Author Archives: Glynn Hargraves

South Ramsey Happy Despite Suffering First Defeat

In Ellan Vannin Fuels division one South Ramsey A suffered their first defeat of the season away to Marown A, with the men from the north anything but disheartened by their 4-6 loss. Leading the way for Marown and first off the green was Dean Kipling winning 21-9 against Stefan Kelly, followed closely by captain Paul Dunn who put in an assured performance to see off Dido Kelly 21-13 with Kelly suffering his first league defeat of the season. South Ramsey hit back with Alan Moore digging in from 14-17 down to eventually win 21-19 against Neil Withers who loses very few games on his own green to show how good a win this was. David Bradford followed soon after with a 21-17 win against Phil Kelly in what was a close game throughout. At the half way point it was 2-2 on games with Marown holding a 14 chalk advantage (78-64). In the second half Marown took the lead again with Colin Kelly disposing of Chas Grills 21-4, with Paul Kelly winning comfortably 21-13 against Peter Collister. This put Marown 4-2 ahead with the chalks now 39 in their favour the aggregate was safe despite John Kennish performing well to win 21-4 against Peter Kelly. Last game off was visiting captain Glynn Hargraves who won 21-12 against Matthew Keggen to level the match on games at 4-4 with the two points for aggregate safely in the home teams pocket. The result pulled two points back on the league leaders with the Crosby men trailing by 14 points with five games left to play.

South Ramsey B continue to pick up the points, following a good 6-4 home win over third placed Peel A. Picking up the wins for the home team were Tony Dugdale and Christian Caley who both won to single figures against Tom Kelly and David Proctor, with James Teare beating Dave Smith 21-13, and George Brew stepping in to win 21-16 against Stevie Kelly. For Peel three of their four wins were close with Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly winning 21-18 against Ben Dugdale, Frank Watson beating Steven Waters 21-19 and Tommy McMeiken sneaking the win 21-20 against Sid Bolton. Gary Smith won comfortably 21-11 against Steve Moore, however the aggregate went to South Ramsey with their losing games scoring highly.

Onchan A missed the opportunity to make up further ground on Peel with their 7-3 away win to Douglas B with the home team securing three wins. Grahem Moore beat Adrian Skinner 21-18, with Andy Cannell winning to the same score against Jordan Cain and Mark Corrin winning 21-3 against Mark Kelly. For Onchan, Kevin Quirk hit back with a 21-5 win over Geoff Mayles, with the other four winners being fairly comfortable from Peter Slinger, Phil Kerruish, Rob Monk and Matthew Quirk.

Port Erin A suffered another home defeat with Castletown A coming away with an 8-2 win. Winning for the home team were captain Bernie Durcan with a good 21-12 win against Jeff Kinley, whilst Derek Cadamy just got over the line to beat the visiting captain Ian Watson 21-20. Winning for the visitors were Peter Oates who had a fine 21-12 win against Dave McCabe, George Peach, Dean Kinley and Mike Hargraves who all won to fairly comfortable scores, along with Jordan Drewett who beat Derek Allen 21-18 and Juan Kermode who beat Peter Addison 21-17. This result leaves Port Erin 10 points from safety with just five games to go and a tough looking away trip to take on South Ramsey B who are the team closest to them in the table.

North Ramsey A finished their run of 11 consecutive home games with a 9-1 win over Marown B in what is their final home fixture of the season. Sparing the blushes of the visitors was Marown captain Harry Barton who won 21-15 against Gary Merrill. For North Ramsey Allan Callow won 21-6 against Bobby Thorne, with Marown just missing out in three close games with John Cannan and Stephen Walmsley winning 21-19 against Brian Kelly and John Kelly, whilst Tony Smart got over the line 21-20 against Steve Bridson. The other three wins for North Ramsey were comfortable from Geoff Porter, Jimmy Moffatt and Steve Parker.

Douglas A travelled to Port St Mary A coming away with a 4-6 loss. Winning four games for the visitors were regular winners captain Andy Kennish, Stuart Garrett, Ian Moore and Mervin Sayle. Replying for the home team were Paul Skelly who sits fourth in his teams merit despite having played just nine games this season, along with Trevor Quayle, Rob Cooil and Wayne Roberts. The home team won the aggregate comfortably thanks to two big wins from Skelly and Quayle.

In division two second placed Castletown B hosted league leaders Noble’s A and helped their cause to close the gap at the top to just three points thanks to a 7-3 home win. Winning for the home team were merit leader Dave Faragher, Ron Williams, Aaron Richardson with Derek Lewney and Alan Phair both winning their games 21-19 against David Pease and Kevin Firth respectively. For Noble’s Reginald Temporaza beat Mark Saunders 21-7, Steve Cook beat John Alderson 21-14 with Glenn Boland doing enough to beat Ross Moore 21-19. Castletown edged the aggregate by just one chalk winning 145-144 to set up what could be a tense end to the season as to who takes the top spot.

Onchan B secured a 6-4 home win over Ballaugh A with the visitors winning two games by the finest of margins. For Ballaugh Gordie Moore beat Mike Thomas 21-19, with Richard Fisher beating Neil Dunwell 21-20, whilst Peter Graham won 21-3 with Bob Unsworth winning 21-5. For Onchan Mike Alexander and Edward Carlyle both won to single figures, Paul Bailey beat Barry McDonald 21-11 and Colin Spence recorded a good 21-17 win over John Keenan.

