News: Announcements

Canada Life International League Action

In Canada Life International league Division One bowlers were treated to fine weather and perfect bowling conditions this week, as the league season reached two thirds of the way through with just six rounds of fixtures left.

Onchan A hosted South Ramsey A, with the home side missing two of their top players Peter Slinger and Matthew Quirk, it was the visitors who took advantage of this to take a 2-8 win, just missing out on an extra point, as Kevin Quirk held off Glynn Hargraves 21-20. The other winner for Onchan was Reg Temporaza, who beat James Teare 21-11. The next closest Onchan came to picking up a third win was Neil Dunwell, who led 12-3 against Bob Clark, with the latter responding to get over the line 21-17.

Marown A were just two chalks away from a 10-0 home win, with North Ramsey A captain Rob Monk ensuring the Mooragh men got a point as he beat Neil Withers 21-19. David Kinrade came closest to a second win as he lost out 19-21 against Tom Kelly. Three single figures wins for the home team saw the visitors score 92 chalks.

Peel A beat Douglas A 8-2, with Ste Kelly beating Ian Moore 21-6, whilst Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly won 21-7 against Villa captain Merv Sayle. Winning for the visitors were Shaun Seal (21-14) against Andy Mackie, while Nick Firth held his nerve to beat Paul Quirk 21-20.

Breagle Glen A suffered a second defeat in a week at home to Marown B, with this victory less nervy than the Rayner Plate semi-final the previous week, as they took home a 2-8 win, taking the aggregate by 13 chalks (130-143). Winning two close games for the visitors Kevin Kelly beat Chris Oates 21-19, while Jamie Joughin held off Ray Maddrell 21-20. For the home team Dan McCabe beat Stephen Rundle 21-16, with Ewan Cooil beating last minute stand in Tareq Taher 21-1.

On Friday evening Onchan A played their rearranged game with Marown A at the Park…

In Division Two league leaders Ballaugh A bounced back from last weeks defeat to beat Peel B 8-2, whilst second placed Marown C lost ground on Ballaugh, as they won 3-7 away to Finch Hill A, it could have been worse as the Crosby men won the aggregate by just four chalks (138-142).

Noble’s B will have gone home happy, thanks to their 91 home win over Onchan B, helped by two single figure wins from Lee Price and Lee Greggor. Castletown B continue to drag themselves away from the danger zone, as they won 9-1 at the Crofts against Breagle Glen B, with Nick Peterson the lone winner for the visitors 21-16 against Ross Moore.

Douglas B vs Noble’s A

North Ramsey B missed the opportunity to extend their two point lead at the top of Division Three, as they managed to sneak away from their match with Ballaugh C with a 4-6 win taking the all important aggregate by a solitary chalk (126-127). Peel C failed to close the gap on the leaders as they also won 4-6 away to Noble’s D.

Ballaugh B aren’t completely out of the hunt for promotion, as they are nine points off top spot following their 3-7 win away to Breagle Glen C. Marown D went one point ahead of Noble’s C following their 7-3 home win over the Park men.

In Division Four Onchan C continue to keep the chasing pack playing catch up following their 3-7 win away to North Ramsey C. Second placed Finch Hill B got the better of Douglas D 4-6, while Peel D suffered a 4-6 defeat at home to Douglas C, as the Villa men edged the aggregate by eight chalks (134-142).

Dunn Wins First Dreswick Cup

The Dreswick men’s singles took place on Thursday afternoon at Breagle Glen Bowling Club, with the competition being held for the first time by Breagle Glen Bowling Club. There was an entry of 35, with everyone treated to an afternoon of glorious sunshine, once the mist cleared.

The fallers at the quarter final stage were Brian Kelly ( Marown) 10-21 to David Bradford (South Ramsey), Arran Dunn (Marown) 12-21 to Will Penhallurick (Onchan). The last home greener Wayne Roberts ended the challenge of Mike Hargraves (Castletown) 21-11, whilst the closest quarter final match was between Marown clubmates James Kelly and Paul Dunn, with the latter prevailing 21-15.

The first semi-final was between Bradford and Penhallurick, it was the South Ramsey man who eased to a 21-13 win. In the second semi-final Dunn won to the same score as the previous round, as he defeated Roberts 21-15.

The final between Dunn and Bradford was a repeat of the 2024 final, with Bradford the current holder, as the pair faced off in a final for the second time in less than a week, with Dunn having the psychological edge following his Ramsey Town Cup win on Saturday. Dunn got off to a great start, never taking his foot off the gas throughout the game as he eased to a 21-8 win to lift the Dreswick Cup for the first time.

The prize presentation was made by Steve Durcan who thanked Pat O’Meara from the Albert Hotel for the sponsorship, Breagle Glen competition secretary Angela Bennett for running the competition, and all the Breagle Glen club members that helped make the day a success.

Dreswick Cup 2025 – SF & Final
Dreswick Cup 2025 – Sheet

Bradford & Kennish Win Tynwald Day Pairs

Marown hosted the ever-popular Tynwald Day R & A Grimshaw Pairs Trophy on Bank Holiday Monday with the green in superb condition. 28 pairs took part, and the competition was once again sponsored by Investasure Financial Services Ltd.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were home greeners Kevin Kelly and Phil Kelly 12-21 to clubmates Colin Kelly and Tom Kelly, Jordan Cain and Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) lost out 16-21 to Marown’s Glenn Boland and Peter Jones. Matthew Keggen and Paul Kelly (Marown) lost out to single figures 9-21 to John Kennish and David Bradford (South Ramsey) whilst another all Marown game was won 21-5 by Neil Withers and Paul Dunn 21-5 against James Kelly and Brian Kelly.

At the semi-final stage both winning pairs came through their games relatively comfortably, as Boland and Jones ended the hopes of father and son Colin and Tom Kelly 21-16, while Kennish and Bradford relinquished a 16-7 lead, only to get back in at the right time at 16-15 to run out with a 21-15 win over Withers and Dunn.

So to the final, it was a tight encounter throughout, with just one double scored after 10 ends played the home pair were 10-9 ahead. A four for Boland and Jones appeared to turn the game in their favour with a 14-9 lead, however this sparked the South Ramsey men into action as they got in and went for distance. Whilst it took another 11 ends to finish the game with Kennish and Bradford kept down to eight singles, and two doubles, they seen the game out with a 21-15 win to remarkably pick up their first Tynwald Day win together.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by Phil Kelly, who thanked the sponsors for their support, Brian Kelly for running the sheet, everyone who had helped with the running of the competition, the Marown Ladies for the refreshments provided. Martin Corkish from Investasure was introduced to present prizes. In his speech John praised the greenkeeper for the condition of the green.

Tynwald Day Grimshaw Pairs 2025 – SF & Final
Tynwald Day Grimshaw Pairs 2025 – Sheet

Dunn Wins Ramsey Town Cup

Following his first win in 2020 Paul Dunn overcame a strong field to pick up his second Ramsey Town Cup trophy five years later. There was a healthy entry of 59 bowlers from across the island, with the competition once again sponsored by Corkhill & Callow Ltd.

In the first of the quarter finals Peel man Paul Quirk reached the end of the road, as he lost out 18-21 to Castletown captain Nathan Hamilton 18-21, with newly crowned Manx Champion David Bradford seeing off home greener Paul Cannan 21-14. In the other half of the draw Paul Dunn (Marown) won comfortably 21-10 against James Teare (South Ramsey), while John Cannan (Mooragh Park) lost out 16-21 to Glenn Boland (Marown).

The first of the semi-finals between Bradford and Hamilton was level 10-10 after six ends, as the former went on to win nine consecutive ends to runout with a 21-10 win. The second semi-final was less straightforward with Boland taking an early 13-8 lead against Dunn, with the latter responding to win six ends to lead 15-13. The next four ends were shared with Boland reducing the deficit to one chalk at 16-17, as Glenn went on to score four chalks to lead 20-17. Not done there Marown captain Dunn picked up a double and two singles, using all his experience to get over the line 21-20.

The final was expected to be a close contest between two top players, however in reality on this occasion it was anything but that, as Dunn never allowed Bradford to win two consecutive ends, while four mini-runs of winning ends was enough to secure a deserved 21-9 victory, with it his second Ramsey Town Cup.

John Cannan of North Ramsey Bowling Club introduced Brian representing the sponsors Corkhill and Callow Ltd and thanked him and the club members who organised the competition and provided catering and raffle support for their efforts. The prizes were then presented to the losing quarter and semi-finalists, runner up and winner. The trophy was then presented to Paul Dunn, who said perhaps 2030 would be the next time that we would win it, with five years having passed since his first success.

Ramsey Town Cup 2025 – Sheet
Ramsey Town Cup 2025 – QF
Ramsey Town Cup 2025 – SF & Final

Rayner Shield & Plate Finalists Confirmed

PlumbMaster Rayner Shield

The first semi-final on Wednesday evening was a blockbuster between hosts South Ramsey A and Marown A on a tricky green, which proved a challenge for the players. The first game off saw David Bradford stroll to a 21-2 win over Sam Clague. Neil Withers got Marown’s first victory on the board with a 21-17 win over Glynn Hargraves, with the former having led 11-5 and 16-12. Stefan Kelly made his second appearance of the season for the A team after his travels to earn a 21-19 win over Peter Jones, finishing the game strongly with two doubles having trailed 17-19. The last game of the first half saw Peter Collister build a 11-1 lead over Colin Kelly, with the Crosby man reducing the deficit to one chalk at 12-11, Collister managed to get another run of the jack to lead 18-12. The expected fightback from Kelly arrived, as he managed to set the game out with a 21-19 win to level the match 2-2 on games, however South Ramsey crucially held a 15-chalk lead.

The second half of the match saw Tom Kelly put Marown into a 3-2 lead with a win over Bob Clark, with the game finely poised at 7-7, a strong second half of the game saw Tom win 21-11. Dido Kelly came off with a second single figure victory of the night for the home team with a 21-9 win over Paul Kelly to level the match once more 3-3.

This left two games on the green with South holding a commanding 17-chalk lead, one more win would seal it for the hosts. Two fine performances from the Crosby men saw captain Paul Dunn overturn a 11-14 deficit to run out with a 21-16 win over John Kennish, leaving the match going to the wire as is often the case when these teams clash. Glenn Boland was in control of the game with Jordan Cain, leading 16-11, only for the latter to take the lead 17-16. A loose end was punished to the maximum by Boland picking up a two, with Cain levelling the game at 18-18. The South Ramsey man then forfeited the jack after failing to send the jack the minimum distance of 19 metres, with the Crosby man picking up a double and a single to secure a 21-18 win, and a 5-3 victory making the chalks irrelevant (144-135).

The second semi-final was played on Thursday between hosts Breagle Glen A and Marown B, in front of another good crowd with nervous spectators on the sidelines in another fascinating encounter.

Ewan Cooil rolled back the years to get win number one on the board for the home team beating Matthew Keggen 21-5, with John Gelling hitting back with a 21-7 win over Steve Durcan. Trevor Quayle took a comfortable 21-14 win over Stephen Rundle, with Marown captain Juan Killip swiftly squaring the match up on games with a 21-13 win over Tim Williams. At the halfway point just one chalk separated the sides with Breagle edging it (62-61).

In the second half of the match Breagle captain Chris Lever held a 11-8 lead over Phil Kelly, with the latter going on to finish strongly with a 21-12 win. Karl Parker got win number four for the Crosby men, similar to Kelly a strong finish to the game resulted in a 21-16 win over Mark Moorley.

With just two games left on the green, Breagle had to win the last two games to stand any chance of reaching the final, would also have to overturn a 13-chalk deficit, while Marown needed both players to score 30-chalks between them. Wayne Roberts got over the line 21-14 against Peter Greenlees, leaving Dan McCabe and Kevin Kelly on the green. A good run of ends with the jack had McCabe take a 15-10 lead along the edge of the green, the Breagle man was counting for one only for Kelly to trail the jack to count for two and start the fightback. Towards the end of the game, it became known the chalks were safe for Marown, with Kelly continuing to battle as he edged home 21-20 to seal an outright 3-5 victory for the visitors.

Marown A and Marown B will play each other in the final of the Rayner Shield on Friday 18th July, with the venue to be decided.

PlumbMaster Rayner Plate

While the first Shield semi-final took place Castletown A (+15) took on their B Team (+35) in the Plate semi-final, with the A Team drawn away they had the advantage of sending the jack on the first end. In truth it was a comfortable win for the A Team as they overturned a 20-chalk deficit to win by 37-chalks to ensure safe passage to the Final of the Rayner Plate. Three single figure wins from Town captain Nathan Hamilton, Dean Kinley, and quarter final hero Kieran Krypner saw the higher ranked team progress. Winning for the B Team were Alan Phair, as he beat Nathan Cooil 21-18, with Ross Moore holding off Ian Watson 21-19.

On Thursday evening, it was another uneventful semi-final as Marown C (+25) were drawn at home to Peel C (+60), with the Crosby men losing just one game on the night as Jamie Joughin lost out 15-21 to James Lee. Two single figure wins from Peter Kelly and Walter McCarthy saw 30-chalks clawed back in these two games alone. Marown won by 25-chalks (187-162) to become the third Marown men’s night league team to reach a final this season.

Castletown A will play Marown C in the final on Friday 1st August, with the venue to be confirmed, with the higher ranked Town men favourites to lift some silverware.

Canada Life International – League Action

With Marown A rearranging their match with Onchan A, South Ramsey A hit top spot by default in Canada Life International League Division One following their 8-2 home win over Peel A on a tricky green. Winning for Peel Gary Smith beat Peter Collister 21-14, whilst Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly held on to win 21-18 against Glynn Hargraves, having led 15-5. The next closest to picking up a win for Peel was Stevie Kelly who lost out 17-21 to Dido Kelly. For the home team Manx Champion David Bradford beat Pip Pemberton 21-5, whilst Jordan Cain won 21-7 against Andy Mackie.

Castletown A came away from Mooragh Park with a 4-6 win over North Ramsey A, edging the aggregate by two chalks (133-135). All four wins for the visitors were comfortable, whilst Allan Callow beat Jordan Drewett 21-18, the chalks scored by the latter helped his team get over the line.

Douglas A won 6-4 at home to Breagle Glen A, with the home team losing out in two close games, as Merv Sayle lost 19-21 to Dan McCabe, with Keith Rise defeated 17-21 by Wayne Roberts. Given the Breagle sides league position the four points would have been most welcome.

Marown B won 6-4 at home to South Ramsey B, with all four home wins being comfortable. John Gelling was the best winner for the Crosby men beating Christian Caley 21-5. For the visitors Tony Dugdale won 21-10 against Karl Parker, whilst Lee Dawson beat Marown captain Juan Killip 21-17.

In Division Two league leaders Ballaugh A suffered their first defeat of the season as they lost 6-4 away to Noble’s A in an unusual manner, as they won three games, but shared the chalks (147-147). Making the defeat even harder to take they lost three games 20-21, with Chris Pedley, Mark Dimsdale, and Edward Trustham losing to Dave Naughton, Martyn Hobson, and Jim Callister respectively.

Marown C took the opportunity to close the gap on the leaders as they beat Castletown B 8-2 at home, winning three games to single figures, and two close games 21-18 as Sid Bolton, and Darren Kerruish held off their opponents.

