-final the Marown girls of Rebecca, Clare and Debbie put up a good fight against Jordan, Tom and Nathan as they leapt into a 16-6 lead, only to then fall behind 16-20. The girls then scored a single followed by a three to level the game at 20-20. On the deciding end the boys got the one point they needed to reach the final as they won 21-20.

After heavy rain throughout the afternoon conditions improved slightly for the final, with the light starting to fade throughout the game the floodlights were not used. The boys started the stronger of the two teams as they went into the lead 9-7, as they carried on their rather unusual ritual of drawing straws each end to decide the playing order – as they had done in all their matches throughout the day. Glynn, James and Jenny struck back with a five, two singles and two three’s in between conceding a two to go within touching distance of victory to lead 20-11. Two singles for Jordan, Tom and Nathan kept them in the game, however a good bowl on the last end which was well protected ensured the South Ramsey team won 21-13.

The presentation was made by Club President Margie Tasker who thanked everyone at the club for their help throughout the day.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves