News: Announcements

Bradford Wins Association Cup

North Ramsey Bowling Club hosted the Association Cup on Sunday afternoon with the competition sponsored by Plumbmaster attracting 33 entries. The predicted rain arrived a bit later than forecast, with the North of the Island appearing to escape the worst of it.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Stephen Oates (Finch Hill) who lost out 10-21 to Marown man Colin Kelly. South Ramsey teammates Glynn Hargraves and David Bradford clashed with the latter getting the better of his captain 21-14.

In the other half of the draw Peter Jones progressed as he got through his game with Marown club mate Matthew Keggen 21-17, whilst Paul Dunn ended the challenge of South Ramsey’s Jordan Cain with a 21-11 victory to progress to the next round.

In the semi-finals Bradford ruthlessly took full control as he opted for a longer length also preferred by Kelly as he booked his place in the final with a 21-8 win. The other semi-final looked like it good go close between Dunn and Jones, with the latter opting for a longer length whilst Dunn was performing well across the middle of the green, with this mark enough to see Dunn advance with a 21-18 win.

The final got underway with both players not able to get a run of the jack, with Dunn scoring four singles over the first seven ends, whilst Bradford scored two doubles and a single to lead 10-9.

On end eight Bradford scored a single then headed straight for the corners, after trying in the early ends of the game to get into his preferred corners, this time he headed for the opposite corners to those played in previous rounds.

This worked a treat as the South Ramsey man ran out with four doubles and three singles to claim victory with a 21-9 win, finishing in style with two great bowls on the last end. This was Bradford’s second time lifting the trophy in this competition following on from his 2014 win.

Competition Secretary Matthew Keggen thanked North Ramsey Bowling Club for preparing a much improved green, the club members for providing helpers and refreshments throughout the day and the Steve Moore for the smooth running of the competition.

Clare Cooper wins Top Lady

On Sunday the 14th of May, the Ladies Association held The Top Lady Singles Competition with 32 players at Peel Sunset Bowling Club. The day started with sunshine and then we had a downpour of rain for a while, which eventually cleared up for the latter stages, before turning very windy and cold. Marowns Clare Cooper was in exceptional good form all day to finish the eventual winner. Beating Sue Gawne (Nobles) in the final 21-5.

From the Quarter Final stage Clare finished Castletown’s chances of Hannah Drewett 21-17. South Ramseys Gill Dixon overcame teammate Elaine Moore 21-10, Margaret Tasker (Port St Mary) always had the upper hand over Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) 21-17. Sue Gawne ended Fiona Kennish (South Ramsey) of any chances of preceding further 21-11.

The Semi Final stage saw Clare take on Gill, where all Clare had was eyes on the final. Overcoming Gill 21-15. Sue was up against the experienced Margaret, Where Margaret just couldn’t match Sue’s accuracy that she had in the previous game and Sue secured her place in the final with her 21-12 win. 

The Final started off extremely cold for all the supporters watching and they were all grateful to Peel Bowling Club for supplying hot drinks to keep us warm. After 4 ends it was a close game at 3-3. Clare then took control of the game and stretched a lead of 14-4 at end 12. Clare finished the game at 21-5 to claim her title of Top Lady.

The Ladies Crown Green Bowls Association made the presentation and thanked Peel Bowling Club for their hospitality and all the competitors and supporters for staying till the end.

South Ramsey A Stretch Lead

In Canada Life International League Division One early pacesetters South Ramsey A faced their lower ranked B Team this week, with the higher ranked team winning 9-1 on the night. Winning comfortably to single figures were Glynn Hargraves, David Bradford, Bob Clark, and James Teare. Alan Moore was made to work for his 21-19 victory over Tony Dugdale. Preventing the whitewash for the B Team was Tony Hart who continued his good form to beat Stefan Kelly 21-17. Tougher tests come next week with Onchan A away on Monday night and Marown A at home on Friday evening.

Onchan A had tricky fixture against Douglas A, however the visitors came away with a 3-7 victory. The best winner for Onchan was Matthew Quirk, as he beat Gary Conwell 21-9. Comfortable wins were claimed by Kevin Quirk, Peter Slinger, and Reg Temporaza, whilst Jamie Clague impressed with a hard earned 21-19 win over Keith Rise. Winning for the home team were Andy Cannell, Mervin Sayle, and Gordon Wynne-Smythe with the latter edging home 21-19 against Mike Thomas.

Castletown A slumped to a 2-8 home defeat against Peel A at the Crofts. For the Town men captain Jordan Drewett beat Dean Kinley 21-16, whilst Nathan Cooil was in good form as he beat Andy Mackie 21-3. Suffering close defeats for the home team were Chris Lever 18-21 to Gary Smith, Mike Hargraves who lost out 19-21 to David Proctor, whilst Aaron Richardson also lost to the same score to George Gadsby.  For the visitors Tommy McMeiken was the best winner as he beat Nathan Hamilton 21-10, Peter Greenlees won 21-13 against Ron Williams, with international jetsetter Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly flying in to make a guest appearance as he beat David Quayle 21-14.

Peel B and Port St Mary A played out the closest contest of the night in the top tier as the Western men claimed a 7-3 home win, with just six chalks separating the teams (146-140). For the home team Colin Moore was the best winner as he beat Tim Williams 21-12, Pip Pemberton performed well to win 21-17 against Paul Skelly, whilst Dougie Allan beat Robbie Cooil 21-18 to earn his win. For the visitors Trevor Quayle won 21-10 against Peel captain Paul Quirk, whilst Dan McCabe beat Andrew Cover 21-17.

Marown B hosted North Ramsey A at Crosby with the home team winning 7-3 as they missed out on a full house by just six chalks as John Kelly lost 18-21 to John Cannan, Dean Kipling played his first game of the season to just lose out 20-21 to Rob Monk, whilst Brian Kelly also lost 20-21 to Paul Allison. Winning to single figures for Marown were Harry Barton and Walter McCarthy who beat Gary Merrill and Adrian Skinner respectively, whilst Karl Parker got home with a 21-18 win over Steve Walmsley.

On Tuesday night Marown C had the unenviable task of taking on their higher ranked A Team. The lower ranked side did manage to claim two wins on the night in their 2-8 defeat, with veteran Peter Kelly showing he hasn’t lost his touch as he beat Paul Kelly 21-4. Sam Clague was the second winner as he impressed with a 21-12 win over John Gelling. For the A Team Paul Dunn and Neil Withers won to single figures, Peter Jones managed to clawback a huge deficit to win 21-17 against Kevin Kelly, whilst Colin Kelly got the better of his son Tom Kelly with a 21-16 victory.

In Division Two Ballaugh A dropped from top spot to third place as they suffered a disastrous 4-6 home defeat to Douglas B losing out on the aggregate by nine chalks (121-130). For the visitors Nick Firth impressed with a 21-9 win over Nigel Tebay, Steve Cook also win to single figures as he beat john Keenan 21-8. For Ballaugh Steve Grant performed well to beat David Pease 21-6, Richard Hainge recovered from a slow start to beat Stuart Garrett 21-15, with captain Phil Quayle also winning to the same score against Paddy Murphy.

Finch Hill A took advantage of Ballaugh’s defeat as they won 3-7 away to Noble’s B to hit top spot. For the Finch men Dave McCabe was the only winner to single figures on the night, Paul Dougherty beat Graham Moore 21-18, whilst Pat Maher held his nerve to beat Stephen Corkill 21-20. For Noble’s Ciaran Broad won 21-16 against Tony Epifani, Phil Salmon won to the same score against Mark Taylor, whilst Michael Johnson won 21-13 against Dave Jones.

Castletown B missed an opportunity as they were well beaten 8-2 away to North Ramsey B. For the Town men Peter Oates won 21-16 against Adam Greenwood, whilst Ian Watson beat Lee Christian 21-18. For the home team Tony Smart was the best winner as he beat Derek Lewney 21-5, whilst Ray Skelly won 21-9 against George Peach.

South Ramsey C gave themselves some breathing space at the lower end of the table as they crushed Onchan C 10-0 at home keeping the visitors to just 89 chalks. Three single figure victories were claimed by Anthony Kelly, James Moore, and Jay Moore. Denis Maxwell came closest to picking up a point for the visitors, however Tony Marler managed to win 21-19.

Not to be outdone Port Erin A beat Peel C 10-0 at Breagle Glen, with two of their wins were hard earned as Ed Benson beat Jeff Wilson 21-19, and Steve Durcan just got the better of Kevin Mort 21-20. Single figure wins arrived from Derek Cadamy, Seamus Whelan, and Bernie Durcan.

Onchan B hosted Noble’s A with the home team getting the better of the visitors with an 8-2 win. Four single figures wins came from Sid McKnight, Steve Parker, Colin Spence, and Mike Alexander. Alex Yates responded for Noble’s with a 21-5 win over Bernie McPhee.

In Division Three league leaders Ballaugh B won five games away to Finch Hill B, as the visitors lost out by four chalks (137-133) to draw 5-5 on the night. Sam Stannard-Duke beat John Kneen 21-10, whilst Chris Wilson was the only single figure winner as he beat Richard Green 21-8. For Ballaugh Mike Buckeridge and Gary Griffiths won 21-17 against Peter Woods and Finch Hill captain Kevin Stannard respectively.

Peel D are ticking along nicely as they won 8-2 at home to Douglas C. For Peel Dewi Barlett had a debut to remember as he won 21-8 against John Ferguson to claim the team kitty. James Lee beat Ashley Halsall 21-19, whilst Charlie McMeiken won 21-18 against Trevor Latus. The two winners for the Villa men were John Harrison who beat William Quirk 21-14, whilst Greg Tomlinson beat Mike Ashmole 21-20.

South Ramsey D came away from Ballaugh C with a solid 2-8 victory. Greg Barlow continues to perform well as he beat Maurice O’Reilly 21-5, with the next best win coming from Junior bowler Ryan Hargraves who won 21-10. For Ballaugh Paul Cubbon won 21-4 against Chris Brown, whilst Steve Bassil beat Frank Feeney 21-17.

Port Erin B made the most of being able to field a full team as they drew 4-4 on games at home to Marown D, as they edged the all-important aggregate by just five chalks (141-136) to win 6-4. Alan Crebbin was the best winner for the Breagle men as he beat Keith Watterson 21-10, whilst Phil Dunn responded for Marown with a 21-7 win over Robert Woodford.

Noble’s D kept in touch at the top after seeing off Port St Mary B 7-3 at home, with all players from both teams reaching double figures, as the home team claimed the bonus points by eight chalks (144-136). Roy Moore had to scrap for his 21-20 win over Nicholas Peterson, whilst all of the visitors’ wins were all to a 21-13 score line from Mike Keggen, Peter Collins and Derek Cain.

Noble’s C continue to impress in their debut season, despite missing their captain Steve Cain this week as they took on Douglas D at the Villa, as the visitors came away with a 3-7 win. Winning for the Noble’s men were Lee Greggor, Lee Price, Dean Sowerby, Kevin Airey, and Andy Greggor, with Mike Caley just losing out 20-21 to Greg Brew, whilst Paul Moore was beaten 18-21 by James Teare.

Clark Wins Ballaugh Men’s Singles

The first Men’s singles open competition of the 2023 season took place at Ballaugh Bowling Club on Saturday, with some spare dates in the bowling calendar Ballaugh were the lucky recipients of the extra open. The competition attracted an entry of 43 on a good day, with the green running particularly well for the time of year.

The first two quarter finals had South Ramsey players progress to the next round as David Bradford came through 21-16 against Matthew Keggen (Marown). Also progressing was Bob Clark who ended the hopes of another Marown player, Brian Kelly with a 21-9 win.

In the bottom half of the draw Neil Withers overcame Marown clubmate Karl Parker 21-17 in a close game, whilst Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) held off Castletown man Nathan Hamilton 21-15.

In the semi-finals Clark was just too good for Bradford with the former running out with a 21-10 win to book his place in the final, whilst Neil Withers went one better as he beat Roberts 21-9 to claim his spot in the final.

The final got underway with Withers fully punishing Clark on the first end as the latter passed up the opportunity to make two as the Marown man played out Clark’s counting bowl, only for Clark to respond with a two. On the third end Clark once again didn’t make two, with Withers once again taking advantage to score a single and tie the game at 8-8.

Clark then got into his groove as he played brilliantly to pick up two singles then three consecutive doubles to shoot ahead 16-8 . Withers threatened a comeback as he jumped in on a poor lead from Clark the following end to claim a two, then started to work his way around the green scoring two more singles.

The South Ramsey man clicked back into gear pouncing on a poor lead from Withers, as Clark scored a single then made certain of the victory with two good ends to run out with a well-deserved 21-12 victory.

The presentation was made by competition organiser Gordie Moore, who thanked he club members for providing helpers and refreshments throughout the day.

Top Two Pull Away from Chasing Pack

It was a return to action in Canada Life International League Division One this week, with Marown A hosting Peel B at Crosby. The visitors were impacted by players moving up to the A Team with players missing from both of Peel’s A & B Teams the Crosby men took full advantage winning 9-1, with Dougie Allan the hero or the villain on the night as he recovered from a 2-16 deficit to John Gelling to creep ahead 17-16, then gave away two successive singles to go behind 17-18, only for the Peel man to rally once more to run out with a 21-18 victory. Marown had four single figure winners and Paul Kelly was the lucky recipient of a walkover. The next closest Peel came to picking up another point was Jeff Wilson, who lost out 17-21 to Glenn Boland.

South Ramsey A maintained their two-point lead at the top of the table courtesy of a 1-9 away win over a hugely understrength Peel A. Preventing a home whitewash was Peter Greenlees who performed well to defeat Stefan Kelly 21-9, whilst Stevie Kelly lost out 17-21 to James Teare. For the visitors Bob Clark and Glynn Hargraves won to single figures against Rob Middleton and Andrew Cover respectively, with the rest of the wins for South Ramsey in the low double figures.

Third placed Onchan A are already 15 points behind second placed Marown A after just five games following their 8-2 home win over Marown C. Winning for the visitors were Peter Kelly who beat Mike Kelly 21-17, while Tom Kelly beat Steve Parker 21-10. The next two closest to picking up points for the Marown men were Sam Clague who lost out 19-21 to Phil Kerruish and Conor Keenan who was beaten 17-21 by Kevin Quirk.

South Ramsey B stepped out of the bottom two following their first win of the season after they beat Douglas A 7-3 at home. Toby Hart was the best winner on the night as he beat Ian Moore 21-6, Toby’s brother Austin won 21-15 against Merv Sayle and Dad Tony beat Jimmy Sansom 21-17. For the Villa men Gary Conwell continues to impress with a 21-7 win over Eddie Carlyle, Andy Cannell beat Frank Watson 21-15, while Shaun Seal ensured it wasn’t a heavier defeat with his 21-20 win over Christian Caley.

Port St Mary A and Marown B played out the closest match in Division One as they drew 4-4 on games with the visitors edging the chalks by a single point (137-138) to win 4-6. There were just two single figure wins with Trevor Quayle beating Darren Kerruish 21-7, while Harry Barton hit back for Marown with a 21-8 win over Tim Williams. Paul Skelly is getting back to winning ways thanks to his 21-19 win over Brian Kelly, whilst Juan Killip managed to see of Port St Mary captain Wayne Roberts 21-17.

North Ramsey A remain in bottom place despite claiming up their first win of the season as they beat Castletown A 8-2. Allan Callow picked up his first ever 21-0 victory in Division One as he beat Alan Phair, Rob Monk won 21-7 against Aaron Richardson, whilst Steve Walmsley and Steven Waters both won 21-17 against Chris Lever and Nathan Cooil respectively. Winning for the visitors were Nathan Hamilton who beat John Cannan 21-15, whilst Town captain Jordan Drewett beat Adrian Skinner 21-17.

In Division Two Castletown B hit top spot following their 7-3 home win over local rivals Port Erin A with Collin Holland winning 21-7 against Steve Durcan. Junior bowler Sam Quayle continues to impress with a 21-8 win over Derek Cadamy, whilst John Matheson just edged home 21-20 against Ed Benson. For the Breagle men the evergreen Derek Allen was the best winner with a 21-14 win over George Peach, Ken Horsley beat Derek Lewney 21-18, whilst Harry Minor held off Ian Watson 21-19.

Finch Hill A closed the gap on their opponents on the night Ballaugh A to just one point after they made home advantage count with an 8-2 victory. For the Finch men Paul Dougherty was the best winner as he beat Mike Spooner 21-8, with Richard Hainge responding for the visitors with an even better 21-7 win over Dave Jones. Also winning for Ballaugh was Steve Grant who beat Tony Epifani 21-12.

Noble’s A hosted South Ramsey C with the home team taking apart the Ramsey men 9-1, with three single figure wins from Mark Quinn, Dave Naughton, and Alex Yates. Ian Moore was the lone winner for the visitors as he beat Martyn Hobson 21-16, Andy Morgan lost out 19-21 to Juan Qualtrough and Billy Blair was defeated 18-21 against John Andrew.

Douglas B are in the mix as they have some experienced bowlers turning out for them as they are in fourth place following their 8-2 home win over Onchan B. For the Villa men Stuart Garrett, Mark Kneen and Steve Cook all won to single figures, whilst Paddy Murphy beat Bernie McPhee 21-19. David Tait and Sid McKnight were the two winners for Onchan as they beat Alistair Lothian and David Pease respectively.

North Ramsey B had a better week as they came away from relegation rivals Onchan C with a 4-6 win, winning by a single chalk (128-129) despite suffering two single figure defeats. Winning for the visitors were Ray Skelly, Lee Christian, John Corteen and Brian Colquitt who was the only winner to single figures for the Mooragh men.

Peel C hosted Noble’s B on Tuesday evening, with the visitors coming away with an impressive 2-8 win they are looking well equipped to handle life in Division Two. Junior bowler Alex Hampson was the best winner for the visitors as he beat Bob Berry 21-7, whilst Paul Baker won 21-5 against Michael Cooper for Peel.

In Division Three Ballaugh B continue to set the pace at the top as they are 10 points ahead of their nearest rivals following their 9-1 home win over bottom team Port Erin B. Gary Griffiths was the best winner for the home team as he beat Robert Woodford 21-2.

Port St Mary B hosted Ballaugh C at Breagle Glen with the home team winning 8-2. Peter Collins was the only single figure winner as he beat Tim Merriman.

The remaining four fixtures were all 6-4 wins for the home teams, with South Ramsey D seeing off Douglas D. For the home team winning to single figures were Greg Barlow, Geoff Collier, and Frank Feeney. Responding for the visitors Greg Brew beat Steve Kelly 21-7, whilst Bob Banning beat South Ramsey captain Franz ten Donkelaar 21-20.

Marown D hosted local rivals Peel D at Crosby with just eight chalks separating the teams after a 4-4 draw (136-128). For the Marown men Phil Dunn and Eddie Rough won to single figures whilst Junior bowler 11-year-old Bobby Kerruish played his first game of the 2023 season and had a night to remember thanks to his 21-20 win over Kevin Murray.

Nobles C won by 13 chalks (140-127) as they hosted Finch Hill B. For the home team Lee Greggor continued his fine start to bowls as he won 21-8 against John Smith, Lee Price beat Chris Thompson 21-10, a result matched by Steve Brennan who beat Guy Smith, whilst captain Seve Cain made it five wins from five games. For the visitors Sam Stannard-Duke won 21-6 against Kevin Airey, with Peter Smith and Sefton Dent just winning 21-19 against Paul Moore and Andy Greggor respectively.

Rounding off the fixtures for the week Douglas C beat Noble’s D at the Villa by 10 chalks (144-134). Greg Tomlinson beat Roy Moore 21-8, whilst David Caley just missed out 20-21 against Terry Bates. For the visitors Andrew Bell beat Tony King 21-19, Kevin Moore beat Rob Tomlinson 21-12, with Steve Colquitt the best winner for the visitors with a 21-9 victory over Trevor Latus.

McCabe Wins First Mens Title

Finch Hill Bowling Club hosted the Association Non Winners Cup on Sunday afternoon with the competition open to those who had never won a Men’s singles open previously, with 25 players entering to take their chance to win their first open.

Losing quarter finalists were James Kelly (Marown) who lost 14-21 to Finch Hill man Dave McCabe, Paul Cannan (North Ramsey) was defeated 15-21 by home greener Les Brookes, whilst another home greener Stephen Oates beat club mate Mark Taylor 21-14, with Port St Mary’s Wayne Roberts well beaten 21-10 by Bryan Corner (South Ramsey).

In the semi-finals McCabe booked his place in the final with a 21-14 win over Brookes, whilst Oates got the better of Corner 21-16 to reach his first final.

The final got underway with McCabe starting as favourite having played for longer than his opponent, whilst also regularly entering the Island Open competitions. McCabe played his customary short game to just over the crown and back to the edge of the green as he made no mistake keeping Oates down to scoring just two chalks throughout the game to take a well-deserved 21-8 win to claim his first Men’s open title.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by Association Competition Committee Officer Wayne Roberts who thanked Finch Hill Bowling Club and its members for hosting the competition, everyone who entered, and those who came to support.

Bradford Claims First Magic Carpets Mixed Singles Title

Marown Bowling Club were the host club on Saturday as they held the Marown Magic Carpets Mixed Singles for the third time attracting a healthy entry of 58.

The competition was once again played in a big smash style format, which has proved popular in the U.K. and is played over 15 ends with ends 5, 10 and 15 played as ‘power’ ends with the points scored counting double. Players were given a handicap ranging from 0 to 3. If scores were tied after 15 ends a one bowl shootout would take place to decide the winner of the game.

Losing quarter finalists were Dave McCabe (Finch Hill) who lost 7-15 to Marown captain Paul Dunn, Wayne Roberts (Port St Mary) had his run ended by Marown’s Neil Withers 6-15, home greener Glenn Boland edged home 13-10 against Kevin Quirk (Onchan). In the last quarter final David Bradford had a match on his hands with another home greener Jayne Smith with the contest tied at 15-15 after 15 ends it was one bowl shootout, which Bradford managed to win to progress.

In the semi-finals club mates Dunn and Withers clashed, with the latter having two ends to spare as he reached the final with a 12-6 win over Dunn who had won the competition for the last two years, whilst Bradford’s game with Boland went to the deciding end as the former edged home 11-9.

The final started with Withers conceding the first end with a double, to then respond by taking the next three ends. The first power end put Bradford back in the game as he took out Withers counting bowl, with Bradford narrowly missing taking out his own bowl as he scored a single to gain two points.

The South Ramsey man then went on to win four of the following five ends, including another power end to lead 11-6 after 10 ends.

Withers threatened a comeback as he took a single only for Bradford to score a single and a double over the next two ends to lead 14-7 after 13 ends. With not enough ends or points available for Withers to make a comeback the game ended as Bradford claimed his first win in this competition and his second of the season following on from his pre-season win in the Ian Kissack Shield.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by competition secretary Phil Kelly, who thanked Magic Carpets for their continued sponsorship, the Ladies for the refreshments, the players for entering, and all who came to support.

Top Teams Through In Rayner Shield

The Rayner Shield has a new sponsor onboard this year with Plumbmaster taking over sponsorship of the Rayner Shield and Rayner Plate competitions. The Rayner Shield gives teams from the lower divisions the opportunity to test themselves against stronger teams, depending on how kind the draw was to them, however all the top teams went into the draw for the next round.

Early Division One league leaders and current Rayner Shield holders South Ramsey A won 8-0 at home to Finch Hill A. Just one of the visiting players got into double figures with Brian Murphy just losing 20-21 to Alan Moore.

The following evening Marown A had their second game of the season away to South Ramsey B, this time they went one better with an 0-8 away win. For the home team Austin Hart was the only man who failed to get into double figures as he had tough opposition in the form of Colin Kelly, whilst Bryan Corner was the highest scoring loser as he got to 17 against Glenn Boland.

Peel A made light work of second division team North Ramsey B in the Sunset City as they won 7-1 with the visitors scoring just 76 chalks. Ray Skelly caused an upset with his 21-16 win over George Gadsby to prevent the whitewash.

There were three close ties with the first being a 4-4 at Breagle Glen as Port Erin B lost by just three chalks (135-138) at home to Douglas B. The home teams cause was not helped by once again being a man short.

The second was between Marown B and Onchan A at Crosby with another 4-4 being settled on chalks (145-148) as Onchan edged it on the night. Home captain Darren Kerruish edged his game 21-20 against his Uncle Phil Kerruish, whilst John Kelly beat Mike Thomas 21-19.

The final close encounter was between third division teams Douglas C and Finch Hill B at the Villa, as the home team drew 4-4 and went into the draw for the next round as they won by five chalks (136-131).

Douglas A progressed to the next round courtesy of a 6-2 home win over Noble’s A with Merv Sayle winning 21-1 against John Andrew. For the visitors Alex Yates beat Ian Moore 21-19, whilst Dave Naughton won 21-14 against Mark Kneen.

Castletown A beat fellow first division team Peel B 7-1 at the Crofts, with three single figure wins for Ron Williams, Nathan Cooil and Nathan Hamilton. The Town also had a rare guest appearance from 81-year-old Mike Hargraves who beat Dave Smith 21-18. Preventing the whitewash was Paul Quirk who beat David Quayle 21-19.

Marown D welcomed Noble’s B to Crosby, with the visitors (pictured) coming away with a solid 2-6 victory. For Noble’s Junior bowler Alex Hampson won 21-16 against Eddie Rough, Stephen Corkill won 21-7 against Andy Sykes, whilst James Kelly stormed home 21-4 against Barry Salmon for the Crosby men.

First division side Port St Mary A came away from Ballaugh B who ply their trade in Division Three with a 3-5 win, helped by single figure wins from Wayne Roberts, Dan McCabe, and Trevor Quayle.

North Ramsey A came away from their game with a hard earned 3-5 away win over Onchan B, helped by Paul Allison who beat Mike Kelly 21-19 and John Cannan who won 21-20 against Paul Clinton. Impressing for the home team were Sid McKnight, Mike Alexander and Colin Spence who beat Gary Merrill, Rob Monk, and Allan Callow respectively.

Peel C made home advantage count as they played out a 4-4 draw with Onchan C, as they won by 17 chalks (146-129).

Castletown B keep visitors Ballaugh C under 100 chalks with their 6-2 home win (131-91), with single figure wins from Ross Moore, Derek Lewney, and Junior Sam Quayle with the latter winning 21-2 to take the team ‘kitty’ home.

On Wednesday night South Ramsey C came away from their visit to Peel as they took on the D Team, with a 3-5 victory. For the Peel men James Lee and Andy Jackson bot won 21-8 against Ian Moore and Anthony Kelly respectively.

Third division side South Ramsey D hosted first division side Marown C, with the home team performing well as they reached over 100 chalks in their 1-7 home defeat (102-166). Greg Barlow was the lone winner for South Ramsey beating Jamie Joughin 21-19 as he continues to impress having only taken up the game late last season.

Losers in the preliminary round and first round go into the Rayner Plate competition with handicaps awarded based on league position.

Just one Canada Life International league tie took place this week with the postponed South Ramsey C v Ballaugh A fixture taking place. The visitors will have been delighted with their 2-8 away win but will have left with regrets over not picking up a 0-10 win as they hit top spot by two points. Anthony Kelly held off Mike Spooner 21-18, whilst Ian Moore won to the same score against John Keenan. The battle of the captains was won by Phil Quayle who beat David Corkill 21-13, Steve Grant won 21-11 against Jay Moore, whilst Steve’s son Patrick beat Andy Morgan 21-12.

Rundle & Dunn Win Noble’s Cup

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted their Men’s pairs competition sponsored by Gerry Maginn Painters & Decorators on Sunday attracting 25 pairs to compete for the trophy. The competition was played on Noble’s Two green, with the Ladies playing their competition on the top green.

Losing out at the quarter finals stage were Marown pair Phil Kelly and John Gelling, who were on the end of an upset to Noble’s pair Lee Price and Steve Cain 19-21. Onchan’s Kevin Quirk and Steve parker got the better of Marown’s Sid Bolton and Walter McCarthy 21-15.

Paul Dunn and Stephen Rundle (both Marown) got the better of Phil Dunn (Marown) and Paul Clinton (Onchan) 21-18 in a close game, whilst another Marown pairing Glenn Boland and Peter Jones had a comfortable 21-14 win against South Ramsey’s David Bradford and Glynn Hargraves.

In the semi-finals the new bowlers Price and Cain went one step further as they reached their first final, with Cain only taking up the game last season, whilst Price only took the game up four weeks ago, he has clearly got the ‘bug’ as they ended the challenge of Quirk and Parker 21-16.

In the other semi-final it looked like the game was heading in favour of Boland Jones who had built up a five point lead at 18-13. Rundle and Dunn responded with four successive scoring ends taking a double, a four and two singles to book their place in the final.

The final looked like it could be a close affair after the early ends with Price and Cain playing well as a pair they led 10-9 after five ends, however Rundle and Dunn soon hit their stride as they finished the game in just 10 ends scoring three trebles, a four and two singles to take a comfortable 21-10 victory with Rundle claiming his first success in an Open competition. Price and Cain can certainly hold their heads high, as they weren’t given any start on their opponents in the competition and took out some good pairings along the way.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by Phil Salmon and Tina Hampson, with the latter thanking all the club members and anyone who had helped towards the smooth running of the competition, also giving thanks to the sponsors.

Tina then went on to say how thankful she was from everyone involved in bowls on the Isle of Man for the support they have given Noble’s as a club, as just over a year ago the club was on the brink, as they struggled to field a team to keep the club going. Now the club have four Men’s night league teams, a Ladies Team and Ladies Over 60’s Team, with the club getting a welcome influx of players which is testament to the efforts that have been made by the new members. It is certainly onwards and upwards for Noble’s Bowling Club.

Dunn & Withers Retain Lancaster Cup

Peel Bowling Club hosted the Lancaster Cup men’s doubles on a wet Saturday afternoon, with the extensive work undertaken over the winter resulting in a green with much better coverage than this time last season as 24 pairs entered the competition.

Falling at the quarter final stages were South Ramsey pair Alan Moore and Stefan Kelly 16-21 to Dean Kinley (Peel) and Nathan Hamilton (Castletown), whilst Glenn Boland and Peter Jones edged home 21-20 in an all Marown affair against Kevin Kelly and Tom Kelly.

Also progressing were Neil Withers and Paul Dunn (Marown) who won 21-15 against the home green pairing of Rob Middleton and Dave Smith, whilst South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves and Bob Clark beat Peel pair Tommy McMeiken and George Gadsby 21-18.

Reaching the end of the road at the semi-finals were Kinley and Hamilton who lost out 14-21 to Boland and Jones, whilst Hargraves and Clark were beaten 17-21 by Withers and Dunn.

The final which coincided with the best part of the day as the sun shone was another all Marown battle with Withers and Dunn taking the initiative early on to lead 10-4 after just four ends. Boland and Jones closed the deficit to just two chalks with 11 ends played the score was 10-12.

Hitting back to win four successive ends Withers and Dunn looked to have taken control of the game once more at 17-10, then got within touching distance to lead 20-15 only for Boland and Jones to score a single and double to leave the game finely poised at 18-20.

With Boland and Jones counting for two Jones tried to make a third only to unluckily knock in Withers short bowl for game. Withers and Dunn retained the title they picked up in 2021 as the competition was not played in 2022.

The presentation was made by Peel Bowling Club President Lynda Wilson, who thanked the sponsor David Lancaster Limited for their continued support, the team who have worked on the green over the winter after a tough 2022 season, those who helped run the competition and all the club members who had helped throughout the day.