Finch Hill A bounced back from last week’s heavy defeat to beat Noble’s B 8-2, whilst Onchan B did enough to beat Peel B 4-6 in the Sunset City, taking the aggregate by seven chalks (139-146).

Breagle Glen B will be in better spirits as their 7-3 home win over closest rivals Douglas B consigned the Villa men to bottom place by four points.

In Division Three sitting in top spot are North Ramsey B who missed out on a maximum by just three chalks at home to Noble’s C following their 8-2 win, as Ray Skelly was pipped at the post 20-21 by Steve Colquitt, whilst Lee Christian fell short 19-21 to Jay Elliott.

Peel C kept in touch with the Mooragh men with a 7-3 home win over Breagle Glen C, with the home team featuring several improving players. Ballaugh B won 7-3 at home to Marown D, with both teams sharing a 21-20 victory.

South Ramsey C suffered a 3-5 home defeat, however two single figure wins from David Corkill and Jay Moore helped salvage a 5-5 draw to take the aggregate by seven chalks (146-139).

In Division Four Onchan C look uncatchable with a 23-point lead at the top following their 8-2 home win over Noble’s E.

Finch Hill B occupy second place, they lost ground on the leaders following their 7-3 away defeat to Castletown C, with the Town men winning three games to single figures.

Douglas C hosted South Ramsey D at the Villa, with the home team winning 7-3. Three of the home wins were to a 21-6 score line, whilst the visitors won two games to singles figures.

Bradford Wins Third Manx Championship

The final stages of the Canada Life International Manx Championship were played at Breagle Glen Bowling Club on Sunday afternoon, with the qualifying rounds having taken place the previous day, there was a healthy 64 entries. The last time the Championship was held in Port Erin in 2006 the final was contested between Paul Dunn and John Kennish, with the latter prevailing to win title number seven. Kennish is the current holder and has since gone on to win another five Championship titles.

As is always the case there were some casualties on the Saturday, with the draw being played down to the last 16, the target being to navigate safely through the early rounds to reach finals day.

Tom Kelly2114Paul Kelly
Paul Dunn2112Toby Hart
Paul Cowley0421John Kennish
Mark Moorley2114Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly
Andy Kennish2115Karl Parker
Colin Kelly2114Reg Temporaza
Peter Slinger2117Stevie Kelly
David Bradford2105Neil Withers
Last 16 Results

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Paul Dunn who lost out 19-21 to Marown teammate Tom Kelly, with the latter having led 12-3, Dunn turned the game around to lead 17-14. Kelly stepped up a gear to win four ends on the bounce scoring six chalks to lead 20-17, only to concede a double. With the game finely poised at 20-19 Tom capitalised on a bit of room to get the single chalk needed to secure a semi-final spot with a 21-19 win. The second quarter final saw John Kennish (South Ramsey) having to mix things up a little, with a determined Mark Moorley (Breagle Glen) going into the lead once again with the score at 12-11 after 19 ends. A solid finish to the game saw Kennish prevail 21-14.

In the bottom half of the draw, the two matches were more straightforward for both winners, as Colin Kelly (Marown) took a decisive 21-5 win over Andy Kennish (Peel), with the latter scoring five singles, whilst Kelly scored seven doubles. David Bradford (South Ramsey) also secured safe passage to the semi-final with a 21-6 win over Peter Slinger (Onchan), with the Ramsey man keeping his opponent down to six singles throughout the game.

The semi-finals saw three previous winners looking to add to their tally, with Tom Kelly hoping to secure his maiden Manx Championship title, as he faced 12-time winner and current holder Kennish, with the latter never going behind in the game, with the score at 13-9 to Kennish, he went on to win seven of the last eight ends to runout with a comfortable 21-10 win.

The other semi-final had the potential to go to the wire, it was seven-time champion Colin Kelly with a five-chalk lead (9-4) after 10 ends. From there two-time champion Bradford took the game by the scruff of the neck, whilst it took another 21 ends to finish the game Bradford got on a mark that had served him well in his previous two rounds, whilst only scoring one double, it was 15 singles that got the Ramsey man over the line with a comfortable 21-14 win to take his spot in the final.

The final got underway with approximately 100 spectators in attendance, for an all-South Ramsey final, it was Bradford who made a positive start scoring a two on the first end. John responded to win the next three ends as he moved around the green on a shorter mark. Scoring two singles and a double to lead 4-2. On the next end two good bowls and not much of a target left Bradford with no other option other than to try to break the end up, which he did to count for one. John scored a single on the next end, however Bradford got back in immediately, went on a six-end scoring run on a longer length to lead 11-5 after 12 ends.

The following end saw a good two from Kennish close the deficit to four chalks. On the next end Kennish opted for a longer mark in the same direction that he had favoured, putting up a good first bowl. Bradford was fast with his first bowl and with a bit of good fortune punched out John’s bowl, then played a good second bowl to count for two. Two singles from Kennish saw the deficit cut to four chalks once more at 9-13.

On the following end a good second bowl from Kennish, saw a reaching bowl from Bradford almost result in a double for the latter. Bradford went on to send the jack off the green, however this didn’t knock Bradford out of his stride, as his second bowl promoted his first bowl to count for one. Another two was secured on the 19th end, with John just hitting the wrong side of the second counting bowl to give Bradford a commanding 17-9 lead.

A good lead from Bradford saw Kennish punch out Bradford’s bowl, going on to make two. Another single from Bradford was secured with a return of the favour as he punched out John’s lead with his first bowl, then John somewhat unluckily hit the gap between the jack and counting bowl. A loose end from Bradford saw the deficit close to five chalks at 13-18.

Two singles, both scored from a good first bowl saw Bradford go 20-13 ahead, the second end saw John hit another gap between the jack and counting bowl to runout.

Bradford headed for the mark that he had scored most of his points on throughout the day, with John picking up a good two, this put the score at 15-20. In the last chance saloon a bit of distance was required as John headed for the corners. A two picked up on the next end, was followed up with a single with a great second bowl from John saving the game.

The tension was starting to build with the score at 18-20, with Kennish heading back into the corner. A short first bowl from Kennish wasn’t beaten by Bradford, with Kennish just needing to correct his length, he looked to have a perfect second bowl coming in, however the pace just prevented the bias from coming into play as he went into Bradford’s short bowl to knock it in to count for game 21-18. This win was Bradford’s third Manx Championship title following successes in 2015 (Douglas), and 2022 (Ballaugh).

The presentation was made by Association competition secretary Matthew Keggen, who introduced IOMCCGBA President Hilary Kermode to present the prizes. In his speech Bradford thanked the Association for running the competition, went on to mention that he had only played in the competition as his son Kian had entered, and after a tough few weeks with his health, he had somehow got through two games on Saturday, and four games on Sunday afternoon. Without doubt this must go down as one of Bradford’s best achievements, following a tough run of games throughout the competition. The win also marked a first ever defeat in the final of the Manx Championship for Kennish having won all 12 finals that he had played in previously.

David and John will both compete in the Senior Individual merit at Dodworth BC, South Yorkshire on Saturday 26th July, with David also competing in the Champion of Champions at Owley Wood Recreation Club, Cheshire on Saturday 27th September.

Canada Life International Manx Champion 2025 – David Bradford
Photo: Arnie Withers
Manx Championship 2025 – QF
Manx Championship 2025 – SF
Manx Championship 2025 – Final

MOORE NOT LESS

On Saturday, the Ladies Manx Championships was held at Ballaugh Bowling Club with an entry of 23 ladies.

Going through to the semi-finals were Janet Monk (Mooragh Park) with a 21-15 win against Stella Watterson (Castletown; Debbie Leece (Marown) who won 21-14 against Caroline Whitehead (Breagle Glen); Jenny Moore who won 21-8 against Maria Dimsdale (Ballaugh), and Kim Hargraves (South Ramsey) who won 21-12 against Hilary Kermode (Castletown).

The first semi-final saw Janet play Debbie.  This was an evenly contested game between the two with the score going to and fro. On the 29th end, the game was level at 19 across, but with two good lead bowls on the next two ends Janet ran out  21-19. The other semi-final pitted stablemates Jenny and Kim and despite some good bowls from Kim, Jenny was always in control winning 21-5.

The final saw Jenny play Janet with both ladies having recently played against each other in the main event of the June Festival. The final was a similar affair with both Jenny and Janet playing some exceptional bowls. On the 23rd end, Jenny led 17-12, but never one to give up Janet clawed her way back and on 28th end was just one point behind Jenny at 18-17. A single followed by a two saw Jenny take the title 21-17 for the third consecutive year, and eighth time overall, adding to her June Festival, June Tourism, and Top Lady wins this year – an amazing achievement.

Hilary Kermode, President of the IOM Crown Green Bowling Association, thanked all the competitors for an entertaining afternoon of bowls, Ballaugh Bowling Club for hosting the competition and providing refreshments, and to Chris Holland (Ladies Competition Secretary) and her team for the smooth running of the competition before introducing Ann Gale, Sponsor of the Ladies Manx Championship, who presented the semi-finalists, runner-up and winner with their prizes.  

Marown A Extend Lead

After a week of Festival action league bowls returned this week, as the second half of the season got underway. Five of the six first division games saw 10 chalks or less settle the two points up for grabs on the aggregate.

 In Canada Life International Division One Marown A put clear daylight between themselves to lead by three points following the Crosby men’s 9-1 home win over Castletown A. Nathan Cooil prevented the whitewash as he performed well to beat Peter Jones 21-13. All seven of the home wins were comfortable for Marown, with Tom Kelly, Glenn Boland, and Phil Kelly taking 21-5 wins over Dean Kinley, Aaron Richardson, and Andy Clark respectively.

If there is such a thing as a disastrous win, then a 4-6 away win for South Ramsey A over bottom side Breagle Glen A sums it up. Winning for the home team were Trevor Quayle, who beat Peter Collister 21-6, Ewan Cooil got over the line 21-18 against Dido Kelly, with the latter having trailed 2-16. Steve Durcan won to the same score (21-18) against James Teare, with the former having led 12-4 before securing the win. The lone winner in the first half for the visitors was John Kennish who beat Dan McCabe 21-11.

The second half of the match saw South fightback, with Jordan Cain beating Tim Williams 21-12, Bob Clark held off Chris Lever 21-18, Mark Moorley got a fourth win for Breagle, as he beat David Bradford 21-16, whilst Glynn Hargraves just got home 21-17 against Wayne Roberts, with South Ramsey managing to edge the aggregate by a solitary chalk (141-142) with every point counting. Breagle can take heart from this performance, following the addition of two players at the halfway point to strengthen the ranks, this should see the home team climb the table in the second half of the season.

Peel A hosted Onchan A on Monday evening in the Sunset City, with another tussle between the teams going to the wire, as the visitors edged the aggregate by a chalk (135-136) to take home a 4-6 win. For the home team Stevie Kelly beat Steve Parker 21-8, with Will Penhallurick responding with a 21-9 win over Gary Smith. Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly beat Reg Temporaza 21-15, whilst Andy Mackie beat Jamie Clague 21-18. For the visitors June Festival finalist Matthew Quirk had his first outing using two different bowls – this is permitted under the rules, provided both bowls are within a certain weight range. The Onchan man was up against opposing captain George Gadsby, with the Peel man putting up a good fight only for Quirk to prevail 21-18.

North Ramsey A hosted Marown B, it was the visitors who went home the happier of the two teams with a 3-7 victory, with the Crosby men winning the aggregate by 10 chalks (137-147). Jamie Box made his debut for Marown, on a green he would never have previously played on, losing out 18-21 to Allan Callow, whilst John Gelling held off David Callow. All players on the night reached double figures.

South Ramsey B slipped to a 3-7 home defeat against Douglas A, despite Tony Dugdale being the only single figure winner 21-7 against Ian Moore. Winning close games were Toby Hart 21-20 against Merv Sayle, Nick Firth responded for the Villa men to beat Christian Caley to the same score, whilst Keith Rise got over the line 21-19 against Lee Dawson.

In Division Two the closest game of the week was between hosts Onchan B and Noble’s A, it was the home team that edged home 6-4, thanks to winning the aggregate by just three chalks, as three games finished to 19, and a further two games went to 20.

Marown C clawed a point back on leaders Ballaugh A following their 1-9 away win over Douglas B. Ballaugh A are top by five points following their 8-2 home win over Breagle Glen B, as Nigel Tebay missed out on making it a 9-1 win for Ballaugh cruelly losing out 20-21 to Peter Hulley.

Castletown B may just have found some form, as they beat Finch Hill A 9-1 at the Crofts, with Stephen Oates once again winning for the visitors. Noble’s B just missed out on a whitewash at home to Peel B as Dean Sowerby lost 20-21 to Andrew Cover, however they won three games to 18, 19, and 19.

Division Three is starting to look like a three-horse race between South Ramsey C, Peel C, and North Ramsey B, with the latter slipping to a disastrous 3-7 home defeat to Ballaugh B.

Peel C missed the opportunity to hit top spot, as they occupy second place, just one point back on North Ramsey B following their hard fought 4-6 away win over Marown D, taking the aggregate by 12 chalks (130-142).

South Ramsey C were the biggest winners of the week with a timely 0-10 away win over Breagle Glen C, however they had to battle for four of the wins to 17, 17, 18, and 20, with the 21-20 win going to Paul Routledge over Terry Collister.

In Division Four league leaders Onchan C picked up 14 points this week, as they played a rearranged fixture beating nearest rivals Finch Hill B 6-4 at home, having won 2-8 away to Peel D earlier in the week.

Finch Hill B just missed out on a full house, with a 9-1 home win over Douglas C. Rob Tomlinson prevented the whitewash with a 21-19 win over David Holmes.

Douglas D had a good week thanks to their 7-3 home win over Castletown C, taking the aggregate by 17 chalks (138-121), whilst Noble’s E came away with an identical 3-7 win, also by 17 chalks (132-149) over North Ramsey C.

History Made as Moore is ‘Two’ Good

In the Ladies main event Jenny Moore etched her name further into the history books, smashing more records along the way as the South Ramsey favourite picked up her fourth festival title following her previous successes in June 2016, September 2021 & 2023.

What made this win more impressive, due to previous success in the festival, is that Moore was four points back on all her opponents, starting off +1, with Jenny incredibly facing the prospect of being off -2 in the September festival, with the winner being docked three chalks for picking up the title.

With Moore having to score 20 chalks to her opponents 16 chalks to win, a good start was vital as Jenny took on her biggest rival on the Island for several years Janet Monk (Mooragh Park), as the four-chalk deficit was swiftly turned into a three-chalk lead after six ends to lead 9-6.

Jenny only relinquished the lead once from this point, crucially did not trail as the game was level at 13-13 after 14 ends. Jenny made her move once more scoring five chalks over three ends on a longer length to lead 18-13. Janet went on to pick up two singles, only for Moore to jump in with a double to restore her five-chalk lead at 20-15.

As Jenny headed for the corner, a good two bowls from Janet saw a glimmer of hope for Monk, as the Mooragh Park player headed to the crown. The Mooragh Park bowler picked up another single to close the score to 18-20. Monk then headed from the crown back to the corner. With nerves of steel Moore bowled in with a great last bowl to secure her second June festival title and fourth overall.

Whilst receiving the £1,250 first prize, Jenny also received the visitiom.com trophy for being the furthest local lady. Janet could console herself with the runners up prize of £625.

In the semi-finals Jenny put paid to the challenge of Clair Russell (Alkincoats PWA) with a 21-10 win, whilst Janet had a battle on her hands with Elaine Moore (South Ramsey), with the latter leading 14-9 Janet used all her experience to overturn the deficit and book her place in the final with a 21-17 victory.

Moore started her day with a comfortable 21-9 victory over previous festival winner Alexis Lunn-Gadd (Ossett Flying Horse), whilst Russell beat rising star Alex Edmondson (Pudsey BC) 21-14. In the other half of the draw Monk held off Emma Earlam 21-16 (Castle Sports & SC), whilst Elaine overturned a 10-16 deficit against Jayne Kent (Meersbrook BC) to edge home 21-20.

Having picked up the Tourism Title on Thursday morning, it is believed that Jenny is the first to achieve the feat of winning the ladies June main event and Tourism Title in the same week, and only the third person to do this overall following Katrina Caley (Bentley Colliery) in September 1995, and Jane Jones (Wirral) in September 1994. The week saw Jenny go 14 singles games unbeaten – seven games in the Main event giving her opponents a four-chalk head start and a further seven games in the Tourism.

Ladies Tourism

The Ladies Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 2 green, with Jenny Moore setting herself up nicely for the last 32 in the main event on Thursday afternoon, with a hard fought and nail-biting 21-20 victory over Louise Cotton (Wrockwardine Wood). Moore had led 17-8 at one point in the game, looked to be cruising only for Cotton to get hold of the jack to pull the deficit back to one chalk at 16-17 after 15 ends. Jenny got back in at the right time to maintain her lead, however both players alternated winning ends from this point until the end of the game for the score to be tied at 20-20. Cotton led out and played a good lead bowl approximately 18 inches past the jack. Showing no sign of pressure Jenny played a front toucher gently nudging the jack to count one for game. Louise was unable to beat this, which sealed the Tourism title for Jenny.

Moore reached the final thanks to a 21-15 win over Jayne Kent (Meersbrook BC), whilst Cotton finished her game with Hazel Borradaile (Netherfield BC) strongly to get over the line 21-19.

In the quarter finals Moore beat Katie Morgan (Denby Grange) 21-14, whilst Kent beat Sharron King (Kirkham) 21-12. In the other half of the draw Cotton started her day with a 21-15 win over Karen Hill (New Mill), whilst Borradaile just got over the line 21-20 against Caroline Bushell (Lindal BC).

Wraight Completes Holy Grail

One of the biggest events on the bowls calendar – The Isle of Man June Bowls Festival took place this week, with the event attracting well over 500 entries in both the men’s and ladies’ events, as entries continue to improve, with the weather from Wednesday to Friday perfect conditions for the visiting bowlers to bask in the sun. The spectators were treated to an entertaining finals day to cap off a superb week.

In the Men’s event it was Callum Wraight (Llanrwst BC) who picked up his first June Isle of Man Festival win, despite having won the Isle of Man September Festival in 2021, the June title was the one he really wanted. Wraight now has all the top U.K. titles on his C.V.

Wraight took home the winners’ cheque for £3,200 and lifted the famous trophy as he beat local man Matthew Quirk (Onchan) 21-13. Quirk made a positive start scoring on the first end, on the second end he was counting for two only for Wraight to kill the end with one of his renowned strikes. A further single was scored by the Onchan man to lead 7-5. Wraight got in on the following end with a perfect bowl to score his first point of the game.

Wraight got into his stride playing his customary short marks to take the lead 14-9, with the local man never far away. Quirk started to find his way back into the game, closing the deficit to three chalks at 11-14 after 12 ends. The 13th end was decided by a measure with Wraight picking up the point, whilst the following end saw all four bowls finish on the same line with Matthew scoring to trail 12-15. A poor end followed to gift wrap a cheap double for Callum, with Quirk missing the opportunity to double up himself on the following end.

A single from Wraight saw him lead out at 18-13, with Quirk playing a great bowl. What happened next will be remembered for a long time. A full-blown strike and direct hit from Wraight saw the side of Quirk’s bowl smash and fly up in the air, in what must be a first in a major final. Almost unnoticed the jack eventually rolled off the green to kill the end. The rules allow for bowls to be changed during a game – if a bowl is damaged. Whilst a replacement pair of the same make of bowls and weight were sourced it led to a short break in the game.

With play back underway, Wraight scored a single from the corner, then played an even shorter length on the following end as the Shropshire man secured the two points needed to lift the June title for the first time and with it the cheque for £3,200.

Wraight reached the final with a comfortable 21-11 win over previous Festival winner Phil Lee (St Mary’s) taking 16 ends to claim the win, whilst Quirk progressed with a 21-16 victory over Dean Missere (Sheffield), with the former scoring more consistently over the course of the game.

The quarter finals saw Wraight get his day off to a dream start with a 21-6 win over James Fitzpatrick (West Kirby Vics), as the Merseyside man only managed to score one chalk with a running bowl on the second end of the game. Despite both players preferring a shorter length the Shropshire man dominated the game. Lee reached the next round with a 21-14 win over Martin Gaut (Wrockwardine Wood), whilst in the other half of the draw Quirk eased to a 21-8 victory over Gareth Lally (Crossgates) with a great display. Missere also made safe passage to the semi-finals with a 21-12 win over Peter Jones Llanrwst BC).

Quirk picked up the George Craine Trophy as the only local bowler to reach finals day, whilst he also took home a cheque for £1,250 for his efforts throughout the week.

At the presentation Wraight thanked the Department of Economic Development for their continued support of the event, expressed his pleasure at finally achieving the Holy Grail in Crown Green Bowls, having now secured all the top titles to be won in the game.

Men’s Tourism 

The Men’s Tourism was played down to the winner on Thursday morning on Noble’s 1, and it was Chris Kelly (Thongsbridge) who picked up the Tourism title to see off Kevan Shaw (Red Lion), with Kelly taking a five-chalk lead at 14-9, Shaw fought back to close the deficit to one chalk at 14-15. The Thongsbridge man shortly put paid to any hopes of a win for Shaw, as he picked up the Tourism Title with a 21-16 victory.

In the semi-finals Kelly took on Callum Wraight (Llanrwst BC) the man who would go on to lift the main event the following day, making light work of Wraight. Despite losing the first two ends, 11 consecutive scoring ends from Kelly, with five doubles and six singles saw the Thongsbridge man romp home 21-8, whilst Shaw beat Conor Chamberlain (Stretton- Anglesey) 21-14.

In the quarter finals Kelly started his morning with a battle against Joshua Mordue (Pudsey BC) taking the win 21-17. Wraight beat Jon Edmondson (Heckmondwike BC). In the bottom half of the draw Shaw had the closest game of the round with a 21-18 victory over James Davison (Thongsbridge), whilst Chamberlain made light work of Ryan Marks (Wirral) with a 21-7 win to progress to the next round.

Other Events 

The Men’s consolation was won by Dan Edmonds (Dalton Cricket Club) who beat Gareth Coates (Ackroydon Victoria) 21-20 in the final, having led 20-16 with Coates fighting back to 20-20 only for Edmonds to get the one chalk required. Edmonds beat Paul Bradley (Fairfield) 21-17 in the semi-final, whilst Coates had a comfortable 21-11 win over Ian Howard (Meanwood BC).

The Ladies consolation final was more straightforward for the winner Sarah Weaver (Wrockwardine Wood) who beat Jessica Pickthall (Lindal BC) 21-10 in the final, with the latter scoring four singles. Weaver reached the final courtesy of a 21-10 win over Diane Harrison (Lune Road), whilst Pickthall took her place in the final with a 21-14 win over Natalie Sanderson (Crossgates BC).

The Visit.Com Flyer title went to Callum Wraight (Llanrwst BC) who had a warmup on the green ahead of the men’s main final, as he made light work of Dave McCabe (Douglas) 9-1, whilst the Last Chance Mixed Final was won 21-20 by Andy Gregory (Comberbach) in a final that went to the wire against Harry Hargreaves (Two Gates).

In the doubles competitions the Open doubles was won by Michael Coupe (Wirral) and Rob Fitzpatrick (Lever Club), following an entertaining final against Neil Withers and Paul Dunn (Marown), which went all the way 11-10. Both semi-finals were keenly contested as Coupe and Fitzpatrick reached the final with a 11-9 win over Chris Mordue (Pudsey BC) and Gaz Lally (Crossgates BC), whilst Withers and Dunn got over the line 11-10 against Phil Lee (St Mary’s) and Louis Fazakerley (St Mary’s).

The Men’s doubles final saw an emphatic 11-1 win for Ian Hazlehurst (Wirral) and Phil Lee (St Mary’s) who retained the title they won in June 2024 as they beat Simon Walder (Crossgates BC) and Gareth Coates (Ackroydon Victoria). Hazlehurst and Lee won their semi-final 11-5 against Barry Simm (Lune Road) and Gareth Jones (Dalton Cricket Club), whilst Walder and Coates booked their place with a 11-8 victory over James Fitzpatrick (West Kirby Vics) and Paul Roberts (West Kirby).

The Ladies doubles final saw a good tussle with Sharon Rigden and Clair Russell up against Carly Williams and Paula Gamon, with the latter pair leading 6-0, only for Rigden and Russell to get over the line 11-8. The winning pair got through to the final with a hard fought 11-9 win over Emma Earlam (Castle Sports & SC)) and Wendy Allen (Castle Sports & SC), whilst the losing finalists were run closer again, with a 11-10 win over Sharon Gadd (Ossett Flying Horse) and Amanda Nicholas (Gresford Colliery).

Winning the Mixed pairs were Carly Williams (Comberbach) and Colin Crawford (Two Gates BC) with an emphatic 9-1 win over Tricia Bull (Breagle Glen) and Steve Shannon (Woodlands Park). Williams and Crawford progressed to the final with a 9-5 win against Suzanne Sinclair (Lowther Gardens BC) and Paul Moore (Chesterfield), whilst a 9-7 win for Bull and Shannon over Emma Earlam (Castle Sports & SC) and Barry Simm (Lune Road) booked their place in the final.

Furthest Local and Men’s Main Finalist Matthew Quirk who picked up the George Craine Trophy
Photo: Arnie Withers