Author Archives: Glynn Hargraves

Tom Kelly Wins Ramsey Town Cup

Ramsey Town Cup Winner 2019

Photo: Margaret Kelly

North Ramsey Bowling Club hosted the popular Ramsey Town Cup on Saturday with the competition attracting a good entry of 47, no doubt helped by the fine weather.

The winner was Peel man Tom Kelly who claimed a deserved 21-15 victory over Reginald Temporaza to claim his first open competition title. There would no doubt have been some nerves from both players with neither player having reached the final of a singles open competition previously, it was Kelly who made a good start with two doubles to take a 10-6 lead playing a short round peg, extending this further to 15-9 after switching tactics to a short mark over the middle of the green which had served him well throughout the day, before Temporaza hit back with a six point run on a round peg to level the game at 15-15. Kelly got back in on his favoured mark to run out with two singles and two doubles to claim his first open win and the £80 first prize. Kelly had performed well all day with his ability to hit strikes serving him well.

In the semis Tom Kelly had the unenviable task of overcoming his father Colin Kelly, with Tom doing just that beating Colin 21-20 to take his place in the final after fighting back from a 17-20 deficit and brilliantly saving game to beat two good bowls in the corners. Tom went on to claim two singles and a double, forcing Colin to strike on the last end but not getting the result he hoped for with the hit, whilst Temporaza was always in control in his game performing well to beat Steve Parker (Onchan) 21-11.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Stefan Kelly (South Ramsey), who lost to Tom Kelly (17-21) in a good quality game, along with fellow South Ramsey men James Teare who lost to Colin Kelly (9-21), Sid Bolton was beaten by Temporaza (18-21) and Dean Kinley (Castletown) lost to Parker (15-21).

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by competition secretary Gary Lenton who thanked everyone who had entered, along with the club members who had helped with the running of the competition. North Ramsey club president Helen Martin was then introduced to present the prizes.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Shannon & Lynda win Omega Cup

Omega Cup Winners 2019

Photo: Helen Martin

An entry of 22 took part in the Omega Cup hosted by South Ramsey Bowling Club, which was played in a drawn doubles round robin format with the winners of the two groups reaching the final to decide the winner.

The winner of the first group was Lynda Cadamy (Port Erin) and Shannon McMullan (Mooragh Park) who topped their group with 34 points, whilst Sue Jones (Peel) and Helen Martin (Mooragh Park) just missed out by just two points.

In the other group it was Mary Moffatt (Peel) and Victoria Johnson (Mooragh Park) who progressed to the final after coming through a one end shootout with Gill Morgan (South Ramsey) and Joyce Kelly (Peel) with both pairs scoring 30 points in their group.

The final was played 15 up off scratch. Mary & Victoria started well winning the first four ends with three singles and a double to take a 5-0 lead, then maintained this lead after nine ends to lead 8-3, Lynda and Shannon then scored a three, only to concede two doubles to lie 6-12 behind. Lynda and Shannon stepped up a few gears scoring three singles, a four and a double to run out with a 15-12 victory to secure the title.

The presentation was made by ladies competition secretary Elaine Moore who thanked everyone who had entered, congratulated the juniors who had performed brilliantly, along with the club members for their assistance throughout the day.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Kerruish & Hargraves Win Tynwald Day Pairs

Tynwald Day Grimshaw Pairs Winners 2019

Photo: Arnie Withers

Marown hosted the popular Tynwald Day R & A Grimshaw Trophy on Friday with 34 pairs taking part on a tricky green.

There were plenty of shocks in the early rounds, with some of the favourite pairings taking an early bath.

At the end of a long day it was the Onchan/South Ramsey pairing of Phil Kerruish and Glynn Hargraves, who beat the Marown duo of Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly 21-18. The final started with neither pairing able to break away from the other, with no more than two points between the finalists until Kerruish & Hargraves trailing by one point at 13-14 took the next three ends with a three, a single and a double to leap ahead 19-14. The Marown pair fought back with two doubles in between a single to the opposition to pull the score back to 18-20 before Kerruish/Hargraves secured the one point needed to take the win and the trophy.

Losing out in the semi-finals to the winners were the young pairing of Sam Clague (Castletown) and Glenn Boland (Noble’s) who lost out 12-21. The other losing semi-finalists were Onchan pair Jordan Cain and Matthew Quirk who lost out 14-21.

Losing out in the quarter finals were home greeners Gary Cooper & Arnie Withers, Paul Dunn & Neil Withers, South Ramsey duo Stefan Kelly & James Teare, along with Peel men David Proctor and Andy Kennish.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by competition secretary Philip Kelly, who thanked everyone who had helped with the running of the competition and the Marown Ladies for the refreshments provided throughout the day. Marown President Lil Smith was then introduced to present the prizes.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Peel Bounce Back

South Ramsey A kitted out in their new team shirts provided by sponsor Callow Building Services

Photo: Steve Moore

In Ellan Vannin Fuels division one Peel A bounced back from two poor results last week to win 9-1 away to Marown B at Crosby. Andy Kennish led the way for Peel with a 21-3 win against John Kelly with Tom Kelly following up with a 21-5 win over Juan Killip. Pushed harder for the visitors were Gary Smith who won 21-17 against Peter Kelly, David Proctor who held off Steve Bridson 21-18, whilst Harry Kelly was closer still winning 21-19 against Brian Kelly. Sparing the whitewash was home captain Harry Barton with a good 21-15 win over Tommy McMeiken.

Champions elect Marown A won 3-7 away from home against Noble’s A with the Crosby men nearly dropping another point, however John Gelling just got over the line 21-20 against Reginald Temporaza. Winners for the home team were Tommy Collister who made it nine wins from 11 games with a 21-16 victory over Paul Kelly, Kevin Firth recovered from a slow start to win 21-17 against Phil Kelly, whilst Dave Pease inflicted a first league defeat of the season on merit leader Paul Dunn 21-16. Also winning for the visitors were Neil Withers, Colin Kelly, Matthew Keggen and Dean Kipling.

Onchan A made the trip south to take on Port St Mary A coming away with a 3-7 win. On another night it could have ended up as a draw (5-5) or a whitewash (0-10). Their three losses were close with captain Peter Slinger losing 17-21 to Paul Skelly, a result matched by Matthew Quirk who lost to Wayne Roberts, whilst Steve Parker pushed Rob Cooil hard before losing out 19-21. On the flip side Jordan Cain recovered from a 14-20 deficit to run out with a 21-20 win over Dan McCabe, whilst Frank Watson just got home to the same score against Dave McCabe.

South Ramsey A missed out on the opportunity to close the gap on Marown & Onchan with their fixture at home to Castletown B, having only lost one game in the Rayner Shield fixture last week they dropped three games with their 7-3 home win over the Town men. Winning for the visitors were Bob Clark who beat Chas Grills 21-9, backed up by captain Ron Williams with a 21-19 victory over James Teare, whilst Ross Moore held off Roger Thomas to win 21-14. For the home team David Bradford, Stefan Kelly and Alan Moore all won to single figures over Dave Faragher, Aaron Richardson and George Foy respectively.

North Ramsey A turned in a good home performance against visitors Douglas A to win 7-3. Captain Allan Callow had a good 21-15 win over Stuart Garrett. Geoff Porter was ruthless with his 21–1 victory over Peter Wilcox, whilst Tony Smart used home advantage well to see off Andy Cannell 21-10, whilst Steve Walmsley had his work cut out to hold off Merv Sayle to win 21-19. For the visitors Ian Moore won 21-19 against Bryan Corner, with Bob Banning performing well to beat John Cannan to the same score. Shaun Seal will have been pleased with his 21-4 win over Ray Skelly.

Castletown A kept rivals South Ramsey B at arms length with their 6-4 home win. Home team winners were Peter Oates, Sam Clague, Ian Watson and Jordan Drewett with the latter edging home 21-19 against Sid Bolton. For the visitors Austin Hart returned from his weekend with the Juniors Island Team in fine form to take a 21-8 win over Dean Kinley, whilst team mates Ben Dugdale, Steven Waters and Tony Dugdale also won. Castletown took the win thanks to winning the aggregate by nine chalks (137-128).

In division two Ballaugh A slumped to a 2-8 defeat away to Port Erin A despite the Breagle Glen outfit only fielding seven players, whilst Finch Hill A also suffered a setback losing to the same score away to Peel B. Port St Mary B capitalised on these defeats winning a tough game 3-7 away to fifth placed Onchan B to climb up to second place to sit nine points off league leaders Ballaugh. Peel C travelled to the Villa to take on Douglas B with the visitors taking a 4-6 away win thanks to edging the aggregate by a single chalk (135-136), whilst Port St Mary C will have been delighted with their 3-7 away win over North Ramsey B.

In division three runaway leaders South Ramsey C had a potentially tricky away fixture against second placed Finch Hill B, will have been pleased to come away with a 4-6 win to extend the gap to 24 points.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Town Stun Peel

After a week’s break of league action In Ellan Vannin Fuels Division one Castletown A pulled off the shock of the week to defeat Peel A 3-7 away from home. Whilst Peel were missing three regulars they would still have been favourites to win against the town men who have struggled this season. Winning for Peel were Andy Kennish, David Proctor and Tommy McMeiken. Responding for the visitors were David Quayle, Peter Oates, Juan Kermode, whilst Jordan Drewett was no doubt keen to get one over his pal Tom Kelly with a 21-12 win and captain Ian Watson holding his nerve to win 21-19 against Gary Smith.

Onchan A hosted South Ramsey A at the Park on a superb playing surface. The home team took a deserved 7-3 win with wins from Peter Slinger, Phil Kerruish, Matthew Quirk, Frank Watson with Jordan Cain working hard get over the line 21-19 against visiting captain Glynn Hargraves after recovering from a 9-15 deficit to go 19-15 ahead thanks to winning five ends with doubles with Hargraves killing two ends in between. Hargraves got back in to level up at 19-19 only for Cain to get back in and play two good bowls on the last end which weren’t beaten. Winning for the visitors were Alan Moore, James Teare whilst David Bradford had a tough game against Kevin Quirk with Bradford winning 21-18. The result lifts Onchan up to second place just one point ahead of their opponents on the night.

Marown A continued their march towards their first league title since 2013 with a 9-1 home win over Douglas A, however the visitors put up a good fight with Keith Rise beating Matthew Keggen 21-9, whilst Mervin Sayle lost out 17-21. Stuart Garrett & Ian Moore just lost out 19-21 to Neil Withers and Paul Kelly respectively. The Crosby men have a bit of breathing space with a 10 point lead, will be keen to keep their rivals at arm’s length.

South Ramsey B hosted Port St Mary A on a vastly improved green and came away happy with a 6-4 home win thanks to taking the two points aggregate for the chalks (132-130). Winning for the home team were captain Ben Dugdale who won 21-6 against Tim Williams with Dugdale getting back into form following time out with a back injury this season. Tony Dugdale, George Brew and Austin Hart also won, whilst Edward Carlyle just missed out 20-21 against Rob Cooil. Also winning for the visitors were Wayne Roberts, Trevor Quayle and Dave McCabe.

Noble’s A also took a 6-4 home win over Marown B with all but one game finishing 21-14 or above. Glenn Boland won 21-7 against James Kelly for the home team which helped secure the aggregate (147-143). Also winning for Noble’s were Reginald Temporaza & David Quayle who both won 21-19 against Brian Kelly and John Kelly respectively, with David Pease also winning. Responding for the visitors were the young duo of Harry Barton and Luke Hyland, backed up by the experienced Peter Kelly and Juan Killip.

North Ramsey A hosted Castletown B at Mooragh Park with the home team taking the spoils 8-2, however it could been a whitewash with Bob Clark just winning 21-19 against Bryan Corner, whilst Aaron Richardson held off Steve Walmsley 21-18.

In division two top of the table Ballaugh A continued their charge towards gaining promotion following their 8-2 win over near rivals Onchan B to extend their lead to 12 points.

Finch Hill A remain in second place on 64 points following their 7-3 home win over Peel C, with Onchan B just two points behind. 

Peel B are six points behind Finch Hill and their cause wasn’t helped this week after sacrificing three players to their A team as they slipped to a 3-7 win over Marown C who are on course to stay in division two.

Port St Mary B disposed of Ballaugh B 9-1 with the Ballaugh men looking odds on for an immediate return to division three sitting 12 points adrift of the nearest team above them.

Port Erin A had a worthwhile trip to Mooragh Park taking a 3-7 win against North Ramsey B, whilst Douglas B secured a 7-3 home win over Port St Mary C.

In division three, South Ramsey C showed no mercy to their opponents with a 10-0 win over Douglas C to extend their lead to what looks an unassailable 21 points. 

Noble’s B sit in second place following their 9-1 home win over Castletown C, whilst Finch Hill B are just one point behind Noble’s in third with a game in hand following their 3-7 away win to Onchan C.

Ballaugh C won convincingly 8-2 at home to South Ramsey D, with Peel D just losing out in the closest match in division three 4-6 against Noble’s C by just five chalks (141-146). Ryan Tate continues to impress with a superb 21-17 win over the experienced Roy Murphy.

As we reach the Rayner Shield quarter finals the top teams have not yet come up against each other, with Marown A winning 8-0 at home to Finch Hill A, Onchan A winning 5-3 away to Ballaugh A with young Patrick Grant impressing against Jordan Cain only to eventually lose out 15-21.

South Ramsey A won 7-1 at home to Castletown B with the lone winner Bob Clark playing his part in what was a superb game to watch for the spectators. Clark took a 14-3 lead against David Bradford with both players playing good length bowls and hitting strikes throughout the game. Bradford managed to get ahead at 18-17 with some excellent bowls in the corners only for Clark to get back in to level at 18-18. Bradford scored a single with Clark replying with a double to go 20-19 ahead. On the next end Bradford counted one to once again level the game at 20-20. On the last end the counting bowl changed four times with Bradford playing a good lead, Clark put his first bowl even closer. After considering his options Bradford played through with weight to take out Clark’s bowl cleanly to once again count one for game. Clark then played a perfect bowl to secure a 21-20 win in a game of the highest standard.

The shock of the Rayner Shield came on Thursday evening with South Ramsey B hosting Peel A with the visitors fancied to take a place in the semis. The match ended in a 4-4 draw on games meaning the result was decided on chalks with the home team taking this by just four chalks (144-140). The winners for the home team were Edward Carlyle, Christian Caley, Tony Dugdale & Ben Dugdale, whilst the players who lost all scored vital points to help secure the win. Winning for Peel were Stevie Kelly, Tommy McMeiken, Gary Smith & Tom Kelly.

In the Rayner Plate quarter finals Port St Mary A progressed to the semis with a 36 point win over Onchan B (170-134), Port Erin B scraped home by seven chalks against Finch Hill B (191-184), Onchan C were well beaten at home by Marown C (173-214) whilst Peel D had a comfortable win by 28 points over Ballaugh C (222-194).

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Colin Kelly Wins Association Cup

Association Cup Winner 2019 - Colin Kelly

Photo: Arnie Withers

An entry of 45 took part in the Association Cup hosted by Marown Bowling Club.

The winner was home greener Colin Kelly who held off the strong challenge of South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves with a hard fought 21-17 win. Hargraves had the better of the early part of the game leading 12-9 and 13-11 only for Kelly to get in on his favoured corners and take the lead 17-13. Hargraves fought back to lie one behind at 16-17 with Kelly just missing with his reaching bowls two ends running. Hargraves then led a good bowl nine inches to the side of the jack only for Kelly to just sneak between the bowl and the jack to count one. Kelly followed this up with a double to go 20-16 ahead with Hargraves getting back in on the next end. At 17-20 Kelly played a good first bowl, which Hargraves couldn’t beat allowing Kelly to secure the Association Cup to hold the Associations top two trophies this season to reaffirm his dominance of the men’s game.

Both games at the semi-final stage were well contested with Paul Kelly just losing out 19-21 to Hargraves with young Sam Clague again reaching the semi-final stage in this competition only to lose to the same score (19-21) to Colin Kelly.

Falling at the quarter final stage were Paul Dunn (Marown) to team mate Paul Kelly 20-21, Neil Withers (Marown) lost to Hargraves 19-21, David Bradford (South Ramsey) also lost out 20-21 to Colin Kelly, whilst another home greener Jamie Joughin performed well before losing out to Clague.

The presentation was made by Association Chairman Neil Withers who thanked everyone who had helped throughout the day and to the ladies for putting on the refreshments. A special mention was also given to the team who prepare the green due to the improvement since the start of the season.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Quirk Wins Ken Williamson Memorial

Kevin Quirk - Ken Williamson Memorial Winner 2019

Photo: Arnie Withers

An entry of 33 took part in the Ken Williamson Memorial Cup on what would have been the big man’s 90th Birthday. Ken was a popular player amongst the bowling community. The Onchan green was in superb condition with many visitors during festival week commenting on how brilliant the green was to play on. To match the green the sun shone throughout the day.

The winner was home greener Kevin Quirk who recovered from a 5-11 deficit against Marown’s Brian Kelly to win 21-12 to record his second open win of the season and his eighth win in this competition since the competition was first played in 1996.

Losing out at the semi-final stage were Mike Hargraves (Castletown) to Quirk 10-21, whilst Brian Kelly ended the hopes of home greener Mark Kelly with a 21-17 win to take his place in the final.

Falling at the quarter final stage were Stevie Kelly (Peel) to Hargraves, Neil Withers (Marown) lost to Quirk, Reg Temporaza (Noble’s) lost to Brian Kelly, whilst Harry Barton (Marown) lost to Mark Kelly.

The presentation was made by Mike Alexander with thanks given to everyone who had helped throughout the day and to the ladies for putting on refreshments. Ken Williamson’s niece Diane Crossley was then introduced to present the prizes.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Dyson Cleans Up

Lynsey Gorman & Jack Dyson June 2019 Festival Winners

Photo: Arnie Withers

The top prizes in the Isle of Man June Bowls Festival went to two visitors with Jack Dyson (Thongsbridge) winning the men’s event, whilst Lynsey Gorman (Wirral) won the ladies event.

Popular Yorkshire man Dyson known throughout the bowling community as ‘Hoover’ – no explanation required, picked up his first June Festival win and the winners cheque for £3,000. Dyson had to overcome the challenge of Andy Spragg in a thrilling final on a tricky green. Dyson was quickest out of the blocks taking a 12-5 lead, then 14-9 and 16-11 to keep his opponent at arm’s length. Spragg responded with a double to sit just three points behind at 13-16, only for a determined Dyson to take two singles and a double to sit just one point away from glory. Spragg counted one next end and headed towards the corner, Spragg’s first bowl was about 18 inches off the jack, with Dyson putting his first bowl approximately 12 inches away to count one for game. Spragg made sure he reached with his second bowl, just tipping Dyson’s bowl, however it wasn’t enough to save game with Dyson taking a 21-14 victory. Dyson’s joy was clear for all to see with his second bowl still in his hand he threw it up in celebration. Spragg had the blow softened in receiving a cheque for £1,000.

Dyson reached the final courtesy of a quick fire 21-7 win over Wayne Jevons (Wirral), whilst Spragg booked his place in the final with a hard fought 21-18 victory over Andy Limbert (Brighouse).

In the quarter finals Dyson ended the challenge of Chris Bly (Hopwood) with a 21-13 win, whilst Jevons won 21-8 against David Halstead (Kirkham). The closest game of the quarter finals was between Mark Rose (Royal Oak BC) and Spragg, with Spragg having to dig deep to get over the line 21-20. Limbert ended the run of Robert Hopper (Brighouse) with a 21-16 win.

Receiving the George Craine Trophy for the furthest local player was Stevie Kelly (Peel) who lost out agonisingly 20-21 in the last 16 to Wayne Jevons to just miss out on finals day.

In the ladies main competition Lynsey Gorman (Wirral) won her first June title receiving a cheque for £1,000 to take a deserved 21-7 win over Sarah Fox (Woodlands Park). Fox received £600 as runner up.

In the semi-finals Gorman ended the run of Bev Beeley (Houldsworth WMC) with a 21-13 victory, whilst Fox ended the hopes of two time June winner Alexis Lunn-Gadd (Ossett Flying Horse) with a 21-19 win in an entertaining game.

Furthest local player reaching the quarter finals was South Ramsey’s Kim Hargraves who received the Visit IOM.com trophy to claim bragging rights in the Hargraves household. Hargraves would have been delighted with her weeks work and can now take confidence in her own ability going forward, however her challenge was ended by Fox who won 21-8. Lunn-Gadd ended the hopes of Rachel Quirk (Crossgates) with a hard fought 21-19 win, whilst Bev Beeley booked her place in the semi-finals with a 21-20 win over Caroline Bushell (Co-op) with Gorman taking a comfortable 21-14 win over Wendy Allen (Castle Private).

The Men’s Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 1 with Mark Hughes (Crossgates) taking the Tourism title defeating Chris Mordue (Pudsey) with a convincing 21-13 victory.

Losing semi-finalists were Martin Gilpin 15-21 (Kendal Vic) to Hughes, whilst Chris Ellis (Brighouse) just lost out 20-21 to Mordue.

The Ladies Tourism was also played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 2 green with another entertaining final it was Rebecca Teare (Noble’s) who held her nerve to take a deserved 21-18 victory over Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) to pick up her first win in the Tourism event.

Teare earned her place in the final following a fairly comfortable 21-15 semi-final win over Lynsey Gorman (Wirral) with Gorman bouncing back in style the following day going on to win the main event. In the other semi-final Moore recorded a 21-16 win over Janet Monk (Mooragh Park) to book her place in the final.

The Men’s consolation was won by Peter Jones (Wirral) who beat Craig Gant (Thongsbridge) 21-12. The Ladies consolation was won by Lorraine Hirst (New Mill) defeating Julie Green 21-13.

The Visit.Com Flyer title went to Gerald Merry who wasted no time with his 9-0 win over Craig Ramell (Rishton), whilst the Last Chance Mixed Final was won by Jack Bushell (Knutsford) who beat Katie Morgan 21-11.

The men’s Open doubles was won in style by Larry Wells (St Oswalds) & David Penketh (St Oswalds) who beat the top pairing of Martin Gilpin (Kendal Vic) and Ian Nicholson (Kendal Vic) with a convincing 11-2 victory in the final.

The men’s pairs was won by Richard Hodgson (Pudsey) & Craig Shore (Burbage) beating Michael Andrews (Wirral) & Michael Upton (Myrtle Park) 11-9 in a close final.

The ladies pairs final was won 11-6 by Debi Davis (Brighouse) & Pam Nixon (Poynton Sports) who beat Sarah Fox (Woodlands Park) and Eileen Pye (Acregate).

The Mixed pairs ended in defeat for Sarah Fox (Woodlands Park) & partner John Colebourne (Eastwood Park) losing out 4-9 to Eileen Pye (Acregate) and Joseph Cranston (Crossgates) in the final.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Callum Cashes In At PokerStars Super 32

PokerStars Super 32 2019 Winner - Callum Wraight with Event Organiser Glynn Hargraves

Photo: Arnie Withers

The PokerStars IOM Invitation took place on Friday evening with the event being hosted by South Ramsey Bowling Club at Noble’s Park immediately after the conclusion of the IOM bowls festival. The change in venue allowed the field to increase from last years format of 16 to go back up to 32.

It was a strong field taking part with every player in the field having played county bowls. The format was 21 up with 3 on the card.

There was plenty of local interest in the first round, however Peel favourite Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly was beaten 15-21 by Andy Sorsby (South Yorkshire), Jordan Cain (Onchan) lost 14-21 to Kev Shaw (North Lancs & Fylde), whilst Marown captain Paul Dunn lost 13-21 to Craig Gant (Yorkshire).

Faring better were South Ramsey’s David Bradford who won 21-13 against Dave Jackson (North Lancs & Fylde), Neil Withers made light work of Ian Nicholson (North Lancs & Fylde) with a 21-12 win, whilst Marown stalwart Colin Kelly seen off Richie Goddard (Shropshire) with a 21-10 win.

There were several close games in the first round with James Wilcox (Yorkshire) seeing off South Yorkshire rival Nick White 21-20, whilst another South Yorkshire man Paul Bailey got over the line 21-19 against Martin Gilpin (North Lancs & Fylde) after Gilpin recovered from a 12-19 deficit to level the game at 19-19, only for Bailey to take two singles to progress to the next round. Chris Barton (Merseyside) also lost out 19-21 to Jon Palmer (Shropshire), whilst another Merseyside man Danny Barwise lost 20-21 to 2018 British Merit Winner Chris Mordue (Yorkshire). Melvyn Byron (North Lancs & Fylde) recovered from a 14-19 deficit to win 21-20 against Nidge Hughes (Merseyside), whilst newly crowned June festival winner Jack Dyson (Yorkshire) held off Merseyside man Peter Jones 21-18.

In the second round Gareth Herbert (Warwick & Worcs) won a close game 21-18 against Sorsby to take his place in the quarter finals, whilst Bradford lost out 18-21 to Dan Jones (Wales) after recovering from a 10-16 deficit to go 18-16 ahead with eight singles before Jones got back in to finish the game. Paul Bailey came back from 11-19 to run out with a 21-19 victory over Jon Palmer. In an all Yorkshire clash Gant lost out 19-21 to Chris Mordue, whilst Byron lost 18-21 to Dyson.

At the quarter final stage it was all visiting bowlers who had progressed, in the top half of the draw Herbert lost 19-21 to Dan Jones, whilst Wilcox lost out for a second year running to Callum Wraight (Shropshire) 17-21. In the bottom half of the draw Paul Bailey ran out from 11-11 against Mordue to win 21-11 to take his place in the semi-finals, whilst Dyson won 21-13 against John Bailey (Wales).

Both semi-finals could not have been any close with Wraight taking a 11-3 lead against Jones, only for Jones to level the score at 13-13. Jones then scored better than Wraight over the next nine ends to lead 20-18, only for Wraight to hit back to see the game out 21-20 to book his place in the final. In the second semi-final Dyson took a 13-8 lead, with Paul Bailey recovering to level the score at 14-14. Dyson then went 20-15 ahead, however Bailey managed to find a bit more in the tank to run out with a 21-20 win.

In the final there was plenty of striking and dead ends with Wraight and Bailey up against each other. It was Wraight who was quickest out of the blocks taking a 13-3 lead against Bailey, then led 16-7 and 19-10 under the fading light the floodlights had to be put on. Bailey then took three singles before Wraight retained the trophy and in doing so secured the £1,000 first prize with a double to win 21-13. Bailey will no doubt have been cheered up with his cheque for £500, with the losing semi finalists each receiving £250, and the losing quarter finalists taking home £125. Those who lost out in the second round took home £75 each.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by event organiser Glynn Hargraves, who thanked the sponsors PokerStars for their continued support, Noble’s Bowling club, the Department for Enterprise and Douglas Corporation, all the players for what made for an entertaining evening of bowls, the spectators for turning up to support along with anyone who had helped in the running of the event.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Dunn Wins Ballacashtal Cup

Ballacashtal Cup Winner 2019

Photo: Arnie Withers

The Ballacashtal Cup was held on Sunday which attracted an entry of 61, made up of local and visiting bowlers. The Castletown green was in excellent condition with the players in the early rounds producing some exciting bowling with great atmosphere and plenty of banter.

At the quarter finals seven of the eight players were local men, and again some excellent bowling, which entertained the spectators. Losing out were Port St Mary’s Paul Skelly to Paul Dunn (Marown) 13-21, with Glenn Boland (Noble’s) losing to the same score against Neil Withers (Marown). Also losing out in a close game was James Teare (South Ramsey) to another Marown man Manx Champion Colin Kelly 19-21, whilst the furthest visitor was Paul Bailey (Meersbrook) who also lost 19-21 to Peel favourite Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly.

The semi-finals produced some phenomenal bowling and the games could have gone either way, such was the standard with Dunn booking his place in the final with a 21-18 win, whilst Barney had to work hard to edge over the line 21-20 against Colin Kelly.

Both players were making their first appearance in the final of this competition, with Kelly starting as favourite having won a number of the games top prizes over the years, whilst Dunn who won his first open competition last season is the man in form.

The final started with Kelly taking a 10-7 lead, only for Dunn to respond by winning the next seven ends to take the lead 16-10. Barney kept chipping away to reduce the deficit, however it wasn’t enough with Dunn picking up five more singles to take a 21-17 victory to win the famous trophy to top off what he been a great weekend for local bowlers and send an ominous warning to the visiting bowlers who will be hoping to win the June Festival this week.

Many thanks go to sponsors Friends Provident International for their continued support of the competition. The presentation was made by Adam Drewett on behalf of the sponsors. Thanks were given to the greenkeeper and all who helped run the competition.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves