Author Archives: Glynn Hargraves

KELLY WINS EIGHTH FELTONS MANX MASTERS TITLE – MOORE TAKES SIXTH SUCCESSIVE WIN

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 weather in the morning was slightly better than forecast with rain holding off for most of the competition.

JP Corry Young Manx Masters

The Young Manx Masters was contested by seven players – with five girls and two boys. This competition was played in a round robin format playing six ends with the last end played as a ‘power’ end with points scored counting double. After a good morning of bowls, it was Bailey McMullan who was the runaway winner with 56 points, to become the first Young Manx Masters winner to retain the trophy in her last year in this category. The runner up with 42 points was Enya Christian (Marown) who also scored particularly well in her games.

JP Corry 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 Sam Colquitt (Noble’s) following his win in the Young Manx Masters competition in 2018, as he beat clubmate Alex Hampson 21-18 in an entertaining final, with the furthest anyone got ahead in the game was Alex at 13-10 halfway through the game. With Alex leading 18-17, Sam dug deep to see the game out with four singles to secure a 21-18 victory.

Losing out at the semi-final stage was pre-tournament favourite Madison McMullan (Mooragh Park) to Colquitt with the latter putting in a brilliant performance to seal a 21-16 win and a place in the final. Losing out in the other semi-final was Lola Tebay (Ballaugh) by the finest of margins 20-21 to Alex Hampson.

Photo: Arnie Withers

At the quarter final stage Colquitt comfortably beat Dylan Marsh (Port Erin) 21-13, McMullan won 21-11 against Aalish Moore (Castletown), Alex stormed to a 21-7 win over Lacey McMullan (Mooragh Park), whilst Tebay beat Alex Colquitt Noble’s 21-16.

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.

JP Corry Isle of Man supported the event once again with the prizes presented by Keith Quane. All competitors who took part received a prize, with Saskia Tebay receiving a special prize for the young player who had smiled the most all morning. Thanks were given to everyone who had helped throughout the morning.

Once the Junior competitions concluded 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.  Once again 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 home greener Gill Dixon 15-21 to teammate Jenny Moore, whilst Madison McMullan (Mooragh Park) battled well before losing out 18-21 to Clare Cooper (Marown).

In the other half of the draw Louise Tebay (Ballaugh) lost out 17-21 to Rebecca Teare (Marown) with Teare scoring two more doubles in the game this proved to be the difference. Another two home greeners clash in the last of the quarter finals with Sue Collier leading 10-3 against Kim Hargraves, as the latter fought back to 9-10 only for Collier to rally once more to seal a 21-12 to book her place in the semi-finals.

At the semi-final stage both were comfortable wins as Moore won 21-11 against Cooper, whilst Teare eased to a 21-9 win over Collier.

In the final Moore took the initiative early on a round peg mark to lead 16-5 against Teare. The Marown player got in and headed for the bank edge of the green, which is well known for being a big pegging mark in both directions. Teare got a run of fiver chalks together to get into double figures at 10-16.

Moore then picked up a single and double to lead 19-10, with Teare picking up another five chalks in between conceding a single to put the score at 15-20. On the following end a loose lead was punished by Moore to full effect who put her first bowl within six inches of the jack, with Teare failing to beat it this secured a 21-15 victory for Moore to win the title for a sixth successive year.

Mens Manx Masters

In the Men’s event five of the eight last 16 games were well contested with the player losing out scoring 17 or more.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Stevie Kelly (Peel) who was well beat 11-21 by Colin Kelly (Marown), Harry Barton (Marown) reached the end of the road as he was defeated 4-21 by Jordan Cain (South Ramsey). Matthew Keggen (Marown) beat James Teare (South Ramsey) 21-17 in the closest game of the quarter finals, whilst Paul Dunn comfortably beat Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) 21-8.

Similar to the ladies competition the victories were comfortable as Kelly trailed to Cain by a single chalk at 9-10, before going on to concede just two more chalks to seal a 21-12 win. Keggen booked his spot in his first Manx Masters final with a 21-14 victory over Dunn, with the former having led 14-7 and 18-12 this lead was enough to keep his opponent at arm’s length.

In front of a healthy crowd who had stayed for the duration, the final started under the floodlights, with Kelly taking an early lead at 7-4, with Keggen opting to come out of the corners that had served him well throughout the day. Keggen got back in and did go into the corners to level the game up at 8-8.

Kelly restored a three-chalk lead at 12-9, then built this up further on a longer mark in the opposite corners to which Keggen had been playing to lead 17-10. A single and a double from Keggen was responded to equally by Kelly to lead 20-13, with Keggen scoring a single and in the last chance saloon needing to run out, however a good first bowl from Kelly secured a 21-14 victory and the eighth time Kelly has picked up the trophy since 1994, with the competition having previously been played as the Champion of Champions which Colin won five times in the previous format.

At the end of the competition the presentation was made by South Ramsey Chairman Steve Moore, who thanked everyone who had helped with the running of the 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 Kelly stated he was delighted to have won the competition.

Canada Life International League Titles Decided

The 2023 night league season ended with a double week of fixtures due to take place across all three divisions this week in the Canada Life International sponsored bowling leagues.

In Division One South Ramsey A officially wrapped up the title as they started the week 11 points ahead with two games to play. Whilst securing the Warburton Trophy for a third consecutive year was a formality, they did it in style with a 10-0 victory away to Douglas A. Winning to single figures for the Ramsey men were Bob Clark, Stefan Kelly, and Glynn Hargraves over Mark Kneen, Gordon Wynne-Smythe, and Shaun Seal. David Bradford had a game on his hands with Kevin Firth as he trailed 10-19 to Kevin Firth, with a big ask to recover from such a huge deficit Bradford went on to secure a nail biting 21-20 victory to remain in the hunt to secure the Division One Individual Merit.

South Ramsey’s match at home to Peel B on Friday fell victim to the heavy rain throughout the day as their game was postponed until Monday evening, with something to play for both teams. South Ramsey were looking to secure a record points total, whilst Peel B knew they needed to take three games off the league champions in their bid to stay up. When the fixture was played it resulted in a 10-0 home win for South Ramsey A, who condemned Peel B to the bottom two, they will have to wait to find out if they are relegated depending on the league structure in 2024.

Marown A rounded off the season with two victories as they beat their B Team 7-3 on Monday night, with Karl Parker causing the biggest upset of the night as he beat Colin Kelly 21-18, Matthew Keggen won 21-13 against doubles partner Paul Kelly, and Harry Barton beat Glenn Boland 21-15.

On Friday evening Marown A won 2-8 away to Port St Mary A, with Trevor Quayle beating Phil Kelly 21-8, and Tim Williams impressing with a 21-17 win over Peter Jones. Port St Mary scored highly in two other games as Wayne Roberts lost 19-21 to Colin Kelly, with the former sending both bowls into the ditch at 19-19, whilst Dave Saxon was beaten 18-21 by Neil Withers.

In the relegation battle South Ramsey B hosted North Ramsey A on Monday with a win being crucial. The home team performed well to take five games off the visitors, however four off the wins were close, with Ben Dugdale beating John Cannan 21-18. Eddie Carlyle and Lee Dawson both won 21-19 against Brian Colquitt and Allan Callow respectively, with Tony Hart edging home 21-20 against Jimmy Moffatt. The chalks gained on the victories were wiped out in one fell swoop by Rob Monk who beat Christian Caley 21-3. Also winning for the visitors were Steven Waters as he beat George Brew 21-10, whilst Steve Walmsley won a close game with Austin Hart 21-19.

Marown C secured a second season in the topflight by whitewashing Castletown A 10-0 at home on Tuesday night in a shock result, which put Castletown A in deep trouble, as Peter Kelly held off George Foy 21-18, whilst Tom Kelly just got past Ron Williams 21-20.

On Friday evening Castletown A hosted Douglas A knowing they needed a win to any score to stand any chance of not finishing in the bottom two places knowing that Peel B had to go to league champions South Ramsey A. The Town men did their bit as they claimed what could prove to be a vital 7-3 home win, with two Town players holding their nerve as Nathan Cooil and Nathan Hamilton won their games with Mervin Sayle and Keith Rise 21-20 respectively. Losing out in close games for Town were Ron Williams who lost 18-21 to Jimmy Sansom and Aaron Richardson was beaten 19-21 by Paddy Murphy.

The Town men will be keeping a close eye on proceedings at South Ramsey on Monday evening as they need the league champions to take a victory 8-2 or better, whilst Peel B know securing three points on the night will be enough to avoid finishing in the bottom two.

The race for the Division One individual merit hasn’t quite been decided, with South Ramsey A still to play David Bradford is firmly in the driving seat needing to win the final game of the season at home to Peel B. Bradford has won 20 games from 21 played, dropping just five chalks in his only defeat of the season to Kevin Quirk at Onchan. Should the unthinkable happen then Marown’s Neil Withers is waiting in the wings, as he has enjoyed a fine season with 21 games won from 22 played, with eight chalks dropped in his one league defeat to Tony Dugdale at South Ramsey.

In Division Two there was little change at the top with Finch Hill A winning the league to lift the Rayner Cup despite suffering a 7-3 defeat away to third placed Castletown B, they ended on a positive note as they beat Peel C 8-2 at home.

Ballaugh A finished in second place, as they started the week with a 2-8 win away to Peel C. Their home fixture with Port Erin A on Friday evening succumbed to the weather, however even without playing this they are guaranteed to finish in second place.

Onchan C finished rock bottom on 69 points as they return to Division Three, with Peel C finishing second from bottom on 79 points following two successive 8-2 defeats to the top two teams.

Noble’s B picked up 10 points last week as they finished on 85 points to drag themselves out of trouble to secure another season in Division Two as they lost 3-7 to their higher ranked A Team, then won 7-3 at home to South Ramsey C to secure their status.

Winning the Division Two individual merit with 19 wins from 20 games played was Finch Hill’s Dave McCabe.

In Division Three there was a thrilling finish to the season as just three points separated the top three teams Port St Mary B finished top on 145 points to win the Chatel Cup after they started the week with a good 8-2 win against Port Erin B on the shared Breagle Glen green, then ended the week with a 6-4 defeat away to South Ramsey D who finished in fifth place with their highest ever points total of 115, as they have something to build on next season.

Noble’s D started the week in third place, on the same number of points as Ballaugh B who had a superior ‘games for’ difference. The Noble’s men had a fantastic end to the season as they won 7-3 away to Finch Hill B, then took a resounding 10-0 victory at home to Douglas D to secure second spot on 144 points, just one point behind champions Port St Mary B.

Ballaugh B ended the season with two victories, however this wasn’t enough to finish in the top two, with a good 9-1 home win against Peel D, followed up by a 4-6 victory away to Marown D, in a close encounter as the Ballaugh men took the aggregate by five chalks (144-149).

A special mention should do to Noble’s C, with seven of their eight players having not played competitive bowls before this season, they excelled to finish in fourth spot as they caused a few upsets throughout the season, improving from game to game, they will be the team to watch out for next year with promotion firmly in their sights.

Finishing in bottom place were Port Erin B, who were hampered by being short of players for several matches, they surely would have finished higher had they been able to field a full-strength team.

Winning the Division Three individual merit with 20 wins from 22 games played was Finch Hill’s youngest player Sam Stannard-Duke.

Drewett & Clark Win Wilfrid Quayle Mixed Doubles

Castletown Bowling Club hosted the Wilfrid Quayle mixed doubles on Sunday with the competition attracting 30 pairs with the competition sponsored by the Sidings Pub.

Falling at the quarter final stage were home green pair Sam Quayle and Joy Stevens, who were beaten 10-21 by Marown’s Debbie Leece and Neil Withers. Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) and Kevin Firth (Douglas) just lost out 20-21 to Elaine Moore (South Ramsey) and Nathan Hamilton (Castletown). Home greeners Hilary Kermode and Alan Phair were well beaten 8-21 by Hannah Drewett (Castletown) and Bob Clark (South Ramsey), whilst Jenny Moore and James Teare (South Ramsey) won 21-6 against Marown’s Lisa Pugh and Walter McCarthy.

Losing out at the semi-final stage were Leece and Withers who were kept to just two singles as they lost 8-21 to Moore and Hamilton, whilst Moore and Teare lost out 16-21 to Drewett and Clark.

In the early stages of the final neither pairing were able to build a lead, with the score at 9-8 to Drewett and Clark counting for three a superb last bowl from Hamilton won the end to level the score at 9-9. Drewett and Clark responded to go into the lead at 17-12 as they kept their opponents down to singles. Moore and Hamilton picked up their first double of the game with a great strike from Elaine to turn a two down into two up to put the score at 14-17. Three singles followed over the next three ends for Drewett and Clark, with their opponents picking up a three to put the score at 17-20. The single point needed by Drewett and Clark was picked up on the next end to seal a 21-17 victory.

The presentation was made by Castletown Bowling Club President Hilary Kermode who thanked everyone who had entered, along with the club members who had helped with the smooth running of the competition throughout the day. Thomas Callister from the Sidings presented the prizes.

First Festival Title for Coates

One of the biggest events on the bowls calendar – The Isle of Man September Bowls Festival took place last week, with the competition played out in glorious weather throughout the entire week, with the best week of weather the Island has enjoyed since June.

In the Men’s event it was Gareth Coates (Ackroyd Victoria) who picked up his first Festival win, having reached the quarter finals last September he was determined to pick up the coveted title as he got his hands on the famous trophy and took home the winners’ cheque for £3,200, with the victory clear to see how much it meant to him upon winning and during his speech.

Coates more than deserved his victory as he had to overcome the challenge of another regular visitor, June 2012 winner Robby Fitzpatrick (Wirral) whilst also beating another former winner Callum Wraight (Castlefields) in a thrilling semi-final.

To reach finals day Coates cruised through both games at the last 32 stage as he beat Stuart Sutton (Fairfield) 21-8, then went on to beat another former winner Colin Kelly (Marown) to the same score. In the early rounds Coates took two single figure victories and a 21-11 win in the last 64.

In the final Coates was the quickest out of the blocks as he stormed into a 15-5 lead in the corners, with Fitzpatrick clawing back five chalks at 10-15, however the comeback was short lived as Coates kept the pressure on playing good bowls forcing his opponent to strike on more than one occasion to hang in the game. Coates ensured his the Wirral man scored just two more singles to seal a superb 21-12 victory with a dominating performance in the final.

Both semi-finals were absolute thrillers and could not have been closer as Coates looked nailed on to reach the final as he went into a 15-8 lead on a longer length against Wraight. The latter responded with three quick fire doubles and a single to level the game up at 15-15, then went ahead to lead 20-17, with Coates having earlier killed an end with his opponent counting for two. On the following end Wraight was counting two good bowls, it was all or nothing for Coates who hit a great strike making a full connection to take both of Wraight’s bowls off the green with his second bowl rolling to the edge and just holding on the green to make two. With the score now at 19-20 Coates again went for a bit of distance as he put up two good bowls to lie game. Wraight went for a strike, which went through the gap to seal a superb comeback from Coates to win 21-20.

The other semi-final between Robby Fitzpatrick and Martin Gilpin (Netherfield) saw the former go into a 14-10 lead, only for Gilpin to get back into the game to lead 19-17, with Fitzpatrick playing a good first bowl to sit one chalk behind at 18-19. On the next end, for Gilpin it was an opportunity missed with the chance to make two for game, as he picked up the jack making too heavy a connection as he scored a single to lead 20-18. A great two on the following end from Fitzpatrick resulted in a one end shootout with Fitzpatrick playing a good lead bowl sitting just behind the jack, which Gilpin couldn’t beat as the Wirral man reached the final.

The quarter finals were all straightforward for the winners with Coates ending the hopes of Glen Herbert (Castlefields) with a 21-14 win, with Wraight beating South Ramsey’s Bob Clark 21-9 with the latter reaching his second successive September finals day. In the bottom half of the field Fitzpatrick beat Neil Rigden (Bretherton) 21-6 with an emphatic victory, whilst the closest game of the round was between Gilpin and David Bradford (South Ramsey), with Gilpin prevailing 21-16. Bradford was the local player who had progressed the furthest and received the Chris Quayle Memorial trophy for the furthest Manx Man. 

Men’s Tourism

The Men’s Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 1, and it was Ryan Clark (Meersbrook BC) who performed brilliantly to see off James Higgins (Sheffield) with a resounding 21-8 victory.

In the semi-finals Clark beat Colin Kelly (Marown) 21-8 to reach the final, whilst Higgins got through a hard fought game with James Wilcox (Crossgates) 21-18.

In the quarter finals Clark progressed with a 21-19 win over Dave Phillips (Lloyd Hotel), Kelly reached the semi-final with a 21-10 victory over Gareth Hughes (Castlefields), whilst Higgins ended the challenge of Ben Phillips (Lloyd Hotel) with a 21-13 victory. The last quarter final was between Wilcox and Rob Monk (North Ramsey) with the former winning 21-11.

Other Events

The Men’s consolation was won by Dan Petcher (Littleover) who beat Kevin Williams (Knutsford) 21-12 in the final, with Petcher winning 21-17 against Colin Scorah (Rothwell) in the semi-final, whilst Williams edged home 21-20 against Gerald Merry (Delamere).

The Ladies consolation was won by Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) defeating Joyce Jones 21-16 (Sykes BC) in the final. Whitehead reached the final with a 21-18 win over Marian Woods (Lindal BC), whilst Jones beat Amanda Nicholas (Gresford Colliery) 21-20.

The Visit.Com Flyer title went to Robert Monk (North Ramsey) who had a good 9-4 win over Gareth Jones (Dalton CC), whilst the Last Chance Mixed Final was won by a regular visitor Gwerydd Buckland (Bangor City) who beat Clair Russell (Alkin Coats) 21-17 in the final.

In the doubles competitions the Open doubles was won by Marown’s Neil Withers and Paul Dunn with a resounding 11-3 win over South Ramsey pair Jordan Cain and Stefan Kelly. Withers and Dunn reached the final with a 11-5 win over Paul Morgan (Whitby BC) and Gareth Coates (Ackroyd Victoria), whilst Cain and Kelly ended the challenge of Claire Pugh (Woodfield) and Joe Dicken (Woodfield) with a 11-5 victory.

The Men’s doubles were won by South Ramsey pair Glynn Hargraves and Bob Clark as they beat Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker (both Onchan) 11-6 in the final. Hargraves and Clark reached the final with a comfortable 11-3 win over Ieuan Pugh and Andrew Armstrong (both Hanmer), whilst Quirk and Parker came through a tough game against Nathan Brown and Matt Sands (both Lloyd Hotel) with a 11-8 victory.

The Ladies doubles were won by Diane Harrison and Gill Simm (both Lune Road) defeating Veronica Lyon (Unison) and Christine Lawton (Garswood Hall) 11-10 in the final, with Harrison and Simm reaching the final with a 11-6 win over Lisa Pessall and Shavorne Osborne (both Trench BC). whilst Lyon and Lawton won 11-5 against Claire Pugh and Mandy Pagett (both Woodfield) to book their place in the final.

Winning the Mixed pairs were Nicola Gilmore-Coupe (Wirral) and Gareth Coates (Ackroyd Victoria) with an emphatic 9-2 win over Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) and David Knights (Whitby BC) in the final. Gilmore-Coupe and Coates reached the final with a 9-7 win over Lorraine Hirst (Lindal BC) and Andy Mailer (Meersbrook BC) Whitehead and Knights won 9-1 against Caroline Bushell (Lindal BC) and John Colebourne (Chesterfield) to reach the final.

The Triples was played once again 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 Gill Simm, Barry Simm, and Peter Shallis (all Lune Road) with the trio of Amanda Nicholas, Kevin Nicholas (both Gresford Colliery), and Tom Lowndes (Hanmer) winning on Noble’s 1 green, whilst Dave Baskerville, Steve Baskerville, and Dave Jackson (all Knutsford) were the winners on Noble’s 2 green.

David Bradford – Winner of Chris Quayle Memorial – Furthest Manx Man 2023

Photo: Arnie Withers

IOM September Open Doubles 2023 – Runners Up Jordan Cain & Stefan Kelly with Winners Paul Dunn & Neil Withers

Photo: Arnie Withers

IOM September Mens Doubles 2023 – Runners Up Kevin Quirk & Steve Parker with Winners Glynn Hargraves & Bob Clark
Photo: Arnie Withers

Moore Festival Titles for Jenny

In the Ladies main event local bowler Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) took on Michelle Mackay (Lindal BC) in the final. It proved to be a great week for Jenny as she picked up her third festival title following her June 2016 and September 2021 successes.

In the final the early part of the game saw Mackay lead 9-6, with Moore levelling the game up at 9-9, then 10-10. On the next end with Moore counting for one the watching crowd expected a reaching bowl, however it fell short to put Moore in the lead for the first time in the game at 11-10. It went level at 11 for the third time in the game the following end, this proved to be the last point picked up by Mackay with the South Ramsey player then moving through the gears on a longer mark picking up the final seven ends alternating the first five ends with singles and doubles with a great performance to lead 19-11, before going on to see the game out with two good singles to seal a fully deserved 21-11 victory.

In addition to taking her first win and the winners’ cheque for £1,250 Jenny received the Blanche Kaye Trophy for the furthest Manx Lady, while Michelle took the runners up prize for £625.

In the semi-finals Moore booked her place in the final with a comfortable 21-14 win over Sharon Rigden (Bretherton) having built up a 15-8 lead, Rigden fought back to 13-16, only for Moore to see the game out with two doubles and a single, while Mackay took on local bowler Louise Tebay (Ballaugh) who despite only taking up the game in 2021 the latter just lost out 20-21 in a thrilling finish to the game with Tebay doing all she could to reach the final counting one for game. With her last bowl Mackay was inside the jack land with the pace of the bowl holding it to pick up the jack to win 21-20 to go through to the final.

Moore started her day with a 21-16 win over Lynda Cadamy (Marown), whilst Rigden had a good battle with Shavorne Osborne (Trench BC) with the former winning 21-18. Mackay started her day beating last year’s losing finalist Sarah Weaver (Wrockwardine Wood) with a 21-13, whilst Tebay also had a comfortable 21-12 win over Lisa Pessall (Trench BC).

The question will be how many festival titles Moore will pick up, with age most definitely on her side, as Moore reached finals day with comprehensive victories in the last 32, beating both players to single figures with a 21-9 victory over Mandy Pagett (Woodfield), then went on to beat Marilyn Kelly-Walley (Stretton Anglesey) 21-7 to book her place in Finals day.

Ladies Tourism

The Ladies Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 2 green, it was Sarah Weaver (Wrockwardine Wood) who claimed a comfortable 21-12 victory over Lyn Bolton (Marown) in the final.

Weaver booked her place in the final with a hard fought 21-18 win over Caroline Bushell (Lindal BC), whilst Bolton took a comfortable 21-10 victory over Sophie Briddon (Fairfield)

In the quarter finals Weaver progressed with a 21-11 win over local bowler Elaine Moore (South Ramsey), whilst Bushell beat Lisa Pessall (Trench BC) 21-7. In the other half of the draw Bolton beat Clair Russell (Alkincoats PWA) 21-14, whilst Briddon won 21-9 over Josephine McGhee (Knutsford).

Hargraves Takes Thurlwell Title

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the Thurlwell Bowl on Saturday with a good entry of 50 taking part after a great week of Festival bowls, with the Noble’s greens being widely praised by local & visiting bowlers throughout the week.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were home greener Mark Bradshaw who lost out 9-21 to Marown captain Paul Dunn, Margie Tasker (Port St Mary) was defeated 16-21 by South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves. In the other half of the draw Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) beat Grahem Moore (Noble’s) 21-15, whilst Peel man Rob Middleton ended the hopes of Glenn Boland (Marown) with a good last end to win 21-19.

In the semi-final Hargraves made the better start against Dunn to lead 11-7, then settled for a longer length to extend the lead to 17-12. The Marown man fought back level the game up at 18-18, then conceded a single with Hargraves playing through to take out Dunn’s counting bowl. On the following end with the South Ramsey man leading 19-18 and counting two for game Dunn bowled in to level the game up once more at 19-19. Two great bowls from the Marown captain on the next end had Dunn lying game himself with both bowls next to the jack and touching each other, a strike from Hargraves came off perfectly to go 20-19 ahead. On the next end a good lead bowl from the South Ramsey captain was unbeaten to seal a place in the final with a 21-19 win.

In the other semi-final between Middleton and Dawson the game was keenly contested in the early stages, with Middleton stretching away in the second half of the game to seal a 21-14 win and his first appearance in a final of a singles open.

The final started with Hargraves being favourite, however it was Middleton who made a strong start to lead 9-6 after four ends, the lead could have been bigger with Hargraves taking the jack off when lying two down for a dead end. With the ends being exchanged in the early part of the game neither player could get away from the other with the score being level at 10-10 and 11-11. The next two ends Middleton played four great bowls with Hargraves just missing strikes on both ends for the Peel man to lead 15-11. Hargraves got back in and headed for the corners that had served him well earlier in the day to turn the game around to lead 17-15.

A strong response followed with three consecutive singles from Middleton. Hargraves got back in with a single, then played two good bowls on the following end to lead 20-18. On the following end Hargraves played a good lead six inches to the side of the jack, which Middleton played out with his first bowl, the latter made two with his second bowl for a one end shootout with the score tied once again at 20-20. Middleton played his lead 18 inches away from the jack, which Hargraves used to count for one. With his last bowl the Peel man got inside the jack land with Hargraves winning an entertaining final 21-20.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Tina Hampson who thanked the club members who had helped with the running of the competition. The winners were awarded with IOM Steam Packet vouchers, with Juan Qualtrough presenting the prizes. In his speech Hargraves congratulated Middleton for a great performance.

Clark Wins Pre-Festival Autumn Shield

Peel Bowling Club held the pre-festival Autumn Shield on Sunday, as a strong entry of 96 took part on a fine day with the competition running like clockwork throughout the day with the competition starting at 10:00 in the morning.

Some players had to win four games just to reach the quarter final stage, losing out were home greener Gordon Corrin 14-21 to Marown captain Paul Dunn, whilst Bob Clark (South Ramsey) eased through 21-11 against Reg Temporaza (Onchan). Both games in the other half of the draw were well contested as Martin Gaut (Wrockwardine Wood) edged home 21-20 against Ryan Clark (Meersbrook BC), whilst Neil Withers (Marown) beat Dave Jackson (Acregate) to the same score.

At the semi-final stage Dunn was up against Clark, with the latter never falling behind in the game as the South Ramsey man built up a five-chalk lead at 15-10, only for Dunn to work his way back into the game in the corners to get to within one chalk at 14-15. With Dunn lying two a good last bowl from Clark put him on another mini run to go into a 19-14 lead. A single and a double from Dunn had the game finely poised at 17-19, only for Clark to get the two he needed to seal a 21-17 win to book his place in the final. Withers was in complete control of his semi-final as he only conceded just three chalks, whilst scoring five doubles with his 21-9 victory over Gaut.

Clark made the better start in the final as he went into an early 11-7 lead, with Withers picking up two singles to put the score at 9-11. A poor end from Withers was fully punished by the South Ramsey man who counted for two, who then picked up a further single and two doubles to lead 18-9 as Clark opted for a longer length. On the following end Clark played a good lead, however failed to count with his second allowing Withers a free shot to play out the counting bowl to make two to put the score at 9-18.

Another poor end from Withers was punished to full effect as Clark scored two to lead 20-11, then scored the one point needed to secure a fully deserved 21-11 win and the £400 first prize, with Withers taking home £200.

The presentation was made by Peel competition secretary Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who thanked the sponsor David Lancaster Limited for their continued support. Club President Lynda Wilson was then introduced to present the prizes with over £1,160 paid out down to the Last 16.

September Festival Preview

The Isle of Man September Bowls Festival gets underway next week with a host of top names from across the game hoping to be the lucky winner who gets their name on the trophy and the winners cheque for £3,200. Stephen Glover is the current holder having won the event for the first time in 2022. The weather looks promising for the week.

On the first page of the draw 2012 winner Dave Phillips (Lloyd Hotel) takes on Peel man Dean Kinley in his first-round game with the winner facing a tough second round game against Ryan Clark (Meersbrook BC) or Roger Morgan (Knutsford). South Ramsey’s Bob Clark will be hoping to make his first final after losing out at the semi-final stage last September, however he may have to face five-time winner John Bailey (Castlefields) should both players navigate their way through the early rounds.

In the next section Peter Jones (Marown) is now well settled into Island life, he could face Chris Kelly (Thongsbridge), with the latter having not travelled over in June he will looking to get his name etched on the famous trophy for the first time. Castlefields Callum Wraight plays his first festival in quite some time without having to give his opponents a start on the handicap, he could play a fellow previous winner Graeme Wilson (AUE) in what would be the blockbuster game of the week on Thursday afternoon, however Wilson may have to get past Ian Nicholson (Netherfield) who is something of a September specialist.

On the third page the top half of the page is fairly open for anyone who may be in good form, with Peel man Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly and Jordan Cain (South Ramsey) the locals most likely to progress. Crossgates man Mark Hughes could reach the latter stages, however the bottom half of the page does include 1997 winner Geoff Telford (Knutsford). Dan Petcher (Littleover) could have a game on his hands with David Halstead (Parkfield).

The next page see Gwerydd Buckland (Bangor) make a return to the Island having missed out for several years. Mike Heap (Garswood) could face June 2008 winner Colin Kelly (Marown) in the second round. The bottom half of the page could see some tasty ties with Gareth Hughes (Castlefields), Paul Bailey (Meersbrook BC), Gareth Coates (Ackroyd Victoria), and Andy Spragg (Chesterfield) all featuring.

Page five sees Barry Booth (Netherfield) another regular visitor back on the Isle of Man. James Wilcox (Crossgates) has two June titles to his name, he will be hoping for his first September title, however the top half of the page includes two previous winners in Robby Fitzpatrick (Wirral), and Carl Fielding (Castlefields). A few of the names in the bottom half of the page will fancy their chances of getting through with Danny Barwise (Birchleigh St Marys) the standout name.

On the following page in the top half of the draw 1998 winner David Jackson (Knutsford) is the only previous winner, whilst in the bottom half of the page Richard Goddard (Castlefields) will fancy his chances of making the quarter finals.

Page seven has three previous winners with current Manx Champion Neil Withers (Marown), Martin Gilpin (Netherfield), and Gareth Lally (Crossgates), whilst also including Andrew Sorsby (Thongsbridge), Dennis Herbert (Castlefields), and Kevin Quirk (Onchan). Another man making a return to our shores is Colin Scorah (Rothwell) famous for his multi-coloured bowls and his catchphrase ‘C’mon baby’ when coaxing his bowl to the jack!

The final page is littered with previous winners including David Bradford (South Ramsey), Kevan Shaw (Flixton Cricket), and Paul Morgan (Whitby BC) who won the September Festival in 1998 with a 21-17 win in the final over Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey). Also included on the page, are several bowlers who will fancy their chances with Paul Dunn (Marown), Jon Palmer (Castlefields), Matthew Kelly-Walley (Stretton Anglesey), Paul Kissock (Netherfield), and James Higgins (Sheffield) all featuring.

With six greens in use and several different competitions throughout the week, there is plenty of bowls for everyone, including the popular triples it will undoubtedly make for a great week of bowls. Have a great week!

Withers & Dunn Win Keenan 4’s

Saturday 2nd September saw 28 pairs travel to sunny Ballaugh for the Keenan Mens Fours.

At the quarter final stage visitors Andrew White & Lee Whittle (Two Gates) took on Bryan Corner (South Ramsey) & Brian Colquitt (North Ramsey). A close game with the Ramsey men taking the win 21-17. Steven Waters (North Ramsey) & Fraser Rigg (Netherfield) were up against home greeners John Maddrell & John Keenan. Again a close one with a score of 21-17 to the newly formed pairing of Waters & Rigg. Ian Johnson & John Colebourne (Chesterfield) took on Marown pair Colin Kelly & Juan Killip. Just off the boat, Johnson & Colebourne took a 21-17 win. And the last quarter final saw Paul Dunn & Neil Withers (Marown) against Mike Spooner (Ballaugh) & Paul Moore (Noble’s) 21-13 in favour of the Marown pair.

The semi-finals saw a close win for Dunn and Withers over visiting pair Johnson & Colebourne 21-17, along with a 21-13 win for Rigg & Waters over Colquitt & Corner.

The final, played in scorching sunshine, was a little one sided. But none the less enjoyable for those who stayed to watch. Dunn and Withers straight away scored a four on the first end, with two’s following. Waters & Rigg battled on with three singles, before Dunn and Withers took two more doubles to take the game 21-10.

John Keenan the sponsor of the competition, presented the trophy and thanked the ladies in the kitchen, and Julie Reilly for running the comp. Neil thanked all his fellow bowlers for a great days bowling, and everyone at Ballaugh for hosting the competition.

Report by Julie Reilly.

Withers & Leece Win First Mixed Doubles

Port Erin Bowling Club hosted the F.M. Sowerbutts Memorial Trophy Mixed Doubles on Bank Holiday Monday. Entries were slightly lower than the previous day with 21 pairs taking part despite the road closures.

Losing quarter finalists were home greeners Alison & Mark Stockham 10-21 to South Ramsey pair Jenny Moore and James Teare, while Marown duo Debbie Leece and Neil Withers beat Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) and Kevin Firth (Douglas) 21-13. Collin Holland (Castletown) and daughter Jayne Smith (Marown) just lost out 20-21 to home green pair Nigel Haymes and Sue Ricketts, whilst Cliff Clague played with his granddaughter Bethany Hamilton (both Castletown) as they lost out 12-21 to Sue Wilshaw (Port Erin) and Nick Peterson (Port St Mary).

Bowing out at the semi-final stage were Moore and Teare who led 13-6, with the South Ramsey pair going on to concede a costly four on the 10th end as they lost out 16-21 to Leece and Withers. The other semi-final went in favour of Wilshaw and Peterson who took a comfortable 21-14 win over Ricketts and Haymes to book their place in the final.

Leece and Withers started the final as heavy favourites despite having previously never won a mixed doubles together, although both have won with other partners. The Marown pair never fell behind in the game as they led 10-6, then 12-7 with the Port Erin/Port St Mary pair getting right back into the game at 11-12 as they picked up a single and then a three which brought a cheer from the home spectators.

Leece and Withers hit back immediately with a three of their own, before conceding just four more chalks with both players performing well to see the game out as they proved too strong for Wilshaw and Peterson with a 21-15 victory.

The presentation was made by competition organiser and sponsor Janet Shilling, who thanked everyone who had entered, the club members for their support. Neil thanked Port Erin for hosting the competition and commended their opponents in the final for a good performance.