Author Archives: Glynn Hargraves

Bolton & Jones Take Wins in Douglas Town Cup

Sunday saw the holding of the Douglas Town Cup Ladies and Men’s Singles hosted by Douglas Bowling Club at the Villa. The Men’s event started at 10:30 in the morning with 42 entries, with the Ladies competition starting later in the day had an entry of 19 Ladies competing.

In the Men’s singles at the quarter final stage Peter Jones (Marown) beat David Bradford (South Ramsey) 21-11, whilst Keith Rise held off a late comeback from Walter McCarthy to win 21-19. In the other half of the draw Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) won 21-8 against Rob Monk (North Ramsey), whilst Phil Kelly beat Marown clubmate Juan Killip 21-17 to progress to the next round.

At the semi-final stage Jones ensured it was the end of the road for Rise, with the Marown man winning 21-13. In the other semi-final Hargraves led 18-12 against Kelly, only for the Marown man to score seven consecutive chalks to lead 19-18. Hargraves got back in at the right time to seal his place in the final with a 21-19 victory.

In the Men’s final the rain set in as Hargraves (+6) won the first end, only to concede two doubles to Jones (+5) who was the current holder to fall 9-7 behind. Hargraves took the next three ends to go two chalks ahead at 11-9, then Jones got in to settle on a longer length as he scored seven chalks over six ends to lead 16-11.

A slice of fortune got Hargraves back in, with the South Ramsey man then closing the deficit to two chalks at 16-18, however Jones played two good bowls on the following end to lead 20-16.

On the next end a good lead from Jones was beaten at the first attempt, then a further single followed for Hargraves to put the score at 18-20. On the next end Jones was in after a measure as he retained the trophy for another year with a hard earned 21-18 victory in an entertaining final.

In the Ladies quarter finals Lyn Bolton (Marown) beat Michele Cubbon (Ballaugh) 21-9, Janet Monk beat Mooragh Park teammate Shannon McMullan 21-12. Marown’s Debbie Leece beat Margie Tasker (Port St Mary) 21-14, whilst home greener Paula Garrett beat teammate Katie Jacobs 21-10.

In the Ladies semi-finals Bolton got the better of Monk, with a comfortable 21-11 win, whilst Garrett won 21-14 against Leece.

The Final got underway with Bolton making the better start to lead 11-6, then Garrett closed the gap to two chalks at 10-12.

Belton stepped up another gear or two, as the Marown player restricted her opponent to scoring on only two more ends for Bolton to run out with three two’s and three singles to seal a comfortable 21-13 to win the Ladies Douglas Town Cup.

There was also a prize for the Juniors going furthest in the competition and the Junior Girls was won by Katie Jacobs (Douglas) and the Junior Boys was shared by Kian Bradford (South Ramsey) & Clark Kelly (Douglas).

At the conclusion Gordy Wynne-Smythe thanked all those who supported the event and the Douglas Club Members for a great effort in putting on the event. He then announced that they had raised funds for A Little Bit of Hope to the total of £450. He then went on to thank Jaks & Barbary Coast for sponsoring the event, with Andrew Gibbs presenting the prizes.

Hargraves & Bradford Win Nobles Cup

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the Nobles Cup Men’s Doubles on Saturday with 29 pairs taking part, on a superb playing surface which is returning to its former glory, as the club continue to move forward they had a new sponsor on board this year with Camelback Movers.

Losing out in the quarter finals were Archie Dunn & Paul Dunn (Marown) 10-21 to South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves & David Bradford, home greeners Stephen Corkill & Mikey Cooper got past the pairing of Tony Hart & Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) 21-19.

In the other half of the draw John Kennish & Peter Collister (South Ramsey) won 21-6 against Marown’s Stevie Rundle & Walter McCarthy, whilst Marown’s Juan Killip and Matthew Keggen beat Brian Lindsay & Less Brookes 21-15.

At the semi-final stage Hargraves & Bradford ensured it was the end of the road for the final home green pairing of Corkill & Cooper, with the South Ramsey men winning 21-9 to reach the final. The other semi-final was keenly contested as the Marown pairing of Killip and Keggen went 17-12 ahead against Kennish & Collister, before the Ramsey pair rallied to win five of the last six ends to run out with a 21-18 to take their place in the final.

In the final Kennish & Collister won the first end scoring a single, only for Hargraves & Bradford win the next four ends scoring seven points to take a 13-7 lead, with a three scored as Bradford played out the counting bowl perfectly.

Kennish & Collister got back into the game with two singles, only to concede their second three of the game, however they picked up a three themselves on the ninth end to trail by four chalks at 12-16.

Hargraves & Bradford rallied once more to see the game out scoring five chalks over the next four ends to take a deserved 21-12 victory to lift the cup for a second time, following their first success in 2017.

With prizes paid down to the quarter finals, there was additional prize money paid out and a trophy for Marown’s Archie Dunn for best Junior in the competition.

The presentation was made by Tina Hampson who thanked the club members for their help throughout the day, Camelback Movers for sponsoring the competition.

Photo: Mark Bradshaw

Hampson Wins Inaugural Roy Williamson Memorial Trophy

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the inaugural Junior Boys competition on Saturday morning, with a good standard of bowls from the Juniors with the games played 21 up off scratch.