Peel C hosted Port Erin B with the visitors doing well to take four games off Peel and losing out on the aggregate by just six chalks to lose 4-6. For Port Erin Harry Minor won 21-5, with the other three wins being close. Ken Horsley beat Bob Berry 21-18, with Peter Blower and Christopher Dent winning 21-19 against Jeff Wilson and Paul Baker respectively. For Peel, Peter Kelly beat John Ryder 21-5 with Ian Pendlebury doing enough to win 21-19 against Alan Crebbin.

Noble’s B travelled to Mooragh Park to take on North Ramsey B with the visitors losing out 4-6 despite having to give a game away. Terry Bates recorded the closest win of the night holding off Bryan Corner 21-20.

Peel B won 7-3 at home to Port St Mary C. On another night it could have been a 9-1 win with Steve Tate and Gordon Corrin both losing out 20-21 to Tom Collins and Brian Corrin respectively. Michael Kavanagh beat Dave Saxon to single figures. For Port St Mary Paul Russell responded with a 21-6 win over Robert Middleton.

Finch Hill A won 9-1 at home to Port St Mary C with Bernard Thackrah the lone winner for the visitors beating Bill Cairns 21-12, with all of the visiting players making it to double figures, with Colin Leece and Chris Oates both losing out 18-21 to Arthur Halsall and Sefton Dent.

In division three Marown C hit top spot following a 9-1 home win over South Ramsey D with Kevin Kelly beating Ryan Hargraves 21-2, Jamie Joughin winning 21-4 against Steve Kelly, with Karl Parker winning 21-19 against Jay Moore and Stephen Rundle holding off Franz ten Donkelaar to win 21-17. For the visitors third division merit leader Ian Moore got back to winning ways with a 21-7 win over Walter McCarthy.

Ballaugh B had a tough trip away to South Ramsey C with the visitors coming away with a 7-3 win. For Ballaugh Philip Quayle beat Robert Snape 21-18, whilst Mike Buckeridge had a good 21-8 win against Anthony Kelly. For the home team, Tony Marler beat Fred Waggett 21-7, Colin Gook stepped in to win 21-17 against John Kneen and David Corkill beat John Bolton 21-14.

Finch Hill B and Onchan C played out a 5-5 draw with the Onchan men losing 3-5 on games, but taking the aggregate by just four chalks. Finch Hill won three close games with Bryan Masterson winning 21-18, whilst Sam Stannard and Stephen Oates both won 21-19 against Graham Atkinson and Brian Woodall respectively.

Castletown C beat Douglas C 9-0 with both teams being a player short both captains agreed to put the walkover games against each other, to allow the players from each team to get a game. For Castletown James Drinkwater and Sam Clague both won to single figures. For Douglas captain Andy Foster recorded the highest score losing out 14-21 to John Matheson.

Ballaugh C hosted Peel D with the home team winning 7-3. For Ballaugh Bert Quayle, Peter Corlett and Paul Bradford all won to single figures, whilst Phil Faragher had his work cut out before seeing off Leslie Halsall 21-19. For Peel their very own Bert Quayle (not to be confused with Ballaugh’s Bert Quayle!) won 21-15 against Charlie Howland, John Lightfoot beat Alan Kelly 21-9 and Steven Bradley beat Ray Parry 21-15.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Kennish & Bradford Hat-trick

Browne Craine & Co Doubles Championship 2018

Photo: Arnie Withers

Browne Craine & Co sponsored the Men’s Doubles Championship for a third successive year showing their continued support for the Islands premier doubles competition which was played 21 up off scratch. The event was well supported with 33 pairs taking part in a bid to win the title. As well as paying out to the semi-finals onwards, there were also prizes awarded for the furthest pair that included a second division player, third division player and furthest junior.

Losing out at the quarter final stages were the South Ramsey pairing of Alan Moore and James Teare, the Onchan/Marown combination of Rob Monk and Matthew Keggen, Port St Mary father and son duo Peter and Tom Collins along with North Ramsey man Steve Parker who was partnered with home greener Kevin Quirk.

In the semi-finals the first game off was the Marown pair of Phil Kelly and Arnie Withers who beat South Ramsey’s Stefan Kelly and Glynn Hargraves. The Marown duo made the better start going 13-3 up, which the South Ramsey players were never able to fully recover from. Kelly and Hargraves pulled the score back to 11-16, were counting three only for Withers to trail the jack with his last bowl to settle the end and keep their opponents at arm’s length. From there the Marown men picked up a three and a single to see the game out to win 21-13.

The other semi-final was a good battle between the Peel father and son pairing of Dave Barney Kelly and the South Ramsey pair John Kennish and David Bradford with a number of dead ends leading somewhat surprisingly to a slighter longer game than the other semi-final. The Peel pair took a 6-0 lead before Kennish and Bradford got in to turn the game around to take a 12-11 lead after 16 ends, before slipping behind 13-12 due to losing two consecutive singles. From there the South Ramsey pair were able to see the game out winning four of the next five ends to win 21-14. The difference in the game being that whilst the Kelly’s managed to win 12 ends to their opponents 11 ends, Kennish and Bradford scored four doubles, and three three’s, with the Peel men scoring just two doubles.

In the final Kennish and Bradford started as big favourites having taken the title for the previous two years, however Kelly and Withers had other ideas taking a 9-5 lead after eight ends, then 15-13 lead after 20 ends with Kelly leading well at the front and Withers pulling out some great counting bowls at the back. Kennish and Bradford then got back in with a three to go 16-15 ahead. Kennish took his time before setting the mark changing tactics to play the edge along the pitch and putt side of the green. From there the South Ramsey men ran out with a double, with Bradford killing the next end, they then took a single and another double to secure the title for a third successive year to reaffirm their status as the Island’s premier doubles partners. Interestingly the ends won in the final was 12 each from 24 ends, with the Marown pair making just three doubles, and the South Ramsey pair counting five doubles and two three’s to make the difference.

The presentation was made by Association Chairman Neil Withers, who thanked the sponsors Browne Craine & Co for their continued support, Onchan Bowling Club and its members for providing helpers throughout the day and to the Ladies for the refreshments and the green keeper for preparing an excellent surface. It was good to see several juniors take part in the competition, with the prize for furthest junior being split between Sam Clague (Castletown) and the youngest player in the competition 10 year old Ryan Hargraves (South Ramsey) who both reached the same score. The prize for the furthest pairing with a second division player went to Port St Mary pair Peter and Tom Collins, whilst Walter McCarthy and Kevin Kelly (both Marown) received the prize for furthest third division players. The top prize paid out to the winners was £200, with further prizes paid out to the runners up and losing semi-finalists on what was a great day of bowling.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Onchan Stun Marown

Onchan A 2018

Photo: Phil Cain Back Row: Phil Kerruish, Jordan Cain, Matthew Quirk, Kevin Quirk Front Row: Mark Kelly, Steve Crampton, Rob Monk, Peter Slinger

In Ellan Vannin Fuels sponsored division one Marown A suffered their third defeat of the season losing 6-4 away to Onchan A. In the first half of the match the two captains played each other with Peter Slinger beating Paul Dunn 21-18. Kevin Quirk performed brilliantly to beat Matthew Keggen 21-3, with Colin Kelly recording the biggest win for the visitors winning 21-9 against Adrian Skinner, whilst Dean Kipling was not far behind seeing off Phil Kerruish 21-12.

In the second half of the match Jordan Cain beat Peter Kelly 21-10, with Matthew Quirk also winning 21-18 against Paul Kelly. For Marown Phil Kelly won fairly comfortably 21-15 against Rob Monk, with Neil Withers holding off the challenge of Mark Kelly to win 21-17.

Onchan took the two points for the aggregate thanks in part to Kevin Quirk’s huge win, whilst Mark Kelly getting to 17 against Neil Withers should also be noted.

Crucially all of Marown’s defeats this season have been away to the top four, with the Champions South Ramsey still having to play three games away from home to the top four in the final six fixtures of the season the league is far from over. Marown host South Ramsey in their next league fixture.

South Ramsey A took full advantage of Marown’s slip up by winning 10-0 at home to Port Erin A extending their lead to 16 points. The win wasn’t quite as straightforward as the score suggests with Bernie Durcan pushing John Kennish all the way before losing out 20-21 and David Cain fighting back from 9-16 down again Chas Grills to 17-18 with Cain lying one on with Grills playing a good last bowl to get back in and see the game out. Winning big for the home team were Peter Collister, Alan Moore and Stefan Kelly.

Peel A came away from Mooragh Park with a good 7-3 win over North Ramsey A. Winning for the home team Allan Callow had a comfortable 21-10 win against David Proctor, whilst Gary Merrill beat Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly 21-19, with Steve Walmsley also winning to the same score against Frank Watson. For the visitors Tommy McMeiken and Jerome Surridge both won to single figures, whilst the three other winners for Peel Gary Smith, Tom Kelly and Stevie Kelly were all comfortable.

Marown B continue to pick up points to help their cause, but will have been disappointed not to take two points for the aggregate losing out by a solitary chalk (145-146) following a 3-7 home loss to Douglas A. Captain Harry Barton led the way for Marown with a 21-10 win over Gary Conwell, with Arnie Withers beating Willie Cowley 21-14 and James Kelly recording a 21-17 win over the experienced Ian Moore. For the visitors Mervin Sayle and Andy Kennish both won 21-15 against Alan Kennaugh and Juan Killip respectively, whilst winning three close games were Stuart Garrett, Jimmy Sansom and Shaun Seal.

South Ramsey B look to pull themselves away from the danger zone with a 4-6 away loss to Castletown A. For the visitors 15 year old Austin Hart recorded his first ever division one win beating Dean Kinley 21-12. Hopefully Hart can now use this win to kick on, as he has been knocking on the door all season scoring 17 or more in eight league games to show he can compete. Austin also found himself a bit richer with a couple of his club mates stumping up the cash as reward for his first win! The other winners for South Ramsey were Steven Waters who beat Ian Watson 21-10, Tony Dugdale who beat Jordan Drewett 21-13 and James Teare who held on to win 21-20 against David Quayle. For the home team Mike Hargraves just got over the line 21-20 against Christian Caley, Jeff Kinley beat Steve Moore 21-5. Peter Oates won 21-10 against Martin Caley with George Peach seeing off Ben Dugdale 21-16.

Douglas B hosted Port St Mary A taking three games off the visitors, losing out 3-7. For Douglas Andy Cannell won 21-11 against Steve Franks, Bob Callow beat Thomas Keggen 21-12 and Gordon Wynne-Smythe doing enough to beat Rob Cooil 21-18. For Port St Mary Trevor Quayle won to single figures, with Steve Hall, Paul Skelly and Dan McCabe also winning, whilst Wayne Roberts was pushed by Mark Corrin before getting over the line to win 21-17.

In division two league leaders Noble’s A had a tough looking away trip to face Ballaugh A, with the home team losing the advantage of a tricky home green following three consecutive days of rain. Winning for the visitors were Tommy Collister, Kevin Firth, Glenn Boland, David Pease with Reginald Temporaza defeating Peter Graham 21-4. For the home team Richard Fisher, John Maddrell and John Keenan were the winners.

Second placed Castletown B pulled two points back on the league leaders following their 9-1 away win against Noble’s B. The lone winner for the home team was John Singleton who beat Mark Saunders 21-14. For the visitors Ross Moore, Derek Lewney and Aaron Richardson all won to single figures against Juan Qualtrough, Stewart Cubbon and Peter Woods respectively.

Onchan B travelled south to take on bottom of the table Port Erin B coming away with a 7-3 win. For Onchan Mike Thomas recorded the biggest win of the night winning 21-8 against Ben Mowle, whilst Edward Carlyle and David Inch both won 21-18. The home team winners were Harry Minor, Christopher Dent and Ken Horsley who beat Paul Bailey 21-20.

Peel B sent Port St Mary B home with the tail between their legs with a 9-1 defeat. The sole winner for the visitors was Bernard Thackrah who was the only Port St Mary player to make it into double figures beating Dougie Allan 21-16. Alec Taylor & David Smith both won 21-2, Ray Shooter and Michael Kavanagh won 21-5, whilst Gordon Corrin and Harry Kelly both won 21-8.

Port St Mary B slipped up at home to Peel C winning just 6-4. Brian Corrin and Tom Collins both lost 20-21 to Peter Kelly and Jimmy Corlett, with the other two Peel winners being Bob Berry and Jeff Wilson. Winning for the home team were Peter Collins, Ray Maddrell, Tim Williams and Derek Kneen.

Finch Hill A made the journey north to take on North Ramsey B and came away with a 6-4 win taking the aggregate by just eight chalks with three of the Finch Hill losers scoring 17 or above to help take the win. Winning for the visitors were Tony Epifani, Arthur Halsall, Paul Dougherty and Billy Long. For North Ramsey Brian Colquitt, Alex Yates, John Breen and Paul Cannon won.

With Ballaugh B taking their turn to sit out in division three it gave the teams below them the opportunity to close the gap with Marown C doing just that with a 9-1 home win over Douglas D. Five of the home team won to single figures. Picking up the only win for the visitors was David Boylan who beat Steve Wilson 21-16. Marown have now jumped ahead of Castletown C to sit just one point behind Ballaugh B.

Castletown C slipped up away to Peel D losing 3-7. Brian Lindsey recorded the biggest win for the home team whilst Bert Quayle inflicted a second consecutive defeat on Juan Drinkwater with Quayle winning 21-14. Winning for the visitors were Sam Clague who beat Leslie Halsall 21-18 in a close game, John Kinley picking up where he left off last week beating Adam Kelly 21-12 and Philip Smith who won 21-13 against Owen Crompton 21-13.

Douglas C hosted near neighbours Finch Hill B with the match ending in a true draw 4-4 and the chalks tied at 123 each. Winning for the home team were Andy Foster, Mike Cain, Keith Fearnley and Thomas Rougvie who beat Stephen Oates 21-2. For Finch Hill Eric Stanley had his work cut out to beat Davy Stewart 21-19, whilst Kevin Anderson was the biggest win 21-7 against John Ferguson, Sam Stannard maintained his chase for the third division merit beating Les Quayle 21-13 with Paddy Murphy being awarded a walkover.

South Ramsey D won 8-2 at home to Ballaugh C, however third division merit leader Ian Moore lost his 100% record just losing out 20-21 to Trevor Jones. The other winner for Ballaugh was Patrick Grant who beat Ryan Surridge 21-11. Ryan Hargraves returned to winning ways with a 21-17 win over Phil Faragher, with Jay Moore winning to the same score against Alan Kelly. Peter Morgan beat Bert Quayle 21-19 and Franz ten Donkelaar held on to beat Peter Corlett 21-20.

Onchan C lost 4-6 at home to South Ramsey C with Mike Kelly winning 21-8 against Robert Snape. For South Ramsey Tony Hart beat Paul Clinton 21-7 with the northern men winning the aggregate by just 5 chalks.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Club Team Championship

A new format is being trialled this season in the Men’s Association with the introduction of the Club Team Championship. This consists of a team of 11 players with 5 singles games played 21 up off scratch and three doubles games played 21 up off three, with a random draw as who plays singles and doubles. There are eight clubs left in the competition after a preliminary round, split into two groups of four with home and away fixtures.

In Group A Marown sit top after two games on four points following an away win against Peel by 11 points, with the home team taking three good wins in the singles. Marown won their three doubles games and the two singles games to ensure they took the victory.
In the other fixture in Group A Port St Mary brushed aside Finch Hill with ease winning by 70 points (160-90) to sit in second place.

