A fantastic entry of 29 junior bowlers from all over the island entered the Junior Manx Championship at Onchan Bowling Club on Sunday. There was a good crowd in attendance with numbers approaching 100 at one stage. Once again there were more girls than boys through to the latter stages, which was fantastic to see, with some great bowls played by all the juniors.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Graiagh Smith (Douglas), who lost 8-21 to Madison McMullan (Mooragh Park), whilst home greener Grace Gawne ended the hopes of Toby Hart (South Ramsey) who was defending the title he won last year with a 21-17 win. In the other half of the draw Shannon McMullan (Mooragh Park) seen off club mate Grayse Blencoe with a 21-5 victory, while another Mooragh Park player Victoria Johnson got a bye due to her opponent feeling unwell.

In the semi-finals Grace was up against Madison, with the score 7-5 to Grace after the first 12 ends with both players managing to keep their opponent to singles. From there both players picked up two’s, however it was Grace who prevailed with a 21-15 win over Madison, scoring five doubles to take her spot in the final. In the other semi-final Shannon made light work of her team mate Victoria with a 21-9 win.

In the final Grace with home advantage made the better start over Shannon, with the latter having won the title in 2019, Grace took a 6-2 lead after five ends. After 17 ends Grace who was playing extremely well, had built up a big lead at 16-8 to go strong favourite for the title, however Shannon with a bit more experience dug deep to work her way back into the game to win six consecutive ends on a longer length to reduce to the deficit to just one chalk at 15-16. Grace responded just in time, scoring a good two to lead 18-15. Shannon responded immediately to score three consecutive two’s over the middle of the green to see the game out and be crowned Junior Manx Champion for the second time with a 21-18 win. Credit must also go to Grace for her part in a good final. Grace will get another couple of chances to win the title, with this the last time that Shannon is eligible to play.

The presentation was made by Association Competition Committee Officer Steve Moore, who thanked all the juniors for taking part, Onchan Bowling Club for providing the refreshments and measurers. Association President Philip Kelly then presented the prizes, congratulated the juniors on the standard of bowls throughout the day.

In Canada Life International Division One this week Marown A bounced back from defeat in their previous outing with a 10-0 win (168-69) over Peel B. Just two of the visiting players made it into double figures, with Paul Quirk losing out 13-21 to Neil Withers and David Proctor was the highest scorer as he scored 16 against Paul Kelly. Phil Kelly was the best winner for the home team as he bounced back from his heavy defeat the previous week to beat Philip Pemberton 21-5.

League leaders South Ramsey A had a good 2-8 away win as they took on Peel A in the Sunset city. Winning for the home team were Dean Kinley with a 21-19 win over Jordan Cain, while George Gadsby was pushed all the way and got over the line with a 21-20 win against Bob Clark. Dido Kelly kept up his unbeaten start to the season with a 21-18 win over Peter Greenlees.

Marown B remain in third place, they came away from the Villa with a 3-7 win over Douglas A. Kevin Kelly stepped into the B Team and did not look out of place in any way as he won 21-6 against Shaun Seal. For the home team Andy Cannell was the best winner with a 21-8 victory over Jamie Joughin.

Onchan A sit in joint third place with Marown B, as they took on Onchan B, following their 8-2 victory with three single figure wins, while the two winners for the B were Bernie McPhee who beat Neil Dunwell 21-13, and Mike Alexander who beat Mike Thomas 21-19.

Port Erin A had their spirits lifted as they claimed their first league win of the season as they beat North Ramsey A 7-3 at Breagle Glen. Allan Callow was the best winner on the night as he beat Steve Durcan 21-8, Adrian Skinner won 21-12 against Peter Hulley and Paul Allison made it four wins from four games played as he continues his comeback having not played league bowls for five years.

Castletown A hosted Port St Mary A at the Crofts, as they managed to scrape a 7-3 home win taking the aggregate by a solitary chalk (144-143). For Town Mark Moorley beat Trevor Quayle in a good quality game. For the visitors Paul Skelly picked up only his second league win of the season, as did Jordan Drewett who returned to his former stomping ground as he scrambled home with a 21-20 win over Ron Williams, while it wasn’t such a happy return for Nathan Hamilton who lost out 18-21 to George Foy.

In Division Two South Ramsey B kept the foot on the throttle with a 9-1 win over third placed Ballaugh A as they used home advantage to good effect despite the heavy rain overnight and the showers throughout. Austin Hart returned to the team with a 21-7 win over Gordie Moore, captain Ben Dugdale beat Richard Hainge 21-18, while Alan Moore was staring down the barrel at a 0-9 deficit against Patrick Grant, before recovering only to be lying two down at 20-20 and bowled in to win the game 21-20. Preventing the whitewash was Barry McDonald who beat Eddie Carlyle 21-13.

Marown C remain in second spot thanks to another 7-3 home win over Douglas B on Tuesday, with Walter McCarthy winning 21-7 against Stuart Garrett, while Dan Smith had it all to do as he beat Mark Kneen 21-20. For the Villa men it was good to see the return of Gary Conwell, who made it two wins from two played as he beat Peter Kelly 21-14.

Noble’s A had a tough time on Monday evening as they hosted South Ramsey C, with the visitors coming away with a 2-8 win. For the visitors’ captain Tony Hart led the way with a 21-5 win over Martyn Hobson, while Jim Collister was the best winner for the home team as he beat Anthony Kelly 21-15, with Alex Yates not far behind as he won 21-16 against James Evans.

Onchan C came away from taking on Ballaugh B with a vital 2-8 win to go level on points with their opponent on the night. Their cause was helped by Brian Aspden’s 21-7 win over Mike Buckeridge, while Sid McKnight won 21-20 against Ray Parry.

Finch Hill A stayed in the hunt as they are in fourth place following a good 1-9 away win over Port St Mary B. Individual merit leader Paul Dougherty just about held on to his unbeaten record as he beat Peter Collins 21-20. The Finch men just missed out on a 10-0 win by four chalks as Nicholas Peterson managed to see off Tony Epifani 21-17.

In Division Three North Ramsey B kept a firm grip on top spot as they beat Port Erin B 9-1 at Mooragh Park. The visitors cause not helped by being two men short as they failed to score 100 chalks (164-78) with Ed Benson the only winner for the visitors as he beat John Piekalns 21-17.

Marown D are well placed in second spot, just eight points behind the league leaders with 47 points and a game in hand as they won 2-8 away to Douglas D. Jay Waters continues to lead the individual merit following his 21-7 win over Mark Clarke, while Charlie Bell who is relatively new to the game beat William Cowley 21-6.

South Ramsey D weren’t able to make home advantage count against Noble’s B, with some doubt as to whether the match would go ahead due to the heavy rain. For South Matthew Corkill continues his fine start to the season as he made it six wins from seven games as he beat Michael Johnson 21-10. Richie Davies won 21-16 against Noel Ash, while Ryan Hargraves edged the battle of the Juniors as he won 21-20 against Alex Hampson. For the visitors Ciaran Broad having just taken up bowls this season also made it six wins from seven, as he beat Billy Blair 21-11 to claim the best win for his team.

Castletown C had a tough night at home to Peel D as they lost 3-7. Colin Moore was the best winner for the visitors with a 21-4 win over Dylan Marsh. For Town Paul Cromwell was their best winner as he beat Charlie McMeiken 21-7.

There were two matches called off last week due to the weather – In Division Two Peel C were due to host Castletown B, while in Division Three Finch Hill B were due to play Douglas C.

The second round of fixtures in the Mixed League group stages were played on Wednesday evening with both matches in Group A being won 6-3 by the home teams. North Ramsey A beat Onchan A at Mooragh Park by 46 chalks (159-113), while on the other side of Ramsey South A beat Castletown A by 27 chalks (164-137).

In Group B Marown A came away from another visit to Breagle Glen with a 3-6 win over Port St Mary as they won by 29 chalks (136-165). Douglas A also won 6-3 at home to Port Erin with the home team winning by 40 chalks (172-132).

In the Plate Competition in Group A, Noble’s appear to be shaping up as favourites in their group as they beat North Ramsey B 7-2 at home, winning by a margin of 59 chalks (171-112). Peel recorded a solid 2-7 away win over Castletown B winning comfortably on chalks (125-165).

In Group B Marown B hosted South Ramsey B at Crosby with the young home team just falling short by six chalks (154-160), with some good individual performances from the juniors and new bowlers on both teams, with the visitors winning 3-6. Ballaugh recorded the biggest win of the night as they won 7-2 at home to Douglas B, as they won by 62 chalks (176-114).

An Isle of Man Junior Team took part in the British Crown Green Bowling Association six-a-side Championship at Windle Bowling Club in St Helens on Sunday, on what turned out to be a fantastic day.

Every single one of them did themselves and the Island proud in the way that they performed and more importantly the way they behaved on and off the green, not to mention how well turned out they all were.

They won the first game 5-1 on games against North Lancs & Fylde by a landslide 51 chalks 88-37, the second game was also won 5-1 against Cheshire by 12 chalks (77-65), and the third game won 4-2 against Greater Manchester B to win by 40 chalks (77-37).

In the final round Cumbria won on games 4-2, cruelly edged the game by a single chalk (73-72) as they topped the group with 8 points.

With 2 points for each win the team finished on 6 points to finish in second place overall in the group and now qualify to play at Heaton Park in Manchester on Sunday 10th July.

Thank you to everyone who came to support, it was great to have more supporters than players there to help cheer the Juniors on.

League action returned this week in Canada Life International Division One with game five of the season with the league table starting to take shape.

Marown A retained top spot thanks to a solid 2-8 away win at Mooragh Park following their second visit in the space of a week with Dean Kipling recording the best win on the night with a 21-9 win over Gary Merrill. For the home team Allan Callow continued his fine start to the season with a 21-12 win over Neil Withers, who suffered a rare defeat, while Paul Allison beat Harry Barton 21-13. The next closest to picking up another point for the home team was Adrian Skinner who lost out 18-21 to Marown captain Paul Dunn.

Marown B defeated Port Erin A 9-1 at Crosby, with Bernie Durcan the lone winner for the visitors with a 21-20 win over John Gelling, with son Steve Durcan next highest as he lost out 18-21 to Jerome Surridge. For the home team Glenn Boland beat Derek Cadamy 21-5, with Karl Parker their second single figure winner as he beat Alan Crebbin 21-9.

Peel A came away from Breagle Glen with a 2-8 win over Port St Mary A. Winners for the home team were Trevor Quayle who had a comfortable 21-13 victory over Robert Middleton, while Robbie Cooil seen off Peter Greenlees with a 21-17 win. For the Peel men Tom Kelly performed well to beat Wayne Roberts 21-16, a result matched by Stevie Kelly who beat Paul Skelly. Dean Kinley beat Nathan Hamilton 21-17, while the best winner on the night was Tommy McMeiken who trounced Jordan Drewett 21-3.

South Ramsey A managed to stay in touch with the league leaders Marown A, coming away from the Park with a 1-9 win over Onchan B to sit just a point behind the league leaders. Chas Grills returned to the A Team, recovering from a slow start to win 21-16 against Colin Brown, was backed up by four single figures winners from David Bradford, Dido Kelly, Jordan Cain and Glynn Hargraves. Mike Alexander prevented the whitewash with his 21-17 win over James Teare.

Douglas A continued their rise up the table after a difficult start to the season with a 9-1 home win over Castletown A with some hard fought wins from Andy Cannell 21-18 over George Foy, Willie Cowley and Merv Sayle won 21-19 against Juan Kermode and Mark Moorley respectively, while Ian Moore won 21-17 against Town captain Ian Watson. Jimmy Sansom and Shaun Seal had more straightforward victories over Derek Lewney and Peter Oates as they won to single figures. For the visitors Nathan Cooil had a fairly comfortable 21-14 win over Keith Rise.

The closest match of the night was out West as Peel B hosted Onchan A with the visitors snatching a 4-6 win as they won the aggregate two points by 14 chalks (135-149) with the wins fairly comfortable with Phil Kerruish the best winner as he beat Andy Mackie 21-8. Two of the home team wins were close with Paul ‘Pooky’ Quirk beating Neil Dunwell 21-18, Brian Lindsay won 21-19 against Will Penhallurick, while the most notable win was from Philip ‘Pip’ Pemberton who beat Reg Temporaza 21-16.

In Division Two league leaders South Ramsey B dropped three points at home to Port St Mary B, with Tony Dugdale and Bryan Corner leading the race for the individual merit as they maintained their unbeaten start to the season, while Christian Caley was the best winner on the night with his 21-6 win over Bernard Thackrah. The three winners for the visitors were Steve Franks with a 21-10 win over Austin Hart, Derek Cain beat Ben Dugdale 21-16, while Ray Maddrell won 21-18 against Sid Bolton.   

Castletown B remain in second place and closed the gap on the leaders to four points as they beat Ballaugh B 9-1 at the Crofts, with four single figure wins from George Peach, Willie Corkill, Alan Phair and Collin Holland. For Ballaugh Dicky Watson was the only winner with a 21-17 win over John Matheson, while John Looney battled hard before losing out 18-21 to Billy Jones.

Peel C made the short trip along the coast as they took on Ballaugh A. The home team recorded a 7-3 win, Steve Grant just edging home against Philip Clarke, while John ‘Shirt’ Keenan won 21-8 against Eddie Convery. For the visitors Tony Carroon was in good form as he beat Peter Graham 21-3, while Harry Kelly and Alan Cromwell both won 21-17 in their wins against Richard Hainge and Nigel Tebay respectively. Just 11 chalks separated teams as the Ballaugh men took the aggregate (142-131).

Finch Hill A lost out 4-6 at home to Marown C with the visitors taking a deserved win, helped by Kevin Kelly won beat Mark Taylor 21-5. The visitors closest win was from Peter Kelly, who beat Paddy Murphy 21-19, while three of their defeats could have gone the other way as John Kelly lost 19-21 to Paul Dougherty who remains unbeaten, Conor Keenan missed out 18-21 to Les Brookes, while Stewart Clague fell short 17-21. Captain Stephen Rundle returned to the fold following his recent holiday as he helped his team with a 21-14 win over Dave Jones.

South Ramsey C managed to snatch a 6-4 home victory over Douglas B by just three chalks (142-139) with Lee Dawson their best winner as he beat Keith Fearnley 21-10. For the visitors Andy Foster won to single figures as he beat Andy Morgan 21-8, Steve Cook seen off Toby Hart 21-19, while Dave Pease just got over the line 21-20 against Tony Hart.

Onchan B made home advantage count as they beat Nobles A 6-4 with two single figures wins from Ken Clarke and Kelvin McNicholl making the difference on the aggregate as the home team won by 19 chalks (144-125). For the visitors Martyn Hobson beat Denis Maxwell 21-10, Jim Collister beat Paul Callister 21-14, Jay Elliott won 21-16 against Sid McKnight, while Alex Yates dug deep to win 21-20 against Roger Payne.

In Division Three North Ramsey B went top as they took advantage of Noble’s B taking their turn to sit out with the second true draw of the season following their 5-5 draw away to Douglas C, who themselves sit in second place, with the Villa men able to call on Tommy Collister and Kevin Firth, who both won their games, while Nick Firth picked up a fine 21-15 over Brian Colquitt while Ashley Halsall picked up their fourth win of the night. Winning for the visitors were Ray Skelly, Tony Smart, Lee Christian and Mike Skelly.

Marown D recorded a 7-3 win over South Ramsey D on Tuesday, helped by two big wins from Steve Rough, who beat Chris Brown 21-3, while Alan Gault won 21-9 against Steve Kelly. Best winner for the visitors was Matthew Corkill as he beat Keith Watterson 21-4.

Finch Hill B kept the visitors Castletown C to under 100 chalks with their 7-3 win. Five single figure victories helped their cause with Frank Christian, Stephen Oates, Kevin Stannard, John Smith and Sam Stannard-Duke all winning comfortably.

Elsewhere Peel D lost out 4-6 at home to Ballaugh C as they lost the aggregate by a solitary chalk (134-135), while Port Erin B took a comfortable 8-2 win at home to Douglas D.

The Mixed League group stages got underway on Thursday evening with the match of the night in the Championship Group A going right to the wire with North Ramsey A winning 5-4 on games, however the visitors got the two points available on the night as they edged the chalks (151-152). The other match in the group was also close with Onchan A beating Castletown A by 13 chalks (160-153).

In Group B Marown A came away from Breagle Glen with a 1-8 win over Port Erin as they dropped just 10 chalks winning by a 50-point margin (129-179). Douglas A Hosted Port St Mary A with the visitors winning by 28 chalks (130-158)

In the Plate Competition in Group A Peel seen off visitors North Ramsey B by 22 chalks (180-158), while it was great to see Nobles field a mixed team as they won comfortably by 59 chalks (108-167) against a Castletown B side fielded to give Juniors an opportunity to gain experience.

In Group B Marown B also fielded a team packed with Juniors and new Bowlers as they performed admirably winning four games on the night only to lose out by 24 chalks (132-156) to Douglas B at Crosby, while Ballaugh top the group thanks to a 32 chalk away win (133-165) over South Ramsey B.

Marown Bowling Club were the host club on Saturday as they held the Marown Magic Carpets Mixed Singles for the second time attracting an entry of 56. The competition was played in a big smash style format, which has proved popular in the U.K. and is played over 15 ends with ends 5, 10 and 15 played as ‘power’ ends with the points scored counting double. Players were given a handicap ranging from 0 to 3. If scores were tied after 15 ends a one bowl shootout would take place to decide the winner of the game.

Losing quarter finalists were Bernie Durcan (Port Erin) who lost 7-15 to home greener Matthew Keggen, Frank Watson (Onchan) had his run ended by Marown captain Paul Dunn 10-17, Jordan Cain stormed into a huge unassailable lead to beat South Ramsey team mate David Bradford 17-7, while Rob Middleton did enough to ensure he progressed to the next round with a victory over Stefan Kelly with the latter falling too far behind to play the last end with the score at 12-7 to Middleton.

In the semi-finals club mates Keggen and Dunn clashed, with Dunn doing enough to reach the final courtesy of a 14-10 win, while Middleton just edged home 15-14 against Cain in a nervy finish.

The final started with Dunn conceding the first end with a single and starting three behind on the handicap, he ensured he did not under-estimate his opponent who had taken some good scalps throughout the day. Dunn then clicked into gear to take the next eight ends to lead 14-4 after nine ends. Middleton scored a single on the power end to count for two on end 10 to go eight chalks behind at 14-6. Dunn made sure of the victory over the next few ends with a single and a double to ensure he retained the title he won last season with a well-deserved 17-8 victory.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by club members Brian Kelly and Clare Cooper, who thanked Magic Carpets for their continued sponsorship, the Ladies for the refreshments, the players for entering, and all who came to support. In his speech Dunn reiterated his thanks to the sponsors.