At the quarter final stage Clark Kelly (Douglas) lost out 11-21 to Ryan Hargraves (South Ramsey), whilst Arran Dunn (Marown) just got the better of Andrew Tomlinson (Douglas) 21-20. Home greener Alex Hampson had a tough game with Archie Dunn (Marown), as the latter led 17-13 before Hampson prevailed 21-17, whilst Rhys Moore (Castletown) beat Robert Tomlinson (Douglas) 21-16.

At the semi-final stage 10-year-old Dunn performed well to beat 15-year-old Hargraves 21-16, whilst Hampson had a slightly more comfortable 21-15 win over Moore to reach the final.

In the final Hampson, who is the more experienced bowler performed well as he went 10-1 ahead scoring five doubles in the first six ends. Dunn had to dig deep and didn’t let his head drop as he performed well in the second half of the game before eventually losing out 10-21 to Hampson, who became the first winner of this competition.

The presentation was made by Tina & Kerry Hampson, who introduced Jackie Williamson to present the prizes, with all competitors receiving a prize. It was a proud and emotional day for the Hampson family, with winner Alex being Roy Williamson’s Grandson, as he became the first winner of the new trophy.

Six Games to Go In Men’s Night League

Match number 16 of the Canada Life International took place this week as league leaders South Ramsey A edged another point ahead of second placed Marown A in Division One, with just six games left to play – with a visit to Marown yet to come following their 9-1 home win over Peel A. The lone winner for the visitors was Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly whose 21-13 win was never in doubt against Stefan Kelly, whilst the only other close games for the visitors were two 17-21 defeats for Dean Kinley against James Teare and Tommy McMeiken against Bob Clark. Winning to single figures for the home team were Peter Collister who won 21-3 against David Proctor, whilst Jordan Cain beat Gary Smith 21-8.

Marown A had a short trip to the Sunset City as they took on Peel B who managed to take two games off the Crosby men, with wins from Dewi Bartlett who beat Glenn Boland 21-8, whilst Dave Smith beat Paul Kelly 21-15. Michael Kavanagh just missed out on snatching a third point for Peel as he lost 20-21 to John Gelling. Winning big for Marown were Colin Kelly who beat Andy Mackie 21-4, whilst merit leader Paul Dunn beat opposing captain Paul Quirk 21-8.

The closest match of the night took place between Douglas A who were at home to bottom side South Ramsey B, as the teams played out a 5-5 draw, with the visitors only winning three games they will have been delighted to take the aggregate by four chalks (149-153) in what was a high scoring contest the Ramsey men could quite easily have picked up more points as their worst defeat was to 17-21, with Eddie Carlyle and Toby Hart losing to Keith Rise and Andy Cannell respectively. Tony Hart lost out 18-21 to Jimmy Sansom, whilst Austin Hart lost out 19-21 to Ian Moore, with Christian Caley losing to the same score to Gordon Wynne-Smythe. All three wins for the visitors were comfortable, which together with their high scoring defeats helped their cause with the aggregate as South Ramsey captain Ben Dugdale beat Gary Conwell 21-12, Frank Watson returned to the team as he picked up his second win of the season as he beat Mark Kneen 21-16, whilst Tony Dugdale won to the same score against Shaun Seal.

Castletown A continued their climb up the table as they won 7-3 against North Ramsey A at the Crofts. For the home team David Quayle finished strongly to beat Steve Walmsley 21-20, whilst Aaron Richardson was another man to pick up his second win of the season as he beat Gary Merrill 21-7. Also picking up good wins for Town were Nathan Cooil and Nathan Hamilton with both men winning 21-11 against Steven Waters and Paul Allison respectively, whilst George Foy made light work of Mooragh captain Rob Monk with a 21-12 win. For North Ramsey Allan Callow returned to winning ways as he beat Ron Williams 21-13, Jimmy Moffatt won 21-16 against Chris Lever, whilst John Cannan beat Town captain Jordan Drewett 21-18.

Marown B sit in seventh place following their 7-3 home victory over Port St Mary A. There is no stopping Crosby captain Darren Kerruish who picked up his second consecutive league win of the season as he beat Dave Saxon 21-13. Walter McCarthy was the best winner for the home team as he won 21-6 against Bernard Thackrah, whilst Karl Parker had to earn his 21-18 victory over Robbie Cooil. Trevor Quayle was the best winner for Port as he won 21-10 against Matthew Keggen, Dan McCabe wasn’t too far behind with a 21-13 win over Juan Killip, whilst captain Wayne Roberts beat John Kelly 21-18.

On Tuesday evening Marown C hosted Onchan A, with the game ending 4-4 on games, however the visitors earned the two bonus points as they took the aggregate by just six chalks (128-134). For the home team Sam Clague picked up the most impressive result of the night as he beat Peter Slinger 21-15, with Tom Kelly winning to the same score against Phil Kerruish. Jamie Joughin was the best winner for the Crosby men as he beat Mike Thomas 21-8. For the visitors Kevin Quirk was the only single figure winner as he beat Marown captain Stevie Rundle 21-6, with teammate Neil Dunwell continuing his good form as he beat Peter Kelly 21-12.

In Division Two second placed Ballaugh A had the opportunity to close the gap as they hosted league leaders Finch Hill A. Whilst they did claim a 6-4 home win, they would have hoped for a bigger win to close the gap further. For the home team Mike Spooner won 21-3 against Paul Dougherty, Richard Hainge beat Mark Taylor 21-9, John Keenan just got over the line 21-20 against Les Brookes, whilst Nigel Tebay took a good scalp as he inflicted a first league defeat of the season on merit leader Dave McCabe 21-17. For the visitors Pat Maher won 21-10 against John Maddrell, Stephen Oates impressed with a 21-13 win over Ballaugh captain Phil Quayle, Tony Epifani held on to beat Patrick Grant 21-20, whilst Dave Jones won his game 21-18 against Tony Grant.

Port Erin A sit in fourth place with a game in hand on third placed Castletown B, as they closed the gap to 10 points with a game in hand following their 8-2 home win at Breagle Glen. Ed Benson was the best winner for the Breagle men as he won 21-9 against Ray Harris, whilst Mark Stockham got the better of George Peach 21-20, with Steve Durcan also winning a close game as he beat Willie Corkill 21-19. For the Town mean Peter Oates beat Ken Horsley 21-15, with Ross Moore winning 21-11 against David Cain.

Third placed Douglas B are well placed in the league as they came away from Onchan B with a hard earned 4-6 win at the park, winning the aggregate by 11 chalks (125-136). Single figures victories from Bob Callow and Stuart Garrett over Paul Callister and Mike Alexander helped their cause with the aggregate.

Noble’s B occupy ninth place, but aren’t fully out of danger yet, as they are just five points away from the relegation places, however they kept Peel C in the danger zone as they inflicted an 8-2 win on the Western men with three 21-20 wins going in their favour, along with two single figure victories from Stephen Corkill and Phil Salmon.

South Ramsey C had a better week as they beat Noble’s A 7-3 at home, as they missed out on a further two points with Mark Quinn just getting the better of home captain Dave Corkill 21-20, Jim Collister beat Jay Moore 21-18, with Mark Bradshaw picking up a comfortable 21-12 win over James Moore. For the home team Ian Moore was the best winner with a 21-11 victory over Dave Naughton, with Andy Morgan winning a close game 21-19 against John Andrew.

In Division Three Ballaugh B came away from Breagle Glen with a 3-7 win over Port Erin B as they remain in top spot. For the home team Ben Mowle won 21-17 against Mike Buckeridge, Nigel Haymes beat Gary Griffiths 21-18, whilst Alan Crebbin eased to a 21-11 win over Stephen Swift.

Noble’s D kept themselves within touch of Ballaugh B, following their 7-3 home win over Douglas C (pictured). Winning for the Villa men were David Caley who beat Stan Cooper 21-2, Juan Readshaw, and Steve Gregg. For the home team winning to single figures were Terry Bates, Kevin Moore, and Andrew Bell.

South Ramsey D sit in fourth place, as they continued one of their most impressive seasons to date, following their 2-8 victory over Douglas D at the Villa. Greg Barlow won 21-2 against Junior bowler William Cowley, whilst another Junior bowler Ryan Hargraves beat Mark Clarke 21-20, with Billy Blair beating David Manley 21-19. For the home team Bob Banning ensured he cancelled out the 21-2 win from the opposition as he beat Chris Brown to the same score.

Marown D took the spoil with a 4-6 away victory over Peel D (133-142). Mike Ashmole was the best winner for the Peel men as he beat Ryan Holdaway 21-10, Andy Jackson held off James Kelly 21-19, whilst Joshua Trickett won 21-17 against Keith Watterson. For the Crosby men Alan Gault eased to a 21- won over William Quirk, whilst Jay Waters beat Own Crompton 21-17.

Ballaugh C welcomed Port St Mary B, as the visitors slipped to a 7-3 defeat to the Ballaugh men, as Juan Hargraves made a rare appearance on a bowling green, as he won 21-7 against Brian lace, a result matched by Nicholas Peterson who beat Tom Waterworth, whilst Ken Karran got over the line 21-20 against Jamie Kelly.

New formed team Noble’s C pulled off a great 2-8 victory away to Finch Hill B. The best winner for the visitors Nigel Hinds who beat Samson Smith 21-7, with Finch Hill captain Kevin Stannard responding with a 21-2 win over Dean Sowerby.

Port St Mary B rearranged their match at home to Douglas D, as they ended their week on a high as they hit top spot by two points thanks to a 9-1 win. Greg Brew ensured the visitors picked up a point as he beat Pete Collins 21-13.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Championship

In Group A Marown A hosted Ballaugh at Crosby as the home team eased to victory by 86 chalks (189-103), whilst North Ramsey A took the win over visitors Douglas A by 43 chalks (172-129).

In Group B current holders South Ramsey A took on Peel with the home team taking a comfortable victory by 79 chalks (180-101). In the other fixture Noble’s A fell to defeat at home to Port St Mary A by just seven chalks (147-154) as the visitors won 4-5 on games.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Plate

In the Plate competition in Group A Finch Hill took on the youthful Marown B at Kensington Road, with the hosts taking the win by 43 chalks (169-126), whilst Noble’s B beat North Ramsey B by 58 chalks (171-113).

Group B consists of just three teams as the fixture took place between Douglas B and South Ramsey B at the Villa the visitors won 4-5 on games and secured the all important chalks by 21 in a high scoring game (157-178).

Withers Wins 3rd Peel Town Cup

Peel Sunset Bowling club hosted the popular Peel Town Cup on Saturday afternoon. The competition returned to its home venue after being played on Ballaugh last year, with the Peel green vastly improved on last year the competition attracted 55 entries, despite the poor weather forecast the rain held off for most of the day. With handicaps ranging from +3 to +9, it certainly made for an interesting day with some shock results. There were a number of high profile casualties early on.

Losing out at the quarter-final stage were James Kelly (Marown) who was beaten 13-21 by clubmate Neil Withers, Sammy Clague (Marown) who lost 18-21 to South Ramsey’s Tony Hart, Nathan Cooil (Castletown) was well beaten 13-21 by Glenn Boland (Marown), whilst another Marown man Colin Kelly eased past Dave McCabe (Finch Hill) 21-10.

The first semi-final was well contested between Withers (+3) and Hart (+6), with the latter leading 15-8 after 12 ends, before a flurry of two’s from Withers ensured he reached the final with a 21-17 victory. In the other semi-final Boland had his work cut out with Kelly, as the latter ran out with a 21-14 win.

Both finalists have clashed a number of times on the green this season, with the match a tough one to call, with both players having enjoyed success on the Peel green over the years. After 10 ends the score was 10-10 with the players having tied the score on five occasions up to that point of the game, only for Withers to make the first move to go 16-12 ahead, then extending the lead by another point to go 19-14 and within touching distance of victory.

On the 20th end Kelly picked up a two following a measure to close the gap to three points. With Kelly intent on heading for the corners Withers capitalised on a poor lead from his teammate to count for one, with Kelly not beating this bowl Withers had the opportunity to make two for game, which he did to seal a 21-16 win and with it his third time lifting the famous trophy, with his previous titles picked up in 2013 and 1996, which was the first time that Withers had won a singles open.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by Peel President Lynda Wilson, who thanked the new sponsors Central Bar & Bistro for their support, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Arran & Archie Dunn for helping to run the competition and the club members for assisting throughout the day.

South Ramsey A Extend Lead

In Canada Life International League Division One, the biggest clash of the night was between Onchan A and Marown A at the Park as the home team were defeated 4-6 but made a good fight of it, losing the aggregate by just nine chalks (138-147) with a couple of high profile upsets thrown in by Onchan, as Jamie Clague beat Dean Kipling 21-17, whilst Will Penhallurick got over the line 21-20 against seven time Manx Champion Colin Kelly 21-20, with Kelly having room to get in on the last end he was short with his last bowl. Other winners for Onchan were Matthew Quirk who beat Paul Kelly 21-8, whilst Peter Slinger had to dig deep for his 21-18 victory. For the Crosby men Glenn Boland had it all to do as he trailed Neil Dunwell before edging over the line 21-20, Peter Jones beat Mike Thomas 21-10, Paul Dunn won 21-11 against Reg Temporaza and Neil Withers performed well to beat Kevin Quirk 21-13.

North Ramsey A welcomed local rivals South Ramsey A to Mooragh Park with the home team taking four games off the current league champions in their 4-6 home defeat. In the first half the South men had three single figure wins from Dido Kelly, Jordan Cain and Glynn Hargraves as they beat Allan Callow, Mike Skelly and Jimmy Moffatt respectively. David Bradford was the only winner for the visitors in the second half of the match as he beat Gary Merrill 21-14. For the home team Steven Waters beat fellow Newcastle fan Bob Clark 21-9, captain Rob Monk beat Stefan Kelly 21-12, Steve Walmsley performed well to win 21-15 against James Teare, whilst Paul Allison just got over the line 21-20 against Peter Collister after leading 20-14.

Port St Mary A eased their relegation fears with a 7-3 win against Castletown A at Breagle Glen, as they won the aggregate by seven chalks (147-140), just missing out on a further two points as Dave Saxon lost 18-21 to George Foy, whilst Robbie Cooil lost to the same score against David Quayle. Nathan Hamilton was the third winner for the Town men as he beat Bernard Thackrah 21-6. For the home team Wayne Roberts and Trevor Quayle won comfortably against Ian Watson and Jordan Drewett respectively, Tim Williams beat Nathan Cooil 21-16, Tom Collins won 21-17 against Aaron Richardson, whilst Dan McCabe held off Chris Lever 21-18.

Peel A had the visit of Douglas A, with the home team winning five games this wasn’t enough to secure the chalks as two heavy defeats cost them the aggregate for a 5-5 draw (136-149). Winning big for the Villa men were Andy Cannell who beat Peter Greenlees 21-8 and Merv Sayle who won 21-6 against Dean Kinley. Ian Moore picked up a third win as he beat George Gadsby 21-17. In contrast all the home team wins were to high scores as David Proctor beat Shaun Seal 21-15, Pip Pemberton won 21-17 against Mark Kneen, with three 21-18 wins claimed by Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Gary Smith and Tommy McMeiken against Gary Conwell, Jimmy Sansom, and Keith Rise respectively.

Marown B took immediate revenge on Peel B at Crosby on Monday night just four days after they were put out of the Rayner Plate by just six chalks, thanks to a 7-3 home victory over the Peel men, also winning the chalks comfortably (151-124) to show home advantage goes a long way. Captain Darren Kerruish played his 12th game of the season and in doing so claimed his first league win of the season as he beat Thursday night hero Mick Kavanagh 21-9, whilst Harry Barton won 21-5 against Geoff Rice. Two 21-17 wins from Karl Parker and Walter McCarthy over Rob Middleton and Paul Quirk helped the home teams cause. For Peel Andy Mackie and Dave Smith took comfortable 21-13 wins against Brian Kelly and Juan Killip respectively, whilst Dewi Bartlett continues to impress as he beat Matthew Keggen 21-20.

South Ramsey B are rock bottom after another home disaster as they lost 3-7 to Marown C, who are moving ever closer to safety. Winning for the home team were Tony Hart who beat Steve Rough 21-19, Tony Dugdale won 21-16 against Sam Clague, whilst Eddie Carlyle won his game 21-15 against Dan Smith. For the visitors Kevin Kelly was the best winner on the night as he beat Christian Caley 21-4, Jamie Joughin beat Toby Hart 21-11, with Stevie Rundle, Peter Kelly and Tom Kelly all winning their games comfortably.

South Ramsey A played their rearranged home fixture with Port St Mary A on Wednesday evening with the league leaders extending their lead to seven points following a 10-0 victory as they kept the visitors below 100 chalks (168-95). Two games could have gone the other way, as Peter Collister fought back from a 2-9 deficit against Trevor Quayle to win 21-19, whilst Glynn Hargraves held his nerve to win his game 21-20 against Wayne Roberts after leading 14-7 before a spirited fightback from the Port Captain levelled the game at 20-20, only for Hargraves to secure the point on the deciding end.

In Division Two Finch Hill A are 13 points ahead of the second placed team as they beat Onchan B 7-3 at home. For the Finch men Dave McCabe was made to work for his 21-18 win over Mark Kelly, whilst Mike Kelly ensured it wasn’t a bigger win for Finch Hill as he beat John Qualtrough 21-19.

Second placed Ballaugh A bounced back from defeat in their last outing with a 10-0 home win over Noble’s B who scored just 80 chalks, as the home team secured five single figures victories. Mike Spooner had a game on his hands against Alex Hampson, with the latter just losing out 20-21 to the Ballaugh man.

Castletown B are in fourth place just five points off second place with a game in hand following their 7-3 home win over Peel C, as Willie Corkill won 21-2 against Steven Bradley, with Ross Moore also winning to single figures as he beat Kevin Mort 21-9.

Elsewhere in Division Two Noble’s A took home a solid 8-2 win over North Ramsey B at home, with John Andrew and Alex Yates helping secure two points with their hard-fought wins.

Douglas B made sure it was an unhappy journey home over the mountain for South Ramsey C with the Villa men winning 7-3. Willie Cowley was the best winner for the home team as he beat Richie Davies 21-5, Stuart Garrett won 21-6 against Anthony Kelly, whilst Greg Barlow stepped in for the visitors to beat Les Quayle 21-7.

Onchan C welcomed Port Erin A to the Park as the home team won 5-3 on games and edged the chalks (136-135). There were two single figure wins for the home team and two for the visitors. Winning close games for Onchan were Colin Brown who won 21-17 against Derek Allen, Brian Aspden won 21-19 against Christopher Dent and Denis Maxwell edged his game with David Cain 21-20, as Mark Stockham reversed the 21-20 for the visitors against David Tait.

In Division Three it was another night of wet weather, as league leaders Ballaugh B came away from Noble’s C with a 7-3 defeat (143-134) as the newly formed team caused on of the upsets of the season. Steve Cain continues to impress as he beat Fred Waggett 21-2, whilst their four other winners were Lee Price, Lee Greggor, Dean Sowerby and Steve Brennan.

South Ramsey D were at home to Finch Hill B, this resulted in a 6-4 win for the home team (142-132). Losing close games 18-21 for South Ramsey were Hakim Thomas and Frank Feeney to Chris Thompson and Chris Duggan respectively, whilst Steve Kelly beat John Smith 21-6. The best winner for Finch was captain Kevin Stannard who beat Geoff Collier 21-9.

Marown D welcomed Noble’s D to Crosby, the visitors came away with a 4-6 victory, with the potential to win more points missed as they lost games to 17, 18 & 20.

Peel D secured their best win of the season with a 9-1 home win over Port Erin B. Charlie McMeiken won the battle of the juniors as he held off Dylan Marsh 21-20, whilst Ken Horsley ensured there was no whitewash as he beat Joshua Trickett 21-11.

Port St Mary B postponed their fixture against Douglas D due to the weather, will have the opportunity to hit top spot.

Moore & Teare Win Spar Mixed Pairs

Ballaugh Bowling hosted the Spar Mixed Doubles on Sunday afternoon with 34 pairs taking part with the rain holding off for the entire competition.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Douglas pair Pauline and Willie Cowley, who lost 14-21 to Marown’s Lyn Bolton and Peter Jones, Clare Cooper (Marown) and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) were well beaten 8-21 by South Ramsey’s Jenny Moore and James Teare. Home green pair Rose Waterworth and Paul Cubbon put paid to the hopes of Marown duo Rebecca Teare and Paul Dunn with a 21-16 win, whilst another South Ramsey pair Gill Dixon and Stefan Kelly won 21-10 against Margaret Tasker (Port St Mary and Les Brookes (Finch Hill).

The first semi-final saw Moore and Teare up against Bolton and Jones, with the Marown pair building up a four point lead after 10 ends at 15-11. The South Ramsey pair rallied over the next three ends scoring two consecutive three’s and a single to lead 18-15. Bolton and Jones responded with three singles to level the game up at 18-18, then three consecutive singles of their own saw Moore and Teare win 21-18 to reach the final.

In the other semi-final Waterworth and Cubbon took on Dixon and Kelly with the latter pair scoring just three doubles on their way to a hard earned 21-16 victory.

The final was expected to be a tight match with both pairs performing well all day. Dixon and Kelly scored a double first end to lead 8-6, then lost six consecutive ends as Moore and Teare scored heavily to go within touching distance of victory. A two for Dixon and Kelly on the eighth end for them into double figures at 10-20 and they were lying four on the following end only for Moore to find a gap and score the one point needed to secure victory.

The presentation was made by Chairman Gordie Moore, who thanked Maurice O’Reilly and the club members for helping run the competition along with the ladies for providing the catering throughout the day. In his speech James passed on his condolences to the members of Ballaugh Bowling Club following the recent loss of a great club man Richard Faragher, with a minutes silence held before play got underway for the day.

Over 60’s Manx Championship Preview

The final stages of this years’ Over 60’s Manx Championship will be played to a conclusion at Peel Bowling Club on Tuesday afternoon with action getting underway from 1pm. BCGBA dress code applies. Get yourself there for what promises to be an intriguing afternoon of bowls.

Peter Collister vs Neil Dunwell

Collie is the most decorated player in the field, there isn’t much bigger an accolade than being a June Festival and Tourism winner at the tender age of 21 in 1983. Forty years on he is vying to get his hands on the Over 60’s Manx Championship. Collie came through his qualifying games with a 21-6 win over Bernard Thackrah and a hard fought 21-20 victory over Onchan man Kevin Quirk.

Dunwell should not be written off, as he is more than capable of an upset, he will quietly fancy his chances after taken out Peel’s Andy Kennish 21-16 to qualify for finals day, following a 21-7 win over South Ramsey’s Hakim Thomas in his first game. A keen competitor as he now plies his trade for Onchan A in the night league and Over 60’s.

Whilst Collister is clearly favourite, don’t write off Dunwell, who is more than capable of an upset,

Brian Lindsay vs Derek Allen

Lindsay is getting back into his bowls after a recent mysterious injury, if anyone ever finds out the real reason his arm was bandaged, please do let me know! One of two home greeners in the field, Lindsay has won eight of his last 10 games for Peel, came through qualifying with a 21-12 win over Ray Beattie, then beat David Buck 21-14 in his second game and just got over the line 21-20 against George Foy to reach the quarter finals.

Allen splits his bowls between Port Erin in the night league and Onchan in the Over 60’s, he will be hoping to go one better than 2020 when he reached the final only to come up against Barney. Derek gets in every competition going, is a good supporter of the open competitions all over the island. Allen came through his qualifying games as he beat Over 60’s Onchan clubmate Mark Kelly 21-11, then held his nerve as he held off night league teammate Seamus Whelan 21-20.

An evenly matched contest, could home advantage prove to be the difference?

Lee Dawson vs Brian Colquitt

‘Dawsy’ to most is a former home greener, so has good knowledge of the Peel green, he particularly enjoys playing the edge of the green, although he did start his bowls at Ballaugh. It is great to see Lee back on the green after a difficult winter. Dawson has won an open competition many moons ago, he came through qualifying following three tough games, beating Brian Aspden 21-18, Steve Parker to the same score and then beat Port Erin man Bernie Durcan 21-16 to qualify.

Brian Colquitt is a tough man to shift, he is a former Over 60’s Manx Champion and the only previous winner in the field having picked up the title in 2019. Colquitt came through his qualifying games with a hard fought 21-20 win over South Ramsey’s Bryan Corner and went on to beat Peel man Phil Clarke 21-8 to qualify.

An all-Ramsey battle, this is a tough one to call.

Dougie Allan vs Peter Slinger

Dougie is the second home greener in the draw, is a tough opponent and should not be under-estimated on Peel or indeed any green. Allan is in good form for Peel with nine wins from his last 10 games, with recent wins over James Teare, Tony Dugdale and a crucial 21-9 victory over Harry Barton in the Rayner Plate on Friday night, which went a long way to securing the win for his team. Dougie came through his qualifying games with two comfortable victories. Write Dougie off at your peril.

Onchan night league captain Slinger is in as good form as he has been for some time, with his run to the semi-finals of the Manx Championship taking the scalps of Peter Jones with a 21-5 win and Peter Collister 21-6. In the qualifying third spot play off the Onchan man beat Colin Kelly to secure a place in the British Senior Merit Finals at the end of the month. On Thursday Slinger came through his games with three single figure victories, with his most notable being his qualifying game to reach the quarter finals as he beat home greener Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who was the three-time champion and the current holder 21-7, despite trailing 5-2, Peter took apart Barney on home turf, later that day Slinger beat Alan Moore in the Rayner Shield semi-final in his fourth game of the day.

This could well be the tie of the round.