In Group B South Ramsey sit top following a tough away fixture to Douglas at the Villa, winning by just seven points. South Ramsey won four of the five singles games, and one of the doubles games being the game that secured the win for the visitors with Austin Hart playing a brilliant bowl to turn two down into three up to win the vital chalks that his team needed.
In the other fixture in the group second placed Onchan beat North Ramsey by 73 points to win 162-75.

This week’s fixtures in Group A see Finch Hill host Peel, whilst second placed Port St Mary visit Marown. In Group B Onchan have a tough looking away game to South Ramsey, whilst North Ramsey will be hopeful of securing their first points of the competition at home Douglas.

For more information on the competition visit https://www.iombowls.com/mens/club-team-championship/groups/

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Marown B Edge Closer to Safety

Marown B travelled south to take on Port St Mary A and came away with a draw that will help their fight to remain in the top flight. Marown took five games off the home team with Brian Kelly, Juan Killip, Arnie Withers and Peter Kelly all taking good wins against Robbie Cooil, Steve Franks and Wayne Roberts and Steve Hall respectively. John Kelly just managed to get over the line 21-20 against Dan McCabe. All the home team wins were to single figures which helped secure the two points for the aggregate with Thomas Keggen, Paul Skelly and Trevor Quayle doing the business for Port St Mary. Quayle is now the outright leader in the division one merit with 15 wins from 15 games.

North Ramsey A continue their run of home games recording a 6-4 win over Castletown A. Winning for the home team were Steve Parker who was pushed hard by Dean Kinley before winning 21-18, Gary Merrill who beat Mike Hargraves 21-11, with Allan Callow and Tony Smart both winning to single figures. Responding for the visitors were Peter Oates, Ian Watson, George Peach and David Quayle.

Douglas B are running out of games to catch the teams above them, losing 1-9 at home to Marown A on a heavy Villa green following the recent rainfall. Douglas captain Andy Cannell had a good 21-12 win over Dean Kipling. Geoff Mayles performed well against Paul Dunn after trailing 1-13, he went on to lead 15-13, before Dunn got back in and managed to see the game out winning 21-19. In another close game Grahem Moore led 20-17 against Paul Kelly, with Kelly just managing to stumble over the line to win 21-20. Winning to single figures for Marown were Neil Withers and Colin Kelly.

Second from bottom Port Erin A were beaten 10-0 away from home against Onchan A with the score not reflecting the games. Peter Slinger beat Bernie Durcan 21-20, Kevin Quirk and Mark Kelly both won 21-19 against Steve Durcan and Peter Addison respectively, whilst Jordan Cain was pushed hard by Dave McCabe with Cain 20-18 up, McCabe had two six inch bowls with Cain bowling in to get over the line 21-18.

South Ramsey B faced their A Team on a blustery night in the north of the Island with the A Team recording a strong 9-1 win on a tricky green. Sparing the blushes for the B Team James Teare performed well to beat Tony Dugdale 21-6. The A Team recorded four big wins from Glynn Hargraves, Dido Kelly, David Bradford and Peter Collister.

Peel A had a tough looking home fixture against Douglas A, however they brushed the visiting team aside with relative ease winning 9-1 with three single figures from Gary Smith, Dave Kelly and Frank Watson. Jerome Surridge was pushed hard by Mervin Sayle before winning 21-19. The lone winner for Douglas was Ian Moore who beat David Proctor 21-13.

In division two Ballaugh A damaged Castletown B in their chase to close the gap on Noble’s with a 5-5 home draw. Despite winning just three games Castletown picked up the aggregate two points by just four chalks to secure the draw with Ron Williams winning 21-4, Dave Faragher recording a strong 21-11 win against John Keenan and Derek Lewney also doing well to beat Peter Graham 21-12. Just losing out were Ross Moore 19-21 to Richard Fisher and Peter Curtis 20-21 to Bob Unsworth. Winners for the home team were Barry McDonald, Edgar Cowin and John Maddrell.

Noble’s A kept up their pursuit of top flight bowls next season with a 9-1 home win over strugglers Port Erin B with Harry Minor winning 21-20 for the visitors. Captain Kevin Firth and David Pease both showed no mercy recording 21-3 wins. Paul Leece was tested by Ken Horsley with Leece winning 21-18.

Finch Hill A hosted Noble’s B with the home team running out 8-2 winners. For the visitors Terry Bates beat Arthur Halsall 21-10 with Juan Qualtrough beating Gerald Woodsworth to the same score, whilst Les Brookes lost out 19-21 to Paul Dougherty. For Finch Hill Billy Long and Tony Epifani both won to single figures.

Port St Mary C travelled to Peel on Tuesday evening coming away with a hard fought 8-2 win. Newcomer Derek Cain won his second league game since taking the game up, beating Ian Pendlebury 21-17, whilst Tom Wilson just got over the line 21-20 against Jimmy Corlett. The other four wins for Port St Mary were fairly comfortable. For Peel Ray Shooter playing against his former club beat Ashley Qualtrough 21-15, with Philip Clarke beating Louis Callister 21-6.

Peel B travelled north to take on North Ramsey B at Mooragh Park, whilst they lost 6-2 Dougie Allan won 21-2 against Paul Cannon and Mike Ashmole beat Rheuben Thomas 21-12. For the home team Bryan Corner recorded the biggest win beating Paul Quirk 21-8, with Barry Teare doing well to hold off Harry Kelly to win 21-19.

Onchan B hosted Port St Mary B at Onchan Park with the home team taking the spoils with an 8-2 win. For Onchan Colin Spence won 21-8 against Dave Saxon, with Bernie McPhee not far behind winning 21-10 against Tom Collins with Neil Dunwell beating Peter Collins 21-17. The winners for Port St Mary were Ray Watterson who beat Roger Payne 21-8 and Mike Ware who beat Mike Alexander 21-12.

In division three Douglas D halted high flying Ballaugh B in their chase for promotion with their best result of the season taking four games off the visitors to record a 4-6 loss. For the Villa men Michael Knowles had a fantastic 21-6 win over David Hewitt, Greg Brew and Peter Wilcox both recorded their second win of the season, with Gavin Brew winning his first league game of the season. For Ballaugh three of their wins were to single figures with John Looney, John Bolton and Mike Buckeridge. John Kneen was their other winner beating Brenton Hanson 21-13.

Castletown C recorded a 6-4 home win over South Ramsey D despite giving another game away due to being a player short. For the visitors merit leader Ian Moore was the lucky man to benefit from the walkover, which was just as well as he had forgotten to bring his bowls! Matthew Corkill recorded the result of the week beating James Drinkwater 21-19 who was himself up at the top of the merit table prior to this fixture. Also winning for South Ramsey were Richard Davies who beat John Matheson 21-17 and Jay Moore winning 21-16 against Clifford Clague. For Castletown Juan Drinkwater won 21-13, Philip Smith beat Ryan Surridge, whilst John Kinley and Sam Clague both won to single figures.

Marown C now sit just one point behind Castletown C thanks to an 8-2 home win over Ballaugh C, helped by Walter McCarthy and Kevin Kelly both winning 21-20. Jamie Joughin made light work of his game winning 21-8 against Bert Quayle. For the visitors Brian Lace held on to beat Darren Kerruish 21-18, whilst Paul Bradford beat Carey Dewhirst 21-15.

South Ramsey C aren’t out of the chase for promotion just yet sitting just six points behind second placed Castletown. They recorded a 7-3 home win over Douglas C with no close games for either team. Paul Routledge beat Davey Stewart 21-8, whilst Tony Hart beat Keith Fearnley 21-6. For Douglas Mike Cain inflicted just a third league defeat of the season on Toby Hart with Cain winning 21-6.

Finch Hill B made the most of home advantage winning 8-2 at home to Peel D with three single figures wins from captain Pat Maher, Kevin Anderson and Kevin Stannard. For Peel John Lightfoot beat Brian Murphy 21-18, with Brian Lindsey winning 21-15 against Frank Christian.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Paul Gets The Job Dunn

Peel Town Cup Winner 2018

Peel Bowling Club held the Peel Town Cup on Saturday with a healthy entry of 44 players keen to get their hands on the prestigious trophy it was Marown man Paul Dunn who won it, winning his first open competition in style.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Sid Bolton (South Ramsey), Harry Minor (Port Erin), Colin Kelly (Marown) and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary).

Falling at the semi-final stage was Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) who was well beaten by home greener Stevie Kelly, who was the quickest out of the blocks with Kelly winning comfortably 21-13. Also losing out was multi time Peel Town Cup winner Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly to Paul Dunn, with Dunn performing well to see the game out 21-18. This put an end to the home crowds hopes of an all Peel final between father and son.

The final was sure to be entertaining, with both players knowing a new name would be on the trophy and that one of them would be winning their first open. Kelly started well, picking up the first few ends to take a 11-6 lead before Dunn got in to go on a good run turning the score from a five point deficit into a five point lead to go 16-11 up playing a lengthy mark over the crown, constantly altering the length slightly. Kelly got back in to take the next few ends to pull the score back to 14-16. Dunn showed a determined attitude throughout the final, with his composure helping to see the game out winning deservedly 21-15 to finally break his duck in open competitions.

The presentation was made by Peel President Dougie Allan, who thanked everyone who had entered, all the Peel members who had helped in any way throughout the day. It was also noted that £320 was paid out in prize money, in part thanks to an anonymous sponsor on the day which helped contribute to a good prize fund.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Another Thriller At The Villa

Rayner Plate Winners 2018

The final of the Rayner Plate was won by Noble’s A following a brilliant comeback to win 185-175, winning by just 10 points in a thrilling final against third division side South Ramsey D. The handicaps were set with Noble’s A on +40 and South Ramsey D on +76, giving the Ramsey men a start of 36. The rain throughout the day had taken the electric pace out of the Villa green, unfortunately the green became quite heavy despite the puddles managing to clear before play took place.

Things were looking good for the D Team with Richard Davies turning in a stunning performance to see off the ever improving Glenn Boland to win 21-7 extending the lead to 50 points. Next off for South Ramsey was third division merit leader Ian Moore, turning in a fine performance to see off the experienced Dave Pease to record a fine 21-12 win to extend the lead to 59 points. Noble’s responded as expected with Reginald Temporaza and David Quayle both performing well to both win 21-9 against Franz ten Donkelaar and Martin Caley respectively. At the halfway stage Noble’s had clawed just one point back, however they had a good back four to go on with it all to do.

First game off in the second half was the wily Tommy Collister, who took a 15-1 lead against Matthew Corkill, with Corkill doing well to dig in playing some excellent bowls before eventually losing 13-21. Next game off was between the two captains with Kevin Firth leading the way for his Noble’s team with a strong 21-9 win against James Moore. This pulled the deficit for Noble’s back to just 15 points. Mark ‘Postie’ Quinn was the next game off against 10 year old Ryan Hargraves who was competing in his first major final, giving a good account of himself throughout the game for the way he played and conducted himself throughout the game. Young Ryan started in style with a six inch bowl and a two foot bowl with Quinn bowling a good second to save one. From there Quinn played well, with Ryan chipping in with the odd point. At lying game down Ryan hit a great strike to take the jack off the green, which had the crowd cheering. Quinn finished the game off next end beating a good bowl, which Ryan just missed when playing up for Quinn to record a 21-7 win. This reduced the deficit to just one point with the last game on the green it was another experienced Noble’s player John Ruscoe needing to win his game against Jay Moore to secure the victory and a great comeback for Noble’s. Ruscoe wasted no time in doing this with an assured 21-10 win.

This South Ramsey team can take great pride in their performance in their first major final against a team that are looking favourites to be playing first division bowls next season, and they have players who can only improve in the future. All credit to the Noble’s players who performed brilliantly to turn around a huge deficit to record their first Rayner Plate win. Before Noble’s Park and Noble’s Mixed merged a few years ago to create Noble’s, Noble’s Mixed A won the Rayner Plate in 2006.

The presentation was made by Association Chairman Neil Withers who congratulated both teams on their performance, Douglas for the use of the green and the refreshments, Steve Moore for running the sheet and the supporters who turned up for what was an entertaining final, with good support for both teams around the green.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Kelly Records Fifth Dreswick Cup Win

Dreswick Cup Winner 2018

Photo: Michael Ashmole

Port St Mary hosted the Dreswick Cup sponsored by the Albert Hotel on Thursday afternoon, with the competition attracting 43 entries to play on a tricky green in glorious sunshine.

The competition is unique in that it is the only Men’s Open Age competition that is held during the week on a working day. I have been reliably informed that the shops around the Island used to close on a Thursday afternoon, which would allow those that worked in the shops to enter the competition. School kids have been known to skip school to play in the popular competition, with the most notable being a 14 year old John Kennish winning his first open.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Neil Withers (Marown), Brian Kelly (Marown), Keith Rise (Douglas) and home greener Paul Skelly.

In the first semi-final Jordan Cain (Onchan) had the tough task of facing South Ramsey man John Kennish, with Cain taking an early lead before Kennish fought back to go 19-18 up. Cain then secured three singles to see the game out 21-19 to book his place in the final. In the other semi-final Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly won his game comfortably 21-11 against Port St Mary player Wayne Roberts.

The final started as expected with Cain going for the shorter lengths and Kelly playing the longer marks as he had done all day. Kelly made the better start taking a 13-9 lead. Cain got back in but struggled to lead as well as he done throughout the day and during the semi-final, perhaps not helped by the green losing some of the pace with the shadow being cast over the green. Kelly managed to keep Cain at arms lengths throughout with the lead going to 17-12 and then 19-14. Cain then picked up a further two points to put the score at 16-19. On the last end Cain was unable to put up a good lead which Kelly managed to beat, with Cain then failing to better his first bowl it allowed Kelly to play a second counting bowl for game.

The presentation was made by Port St Mary Vice President, Peter Collins, who thanked the Ladies for the refreshments, everyone who had helped run the competition and prepare the green. Pat O’Meara from the Albert Hotel was then introduced to present the prizes.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Marown Keep Up The Chase

In division one second placed Marown A kept the pressure on the league leaders with an 8-2 home win over Port St Mary A, who just missed out on snatching an extra point with Paul Skelly losing out 20-21 to Paul Kelly. The winners for the visitors were Rob Cooil who beat John Gelling 21-18 and Trevor Quayle maintaining his 100% record beating Matthew Keggen 21-14. Winning to single figures for Marown were Paul Dunn and Neil Withers, also winning comfortably were Dean Kipling, Phil Kelly and Colin Kelly.

Peel A recorded a maximum at home against Marown B, with a 10-0 victory, although it could just as easily have been 8-2 with Tom Kelly beating Brian Kelly 21-20, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly also winning to the same score against Peter Kelly. Winning to single figures for Peel were captain Stevie Kelly and Tommy McMeiken.

North Ramsey A hosted near neighbours South Ramsey A and will have been pleased to take three games off the champions with the 7-3 win for the visitors being a fair reflection of the games. Winning to single figures for the home team were John Cannan who beat Chas Grills and Tony Smart who beat Alan Moore. Ray Skelly performed well to beat Stefan Kelly 21-17 to pick up his third win of the season. Hitting back for South Ramsey Dido Kelly beat Geoff Porter 21-3, David Bradford beat Gary Merrill 21-7, with Peter Collister winning 21-8 against Steve Walmsley, with John Kennish beating Steve Parker 21-11 and Glynn Hargraves beating Allan Callow 21-14.

Douglas A travelled south to take on Castletown and whilst being pleased to win five games away from home after their recent struggles of three successive defeats, they will have been disappointed to lose the aggregate with the match ending a draw 5-5. Winning for the home team were Ian Watson, Mike Hargraves and Peter Oates. The visitors had one comfortable winner, with Stuart Garrett winning 21-11, whilst the other four winners were close with Andy Kennish and Jimmy Sansom beating Juan Kermode & Dean Kinley 21-17, Ian Moore beat George Peach 21-19 and Shaun Seal edged his game 21-20 against Jordan Drewett.

Douglas B look certain to go down following a 4-6 home loss against their nearest rivals. Whilst the home team drew 4-4 on games, they suffered a 0-21 loss, along with two more heavy defeats 4-21 and 9-21. Winning for the home team were Pat O’ Donohue who beat Derek Allen 21-20, Andy Cannell who beat Bernie Durcan 21-18, Gordon Wynne-Smythe who won another close game 21-17 against Dave McCabe and Mark Corrin who won comfortably 21-11 against Mark Corrin. Winners for Port Erin were Stuart Gale, Steve Durcan, Derek Cadamy and David Cain.

South Ramsey B did well at home against Onchan A taking three games off the visitors with a 3-7 home defeat. Winners for South Ramsey were the trio of Tony Dugdale, Steven Waters and Christian Kelly beating Steve Crampton, Kevin Quirk and Mark Kelly respectively. Winning for Onchan were Jordan Cain, Robert Monk and Phil Kerruish who all won to single figures, along with Matthew Quirk and Peter Slinger with Slinger pushed hard by Martin Caley before winning 21-17.

Looking at the relegation battle Douglas B are a long way off safety on 12 points away from Port Erin A, whilst South Ramsey B sit one point ahead of Port Erin A the fixtures would appear to favour the northern team. Marown B have a bit of breathing space however they will need to continue to pick up points to ensure their place in the top flight next year.

In division two Noble’s A had a tough trip south to take on Port St Mary B and came away with a hard earned 6-4 win. Recording big wins to help secure the aggregate were David Pease and Reginald Temporaza, whilst Tommy Collister beat Brian Corrin 21-12. Mark Quinn had to battle hard to beat Paul Russell 21-18. For the home team Ray Watterson, Brian Lowe, Derek Kneen and Dave Saxon were the winners.

Castletown B also had a tough away fixture against Castletown B, still managed to record a 7-3 away win. Winners for Castletown were Derek Lewney, Aaron Richardson, Peter Curtis, Dave Faragher and Ron Williams. Picking up three points for the home team were Arthur Halsall, John Harris and Peter Hughes.

Peel B enjoyed their visit to Douglas to take on Noble’s B coming away with a 10-0 away win. Paul Quirk and Michael Kavanagh both won to single figures, with Harry Kelly winning 21-18 against Stewart Cubbon and Mike Ashmole winning his game 21-19 against Les Brookes.

Port St Mary C hosted Onchan B with Louis Callister showing he has still got it, with a fine 21-5 win over Bernie McPhee. Rob Cowley stepped in to win 21-5 against Andy Sykes, whilst Mike Thomas beat Ashley Qualtrough 21-7. For Port St Mary Colin Leece and Ken Karran came closest to picking up extra points before losing out 18-21 and 17-21 to Roger Payne and Edward Carlyle respectively.

Peel C topped off a good week for the Peel A, B and C Teams with an 8-2 away win against North Ramsey B. Jimmy Corlett and Robert Middleton won to single figures, whilst Peter Kelly beat Lee Christian 21-19. Winning for the home team were Stephen Gill who beat Bob Berry 21-6 and Barry Teare won 21-14 against Ian Pendlebury.

Port Erin B are ten points from safety at the bottom of division two following a 4-6 home loss. Winning for the home team were Christopher Dent, Ed Benson, Harry Minor and Ken Horsley. For Ballaugh John Keenan, Peter Graham, Edgar Cowin and Barry McDonald were the winners.

Ballaugh B continue to set the pace at the top of division three with a 7-3 away win against Onchan C, whilst Castletown B slipped nine points behind the league leaders following a 7-3 away loss to Marown C who now sit just three points behind Castletown in third. Sitting in fourth place are South Ramsey C who won 7-3 away to Peel D, whilst Ballaugh C sit in fifth place won 9-1 at home to strugglers Douglas D. With only eight points between second place and fifth place there is plenty to fight for in the seven games remaining of the season. South Ramsey D hosted Finch Hill B in the closest match of the night with the home team winning 6-4 taking the aggregate by just two chalks (136-134).

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Kennish and Bradford Retain Title

Lancaster Cup Winners 2018

The Lancaster Cup was held at Peel on Saturday, with 22 pairs entered, this competition replacing the Kermeen Quayle Fours.

It was the South Ramsey duo of John Kennish and David Bradford who mastered the green, seeing off the Port Erin pair of Dave McCabe and Derek Cadamy with a convincing 21-7 win in the final to win the Peel men’s pairs two years running.

Losing out 9-21 in the semi-finals to the winners were the Douglas combination of Stuart Garrett and Ian Moore, whilst another South Ramsey pair Dido Kelly and Steven Waters never had sight of the jack losing 6-21.

Falling at the quarter final stage were Karl Parker (Marown) and Paul Quirk (Peel), Marown pair Walter McCarthy, along with South Ramsey men Glynn Hargraves and Stefan Kelly and father and son combination of Peter and Tom Collins (Port St Mary).

The presentation was made by Peel President Dougie Allan, who thanked the sponsor, Phil Parker for running the competition, all the club members who had helped throughout the day. Dougie then introduced the sponsor David Lancaster to present the prizes.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves