Storm Floris featured in Canada Life International League Division One on Monday evening resulting in difficult bowling conditions across the Island. Second placed Marown A bounced back from the previous week’s disaster, as they were at home to Breagle Glen A, winning 9-1 with the visitors managing to pick up a point as Ewan Cooil’s 21-4 win over Phil Kelly was never in doubt. The Breagle men would have been hoping for another game or two more to ease their relegation worries with the blustery lottery like conditions, with Trevor Quayle losing out 19-21 to Paul Dunn, while Mark Moorley and Tim Williams lost 17-21 to Glenn Boland and Paul Kelly respectively. The Crosby men secured two single figure wins from Peter Jones (21-4) against Chris Lever, while Tom Kelly beat Steve Durcan 21-7.

South Ramsey A continue to press ahead with their unexpected lead, which was extended to four points thanks to a third consecutive 10-0 win, as they come into form at the business end of the season. Castletown A were the visitors, despite the result the Rayner Plate winners put in a good effort, with all games reaching double figures the Town men could have snatched two games with two 18-21 losses. South captain Glynn Hargraves recovered from an 8-12 deficit against Ian Watson to see the game out. Bob Clark won to the same score against Dean Kinley, with the latter having led 18-13, four consecutive doubles for Clark sealed the comeback, kept the Ramsey man at the top of individual merit with John Kennish hot on his heels.

Peel A won 8-2 at home to bottom side South Ramsey B who did manage to close the deficit on Breagle to a point, with Stefan Kelly beating Gary Smith 21-4, while Alan Moore won 21-9 against Andy Mackie. Losing out in close games were Austin Hart 17-21 to Tommy McMeiken, while Tony Dugdale was pipped at the post 19-21 by Pip Pemberton.

Onchan A were two chalks shy of a 10-0 victory at home to North Ramsey A, with Tom Collins preventing the whitewash with a 21-19 win over Mike Alexander. Next closest to picking up a win was Mooragh captain Rob Monk, who lost out 19-21 to Kevin Quirk. Neil Dunwell was the best winner as he beat Joe Kneale 21-7, while Peter Slinger won 21-9 against John Cannan.

Douglas A matched the previous week’s 8-2 home win, this time over Marown B. Karl Parker won 21-20 against Shaun Seal for the visitors, while Jamie Box beat Nick Firth 21-12. Losing out in close games for the Crosby men were Peter Greenlees 17-21 to Ian Moore, while Kevin Kelly lost out 18-21 to Villa captain Merv Sayle. Two 21-9 wins for the home team arrived from Andy Cannell and Gordy Wynne-Smythe against Juan Killip and Jamie Joughin.

In Division Two Ballaugh A struggled on their travels with a heavy 8-2 defeat to Castletown B, which could well consign them to another season of second division bowls. Just 10 chalks separated the teams (153-143) with the home team holding their nerve in the close games. Ross Moore beat Mike Spooner 21-20, Juan Drinkwater held off Steve Grant 21-19, while David Quayle beat Ed Trustham 21-18. Mark Saunders won 21-16 against Phil Quayle, while Junior bowler Sam Quayle had a more comfortable 21-16 victory against Chris Pedley. Winning for the visitors were Patrick Grant 21-12 against namesake Patrick Cooper, while Tony Quine beat Dave Evans 21-15.

Marown C played their fixture on Tuesday evening in fairer conditions knowing a good win at home to Peel B would give them a healthy advantage to take into the final two games of the season. Crosby captain Walter McCarthy kept himself in the hunt for the Division Two individual merit with his 21-15 win as the home team won 7-3 to establish a five-point lead with just two fixtures left to play. Darren Kerruish was the only single figure winner on the night 21-7 against Colin Moore. Winning for the visitors were Andrew Cover 21-15 against Peter Kelly, while Denzil Smith beat Steve Rough 21-11.

Third placed Noble’s A managed to sneak home with a 3-7 away win over Breagle Glen B, taking the aggregate by just two chalks (131-133) despite winning 5-3 on games with visiting captain Alex Yates continuing his quest for the individual merit with a 21-15 win over Ben Mowle. Mark Bradshaw’s 21-20 win over Derek Cain proved pivotal to the result as a win to the Breagle man would have changed the result from a 7-3 win into a true draw – 4-4 on games and the aggregate shared between the teams for a 5-5, which shows the fine margins.

Noble’s B won 7-3 at home to Douglas B, winning the aggregate by seven chalks (149-142). Five games finished to 17 or over as evidence of a keenly contested match. Andy Greggor beat Bob Callow 21-20, as the teams shared a 21-17 victory each, also sharing a 21-18 win each. Steve Cook was the only single figure winner as he beat Steve Cain 21-9.

Finch Hill A suffered a rare home defeat, losing out 2-8 at home to Onchan B. Winning for the home team were Pat Maher 21-13 against Neil Taylor, while Shay Waterworth beat Derek Allen 21-19. Losing three close games for the home team were Mark Taylor, Kevin Stannard, and Kevin Anderson to 17, 18, and 20.

Division Three looks to be going to the wire. North Ramsey B are still top after taking their turn to sit out the latest round of fixtures which gave Peel C the opportunity to close the gap to a point following their 8-2 home win over third placed Ballaugh B to give them an 11-point lead over their opponents, with the gap five points at the start of play.

Ballaugh C put the final nail in the coffin for Breagle Glen C, with the visitors 17 points behind with one game left to play, the Breagle men will ply their trade in Division Four next season assuming there is no major league restructure over the winter. The Ballaugh men won 8-2, keeping the visitors to an average of 11 chalks each. Four single figures winners for the home team arrived from Stephen Swift, Dicky Watson, Peter Corlett, and Gary Griffiths.

South Ramsey C won 7-3 at home to Noble’s C in a keenly contested game with all matches reaching double figures, however there were no games that anyone could argue could have gone the other way as the winning scores ranged from 11-16 for both teams. 16 chalks separated the teams with South Ramsey taking the aggregate (145-129).

Noble’s D won 7-3 at home to Marown D, with Stephen Hampson beating Eddie Rough 21-1, while three other home wins were close as Terry Bates and Grahem Moore won 21-17 against Andy Sykes and Brian Cain respectively, while Mark Quinn beat Steve Wilson 21-18. For the visitors Ken Bawden’s 21-19 win against Rob Bell was the closest match of the night.

Division Four saw Onchan C stroll to a 9-1 win at home to Castletown C, with Junior Freddie Palmer once again the hero for Town as he beat Peter Johnstone 21-13.

South Ramsey D (pictured) were away to Noble’s E on the number two green, it was a tough night for the visitors as they lost 8-2. Paul Cain and Bryan Kennaugh were single figures winners for the home team, while Andy Cain damaged South captain Frank Feeney’s individual merit hopes with a 21-18 win. Winning for the visitors were Steve Kelly 21-12 against David Karran, and Geoff Collier 21-19 against Matthew McKeoun.

Elsewhere Douglas D won 8-2 at home to Peel D, despite the Villa men being a player short, they lost one other game as James Teare (Senior) just lost out 20-21 to Ash Leece. North Ramsey C won 8-2 at home to Finch Hill B, however just eight chalks separated the teams (148-140). Tony Epifani kept his individual merit hopes in place with a 21-5 win over Euan Christian.

The final of the Plumbmaster Rayner Plate took place on Friday evening at Noble’s Park in ideal bowling conditions between first division side Castletown A (+30) and second Division side Marown C (+40), who have won the title on three occasions in 2017, 2019, and 2021. The Town men’s one and only success in this competition was in 1998, when they beat Port St Mary B on their home green by 19 chalks, when the final used to be played on the teams green that was drawn out first. Interestingly this was the last occasion that the final was contested this way, as from 1999 the final of the Plate competition has been played on a neutral green.

Castletown started as favourites as they ply their trade one division above Marown, with the latter team having a 10 chalk start on the night, they are currently occupying top spot in Division Two, as they look to make an immediate return to Division One.

The evening started positively for Town as Dean Kinley had the Crosby men’s most experienced player Peter Kelly, with the former impressed as he kept his opponent to nine singles, as Kinley scored seven doubles on his way to a 21-9 win. The next game off saw Jordan Drewett finish the game strongly to run out with a 21-14 win over Jamie Joughin. John Kelly picked up Marown’s first win and clawed some chalks back as he beat Ian Watson 21-14. The last game off in the first half of the match saw the most inexperienced player Kieran Krypner once again prove he is the man for the big occasion, as he displayed a great attitude, matched by his performance to seal a 21-15 win over Darren Kerruish.

At the half way point Castletown had won three of the four games and turned a 10-chalk deficit on the handicap into an eight chalk lead (107-99). This left all to play for in the second half of the match.

First game off in the second half saw Aaron Richardson put in a solid performance in the second half of the game to beat Dan Smith 21-13, with the latter having led 12-8, the Town man only conceded one more chalk. The 16-chalk lead held by Town was swiftly reduced to just two chalks as Walter McCarthy put in a captains innings to beat Andy Clark 21-7. Just as things had got interesting with just two games left on the green Town captain Nathan Hamilton ‘brought home the bacon’ as he got over the line 21-17 against Brian Kelly. Despite the win being sealed for Town this did not deter Marown’s Steve Rough from recovering from a 16-19 deficit against David Quayle, as the Town man had already scored enough chalks to play his part in the win. Rough hit a great strike to score a single to, then scored a double to get over the line 21-20.

The win was secured for Castletown by five chalks (176-171) as the Town men etched their name onto the trophy for the second time, in a final that was well contested throughout the Town men deservedly edged it.

The presentation was made by Competition Committee Secretary Matthew Keggen who thanked Noble’s for hosting the final, along with providing measurers and the refreshments. Town Captain Nathan Hamilton was then presented with the trophy, he congratulated his team on their performance and offered his commiserations to Marown.

South Ramsey man – the current Manx Champion David Bradford performed brilliantly in one of the top events on the bowls calendar on Saturday in the British Crown Green Bowling Association’s Senior Merit, winning four games to reach the semi-finals against a top quality field.

In his first outing Bradford was up against Jonathan Lacey (North Lancs & Fylde) as he battled to a 21-17 win.

In the second round Bradford took a comfortable 21-12 win over Lee Kington (Warwick & Worcester), having led 10-1 he matched his opponent point for point from there.

Playing his third game of the day, the South Ramsey performed brilliantly to out-perform top bowler Paul Dudley (Greater Manchester) 21-14.

Reaching the quarter final stage was an achievement in itself, Bradford found himself trailing by five chalks at 7-12, however he wasn’t done there with a strong performance in the second half of the game to reach the semi-finals courtesy of a 21-16 win over Mark Orme (North Midlands).

In the semi-finals Bradford came up against an in form Derbyshire man Dan Petcher, with the latter taking a 21-10 win to book his place in the final. In the other semi-final Gareth Coates (Yorkshire) advanced to the final with a 21-16 over Chamberlain.

Bradford should be proud of his efforts as he joined an elite group with John Kennish reaching the final in 2003, only to lose to Gary Ellis at Rylands in Warrington, while Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, also reached the semi-final back in 2005 in Barrow only to lose out to Shropshire man Peter Farmer.

In the final Coates was too good for Petcher as a 21-13 win secured his first BCGBA Senior Merit title.

Isle of Man representative Colin Kelly (Marown) fell at the first hurdle losing out 16-21 to regular Isle of Man Festival visitor Conor Chamberlain (Derbyshire), as did South Ramsey’s John Kennish 17-21 to Stuart Tipping (North Lancs & Fylde).

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the Nobles Cup Men’s Doubles on Saturday afternoon with 31 pairs taking part. The competition was sponsored by Atla Group.

Losing out in the quarter finals were home greeners Jim Callister and Steve Cain to Marown pair Paul Kelly and Matthew Keggen 13-21. Les Brookes and Brian Lindsay (Finch Hill/Marown) lost 12-21 to Peter Jones and Glenn Boland (Marown). In the bottom half of the draw Paul Dunn and Neil Withers (Marown) beat Peel pair Ross Menton and Mikey Cawte 21-10, while Noble’s pair Dean Sowerby and Steve Brennan beat club mates Steve Hampson and John Andrew 21-20.

An all Marown tussle was won by Jones and Boland 21-18 against Kelly and Keggen, while Dunn and Withers ended the home hopes of Sowerby and Brennan 21-9.

The final was over in 18 ends as Dunn and Withers led 15-9 after eight ends. Five chalks picked up by Jones and Boland saw the deficit close to one chalks picked at 14-15. Dunn and Withers were made to work for every point as six singles secured a 21-16 victory.

The presentation was made by Lisa Bradshaw on behalf of sponsors Atla Group, with prizes paid down to the quarter finals.

In Canada Life International League Division One Breagle Glen A hosted North Ramsey A on Monday evening with games running out for the Southern team to claw their way out of danger, they crushed the visitors 9-1 to lift themselves off the bottom of the table to hit the 50-point mark. This was only the home sides second win of the season, was quite timely with just four games left to play. Wayne Roberts picked up his 10^th win of the season with a solid 21-10 win against Mooragh captain Rob Monk. Despite playing just half of the season Ewan Cooil sits third in the Breagle merit after picking up his fifth win from seven games as he beat former home greener Tom Collins 21-17, a result matched by Steve Durcan against David Kinrade. The lone winner for the visitors was Steve Walmsley whose 21-11 win over Breagle captain Chris Lever was never in doubt.

South Ramsey B had a tough fixture away to league champions Marown A, the visitors managed to pick up just one win as Lee Dawson beat Tom Kelly 21-12. Helping the home team to a 9-1 win, four games finished to single figures with Paul Dunn, Neil Withers, Peter Jones, and Glenn Boland all winning without breaking sweat.

The closest match of the week was between Onchan A and Marown B at the Park, with the home team winning 6-4 taking the aggregate by 12 chalks (151-139). Matthew Quirk got back to winning ways with a 21-9 win over Stephen Rundle, Reg Temporaza got over the line 21-20 against Karl Parker, while the Crosby men won two games 21-18, as John Gelling beat Peter Slinger, while Jamie Joughin held off Steve Parker.

On a vastly improve Peel green, it will be no coincidence that their home results are improving, following a 7-3 win over Castletown A. That said three games were won to 17, 18, and 19, as Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly beat Ian Watson, Ste Kelly beat Dean Kinley, and Gary Smith won the closest game against Aaron Richardson. Winning for the visitors were Kieran Krypner, who continues to improve each week, Nathan Cooil, and veteran George Foy who stepped up from the B team.

South Ramsey A beat Douglas A 10-0 at home to pick up their first 10-0 of the 2025 season, with Glynn Hargraves beating Ian Moore 21-1, with the latter winning the first end, as Hargraves went on a 21 break. John Kennish won 21-4 against Keith Rise, while Jordan Cain was pushed to 17 by Dave McCabe, as the visitors scored just 90 chalks.

In Division Two Ballaugh A sacrificed top spot following a disastrous 7-3 away defeat to Noble’s B, who would have enjoyed the opportunity to damage the Ballaugh men’s promotion hopes. Winning big for the home team were Steve Cain, who won 21-3 against Tony Quine, while Steve Brennan beat Mike Spooner 21-4.

Marown C hit top spot by two points on 99 points for the season, as they beat Breagle Glen B 8-2 at home. Peter Kelly led the way for the Crosby men with a 21-8 win over Nicholas Peterson, while Rod Swift and Ed Benson won for Breagle.

Douglas B gave themselves some breathing room at the bottom end of the table, as they won 9-1 at home to Onchan B. Dave Pease was the lone loser 17-21 to Mark Kelly. For the Villa men single figure wins arrived from Steve Cook and William Cowley, Stuart Garrett and Bob Callow were pushed to 17, while Steve Gregg got over the line 21-20 against Neil Richmond.

Finch Hill A won 8-2 at home to Noble’s A, with Stephen Oates and Shay Waterworth winning to single figures, while Kevin Stannard beat Martyn Hobson 21-20. Winning for Noble’s Jim Callister 21-7, while Stephen Corkill won 21-17 against Pat Maher.

Castletown B couldn’t make home advantage count as they lost 2-8 against Peel D, as John Holden and Patrick Cooper were the two winners for the home team.

In Division Three North Ramsey B still lead the way following their 3-7 away win over Breagle Glen C. Noble’s D beat their higher ranked C team 7-3, however just six chalks separated the teams (135-129), as two heavy wins for the C team couldn’t stop the D from picking up the aggregate.

The closest match in the third division was between South Ramsey C and visitors Peel C, who drew 4-4 and managed to edge the aggregate by two chalks (141-143) to take a 4-6 win back to the Sunset City. The closest game on the night was between James Moore and Stuart Morrison with the Ramsey man edging it 21-20.

Ballaugh C drew 4-4 at home to Marown D. The Crosby men went home the happier of the two teams, as they took the aggregate by 10 chalks (127-137) for a 4-6 win, as the teams shared a 21-5 win each.

Runaway leaders Onchan C took their turn to sit out this week, are still 20 points ahead of the chasing pack in Division Four.

Douglas D hosted South Ramsey D, with the home team taking an 8-2 win. Winning for the visitors were Geoff Collier who beat David Manley 21-11, and Junior bowler Kian Bradford who picked up league win number five of the season with a superb 21-11 win against Warren Molesworth. Continuing the Junior trend young Clark Kelly knocked Frank Feeney off the top of the merit board, inflicting a first league defeat of the season on the South Ramsey captain 21-18. A special mention must go to 12-year-old Erik Lumb, who was playing just his third league fixture ever, having faced experienced bowlers in his first two fixtures, Lumb caught the eye of the current Manx Champion and number one ranked bowler, who witnessed a superb display from the left hander who won his first ever game in style with a 21-5 win over Ian Kermode. One to watch for the not-so-distant future. If I could give any advice to our junior bowlers, it would be practice, practice, and practice some more. Get in club competitions, open competitions, as it will stand you in good stead in the future.

Finch Hill B couldn’t fully capitalise on the opportunity to close the gap as they won 4-6 away to Peel D, taking the aggregate by six chalks (134-140), as new merit leader Tony Epifani won 21-5 against Rob Lucas-Kneen.

North Ramsey C slipped to a 2-8 defeat at home to Douglas C, with Juan Readshaw winning 21-3 against Steve Taylor, while Greg Tomlinson beat Euan Christian 21-9. Responding for the Mooragh men Adam Greenwood beat Greg Brew 21-8.

Noble’s E won 7-3 at home to Castletown C, in a match that had three 21-20 results, with the home team winning two as Lee Cain and David Karran beat Chris Palmer and Jacob Robert respectively. For Town Ray Harris was their 21-20 winner against Chris Kirkman.

The eagerly awaited Plumbmaster Limited Rayner Shield final between Marown A and Marown B was held at Onchan Bowling Club on Friday evening. The draw took place ahead of the match, with plenty of potential banana skins for the higher ranked team, who were missing their captain Paul Dunn. There was a healthy crowd in attendance to watch events unfold with good support for both teams. League leaders Marown A were the clear favourites on the night, however the lower ranked team would have been hoping to pull off a huge upset.

First off the green for the A was Tom Kelly, who having faced younger brother Kevin a number of times, it was the younger sibling who had prevailed on each occasion. Tom didn’t give Kevin a sniff in the game, as he built a 14-6 lead, then went on to finish the game 21-11 to put the A team 1-0 up in the match.

Game two off the green made it 2-0 as Dean Kipling did not display any signs of rustiness, as he beat Stephen Rundle 21-12, keeping the latter down to 12 singles, while picking up five doubles himself.

Game three was keenly contested throughout between Paul Kelly and Phil Kelly, it was Paul who prevailed having trailed in the game on several occasions before getting over the line 21-17.

For the B to have any chance of winning they needed a win in the first half of the match, it was Peter Greenlees the 2020 Rayner Shield hero for Peel who came closest to doing so against Neil Withers, with the former having trailed 3-11, Greenlees, got ahead 20-19, only for Withers to hold his nerve to get over the line 21-20 to put the A team 4-0 ahead at the halfway point of the match, with a 23 chalk lead.

In the second half of the match it became a case of who would officially seal the win by getting the fifth game on the board, it was Glenn Boland who picked up a solid 21-11 win against Matthew Keggen, while Boland’s doubles partner Peter Jones swiftly followed with a win to the same score against Karl Parker.

Game seven saw super sub Sam Clague defeat B team captain Juan Killip 21-15, this left one game on the green – Colin Kelly against John Gelling, with the match a dead rubber, there would be no doubting that Kelly would want to win, however Gelling managed to prevent an 8-0 whitewash as held off Kelly 21-19.

The presentation was made by Brian Kelly, who thanked Plumbmaster for sponsoring the competition, Onchan Bowling Club for the use of the green. The Rayner Shield was presented to stand in Marown captain Neil Withers, who congratulated the B team on reaching the final, who had put up a spirited performance. This is Marown’s 17th win in this competition, their first win in the final since 2018.

Plumbmaster Rayner Shield Final Results