Dunn Wins Association Singles

Peel Bowling Club hosted the Association Singles on Sunday with the competition attracting an entry of 47 on a continuously improving Peel green, which held up well despite the heavy rain throughout the afternoon.

At the quarter final stage Marown captain Paul Dunn beat Noble’s captain Steve Cain 21-11, David Bradford (South Ramsey) put out the last remaining home greener, George Gadsby with a 21-12 win. In the other half of the draw Marown clubmates Matthew Keggen and Peter Jones clashed, with the latter winning 21-17, whilst another all club clash took place between South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves and Bob Clark, with the latter also winning to the same score to progress to the next round.

In the semi-finals Dunn was up against Bradford, with the latter looking to be well in control of the game as the South Ramsey man built up a six chalk lead at 18-12, however a seven end winning streak for the Marown man sealed an impressive comeback to run out with a 21-18 victory. In the other semi-final it was another South Ramsey versus Marown clash, however Jones dominated the game with Clark to take a comfortable 21-9 win to book his place in the final.

The final got underway with the best part of the day as the sun made a special guest appearance. Dunn took the early initiative to lead 12-8 after nine ends, however Jones turned the game around to win eight of the next 10 ends to lead 18-14. With a good comeback already secured in the semi-final Dunn started another as he won five of the last six ends conceding just one single to secure another good comeback with a 21-19 victory.

The presentation was made by competition committee officer Steve Moore, who thanked Peel for the use of the green, the club members for providing helpers throughout the day and the competition committee for the smooth running of the competition.

Rayner Finals Line-ups Decided

All four semi-finals of the Plumbmaster Rayner Shield & Rayner Plate competitions took place on Thursday evening.

In the Rayner Shield Marown C hosted North Ramsey A at Crosby, with the visitors’ favourites based on league position of the teams and the Mooragh men comfortably beating the Crosby men 9-1 recently albeit with home advantage. This time round Marown made home advantage count as they secured a 4-4 draw on games with the match then being decided on chalks as the home team reached their first ever Rayner Shield final as they won by 10 chalks (146-136).

Two single figure wins for the home team were ultimately the difference as captain Stevie Rundle led the way with a 21-9 win over Allan Callow, whilst Sam Clague won 21-7 against Steven Waters. Also winning for the home team were the Kelly brothers as Tom beat Gary Merrill 21-16, whilst younger sibling Kevin won 21-20 against Jimmy Moffatt. For the visitors Paul Allison beat Jamie Joughin 21-8, Steve Walmsley won 21-15 against Peter Kelly. Rob Monk had to work hard for his 21-19 victory over Dan Smith, whilst John Cannan edged his game with Steve Rough 21-20.

In the other semi-final fixture Onchan A hosted South Ramsey A, with the visitors booking their place in the final with a 2-6 (116-160) win on the night. Two 21-3 wins for the Ramsey men from John Kennish and David Bradford ultimately meant they had to win two more games, unless they suffered heavy defeats themselves, however the visitors went on to win four more games as Bob Clark beat Reg Temporaza 21-18, a result matched by Peter Collister against Will Penhallurick, Jordan Cain won 21-17 against Matthew Quirk, whilst South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves beat Phil Kerruish 21-15. For Onchan Kevin Quirk had to dig deep for his 21-19 win over Stefan Kelly, whilst Onchan captain Peter Slinger won 21-15 against Alan Moore.

The Plumbmaster Rayner Shield final will be held on Friday 4th August between Marown C and South Ramsey A with the venue to be confirmed.

The Rayner Plate semi-final between Peel B (+20) and Marown B (+15) in the Sunset City was finely balanced with the home team holding just a five chalk start on the night. The match result on games ended 4-4, however the result in the Plate is decided purely on chalks as the home team won by just six chalks (160-154).

For the home team Dewi Bartlett beat Walter McCarthy 21-14, Dougie Allan secured a fine 21-9 victory over Harry Barton, whilst Peel captain Paul Quirk won 21-15 against Karl Parker. For the visitors Brian Kelly beat Rob Middleton 21-17, Matthew Keggen won 21-16 against Dave Smith, Darren Kerruish got the better of Geoff Rice 21-12, whilst Juan Killip claimed a comfortable 21-11 win over Andy Mackie.

The match came down to the final game on the green between Mick Kavanagh and John Kelly with the score at 19-16 to the Peel man, Kavanagh became the unlikely hero on the night as he secured the win for Peel without the handicap coming into play. In very unusual circumstances Kavanagh was counting for one with all three bowls played close to the jack when his teammates informed him to carry his second bowl up as it would secure the win, however Kavanagh wanted to score another for game. After a bit of discussion Kavanagh did indeed carry his second bowl up to secure their passage to the final before going on to claim a 21-17 victory against Kelly to seal the result.

First Division side South Ramsey B (+25) were drawn at home to second division team Ballaugh A (+45), despite the home team winning 5-3 on games they weren’t able to claw back the 20 chalk deficit that they had to make up as they lost by 13 chalks (166-179).

For the home team Tony Dugdale beat Nigel Tebay 21-12, Tony Hart and Ben Dugdale won 21-14 against Phil Quayle and Mike Spooner respectively, Eddie Carlyle beat Gordie Moore 21-11, whilst Christian Caley edged his game with Tony Quine 21-20. For the visitors all three wins were comfortable which helped their cause securing the chalks and their place in the final as John Maddrell proved he is still a tough opponent with his 21-10 win over Toby Hart, whilst Patrick Grant and John Keenan won their games 21-13 against Austin Hart and Bryan Corner respectively.

The Plumbmaster Rayner Plate final will be held on Friday 11th August between Peel B and Ballaugh A with the venue to be confirmed.

League Bowls

There was some disruption to matches scheduled to be played in Canada Life International League on Monday evening due to heavy rain this resulted in several matches being postponed.

In Division One, Marown A went ahead with their fixture at home to South Ramsey B as they claimed a routine 9-1 victory. Five games were won to single figures by Paul Dunn, Neil Withers, Colin Kelly, John Gelling with Peter Jones the biggest winner as he won 21-1 against Tony Hart. The lone winner for the Ramsey men was Toby Hart who won 21-19 against Phil Kelly, whilst Ben Dugdale came next closest to picking up a point as he lost 18-21 to Glenn Boland.

A very heavy Castletown green resulted in their A team winning 6-4 against Marown B, with Nathan Cooil and Jordan Drewett losing out 20-21 to Walter McCarthy and Harry Barton respectively, Chris Lever was beaten 19-21 by John Kelly as the home team missed out on picking up a further three points. For the home team Ian Watson edged home 21-20 against Matthew Keggen, with the other three wins being comfortable. The win lifts Castletown off the bottom of the league and into safety in 10th place.

Peel B won’t have been too unhappy with their 4-6 home defeat as they took four wins on the night. Three close wins were claimed by the Peel men as Michael Kavanagh beat Jamie Clague 21-17, Dougie Allan beat Mike Thomas 21-18, with teammate Dewi Bartlett winning to the same score against Neil Dunwell. For Onchan Reg Temporaza won comfortably 21-8 against Andy Mackie, whilst Kevin Quirk beat Geoff Rice 21-17, whilst Matthew Quirk beat Rob Middleton to the same score.

Marown C suffered a 3-7 home defeat to Peel A, with Stevie Kelly making his return to the fold with a 21-11 win over Jamie Joughin, whilst another man to return to the fold Peter Greenlees won 21-17 against Steve Rough. For the Crosby men Sam Clague beat Pip Pemberton 21-11, Tom Kelly won 21-17 against former teammate George Gadsby, whilst Kevin Kelly held off David Proctor 21-18.

Douglas A rearranged their home fixture with North Ramsey A to Friday, with the weather not much better than Monday evening when the fixture was originally due to be played. The home team did however manage to take a 7-3 win, edging the aggregate by just four chalks (143-139). For the Villa men captain Mervin Sayle held off Steven Waters 21-18, Ian Moore beat Gary Merrill 21-16, whilst Stuart Garrett stepped up to the A Team to defeat Allan Callow 21-19. For the visitors Rob Monk beat Andy Cannell 21-15, Steve Walmsley had a comfortable 21-14 win over Keith Rise, whilst Paul Allison was the best winner on the night as be won 21-9 against Jimmy Sansom.

South Ramsey A rearranged their home fixture with Port St Mary A to Wednesday 19th July.

In Division Two Finch Hill A hit 100 points for the season as they came away from South Ramsey C with a 3-7 win. Winning for the home team were David Corkill, Paul Routledge and Richard Davies. For the visitors Stephen Oates was only winner to single figures as he beat Tony Marler 21-9, whilst the other four wins were comfortable.

Ballaugh A slipped to a 3-7 away defeat to Onchan B, as captain Philip Quayle was beaten 20-21 by Roy Corlett, Mike Spooner won 21-10 against Mark Kelly, John Keenan beat Paul Callister 21-16, whilst Nigel Tebay won 21-18 against Neil Richmond. The other four wins were comfortable for the home team with Colin Spence beating Steve Grant 21-10 and Steve Parker winning 21-13 against Richard Hainge.

North Ramsey B won 7-3 at home to Douglas B despite suffering two heavy defeats with Paddy Murphy beating Adam Greenwood 21-8, David Pease won 21-9 against Joe Kneale. Nick Firth picked up the third win for the Villa men as he edged home 21-20 against Tony Smart, with the home team claiming a win to the same score as John Corteen beat William Cowley. Lee Christian was the only winner to single figures for the Mooragh men as he beat Geoff Mayles 21-8.

Peel C had a good week as they beat Onchan C 9-1 at home, with Neil Taylor preventing the whitewash with his 21-14 win over David Allwood. Four single figures wins for Peel kept the visitors down to just 86 chalks.

Port Erin A were due to be at home to Nobles A, however the fixture did not go ahead, with a new date to be agreed.

In Division Three a better evening of weather was enjoyed by bowlers as Port St Mary B hit top spot on 95 points as they came away from Finch Hill B with a 2-8 win.

Noble’s D sit in third place on 88 points following their 8-2 home win over Peel D, whilst Noble’s C continue to tick along nicely as they beat Port Erin B 3-7 at Breagle Glen.

Douglas C & D faced off at the Villa with the higher ranked team winning 8-2. Marown D had a positive result away to Ballaugh C with the visitors coming away with a 2-8 victory.

Ballaugh B sit joint top on 95 points as they beat South Ramsey D 7-3 at home on Thursday evening in their fixture which was due to be played on Monday, as this fell victim to the weather.