Author Archives: Glynn Hargraves

Moore & Kennish Take Top Titles

September Festival Winners 2018

The top prizes in the Isle of Man September Bowls Festival went to two local players.

In the Men’s competition it was South Ramsey’s John Kennish who picked up his fourth September Festival win and the winners cheque for £3,000. Kennish had to overcome the challenge of Onchan man Peter Slinger in a repeat of the 2017 Manx Championship on the same green, this was also the first all local final since September 2014 between John Kennish and Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly.

The final started with Slinger taking a single point on the first end after trailing the jack with his last bowl. The second end proved to be crucial and was probably a first for a festival final with Slinger heading for the corner the jack went off the green, allowing Kennish the opportunity to set the mark, to which Kennish then headed for the edge also sending the jack off, allowing Slinger a second chance to set the mark again in the corner however the jack went off the green once again. Kennish didn’t waste the second opportunity of setting the mark along the edge. From there Kennish was ruthless wasting little more than 20 minutes to win the game picking up five two’s and five one’s along the way. To be fair to Slinger he was never far away with his bowls just pegging away at the end or falling just short or running out, it is more a reflection of how devastating Kennish was on the day. Slinger could take consolation in the runners up cheque for £1,000.

Kennish reached the final courtesy of a 21-13 win over David Jackson (Knutsford), whilst Slinger booked his place in the final defeating Callum Wraight (Knutsford) in a thrilling game coming back from 6-12 down, then 13-17 down before Slinger got level at 17-17. Slinger headed for the corner and played two poor bowls, which Wraight wasn’t able to punish fully taking just a point to go 18-17 up. Slinger picked up a single on the next end up to the crown to level matters again, then lay one next end with Wraight contemplating striking which was risky given how close his own bowl was to the one he was hoping to take out. Wraight struck taking out his own bowl to gift Slinger two to go 20-18 up. Slinger headed along the edge on a straight peg which is well known to be a push to reach into, he led a good bowl with Wraight pushing two yards through. Crucially Slinger made two with Wraight playing through taking out Slinger’s nearest bowl, however Slinger’s other bowl was left counting for game to win 21-18.

The quarter finals were all fairly straightforward with Kennish seeing off Wayne Ditchfield (Kirkham) with a 21-10 win. The closest game of the quarters was between John Bailey (Knutsford) and David Jackson, with Jackson falling 7-10 behind early on, before taking a 17-11 lead and eventually seeing the game out 21-17. Wraight ended the challenge of Danny Petcher (Netherseal) with a 21-12 win. Slinger booked his place in the semi-final courtesy of a 21-14 win over Gareth Jones (Dalton Cricket).

There is always that one game in a festival that makes or breaks you and that came for Kennish on the Thursday afternoon against another local Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) in the last 16 with Kennish edging it 21-20 with Quayle leading for the entire game and having a good opportunity on the last end to win it. Kennish has now won five Isle of Man festival titles, with one June win and four September wins it is surely only a question of when, not if he will pick up his next title. John will also be playing in the Champion of Champions at Blackpool at the end of the month, an event that he had already qualified for through winning the Manx Championship earlier in the season.

In the Ladies main competition it was another South Ramsey player Elaine Moore who won the Ladies title and the cheque for £1,000 with a hard fought 21-18 win over Gill Simm (Lune Road) with Simm being quickest out of the blocks taking a 14-8 lead with Moore working her way back into the game to go 17-16 ahead slightly varying the length being played. Simm took two singles on the next two ends to take the lead 18-17. Moore dug in to take two singles and a two on the last end playing over the crown to win her first festival and the relief and emotion was clear for everyone to see.

In the semi-finals Simm booked her place in the final with a 21-10 win over Helen Clee (Wrockwardine Wood), whilst Moore was pushed all the way by daughter Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) with Elaine fighting back from 12-18 down to eventually win 21-20 after lying two down at 20-20 Elaine trailed the jack with a brilliant bowl to reach the final.

Gill Simm started her day with a 21-16 win over Veronica Lyon (Unison), whilst Helen Clee ended the challenge of Alison Cotton with a hard fought 21-17 win. Jenny Moore made light work of her quarter final game with a 21-11 win over Margo Sinclare (Meersbrook BC) whilst Elaine Moore had to battle hard to see off Tracy Ryan (Meole Brace BC) with a 21-18 win having lost to Ryan in the semi-finals of the Tourism on Thursday morning.

Elaine certainly won her first festival the hard way with her games from the quarter finals onwards all being close, and having to play two of the favourites on the way against her daughter Jenny Moore and Tracy Ryan, no doubt Elaine was made all the more determined having suffered the heartache of losing out in the final of the June festival to Debbie Farmer on a particularly wet finals day several years ago. Elaine has also qualified to play in the Champion of Champions at the Waterloo Hotel in Blackpool.

Following their festival wins John Kennish received the Chris Quayle trophy for the furthest Manx Man, whilst Elaine Moore received the Blanche Kaye Trophy for the furthest Manx Lady.

The Men’s Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 1 with Colin Kelly (Marown) performing brilliantly in the corners to take the Tourism title defeating Wayne Ditchfield (Kirkham) 21-11.

Kelly booked his place in the final with a hard fought win over Callum Wraight (Knutsford), whilst Ditchfield defeated Dave Phillips (Lloyd Hotel).

The Ladies Tourism was also played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 2 green it was Tracy Ryan (Meole Brace) who defeated Helen Martin (North Ramsey) 21-13 in the final.

Tracy Ryan booked her place in the final following a tough game with Elaine Moore (South Ramsey), whilst Helen Martin ended the run of Lynn Bennett (Orrell Rovers).

The Men’s consolation was won by Chris Talbot (Knutsford) who beat Robert Whyatt (Packhorse BC) 21-9. The Ladies consolation was won by Hazel Borrowdale (Kendal Vic) defeating Olwen Edwards (Llanfair PG) 21-20 in a close final.

The Visit.Com Flyer title went to Paul Beer (Meole Brace) who had a 9-6 win over Callum Wraight (Knutsford), whilst the Last Chance Mixed Final was won by Neil Rigden (New Longton) who beat John Clark (Wrockwardine Wood) 21-19 in another close final.

In the doubles competitions the Open Doubles was won by Peter Yates (Kirkham) and Steve McCall (Kirkham) with a 11-5 win over Martin Gilpin (Kendal Vic) and Ian Nicholson (Kendal Vic).

The Men’s doubles was won by Walter McCarthy (Marown) and David Jackson (Knutsford) defeating Paul Bailey (Meersbrook BC) and Frank Jolly (Canberra) 11-6 in an entertaining final.

The Ladies pairs was won convincingly 11-1 by Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) and Carleen Doody-Millington (Meole Brace) who beat Sylvia Bentham (Tarleton) and Joan Jolly (Canberra).

The Mixed pairs was won by Patricia Edwards (Winstanley) and Michael Coupe (Hoghton) defeating Sharon Ridgen (Penwortham Sports) and Kevin Nicholas (Gresford Colliery) 9-4.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Ditchfield Secures Davisons Autumn Shield

Peel Bowling Club hosted the popular pre-festival competition the Davisons Autumn Shield on Sunday. The competition attracted 96 entries which made for a long day, with start times given out to those taking part.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Bob Wyatt (Packhorse BC), Brian Furber (Pavilions) Tom Kelly (Peel) and Dido Kelly (South Ramsey).

In the semi-finals Neil Wright (Kirkham) ended the challenge of Neil Ridgen (New Longton) with a 21-15, whilst Wayne Ditchfield (Kirkham) booked his place in the final with a 21-12 win over Steve McCall (Kirkham).

In the final club mates Wright and Ditchfield took to the green with both players knowing each other’s game well it was always going to be a close final, however Ditchfield did enough to take a 21-18 win and his third success in this competition.

The presentation was made by Ian Davison, who once again sponsored the competition. There was over £750 paid out in prize money with the winner receiving £300. Thanks were also given to everyone who had helped with the running of the competition.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

September Festival Preview

Mens September Festival Winner 2017

John Bailey

September Festival Preview

The Isle of Man September Bowling Festival takes place this week with a host of top names from across the game hoping to be the one that gets their name on the trophy and the winners cheque for £3,000.

It’s seems like an awful long time since South Ramsey’s John Kennish won back to back Festivals in September 2014 and then June 2015, however it is the first festival since then that Kennish has not had to give his opponents a start due to his previous successes.

Wayne Ditchfield (Kirkham) makes his first visit to the Island since becoming a father, will be looking to pick up his first festival since 2010, whilst Craig Gant (Thongsbridge) could face Ditchfield in the second round, however with Gant having to give his opponents a two start this could make it more difficult to progress.

2012 winner Dave Phillips (Lloyd Hotel) is another one who will be hoping to get his name on the trophy for a second time, whilst 2017 winner John Bailey (Knutsford) will be looking to retain the trophy he won for the first time last year after years of trying.

On the same page as Bailey is three time winner Ian Nicholson (Kendal Vic) with a potential fourth round clash.

June festival winner Martin Gilpin (Kendal Vic) will be hoping for back to back festival wins, having last won the September title in 1999 when he beat Norman Fletcher (Blackpool) in the final.

Another regular visitor to the Island Callum Wraight (Knutsford) will be hoping to secure his first festival win having won most of the games biggest prizes, this is one he will be keen to tick off his list.

With six greens in use and nine different competitions throughout the week there is plenty of bowls for everyone and with the weather looking good it should make for a great week of bowls.

Have a great week!

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Bolton & Quayle Win Derek Killey Memorial

Derek Killey Memorial Winners 2018

Photo: Glynn Hargraves

There was an entry of 34 pairs for the Derek Killey Memorial held on Sunday at Onchan Bowling Club.

The eventual winners were the South Ramsey/Port St Mary duo of Lyn Bolton and Trevor Quayle who beat the South Ramsey pair of Jenny Moore and James Teare 21-7 in the final which was played under the floodlights.

Losing semi-finalists were the home pairing of Sue Gawne and Rob Cowley, along with another South Ramsey pair Kim Hargraves and Stefan Kelly.

The presentation was made by Kevin Quirk who thanked Eileen Killey for the continued sponsorship of the competition held in memory of her late husband Derek Killey who was a popular member of the bowls community. Thanks were also given to the club members who had helped officiate and provide refreshments throughout the day. Libby Andrade was then introduced to present the prizes with the finalists generously handing back their prize money to add to the total amount of over £500 raised for Alzheimer’s IOM.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

South Ramsey A Edge Closer to Hat-trick of League Titles

It was only the second double week of the season in Ellan Vannin Fuels division one this week with the positions at the top and bottom becoming a lot clearer.

Champions South Ramsey A had a good week starting with a 10-0 win at home to bottom of the table Douglas B. For the visitors Pat O’Donohue lost 16-21 against John Kennish, whilst Grahem Moore was 9-1 up on Glynn Hargraves before losing 15-21.

On Wednesday evening South Ramsey A had a much tougher fixture away to Onchan A on a wet night, despite this the Onchan green played well with the rain mostly holding off for the duration of the match with some good comebacks from both teams. For Onchan Phil Kerruish was first off winning 21-15 after being 7-10 down to go 20-10 up, with Grills taking five singles to get back to 15-20 before Kerruish got in to finish the game. Stefan Kelly replied for South Ramsey after taking a 10-4 lead against Steve Crampton with Crampton getting back to 17-18 before Kelly finished with a single and a double to win 21-17. Glynn Hargraves was next off for the visitors recovering from 5-9 down against Kevin Quirk to take a 19-12 lead. Quirk picked up five points over the next four ends to pull the score back to 17-19 and was lying one before Hargraves got back in to finish the game with two singles to win 21-17. Perhaps one of the best comebacks of the night was the game between Peter Slinger and Dido Kelly with Slinger taking a 15-5 lead only for Kelly to take 14 points without reply to go 19-15 up. Slinger then staged his own mini comeback to take the next four ends scoring six points to run out winning 21-19. Kelly would have been disappointed at playing a poor end at 19-15 up and then having opportunities on the next two ends to get back in. The match could not have been any closer at the halfway stage at 2-2 and the chalks tied at 76 each.

In the second half Rob Monk helped Onchan’s cause performing well to win 21-6 against Peter Collister. John Kennish responded with a 21-12 win over Jordan Cain, with Cain doing well to reach 12 after being 2-13 down in a game which had several tight ends. David Bradford was another who dug in for his team to pull off a good comeback against Matthew Quirk who performed well despite eventually losing out. Quirk was 14-6 up before Bradford ‘edged’ his way back into the game playing the edge along the shelter side of the green to take the lead 18-16. Quirk replied with three singles to retake the lead at 19-18 with Bradford getting back in playing a good bowl to level up the score 19-19. Bradford then played two good length bowls on the last end to take a double to secure a 21-19 victory with his experience seeing him through a tough game. This left Alan Moore needing to win 21-16 or better against Mark Kelly to secure the aggregate for the visitors, with Moore doing just that winning 21-11 to secure the aggregate by just six chalks (145-139). South Ramsey came away with a 7-3 win knowing they had been in a tough game against an Onchan team that performed well despite the loss.

Marown picked up two wins during the week, however slipped three points further back on the league leaders South Ramsey. On Monday night the Crosby men won 7-3 away to Castletown A with Peter Oates, Juan Kermode and Jordan Drewett beating Peter Kelly, Matthew Keggen and Phil Kelly respectively.

On Wednesday evening Marown had a tough looking home fixture against Peel A, however they still managed to take a 7-3 win with Paul Dunn and Colin Kelly winning 21-8 against David Proctor and Frank Watson respectively. Dean Kipling won comfortably 21-11 against Mick Kavanagh, whilst Peter Kelly did well to beat Peel captain Stevie Kelly 21-18, with Paul Kelly beating Tom Kelly to the same score. Winning for Peel were Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who beat Neil Withers 21-16, with Tommy McMeiken beating Matthew Keggen to the same score and Jerome Surridge defeating Phil Kelly 21-17.

South Ramsey B will have been pleased with their weeks work despite losing 8-2 away to Marown B they managed to beat Douglas A 6-4 at home. The result on another night could have ended up 9-1 to the Ramsey men with Sid Bolton, Steven Waters and George Brew all losing 19-21 to Jimmy Sansom, Gary Conwell and Shaun Seal respectively. Austin Hart recorded his second league win of the season defeating Ian Moore 21-13, with good wins from Tony Dugdale, Ben Dugdale and James Teare.

Port Erin A now need a minor miracle to stay up having picked up five points following an 2-8 away loss to Peel A and a 3-7 home defeat against Marown B. The Breagle Glen team are 13 points from safety with three games to play, one of which is away to the team closest to them South Ramsey B.

Douglas B picked up just one point this week and are certainties to be relegated to the second division.

In division two it was very much a case of as you were at the top with both Noble’s A and Castletown B taking 14 points each with both teams picking up the points with differing results.

Noble’s A won both of their fixtures 7-3 starting the week with a home win over Onchan B that could have been 9-1 with Glenn Boland losing 19-21 to Mike Alexander and Mark Quinn also missing out 18-21 to Colin Spence. Noble’s ended their week with a good away win against Peel C, with David Quayle, David Pease and Tommy Collister all winning close games.

Castletown B started their week with a 6-4 win taking the aggregate by just six chalks. Alan Phair missed out on winning an extra point for the visitors losing 20-21 to Brian Colquitt. In their second fixture of the week Castletown beat Onchan B 8-2 bettering the result that Noble’s had recorded against the same opposition on Monday evening.

At the other end of the table Port St Mary C look to be safe on 73 points having picked up 12 points during the week helped by a 9-1 home win over the side closest to them Noble’s B. Things don’t look so good for Port Erin B who are firmly rooted to the bottom of the table on 50 points and facing a return to division three, with Noble’s B looking likely to suffer the same fate, currently sitting 22 points from safety with just three games to play.

In division three Marown C continue to set the pace at the top of division three following two good 7-3 wins, away to Peel D and at home to Douglas C.

Castletown C are hot on their heels, sitting just three points behind Marown despite giving a number of walkovers throughout the season. It was great to see Nathan Cooil back playing league bowls with Cooil showing he has still got it with two single figure wins, winning 21-2 and 21-9.

Another three points back on Castletown are Ballaugh B who have a game in hand on the two teams above them, which they could well use to return to the top of the league if they record a big win.

Two of the junior players performed well this week with Peel D player Ryan Tate winning both of his games, with Ryan Hargraves doing the same for South Ramsey D. Both players have improved this year, as shown in their improvement not just in winning games, but their overall scores.

Post published by Glynn Hargraves

Marown Head Up Group A In Club Team Championship

The Finch Hill Team defeated by Marown

Finch Hill Squad

The Finch Hill Team defeated by Marown. Photo: Arnie Withers

Marown currently lead the way in Group A with six points after three games, courtesy of winning all five singles games and the three doubles game at home to Finch Hill, who sit bottom of the table in Group A with no points having played four of their six fixtures in the group. Marown look clear favourites to top the group with the squad at their disposal, however they still have to face Peel at Crosby, along with Port St Mary home and away to progress.

Group B has opened up nicely with Onchan sitting top having played three games. Despite Onchan suffering two heavy defeats in the singles games they pulled enough points back in the other games to secure the victory by just four chalks against Douglas. Onchan travel to South Ramsey for their next fixture. Once this fixture has taken place this will give a better idea as to who will go through in the group, with it becoming clear in this format that a lot depends on the draw as to which players get drawn in the singles and the doubles.

South Ramsey slipped to defeat at North Ramsey losing out by 18 chalks to earn the two points the Mooragh Park men, with Brian Colquitt and John Cannan inflicting single figures defeats in the singles games on their opponents Ian Moore and James Teare.

Post published by 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