Sunday May 21^st saw the staging of the 2023 Haldane Fisher Mixed Pairs Crown Green Bowling Competition. All the twenty four pairs taking part were treated to a Green that was running well and found by many to be quite tricky.

At the Quarter Final stage we saw Rebecca Teare and Paul Dunn (Marown) beat Joyce Ogden (Marown) and Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) 21-17 while home greeners Jan West and Andy Cannell (Douglas) took a 21-16 victory against Sandra May and Mark Kelly (Onchan). In the bottom half of the draw we saw Jenny Moore and James Teare (South Ramsey) beat Debbie Leece and Neil Withers (Marown) 21-19 and Paula and Stuart Garrett (Douglas) beat Paula and Nick Firth (Nobles and Douglas) 21-17.

In the semi-finals a strong performance on their own Green from Jan West and Andy Cannell resulted in a 21-9 win against Rebecca Teare and Paul Dunn , while Jenny Moore and James Teare took a 21-17 win against Paula and Stuart Garrett.

This brought us to what turned out to be a thrilling Final with the Moore/Teare pairing starting well and building up a 12-9 lead but then a run of three singles for West and Cannell brought the score to 12-12. Jenny and James then built up their lead to 18-12 but their opponents then got a three to make it 18-15 only to lose a two on the next end and leave the South Ramsey pairing leading 20-15. Jan and Andy then scored five over the next three ends leaving the score at 20-20 but then Jenny and James won the deciding end to win the competition.

The prizes were presented by the President of Douglas Bowling Club Kay McKiernan and James Teare thanked Haldane Fisher for sponsoring the event and Douglas Bowling Club for hosting it and the Green Keeper for a Green that was running well but tricky.

Easter Saturday saw the second staging of the KNR Construction Trophy on a well prepared green at the Villa with those who were lucky enough to be there being treated to a display of good bowling from the 25 pairs who competed.

At the quarter final stage we saw Lynda and Derek Cadamy (Marown/Port Erin) lose 13-21 to Rebecca Teare and Paul Dunn (Marown) and it was great to see Helen Martin (Castletown) back on the green partnering Matthew Keggen (Marown) as they beat Margaret Tasker (Port St Mary) and Les Brookes (Finch Hill) 21-20. In the remaining two quarter final matches Lyn Bolton (Marown) and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) beat Onchan’s Sandra May and Mark Kelly 21-12 and Kim Hargraves and Peter Collister (both South Ramsey) lost 13-21 to Sue Gawne and Andy Kennish (both Onchan).

As we came to the semi-finals we saw Helen & Matthew face Rebecca and Paul but sadly Helen who had battled gallantly against a lack of match fitness during the afternoon found playing four consecutive games just too much and had to withdraw despite leading 12-9 with the Teare and Dunn pairing going through to the final. The remaining game was a close affair with the Bolton and Roberts duo losing 19-21 to Gawne and Kennish.

In the final Teare and Dunn started well and built up a 15-9 lead after eight ends but by 12 ends the game was level at 16-16 with Gawne and Kennish playing some good bowls to put pressure on their opponents. Teare and Dunn then built up a 20-16 lead but on the 16th end Gawne and Kennish scored a three to make it 20-19 only to lose the next end to give Rebecca Teare and Paul Dunn the win.

The trophies were presented by Neil Clarke of KNR Construction and Paul Dunn thanked the sponsors, Douglas Bowling Club for hosting the event and the Greenkeeper for a great playing surface and the Club Members who had helped on the day.

Sunday saw the holding of the Douglas Town Cup Ladies and Men’s Singles hosted by Douglas Bowling Club at the Villa. The Men’s event started at 10:30 in the morning, with the Ladies competition starting later in the day and at the start the Green was quite heavy after a night of heavy rain.

In the Men’s Singles at the Quarter Final stage we saw Neil Withers (Marown) beat Club mate Harry Barton 21-9 while Tom Collins (Port St Mary) lost 20-21 to Brian Kelly (Marown). We then saw Tony Hart (South Ramsey) beat Matthew Keggen (Marown) 21-15 and Peter Jones (Marown) beat Walter McCarthy (Marown) 21-13.

The semi-finals saw Neil Withers beat Brian Kelly 21-11 and Peter Jones beating Tony Hart 21-13.

This led to a great final with both players producing some excellent shots to keep the spectators who stayed on the edge of their seats but eventually it was Peter Jones who took the win 21-19.

In the Ladies Quarter Finals we saw Paula Garrett (Douglas) lose out to Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) 21-13 and Sue Gawne (Onchan) beat Rebecca Teare(Marown) 21-11. In the remaining two games Debbie Leece (Marown) beat Jane Lothian (Douglas) 21-10 and Janet Monk (Mooragh Park) took a 21-14 win against Fiona Kennish (South Ramsey).

In the Ladies semi-finals we saw some absolutely wonderful bowls with Jenny Moore beating Sue Gawne 21-15 and Janet Monk beat Debbie Leece 21-16.

Once more we saw a fantastic Final with Jenny leading well but Janet also found some great shots but in the end Jenny was just too strong on the day and she won 21-16.

There was also a prize for the Juniors going furthest in the competition and the Junior Girls was won by Katie Jacobs (Douglas) and the Junior Boys by Alex Colquitt (Marown).

At the conclusion Douglas Bowling Club Chairman Norman Kneen thanked all those who supported the event and thanked the Douglas Club Members for a great team effort in putting on the event. He then announced that at this event they had raised funds for the Manx Gateway Club and had raised monies to the total of £550. He then went on to thank Rob Matthews and his company 3R’s Ltd for sponsoring the event and handed over to Rob Matthews to present the prizes.

On Saturday the Haldane Fisher Mixed Pairs Competition was run by Douglas Bowling Club on a lovely day at the Villa Marina. There was a good turnout of bowlers on a green that was running well.

At the quarter final stage we saw South Ramsey pair Jenny Moore and James Teare beat Margaret Tasker (Port St Mary) and Derek Allen (Port Erin) 21-16, while a superb performance from Louise and Nigel Tebay (Ballaugh) saw them beat Onchan pair Sue Gawne and Andy Kennish also 21-16. Home greeners Paula and Stuart Garrett beat Ballaugh’s Michelle and Paul Cubbon 21-12 and Kim and Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) beat Marown duo Rebecca Teare and Paul Dunn 21-18.

The semi-finals saw two great games with Jenny and James beating Louise and Nigel 21-15 and Paula and Stuart beating Kim and Glynn 21-17.

In the Final Paula and Stuart started well to take a 10-8 lead and then Jenny and James levelled the score to 10-10. Paula and Stuart then went into an 11-10 lead but from this point on Jenny and James piled on the pressure to win 21-11.

The trophies were presented by Douglas Bowling Club Competition Secretary Andy Cannell and on receiving the trophy James thanked the sponsors Haldane Fisher and Douglas Bowling Club for putting on the event. He also thanked the Greenkeeper for a superb playing surface and those who ran the competition throughout the day.

Saturday saw the first ever running of the KNR Construction Mixed Pairs, which was hosted by Douglas Bowling Club at their Villa Marina Green. On a bright but chilly day with the Green running well those watching were treated to some good bowls.

At the quarter final stage Tina Hampson (Onchan) and Dave Naughton (Noble’s) lost 8-21 to the Mother and Son pairing of Paula (Onchan) and Nick Firth (Douglas) and a great battle between Clare Cooper (Marown) and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) and home greeners Jan West and Andy Cannell saw the latter pairing use their home green knowledge to take the win 21-18. Caroline Whitehead (Port Erin) and Mark Kelly (Onchan) showed good form to beat South Ramsey pair Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves 21-15, whilst another South Ramsey pairing Jenny Moore and James Teare took a 21-19 win against Sue Gawne (Onchan) and Andy Kennish (Peel).

In the semi-finals Jan West and Andy Cannell were forced to fight hard to eventually overcome Paula and Nick Firth, while Jenny Moore and James Teare put on a great show of bowling to beat Caroline Whitehead and Mark Kelly 21-7.

In the final Jenny and James started well to soon build up a lead with Jan and Andy then putting up a comeback but eventually found their opponents too strong and it was James and Jenny that took the win 21-13.

Gordon Wynne-Smythe of Douglas Bowling Club introduced Neil Clarke of KNR Construction to present the prizes and in his speech James Teare thanked the Sponsors, Douglas Bowling Club and the Greenkeeper and everyone who helped to run the event.

Douglas Bowling Club would also like to thank the Sponsors and everyone who helped on the day.

Sunday 1^st August saw the 3R’s Limited sponsored Douglas Town Cup event with both Ladies and Men’s Singles being held by Douglas Bowling Club on their Green at the Villa Marina.

In the Ladies Event at quarter final Stage we saw Clare Cooper (Marown) beat Paula Garrett (Douglas) 21-14 and Janet Monk (North Ramsey) beat Kim Hargraves (South Ramsey) 21-16 while Margie Tasker (Port St Mary) beat Shannon McMullan (North Ramsey) 21-15. In the final quarter-final we saw Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) beat Rebecca Teare (Marown) 21-11.

The semi-finals saw a close battle between Monk and Cooper with Janet eventually taking a 21-18 win and Moore proved to be too strong for Tasker as she took a 21-14 win.

The final started with Moore leading well but with Monk playing some great second bowls to take the ends. As the game progressed Moore gradually took control and played well to take the win 21-13.

The Men’s event saw some great bowls throughout and at the quarter final stage Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) beat Will Penhallurick (Onchan) 21-16, Reg Temporaza (Onchan) also beat Nathan Hamilton (Castletown) 21-16 and Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary) beat Phil Kelly (Marown) 21-17. The last Quarter Final saw a strong performance from Neil Withers (Marown) as he beat Steven Waters (South Ramsey) 21-7.

In the semi-finals a great battle between Hargraves and Temporaza saw Hargraves edging a 21-20 win and the second semi-final saw Quayle play superbly to beat Withers 21-10.

It was nice to see that a good crowd had stayed to watch the finals and they were treated to a great display of bowling from both finalists with Quayle eventually beating Hargraves 21-20.

The Trophies were presented by Rob Mathews of 3R’s Limited who thanked everyone who helped to put on the event and the competitors for a great display of bowling while Trevor Quayle on receiving his Trophy thanked the sponsor and Douglas Bowling Club for putting on the event.

The 2021 Haldane Fisher Mixed Pairs Competition was blessed with a good entry, good weather and a Green that was in good condition and running well. It was hosted by Douglas Bowling Club on their Green at the Villa Marina and those who were lucky enough to be there were treated to a great days bowling.

At the Quarter Final Stage we saw Jenny Moore and James Teare (South Ramsey) beat Chris Price and Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) 21-14 while the on form pairing of Rebecca Teare (Marown) and Bob Clark (Castletown) beat Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) also 21-14. The two remaining Quarter Finals were epic battles with Paula Garrett and Jimmy Sansom (Douglas) having to ‘dig deep’ to beat Debbie Leece and Neil Withers (Marown) 21-19 and in the remaining game we had the same score with Alison Kearsley and Nathan Cooil (Castletown) getting the better of Shannon McMullan (Mooragh Park) and Trevor Quayle (Port St Mary).

In the Semi Finals Jenny Moore and James Teare give it their best shot but found Rebecca Teare and Bob Clark just too good on the day and the latter pair ran out 21-12 winners. In the second Semi Final it was the ‘home green’ pairing of Paula Garrett and Jimmy Sansom who used their knowledge of the green to beat the tough opposition of Alison Kearsley and Nathan Cooil 21-16.

The Final started as a close encounter up to the halfway stage and then Rebecca and Bob built up  a 20-13 lead and looked unbeatable but Paula and Jimmy refused to give up and brought the score back to 21-16. The next end saw Paula and Jimmy lying two up but then Bob with his last bowl played an amazing shot to take the much needed final point to win the competition.

This meant that the winners of the 2021 Haldane Fisher Mixed Pairs was Rebecca Teare and Bob Clark and at the presentation Douglas Bowling Club Chairman Norman Kneen thanked Sponsors Haldane Fisher, Ian Moore and Jimmy Sansom for a superbly prepared green and everyone else who had helped to make the event a great success. He then congratulated the winners and Club Vice President Kay McKiernan presented the trophy to the winners.

The 3R’S Accountancy and Book Keeping sponsored Douglas Town Cup saw a great turnout for an event which featured both ladies and men’s competitions.

With the men’s event starting at the earlier time of 11:00 on Sunday morning we saw some great battles in the early stages, which led to the quarter finals where Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) beat Sam Clague (Castletown) 21-13, Paul Dunn (Marown) took a 21-10 win from Willy Cowley (Douglas), Matthew Quirk (Onchan) beat Alec Taylor (Peel) 21-10 and an epic battle between Andy Kennish (Peel) and Dave McCabe (Finch Hill) saw Kennish just edge home 21-20.

The semi-finals saw a great match between 2019 finalists Paul Dunn and Glynn Hargraves with the latter winning 21-19, whilst Matthew Quirk outplayed a tiring Andy Kennish to win 21-16.

The final saw Hargraves start well building up a 11-4 lead. Quirk managed to pull the score back to 10-12, before Hargraves went on another run to lead 20-10. Quirk battled well to score a further five points before Hargraves secured the point needed to take a 21-15 victory to retain the Douglas Town Cup.

The Ladies event also had a good turnout. At the quarter final stage Amanda Lawler (Castletown) lost out 10-21 to Debbie Leece (Noble’s), Lynda Cadamy (Port Erin) was beaten 15-21 by Paula Garrett (Noble’s), Trish Bull (Port St Mary) defeated Tina Hampson (Onchan) 21-16, whilst Margie Tasker (Port St Mary) ended the challenge of Sue Gawne (Onchan).

In the semi-finals team mates Debbie Leece & Paula Garrett met up, whilst Trish Bull (Port St Mary) took on team mate Margaret Tasker. Debbie Leece and Paula Garrett had a great battle with Paula just taking a 21-18 win and Margie Tasker beat her old friend Trish Bull to earn a place in the final.

Once again we had a great final with Paula Garrett not leading quite as well as her opponent so it was Margie Tasker who took the 2020 Douglas Town Cup Ladies title with a 21-16 victory.

Many thanks must go to everyone who worked so hard to make this such a successful and friendly event and special thanks must go to Rob Matthews and his 3R’s company for their continued sponsorship. Rob not only sponsored the event but he played in it as well as selling raffle tickets and marking score cards all day.