A special mention must go to Division Three side Peel Sunset C led by the grandson of Jack Lee, who would no doubt have been proud to see Jimmy Lee lead his team to achieve promotion to Division Two with a team made up of mostly new bowlers, who have shown great appetite to improve both individually and collectively, with a number of their players getting themselves in open competitions most weekends. The Peel men faced a tricky fixture away to Noble’s C, however they wrapped up the league title and promotion in style with a superb 8-2 win.

North Ramsey B pushed Peel all the way throughout the season, as they finished just three points behind Peel following a solid 8-2 win over near-neighbours South Ramsey C, as the Peel win left ensured the Mooragh men couldn’t win the league.

There were just six chalks between Ballaugh B and Ballaugh C (133-127), however a 5-3 win for the higher ranked team secured a 7-3 victory to secure third place, with the C finishing in a lowly ninth place.

With Breagle Glen C having their fate secured some time ago, they hosted Noble’s D, it was the visitors who took home a 3-7 win to finish in fifth place, two points ahead of Marown D.

Winning the Division Three individual merit was North Ramsey’s Bryan Corner with 13 wins from 14 games played, despite not playing in the final fixture of the season the Mooragh man could not be caught. Finishing in second place was Marown D player Stu Mason with 13 wins from 16 games played, however Corner dropped just eight chalks compared to Mason’s 22 chalks. As a point of interest, the North Ramsey man won Division Four merit in 2024.

In a repeat of 2024 Division Four had been dominated by one team throughout the season, this year Onchan C finished streets ahead of everyone on 123 points, with promotion long since secured, they ended the season with a 4-6 away win over Finch Hill B who finished 32 points back on their opponents.

Douglas C just managed to secure second spot by a solitary point thanks to their 8-2 win over the D Team, with this result good enough to leapfrog the Finch men.

South Ramsey D damaged North Ramsey C’s hopes of a higher league finish with an 8-2 home win over the Mooragh men, who finished in fourth, with South finishing in sixth spot, as they crept up one place on the night to finish ahead of Douglas D.

Noble’s E finished their second season of league bowls in a respectable fifth place, following their draw away to bottom side Peel D. The home team won 5-3 on games, however the all-important aggregate saw the Noble’s men ensure they secured a 5-5 draw.

Winning the Division Four individual merit was Finch Hill B veteran Tony Epifani who won 15 games from 16 played, as he won the final fixture of the 2025 season to finish one win ahead of Onchan C player Colin Brown, who won 14 games out of 15 played. Had the Onchan man not missed a game he could have won the merit, having only dropped one chalk in his one defeat, while Epifani had dropped three chalks.

This season has seen some fantastic results from Junior bowlers, who continue to improve, with a lot of newer bowlers who have undoubtedly got the ‘bug’ as the men’s night league continues to thrive. Long may it continue.

Peel Bowling Club held the pre-festival Autumn Shield on Sunday, with an entry of 96 taking part on a blustery day with the competition running like clockwork throughout the day with the days bowling getting underway at 10:00 in the morning. The Peel green has improved considerably over the past two months, with a surface suitable for a day of top bowls.

With some players having to win four games just to reach the quarter final stage, Callum Briddon (Fairfield) lost out to Marown man Colin Kelly 16-21. Marown’s Neil Withers lost 16-21 to South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves. In the bottom half of the draw Kev Kelly-Walley (Belvedere) made light work of Castletown captain Nathan Hamilton with a 21-13 win, while the last home greener standing Stevie Kelly played Paul Kissock (Netherfield) in a repeat of the 2019 final, which Kelly won in a thrilling finish to win his first open 21-20. This may well have been in the memory of the Kissock, as this time round the Cumbria man won 21-19 to take his spot in the semi-finals.

Colin Kelly took on Hargraves in the first semi-final, with the Marown man building up a 15-10 lead, with Hargraves closing the deficit to two chalks at 17-19. Two singles were enough for Kelly to ensure safe passage to the final. In the other semi-final Kissock ended the challenge of Kelly- Walley with a 21-14 win to progress.

The final played under the floodlights went one way, and then the other with the wind still a factor in the final, however it did seem to tail off from what it had been in the earlier rounds. After 10 ends Kelly had got himself 14-10 ahead, with Kissock responding to win five of the next six ends to edge ahead 16-15.

By the 19th end it was all square at 17 across, with the so finely matched there were just three two’s scored all game, the last of these scored by the 12th end. Kissock helped in part by his ability to strike to get himself out of trouble, mixed in with his ability to play good bowls won four of the last five ends to see the game out 21-18 to make up for 2019 defeat in the final.

In addition to securing the Autumn Shield Kissock took home £400, while Kelly could console himself with the runners up prize of £220.

The presentation was made by Peel competition secretary Pip Pemberton who thanked the sponsors Peveril Hotel, Island Civils & Plant, and Utmost International for their support. Robert Cottier presented the prizes on behalf of Peveril Hotel, and Island Civils & Plant.

The 2025-night league season ended this week across all four divisions this week in the Canada Life International sponsored bowling leagues.

In Division One South Ramsey A officially wrapped up the title in style, finishing the season strongly with a 9-1 win over North Ramsey A at Mooragh Park, with five single figure wins and keeping the home team down to just 77 chalks, picking up title number seven to regain the trophy they last won in 2023, in doing so preventing Marown A from successfully defending the title. The last time the Crosby men managed to do this was in 2002, when they won six league titles in a row. The Ramsey men picked up 48 points from a possible 50 in their last five games to seal the title.

Marown A finished the season on a high with a 9-1 win over their lower ranked B Team, with Kevin Kelly sparing the B sides blushes albeit with a 21-20 win over Paul Kelly. The Crosby men will undoubtedly regroup over the winter, knowing their 8-2 defeat away to Douglas A ultimately cost them with four 21-20 defeats that evening, making it even more difficult to take.

Onchan A ended the season in third place once again, as they finished the season on 100 points, 10 points fewer than 2024, as they drew 5-5 away to South Ramsey B in a true draw 4-4 on games and tied on chalks (137-137), with the South men consigned to second division bowls in 2026.

Peel A finished in fourth place, matching their 2024 league finish, however they were 17 points worse off than 2024, with their struggles with the green in the first half of the season playing a part in their results. With an improving green, this saw an improvement in their home form, as they finished the season with a 7-3 defeat away to Breagle Glen A, who strengthened just before the halfway point of the season with two players helping their cause, they managed to get safe to ensure they will compete in Division One next season.

Castletown A were guaranteed to finish on more points than 2024 whatever the result on Monday night, as they were already one point better off than last season going into their final fixture. A good 8-2 home win over Douglas A saw the Town men finish nine points better off, while the Villa finished just one point worse off.

The race for the Division One individual merit was a shootout between Bob Clark, John Kennish, and Colin Kelly. Clark had led the way for most of the season, however a stirring performance from Allan Callow saw Clark suffer his second defeat of the season, just losing out 19-21. This allowed Kennish to hit top spot with 16 wins from 16 games played, despite missing two games, with no chalks dropped. Kelly finished in second place with 16 wins from 18 games, dropping just three chalks all season, losing games to 19 and 20. Clark finished in third place, with just five chalks dropped.

In Division Two there was no change at the top with Marown C winning the league to lift the Rayner Cup as they made an immediate return to Division One, with a solid 2-8 away win over Onchan C to end the season on 126 points.

The Division Two individual merit also had some last day drama, with changes at the top with Alex Yates leading the way going into the final round of fixtures, he came up an in-form Mike Caley, who ended Yates’ merit hopes with a 21-16 win. This gifted Marown C captain Walter McCarthy the merit as he ended the season with a 21-15 win over Mike Kelly, to make it 15 wins from 17 games played, whilst Yates finished in second spot with 14 wins from 17 games.

Ballaugh A were the ‘nearly’ men once again, as they missed out on promotion by six points, however they ended the season with a 7-3 home win over Finch Hill A, who finished in mid-table. The Ballaugh men can console themselves that they are moving in the right direction improving on last season’s third place finish with 14 points more.

Noble’s A finished the season in third place, 25 points better off than 2024, as they continue to improve, despite their 2-8 home defeat on number one green to their B team, who use number two green for their home fixtures. The B team ended the season just four points back on the A team, they were rumoured to have been heavily using number one green in preparation for the last game of the season. Watch this space in 2026, as the B Team will be looking to overtake the A and be rebranded for a fourth time, having been labelled as the D team in 2023, C in 2024, and B this season. Or could there be a mixture of the A & B team over the winter to give Noble’s a real shot at promotion, only time will tell.

Safe in the knowledge that both teams would not be relegated Douglas B beat Castletown B 9-1 at the Villa. The Town men had recovered from a slow start to the season to finish in seventh place, while the Villa men finished next to bottom spot, safe by 13 points.

Peel B finished 36 points worse off than 2024, being closer to relegation than promotion this time round, however they finished the season strongly with a 9-1 home win over Breagle Glen B, whose fate was already sealed prior to this fixture. Dougie Allan had a 21-0 win over Mark Pendlebury, while Ed Benson prevented the whitewash with a 21-20 win over Jeff Wilson.

The Keenan Fours was held on Saturday with 30 pairs making the annual pilgrimage to Ballaugh despite the forecast of heavy rain. The day started dry, however as the day went on the rain set in, became heavier making for tough conditions.

At the quarter final stage Ballaugh pair Andy Young and Chris Pedley lost out 17-21 to Castletown’s Willie Corkill and Davey Garrett, with visiting bowlers Lee and Mick Longland losing out 18-21 to South Ramsey pair John Kennish and David Bradford. In the bottom half of the draw Breagle men Wayne Roberts and Ewan Cooil defeated Marown’s Glenn Boland and Peter Jones 21-7, while Glynn Hargraves and Jamie Box (South Ramsey/Marown) beat home pair Ed Trustham and Richard Hainge 21-10.

The semi-finals saw Kennish and Bradford in a tussle early on with Corkill and Garrett, with the conditions now so heavy that going for distance and ‘cobbing’ – sending the bowls through the air came into play, as the South Ramsey managed to see the game out 21-15. The other semi-final was a more comfortable win for Hargraves and Box, as they were in the opposite corners to get over the line 21-10 to take their place in the final.

The final got underway with the heavy rain persisting, and four already soaked players getting a further soaking. Hargraves and Box won the first end with a single, however Kennish and Bradford took control of the game to go into an unassailable lead, as they strolled to a 21-9 victory in the final in the same corners they had enjoyed success on in the semi-finals.

The presentation was made by Mark Dimsdale who thanked the club members, everyone for entering, the catering team, and those who had stayed to watch the final. John Keenan the sponsor of the competition, presented the trophy.

The Islands premier doubles competition the Plumbmaster Doubles Championship was held at Finch Hill Bowling Club on Sunday. The competition was played 21up off a handicap of +3 for all competitors. The event was well supported with 31 pairs entering in a bid to win the coveted title, an increase of two pairs on the 2024 entry.

At the quarter final stage John Kennish and David Bradford (South Ramsey) were too good for Dean Kinley and Stefan Kelly (Castletown/South Ramsey), with the latter only scoring two points, the game was over in just 10 ends. An all-Marown clash took place as Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly led 16-7 against Phil Kelly and John Gelling, were counting for four, however a single scored by Kelly and Gelling saw them eventually close the deficit to 18-20, with Keggen and Kelly getting over the line 21-18.

In the other half of the draw Glynn Hargraves and Jamie Box (South Ramsey/Marown) quickly went into a 12-5 lead after five ends over Peter Greenlees and Pip Pemberton (Marown/Peel), scoring heavily early on. Incredibly this was the last end of anything more than a one, as the next 11 ends were all singles, with Hargraves and Box winning nine ends to see the game out comfortably 21-7. The Hart Brothers – Austin and Toby (South Ramsey) battled well against the Breagle Pair Wayne Roberts and Trevor Quayle, who had earlier knocked out the winners from the past five years, Neil Withers and Paul Dunn (Marown), with the Breagle men level at 18-18, a three got them over line 21-18 to book their spot in the semi-final.

In the semi-finals Kennish and Bradford made light work of Keggen and Kelly , with the latter pair winning just four ends, scoring four singles, while the South Ramsey pair won 11 ends, as a longer length mark paid dividends just as it did in the semi-finals.

The other semi-final was a comfortable 21-12 win for Hargraves and Box, who had preferred a straight peg over a fair distance falling off the edge of the crown, as Roberts and Quayle struggled to get a foothold in the game.

The final got underway with Kennish and Bradford having won the title for the first four years looking to get their fifth win to match Withers and Dunn, they would undoubtedly have started as favourites to win. On the first end Kennish planted a great lead, which was immediately beaten by Hargraves, however Bradford ensured that a positive start was made on the first end with a double. As Kennish headed for the corner Hargraves and Box scored a three, which they repeated on the following end. A double from the South Ramsey pair closed the deficit to two chalks at 7-9.

Hargraves and Box picked up two doubles of their own in between conceding a single to lead 13-8 after seven ends. The match got turned on its head over the next six ends as Kennish and Bradford made their move with a change of tactics from Kennish, as he opted for a short round peg mark which almost paid off with the pair counting for four a great last bowl from Box saved three chalks. A two on the next end took the score to 12-13. Hargraves played two good bowls on the next end as he dialled back in to the match, however Bradford saved one. A single in the corner saw Kennish and Bradford head for distance once more, as they picked up a good three to lead 17-15.

Kennish went short once more, with Hargraves playing a toucher with his second bowl. Disaster struck as Box played up trying to sit out Kennish’s nearest bowl and the block was sprung to leave them lying three down. Box immediately redeemed himself, just getting in with a glance off the nearest counting bowl to leave the game finely poised at 16-17. Two good bowls from Hargraves and one from Box on the following end saw Bradford save one with his last bowl as the score went 18-17 to the South/Marown pair. On the following end, a change of peg from Hargraves on the round peg with his second bowl left the pair counting for one, as Box trailed the jack to make the route in to the jack tough as his bowl followed through with it. A good second bowl from Box made a counting second. Bradford played a reaching bowl, just getting on the high side as he was unlucky to tip in Hargraves’ bowl for game, with a 21-17 win. Hargraves and Box were just the third different winners of this trophy, with Kennish and Bradford winning it for the first four years, with Withers and Dunn winning it for the past five years.

The presentation was made by Competition Committee member Steve Moore, who thanked Finch Hill Bowling Club for providing refreshments throughout the day, everyone who had helped with the smooth running of the competition and those who had entered.