Author Archives: Glynn Hargraves

Top Teams Clash – Marown Extend Lead

It was another good week for Marown A in Ellan Vannin Fuels division one with the Crosby men making the short journey to take on Onchan A at the Park. The visitors put in a good performance to take a 3-7 away win, will perhaps have been a little disappointed to not come away with a 9-1 win. The match was closer than the result suggested with only 13 chalks separating the two teams (143-156)

Manx Champion Colin Kelly continued his good form to see off Rob Monk 21-13, whilst Paul Kelly won 21-17 against Jordan Cain with Cain recovering from a 12-18 deficit before Kelly got over the line. Marown captain Paul Dunn recovered from a slow start falling behind 1-6 before going on a good run to lead 13-6 against Kevin Quirk. Quirk got back to just one behind at 15-16, only for Dunn to run out with a 21-15 win. Frank Watson was the only winner for the home team in the first half to get home 21-20 against Dean Kipling. Watson recovered from a 2-10 deficit to go 17-15 ahead, then fell behind again at 19-20 to then pick up two vital points on the last two ends.

With the Onchan men trailing the match at the half way point things looked bleak with captain Peter Slinger missing, Mark Kelly stepped in on the night and performed brilliantly to see off Neil Withers with a 21-17 win, which was secured by leading a front toucher on the jack from corner to corner on the last end to record a memorable win. Also winning for the home team was Phil Kerruish fresh from his weekend exertions to see his beloved Manchester City lift the F.A. Cup, seeing off Matthew Keggen 21-14. Phil Kelly would have been pleased to win 21-16 against Matthew Quirk, with Quirk only winning nine ends throughout the game, but seven of those ends picking up a double. John Gelling got over the line 21-19 against Steve Parker, with Parker fighting back from 13-20 behind to 19-20 only for Gelling to get the all-important single for game.

This result sees the Marown men sit four points clear after eight games, having now faced the top four away from home, this puts them in a superb position.

Second placed South Ramsey A headed to the Sunset city to take on Peel A for what looked to be a fascinating encounter. The teams shared the spoils on the night with a 5-5 result, with Peel winning 5-3 on games, however South Ramsey took the aggregate by just six chalks (138-144).

For the visitors Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly put in arguably the best performance of anyone on the night with his 21-7 win over Gary Smith. Hitting back for Peel were Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who beat James Teare 21-17, with Teare battling well against an experienced opponent after falling 9-14 behind. Tommy McMeiken led 9-1 to win 21-15 against Chas Grills, whilst Stevie Kelly led 14-4 against Stefan Kelly only for Stefan to pick up three successive doubles to drag himself back into the game at 10-14. Stevie pulled away once again to go 19-13 ahead, with Stefan hitting back once again to be just three points behind at 16-19 and with a good lead up Stevie was slightly fortunate to knock Stefan’s bowl out with his first bowl. Stevie got over the line 21-16.

At the halfway stage Peel led 3-1 on games and only had a one chalk advantage on the aggregate. South Ramsey would have fancied their chances to turn the match around. Alan Moore started the comeback seeing off David Proctor 21-10, whilst visiting captain Glynn Hargraves had to work hard for his 21-16 win against Tom Kelly with neither player able to build a lead over the other. The comeback was stopped in its tracks with Jerome Surridge defeating Peter Collister 21-13. The last match left on the green between David Bradford and Andy Kennish had all eyes on them with Bradford recovering from a 3-10 deficit to build a 20-15 lead and was lying game only for Kennish to play a good last bowl to get in. Kennish dug deep using all his experience to fight back and sneak over the line with a vital 21-20 win to ensure the match ended in a draw.

In the remaining matches North Ramsey A defeated local rivals South Ramsey B 8-2, with Douglas A & Port St Mary A matching that result with away wins over Castletown B & Marown B respectively, whilst Castletown A won 3-7 away to Noble’s A.

North Ramsey A hosted local rivals South Ramsey B at Mooragh Park with the home team winning 8-2. Winning to single figures for the home team were Geoff Porter and Tony Smart beating George Brew and Ian Moore respectively. The two winners for the visitors were Steven Waters who beat Steven Walmsley 21-17, whilst the ever reliable Tony Dugdale made it seven wins from eight games with his 21-15 win over Bryan Corner.

Marown B had a tough night at home to Port St Mary A with the Crosby men losing 2-8 with four games just losing out. Father and son Peter and John Kelly lost out 18-21 and 19-21 to Wayne Roberts and Bernard Thackrah respectively, whilst Juan Killip lost 20-21 to Dan McCabe with Harry Barton also suffering the same fate losing out to Trevor Quayle. The two winners for Marown were another father and son duo with Brian Kelly winning 21-14 against Rob Cooil, with son James winning 21-18 against Tim Williams.

Castletown B welcomed Douglas A to the Crofts with the visitors taking the spoils with an 2-8 away win. Winning for the home team were Ron Williams winning 21-4 over Gary Conwell, whilst Bob Clark continued his strong return to night league bowls with a hard fought 21-17 win over Merv Sayle. For the visitors Stuart Garrett made it seven wins from eight with his 21-11 win over Mark Saunders, whilst Shaun Seal just got over the line with a 21-20 victory over Nathan Cooil.

Noble’s A would have been hoping for a home win over Castletown A, however the town men came away with a 3-7 away win. Winning for the visitors were Juan Kermode, Aaron Richardson and Ian Watson with Nathan Hamilton and Sam Clague digging deep to both win 21-19 over Steve Cook and Steve Hall respectively. The three home team winners were Reginald Temporaza, Glenn Boland and Tommy Collister.

In division two Ballaugh A hit a bump in the road in their quest for promotion with a 3-7 home loss to Peel Sunset B, which could have been worse had Michael Kavanagh not lost 20-21 to Barry McDonald.

The result allowed Port St Mary B the opportunity to close the gap to eight points, thanks to a good 9-1 home win over Peel C with Jimmy Corlett just saving the whitewash with his 21-20 victory over Thomas Keggen.

Marown C pulled off a great 7-3 home win over Finch Hill A and look to have no worries over staying at this level having been promoted from division three last season. With another couple of years experience under their belt l can see the Crosby men pushing for promotion to the first division which would be a remarkable feat with having so many players who are all new to the game coming through together.

Port Erin A were the only away winners in division two with a 3-7 away win over Douglas A at the Villa. North Ramsey B hosted Ballaugh B at Mooragh Park with the home team winning 7-3, whilst Port St Mary C probably shocked themselves with their 7-3 win over a strong Onchan B team. William Cain picked up his first league win in only his sixth ever game with a 21-18 victory over Peter Wallis, whilst his father Derek Cain who himself only started league bowls last year wasn’t to be out done winning 21-11 over Bernard Galka.

In division three league leaders South Ramsey C took their turn to sit out a round of fixtures giving the teams below them the chance to close the gap.

Second place Ballaugh C could only struggle to a 5-5 home draw with Castletown C with the home team winning only three games, but picking up the two points for the aggregate (132-123) thanks to their three winners all recording single figure wins.

Peel D were the only home winners in division three winning 6-4 at home against Douglas C with junior Ryan Tate winning 21-12 over Michael Knowles.

Onchan C went home happy with their 3-7 away win over South Ramsey D, whilst Noble’s B visit to Breagle Glen resulted in a 3-7 win over Port Erin B. Finch Hill B gained the most on the teams around them with their 2-8 away win over Noble’s C.


Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Capital International Cup Win For Moore & Hargraves

Capital International Cup Winners 2019 - Glynn Hargraves & Elaine Moore

Photo: Kim Hargraves

Port Erin was the venue on Sunday for the Capital International Cup with 32 pairs entering the competition at Breagle Glen.

The winners after a close final in an all South Ramsey affair were the pairing of Elaine Moore & Glynn Hargraves who defeated Jenny Moore & James Teare 21-18. The latter pair started the strongest taking a 10-6 lead before Moore & Hargraves turned the game round to take a 17-11 lead, then went to 19-15. Moore & Teare picked up a two and a single on the next two ends to bring the score back to 18-19. Moore & Hargraves played two good bowls on the last end to take the win.

Losing out at the semi-final stage to the winners were another South Ramsey pairing, Fiona Kennish & Steven Waters who clawed back from trailing 11-19 to eventually lose 16-21. Also losing out at the semi-final stage to Moore & Teare were the Noble’s/Marown partnership of Alison Keggen & Neil Withers (21-12).

The presentation was made by Janet Shilling who ran the competition, thanked the sponsors Capital International for their continued support and the club members for their assistance throughout the day.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

All Change At The Top

Douglas A who took Four Points off Onchan A

Photo: Phil Cain

There was movement at the top of Ellan Vannin Fuels division one this week with Marown A reclaiming top spot, South Ramsey A climbed one place to second whilst Onchan A fell from first to third place.

Marown A hosted South Ramsey B at Crosby, with the home team winning 9-1. Home team captain Paul Dunn, newly crowned Manx Champion Colin Kelly and Matthew Keggen all won to single figures whilst both sides had a 21-20 winner and loser. Dean Kipling just got home against George Brew, whilst for the visitors Tony Dugdale prevented the whitewash with his 21-20 win over Paul Kelly.

To return the compliment South Ramsey A hosted Marown B on an improved green, with the home team enjoying a 10-0 win and the visitors just failing to score 100 chalks (168-99). Chas Grills was pleased to take the kitty home with his 21-5 win, whilst Alan Moore won 21-8. Two of the visitors came closing to taking points off the Ramsey men with Peter Kelly and Luke Hyland both losing out 18-21 to Peter Collister and James Teare respectively.

Onchan A lost ground on their rivals following a tough away fixture against Douglas A with the visitors winning 4-6. There were first league defeats of the season for Matthew Quirk and Rob Monk, whilst Kevin Quirk and Frank Watson also suffered at the hands of the Villa men. Steve Parker recorded the biggest win of the night against William Crowley who was brought up from the B team, with this win making the difference towards the aggregate with the Onchan men winning by just six chalks (137-143). Also winning for the visitors were Peter Slinger & Jordan Cain, whilst Phil Kerruish just crept home with a vital 21-20 win.

North Ramsey A pulled off the shock of the week with a 6-4 home win over Peel A in another close game, taking the two points for aggregate by just six chalks (141-135). Winning for the home team were John Cannan, Allan Callow, Geoff Porter and Bryan Corner. For the visitors Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly got over the line 21-19 against Gary Merrill, Andy Kennish and Tommy McMeiken carried on their good form, whilst Stevie Kelly won 21-9 against Steve Walmsley.

Castletown B didn’t have their cause helped for their home fixture against Noble’s A with the town men having to sacrifice two players to their A team resulting in a 3-7 home loss (133-140). With Bob Clark having to step up into the A team and in good form this could have been a different result for the home team. Home winners were the experienced trio of Dave Faragher, Juan Kermode and George Foy with all three being part of the team that won back to back league titles for Castletown in 1995 and 1996. Winners for Noble’s were Glenn Boland, Steve Hall, Kevin Firth, Tommy Collister and David Pease with Pease winning 21-3 on the night.

Port St Mary A hosted Castletown A with the home team recording a 7-3 win to help pull away from the teams in the bottom half of the table. Dan McCabe led the way for the Port men with a 21-8 win over George Peach, with fairly comfortable wins from Trevor Quayle, Tim Williams and Dave McCabe. Wayne Roberts had to work hard for his 21-20 win over Derek Lewney. Winning for the visitors were captain Ian Watson, Peter Oates and Bob Clark.

In division two Ballaugh A sit eight points ahead of their rivals despite only winning 6-4 away to Peel C. Finch Hill A in second place had a hard fought 7-3 home win over Port St Mary B with both sides winning and losing two games 21-20 each. Onchan B had the biggest win in the division with their 8-2 home win over Port Erin A, whilst Marown C were delighted with their 7-3 home win over Douglas C.

Ballaugh B had a tough home game against Port St Mary C, however the home team won 6-4 taking the aggregate by seven chalks (141-134), whilst Peel B took a good 3-7 away win against North Ramsey B to show their A Team how it is done.

In division three South Ramsey C extended their lead to a huge 20 points without sending a bowl due to Castletown C being in the unfortunate position of being unable to field a team led to a 10-0 win being awarded to the home team. Second placed Ballaugh C lost more ground on the Ramsey men after suffering a 3-7 away defeat to Noble’s B. Port Erin B somehow managed to win 6-4 at Breagle Glen against Noble’s C despite being two players short thanks to their four winners all winning to 21-4 or less to pull off a great result.

Peel D hosted South Ramsey D with the home team recording a 7-3 home win over the visitors with the leagues two youngest players facing off against each other with Ryan Tate playing Ryan Hargraves, with the latter celebrating his 11th birthday. It was a happy birthday indeed with Hargraves picking up his first league win of the season.

Full reports for division two and three to follow…

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Colin Kelly Wins Title Number 6

Manx Champion 2019 - Colin Kelly

Photo: Arnie Withers

There was a strong entry of 67 in this years Canada Life International sponsored Manx Championship held at Douglas Bowling Club on ‘the Villa’ on Saturday with the green being in superb condition for the Associations premier event with the first day seeing the competition being played down to the last 16.

In the last 16 Darren Kerruish took on Marown club mate Paul Kelly to get the action underway on Sunday in front of a good turnout for finals day with Kelly taking a 19-13 lead. Kerruish dug in to get the score level at 19-19 and was lying game only for Kelly to play a great bowl to save game and then finish the game off on the next end.

Jordan Cain (Onchan) was the underdog against the favourite South Ramsey’s David Bradford, however Cain put in a superb performance to end Bradford’s hope of a second title winning 21-12.

Neil Withers (Marown) took on Peel man Andy Kennish and managed to get over the line 21-17, whilst the Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly v Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly battle lived up to expectations with Dido leading 18-15, however Barney hit back to win 21-18 to book his spot in the quarter finals.

Alan Moore (South Ramsey) performed well to see off Phil Kerruish (Onchan) with a 21-15 victory, whilst Port St Mary’s Wayne Roberts made light work of Matthew Keggen (Marown) to win 21-13.

Another Port St Mary man Paul Skelly had his hopes ended for another year at the hands of John Kennish (South Ramsey) with the game being in the balance at the half way point, before Kennish pulled away to see the game out 21-14. Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) never got into the game against Marown’s Colin Kelly with Kelly easing to a 21-9 victory.

In the quarter finals Jordan Cain took on Paul Kelly, with Cain taking the win 21-15, whilst Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly made light work of Neil Withers to win 21-5 in the corners.

In the bottom half of the draw Alan Moore was firmly in control of his game at 16-10 up, however Wayne Roberts then scored 11 consecutive points to run out with a 21-16 win to reach his first semi-final. In the last match of the quarter finals 11 time winner John Kennish took on five time champion Colin Kelly, this was another game that looked like it would go right to the wire with the score tied at 9-9 after 13 ends, Kelly then took control to go 16-10 ahead and then 19-13 before seeing the game out winning 21-14.

In the semi-finals Colin Kelly wasted no time in reaching the final ending the fantastic run of Wayne Roberts with a 21-5 win, whilst Jordan Cain and Barney Kelly were tied 13-13 after 19 ends. From there Cain only allowed Kelly to score just two more points allowing Cain to go through to his first Manx Championship final with a 21-15 win.

The final was eagerly anticipated with both players predictably playing their preferred length early on. With the score tied at 5-5 after nine ends Kelly then went on a good run to take a 14-6 lead. When Cain did get in he did try something different to try to reduce the deficit, however Kelly immediately responded to this with a quick fire two to fully punish Cain. Kelly sealed his sixth Manx Championship title with a single on the last end to take a 21-11 win.

Kelly’s win was fully deserved beating two former champions on the day, playing well throughout as did Cain who had to beat Ian Moore, Kevin Quirk, David Bradford, Paul Kelly and Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly to reach his first final.

The presentation was made by Association Chairman Neil Withers and President John Keenan. Thanks must go to the competition secretary Matthew Keggen and his team for running the competition, Douglas Bowling Club for the condition of the green, the excellent catering and to the club members who were on hand to help throughout the weekend.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Manx Championship – Day 1

Action from Day One at the Villa - Ryan Hargraves proud of his touching bowl!

Photos: Neil Withers/Darren Kerruish

Douglas Bowling Club hosted the first day of the eagerly awaited Canada Life International Manx Championship with the first round seeing some interesting draws take place. 

Paul Kelly won all three games convincingly to book his place in finals day, with his last game resulting in a 21-8 win over Peter Collister, whilst Marown C player Darren Kerruish came through two games to book his spot.

Two time winner Kevin Quirk disposed of 2015 runner up Trevor Quayle with relative ease to win 21–10, before facing team mate Jordan Cain in the next round with Cain taking a 16-5 lead, before Quirk worked his way back into the game eventually losing out 17-21.

Paul Dunn and David Bradford both came through their first games with single figures wins to then play each other in the next round in a game which was fascinating to watch for the spectators. Bradford recovered from 11-15 behind to creep over the line 21-19 with both players undoubtedly respecting the ability of their opponent.

Three time winner Andy Kennish beat 1994 winner Phil Kelly in his first game, before facing home greener Mervin Sayle in the next round, with Sayle losing out 18-21 for Kennish to take his spot in the last 16. 

2009 winner Neil Withers will be hoping to be in better form on Sunday, following a hard fought 21-20 win over Frank Watson & a 21-14 victory over Edward Carlyle.

David ‘Dido’ Kelly had to work hard to beat Marown’s Brian Kelly 21-17, then won his next game 21-10 against Peel’s Tom Kelly to go through to Sunday.

Things were a lot more straightforward for Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly with his dream still alive for a first Championship win, whilst 1986 winner Phil Kerruish also made it through.

South Ramsey’s Alan Moore got through his second game against Peter Slinger 21-19, with Slinger having disposed of the in form Tommy McMeiken in the first round.

Matthew Keggen & Wayne Roberts came through their two games, with Roberts playing the corners well to beat Steve Parker at his own game 21-6.

Paul Skelly made it through two games which looked to be tough, however he brushed aside Rob Monk 21-9, then took Stevie Kelly apart 21-4 to fire out an ominous warning to his opponents.

Eleven time winner and current champion John Kennish had 9 chalks scored against him in his two games, whilst Glynn Hargraves beat Nathan Hamilton 21-14 before seeing off Dean Kipling 21-7.

Colin Kelly came through his first game with no trouble, then faced home greener Shaun Seal who himself had come through a tough first round game to beat the youngest player in the competition, 10 year old Ryan Hargraves who had recovered from a big deficit to then take a good lead before losing out 17-21. Young Hargraves is certainly one to watch out for in the future. Seal played well against Kelly before losing out 17-21.

Last 16 Line Up

Paul Kelly vs Darren Kerruish

Jordan Cain vs David Bradford

Andy Kennish vs Neil Withers

David ‘Dido’ Kelly vs Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly

Phil Kerruish vs Alan Moore

Matthew Keggen vs Wayne Roberts

Paul Skelly vs John Kennish

Glynn Hargraves vs Colin Kelly

Sunday sees some interesting ties with Paul Kelly taking on club mate and C Team player Darren Kerruish.

Cain & Bradford is likely to be a good watch, whilst former home greener Andy Kennish takes on Neil Withers. 

There may be chants of ‘there’s only one David Kelly’ after Dido takes on Barney to decide who goes through to the quarters.

In the bottom half of the draw Phil Kerruish will look to use all his experience to progress against Alan Moore, who can play as well as anyone on his day.

Matthew Keggen against Wayne Roberts could be a close affair, whilst all eyes will be on Paul Skelly and John Kennish, with Skelly having beaten Kennish in years gone by in the Manx Championship he will be looking for a repeat performance this year.

Glynn Hargraves takes on Colin Kelly, with Hargraves ending the challenge of Kelly at this same stage in 2015, Kelly will be hoping to take the trophy home for the first time since 2011.

At the last 16 stage we have seven previous winners still in the competition with 24 wins between them, could this be the year a new name is engraved on the famous trophy?

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Canada Life International – Manx Championship Preview

Pictured: David Bradford (2015 winner), John Kennish current holder and 11 time winner - Phil Kerruish (2015 President) and Trevor Quayle 2015 runner up

Photos: Bod Boland/Arnie Withers

With Douglas Bowling Club having stepped in to host the Canada Life International sponsored Manx Championship at the Villa this weekend on a fantastic surface it brings the event back to the same green that David Bradford won his first Manx Championship on in 2015. Bradford must surely start as the favourite on this green, having won a number of open competitions on the Villa over the past five years.

Beaten finalist in 2015 Trevor Quayle will be hoping to go one step further this time to win his first title, as will team mate Paul Skelly who has previously reached the semi-finals. 

Last year’s winner and 11 time champion John Kennish has played very little bowls so far this season, however it would take a brave man to bet against Kennish picking up title number 12. 

Marown have four previous winners with Colin Kelly’s five wins, the last of which was in 2011 against team mate Neil Withers, who himself won his only championship on his own green in an epic final in 2009. Dean Kipling’s win was way back in 1992 on Port Erin, whilst Phil Kelly won his title on Noble’s 1 in 1994.

Peel have just one previous winner with Andy Kennish, who won the last of his three titles in 1999, whilst Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly will have competition from son Stevie to get his name on the trophy for the first time.

Onchan have two previous winners in their ranks with Kevin Quirk having won twice in 2005 at Ronairco & 2008 on Noble’s 1, whilst Phil Kerruish won it on Castletown in 1986. Both of these players have vast experience & were in good form last weekend to each pick up individual open wins. As well as their experienced players Onchan have a group of young players who themselves now have a wealth of experience with Matthew Quirk who recently got a huge breakthrough to win his first singles open, whilst Jordan Cain and Rob Monk will also be keen to lift the trophy on Sunday.

Apart from Bradford & Kennish South Ramsey have Glynn Hargraves who will be hoping to take the trophy home to add to his two back to back wins on Finch Hill & Castletown in 2012 & 2013, with Hargraves having narrowly lost out to Trevor Quayle in the semi-finals in 2015. Dido Kelly could do well on this green with there being plenty of trickery to work with.

Best of luck to all bowlers this weekend, who knows there might just be a new name on the trophy…

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Marown Edge Peel in Thriller – Onchan Go Top

Peel Sunset - 2017

Photo: Gary Weightman

Peel A hosted Marown A in the sunset city in Ellan Vannin Fuels division one with the match turning out to be a thriller. Last season the Crosby men suffered an 2-8 loss in this fixture.

Peel made a good start in the match to go 3-1 up at the half way point with a 21 chalk lead. Tom Kelly was up against his Dad Colin Kelly for the first time in a league fixture and probably won’t be welcome round for a Sunday roast dinner anytime soon after pulling off a stunning 21-13 win. Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly won 21-9 against Dean Kipling, whilst Jerome Surridge got home with a 21-18 victory over Phil Kelly. Picking up a valuable win for Marown was Paul Kelly who did enough to win 21-19 against Gary Smith.

Andy Kennish was Peel’s only winner in the second half of the match edging out Matthew Keggen, with Kennish having trailed 13-17 he had to dig deep to take a 21-19 win. Marown’s fight back started with Neil Withers winning 21-10 against David Proctor, whilst Paul Dunn left the match finely poised at 4-3 (124-122) to Peel with his 21-11 victory to inflict a first league defeat on Tommy McMeiken. Home captain Stevie Kelly was 15-4 and 17-7 up on John Gelling and looked on course to seal a 7-3 win, however Gelling had other ideas rolling back the years to score 14 consecutive points to pull off a stunning comeback and in doing so the Crosby men went home delighted with their 4-6 win by just two chalks (141-143).

Peel can take heart from having pushed Marown so hard, however it is hard to argue with Marown being the team to beat this season having played three fixtures in which they picked up just 10 points from last season (South Ramsey A, Marown B and Peel A) yet this season they have picked up 22 points from the same fixtures.

Onchan A have crept along quietly this season and find themselves top on 48 points after seeing off Castletown B with a 9-1 home win. Rob Monk sits in first place in the merit table closely followed by team mate Matthew Quirk. Jordan Cain inflicted a first league defeat of the season on former doubles partner Bob Clark, whilst the sole winner for Town was George Foy who beat Mark Kelly 21-8. Onchan’s next five games see them face tough tests with away games against Douglas, North Ramsey and Port St Mary, whilst hosting close rivals Marown A and South Ramsey A to reach the half way point of the season.

Castletown A hosted South Ramsey A with the same fixture in 2018 resulting in a 10-0 win for the visitors. This time round the Town men took three games off the visitors with Sam Clague keeping his composure to record an assured 21-11 win over Stefan Kelly. Jordan Drewett dug in for his team to claw his way back from 11-19 down against Peter Collister to run out with a 21-19 win, whilst David Quayle recovered from 15-20 down to beat Alan Moore 21-20. For the visitors David Bradford beat Peter Oates 21-7, with James Teare not far behind defeating George Peach 21-9. South Ramsey sit in third place on 44 points, with tough away games against Onchan A & Peel A still to come in the first half of the season, which will give them a better idea of where they will finish this season, however the title looks to be too far away on current form.

Port St Mary A got back to winning ways after three consecutive defeats with a 4-6 away win over Noble’s A who are now bottom of the table with 18 points after six games. For the Port men Wayne Roberts & Paul Skelly won to single figures, whilst Trevor Quayle was also back in business with a 21-13 victory over David Pease with Bernard Thackrah holding off Steve Cook to win 21-18. For the home team Glenn Boland, Kevin Firth and Tommy Collister won fairly comfortably, whilst Steve Hall marked his first match against his former club with a 21-20 victory over Dave McCabe.

South Ramsey B won’t be too unhappy with their 4-6 home defeat to Douglas A, with Tony Dugdale making it five wins from six games holding off Ian Moore to win 21-19, with Edward Carlyle also pushed hard by Keith Rise before getting over the line 21-18. Steven Waters made light work of Shaun Seal to win 21-8, whilst Christian Caley will have been pleased to see off Gary Conwell 21-15. Winners for the villa men were Mervin Sayle, Jimmy Sansom, Stuart Garrett and captain Andy Cannell who got home 21-19 against George Brew.

Marown B sit comfortably in mid table following an assured 7-3 home win over North Ramsey A. The three winners for the Mooragh men were Steve Walmsley, Gary Merrill and Bryan Corner. Home captain Harry Barton led the way for his team, backed up by Luke Hyland and the experienced trio of Arnie Withers, Peter Kelly and Juan Killip.

In division two league leaders Ballaugh A put some distance between their nearest placed rivals Finch Hill A with a fine 9-1 home win over the Finch men. Young Patrick Grant stepped up into the A team and recorded his first league win of the season with a 21-19 victory over Sefton Dent. Peter Hughes prevented the whitewash thanks to a 21-19 win over Barry McDonald.

Marown C headed south to take on Port St Mary B, putting up a good fight before losing 7-3, taking three games off a team who will be looking to challenge at the top of the league. Winners for the Crosby men were Walter McCarthy, Jamie Joughin and Darren Kerruish.

In division three South Ramsey C really have the bit between their teeth following their 10-0 demolition of Noble’s B to extend their lead over second placed Ballaugh C to 13 points. The Ballaugh outfit could only draw 5-5 at home thanks in part to Port Erin B being a player short.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Quirk is Mr Consistent

Kevin Quirk - Clague Kermeen Winner 2019

Photo: Glynn Hargraves

Onchan Bowling Club hosted the Clague Kermeen Trophy sponsored by Avant Amenity, with the competition being held for the first time for a number of years it attracted an entry of 37 on a superb playing surface.

The eventual winner was home greener Kevin Quirk who beat former team mate David Bradford 21-19 in a high quality final. Quirk was quickest out of the blocks taking the lead 8-4, before Bradford hit back to edge 10-9 ahead. Neither player was able to pull away from the other until Bradford took the lead at 19-16 with Quirk then scoring a great two, followed by a one to level things up at 19-19. Quirk again played a good lead and an even better second bowl only for Bradford to make contact with the jack with his last bowl, however it wasn’t enough to save game.

Quirk played superbly all day to pick up his fifth win in this competition, knocking out team mate Phil Kerruish in the semi-final and 11 time Manx Champion John Kennish in the quarter finals, with Kennish making his first appearance of the season.

In the other semi-final Bradford came through 21-14 against Reginald Temporaza (Noble’s).

Losing out in the quarter finals along with Kennish were Steve Parker (Onchan), Jimmy Sansom (Douglas) and Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly (South Ramsey).

The presentation was made by Mike Thomas who thanked Mike Atherton from Avant Amenity for sponsoring the competition, all the club members for supporting throughout the day & the ladies for providing the refreshments.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Kerruish Springs ‘Surprise’

Onchan’s Phil Kerruish - Henry Kissack Memorial Trophy Winner 2019

Photo: Arnie Withers

Marown Bowling Club hosted the Henry Kissack Memorial Trophy on Saturday attracting an entry of 42.

The eventual winner in a keenly contested final was Onchan’s Phil Kerruish who beat home greener Colin Kelly 21-17. Kelly would have been hot favourite on his own green, however Kerruish used all his experience to keep Kelly at bay by ‘splitting’ the green to keep Kelly out of the corners early in the game. Neither player was able to build a big lead on the other, however it was Kerruish who got ahead at 18-15 before gifting Kelly a two, only to hit back with a good two to lead 20-17. On the last end Kerruish played a good second bowl to count one, which Kelly couldn’t beat allowing Kerruish to pull off a great win.

Losing out to Kerruish in the semi-final was Edward Carlyle (South Ramsey) who was just edged out 19-21, with Carlyle having performed well to dispose of club mate David Bradford in the quarter finals. Colin Kelly’s semi-final was more comfortable winning 21-10 against Peel’s David Proctor, who put out home greener Neil Withers in the previous round 21-20. Withers fought back from 14-20 to level the scores at 20-20 and put up a good lead. Proctor held onto his nerve to play a good first bowl, which Withers was unable to beat for Proctor to book his place in the semi-finals.

The presentation was made by Neil Withers who thanked all the Marown members for assisting throughout the day & the ladies for providing the refreshments. When accepting the trophy Phil Kerruish expressed there was nobody more surprised than himself at winning the trophy!

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Marown A Extend Lead

Newly Promoted Noble’s A who Faced Onchan A

Photo: Phil Cain

In Ellan Vannin Fuels division one newly promoted Noble’s A made the short trip to take on Onchan A at the Park on Monday evening coming away with an 2-8 loss, with the visitors missing out on an extra point with Steve Cook just losing 20-21 to Frank Watson. The two winners for Noble’s were David Pease who beat Kevin Quirk 21-16, whilst Tommy Collister won 21-18. The home team had three single figures winners from Peter Slinger, Matthew Quirk & Jordan Cain.

Marown A faced their B Team in a game which cost them vital points in both fixtures last season. The A Team made no mistake this time winning 9-1, which allowed them to extend their lead over second placed Onchan A. The lone winner for the B Team was Captain Harry Barton who recorded a comfortable 21-14 win over Paul Kelly. Darren Kerruish came closest to grabbing another point before losing out 19-21 to A Team Captain Paul Dunn, with Arnie Withers losing 17-21 to Phil Kelly. For the A Team Colin Kelly showed no mercy winning 21-3 against Brian Kelly.

Peel A would have been pleased to come away from ‘The Villa’ with a 3-7 away win against Douglas A. The notable absentee for Peel was Andy Kennish, who missed out on a return to his former club. Winning for Peel were Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Tom Kelly, Gary Smith & Jerome Surridge, whilst Tommy McMeiken made it five wins from five games. For Douglas Stuart Garrett, Mervin Sayle & Keith Rise were the three winners.

North Ramsey A hosted Castletown A at Mooragh Park, with the home team taking the win 8-2. Home Captain Allan Callow recorded a 21-6 win over Sam Clague. For Castletown Ian Watson & Peter Oates were the two winners.

Castletown B recorded a good 7-3 over visitors South Ramsey B, to lift themselves into seventh place, four points clear of their opposition on the night and five points clear of their higher ranked A Team. Bob Clark’s return to Castletown is helping their cause with a 100% winning record, with team mate Aaron Richardson having won four of his first five games. Nathan Cooil just managed to get home 21-20 against Christian Caley, whilst Mark Saunders & Ron Williams also won. The three winners for the visitors were Tony Dugdale, Sid Bolton & 16 year old Austin Hart, with Hart looking more comfortable in his second season of first division bowls.

South Ramsey A hosted Port St Mary A with the current champions performing much better than the Rayner Shield fixture played three weeks ago to record a 9-1 win. Dan McCabe performed well winning 21-9 win over James Teare, who suffered his first league loss of the season. For the home team Stefan Kelly performed well in the corners to beat Dave McCabe 21-2, whilst Peter Collister won 21-8 against Tim Williams who may well have had other things on his mind with the imminent arrival of his daughter. Chas Grills recovered from 17-20 down to inflict a third straight league loss on 2018 merit winner Trevor Quayle, who has now lost as many games this season as he did over the previous two seasons.

In division two Ballaugh A continue to set the pace following their 10-0 away win over newly promoted Marown C, with Finch Hill A just one point behind having won 9-1 at home to North Ramsey B who had Barry Teare to thank for saving the whitewash with his 21-11 win over Bill Cairns.

Port St Mary B got back to winning ways following their heavy defeat in the last round of fixtures with a 7-3 home win over Douglas B. Things aren’t looking too good for an immediate return to division one for Port Erin A who suffered a 0-10 whitewash at the hands of Peel B in the sunset city, whilst the following evening Peel C hosted Port St Mary C to record a good 9-1 home win over Port St Mary C with Ken Karran the only winner for the visitors. Onchan B sit in third place following their 2-8 away win over Ballaugh B, who are currently bottom of the table.

In division three, South Ramsey C still have an eight point lead at the top despite dropping four games away from home in the tightest match of the week across all three leagues winning 4-6 on games and taking the aggregate by just four chalks (145-149). The visitors just missing out on an extra two points on the night with two 20-21 losses for Lee Dawson & David Corkill against Ed Benson & Ken Horsley respectively.

Ballaugh C sit in second place following their 8-2 home win over Noble’s C, with Nobles B slipping up having lost 4-6 at home to Onchan C. Castletown C won 8-2 at home to Peel D, with four of the home team winning to single figures, with Brian Lindsay returning the compliment for the visitors. South Ramsey D returned to winning ways with a 7-3 home win over Douglas C.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves