The top two teams in Division One over the past 10 years Marown A and South Ramsey A clashed at Crosby on Monday evening in ideal bowling conditions on an excellent surface.

Last season the Marown men did the double over South Ramsey in the league. The draw looked to be extremely well matched between the two teams. In the first half of the match David Bradford held onto the jack all game, as he defeated fellow island player Neil Withers 21-0, without doubt a first for the Marown man to not score a single point. Marown captain Paul Dunn hit back with a 21-10 win over Peter Collister, with the latter fighting back from a 1-14 deficit to close the gap to six chalks at 10-16, only for Dunn to get back in and finish the game over the next four ends. The top two players over the past 30 plus years Colin Kelly and John Kennish took to the green once more to battle it out with Kennish winning the first end then trailing all game, going five behind at 13-18 only for a strong finish from the 12-time Manx Champion to beat seven-time Champion Kelly 21-19, thanks to winning five of the last six ends scoring three doubles on the way to victory. Another colossus battle saw Jones and Clark go head-to-head, with the game being tight all the way through with the South Ramsey man edging ahead by three chalks at 17-14, the biggest gap all game. Jones managed to level the game up at 18-18 after 30 ends, with Clark rallying once more to see the game out 21-18. At the halfway point South Ramsey led 3-1 and by a margin of 15 chalks, this easily recoverable with one or two good wins for the home team.

South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves was next off with a 21-8 win over Dean Kipling, which made the score 4-1, gave an unassailable 28 chalk lead, with the remaining games on the green all into double figures. Tom Kelly got back to winning ways with a solid performance winning 21-14 against Dido Kelly, having trailed after three ends once he got in front he never let the lead slip. A third win soon arrived with Paul Kelly holding off Jordan Cain 21-19, having trailed 11-15 and 14-18, the Marown man only conceded one more chalk to seal his comeback. Comebacks from losing positions were the order of the night, as James Teare trailed Glenn Boland 9-15, only to edge in front at 18-17. Boland scored two singles, on the following end and was counting for one only to hit in Teare’s short bowl. The South Ramsey man took full advantage of this to win the next two ends and seal an unlikely 3-7 win for his team as South Ramsey hit top spot for the first time this season, to put daylight between the two teams.

Whilst South may think it might well have been a 2-8 victory, Marown will think what might have been had all the close games gone in their favour, it would have resulted in a 6-2 victory on games, with the aggregate still likely to have gone in the visitors favour to leave a unusual 6-4 victory.

Onchan A claimed their first league win of the season, as they beat Douglas A 8-2 at home. Kevin Quirk won 21-3 against Mervin Sayle, whilst Mike Alexander and Peter Slinger had to battle for their 21-20 and 21-18 wins over Ian Moore and Andy Cannell respectively. For the visitors Nick Firth is quickly adapting to life in Division One, as he picked up another win, defeating Will Penhallurick 21-15, whilst Dave McCabe beat Reg Temporaza 21-9.

Peel A suffered another home defeat, this time 4-6 at the hands of Marown B. Phil Kelly had to scrap for his 21-17 win over Andy Mackie, Peter Greenlees returned to his old stomping ground to beat Paul Quirk 21-7, whilst Juan Killip impressed with a 21-14 win over Stevie Kelly. Dave ‘Costa Del Barney’ Kelly returned to the Island to see off John Gelling 21-19, with the pair no doubt discussing their recent adventures, whilst David Proctor beat Brian Lindsay to the same score.

South Ramsey B picked up five valuable points at home to North Ramsey A to keep themselves ahead of the Mooragh men in a true 5-5 draw, as both teams won four games and shared the aggregate (138-138). Winning for the home team were Tony Dugdale, Eddie Carlyle, Toby Hart and George Brew, whilst Tom Collins, Rob Monk, Paul Allison, and Steve Walmsley responded for the visitors.

Breagle Glen A hosted Castletown A, with the teams evenly matched on the night, however the home team managed to secure a 6-4 win, taking the aggregate by nine chalks (151-142) in a high scoring match, however they missed out a possible three extra wins as Steve Durcan, David Cain and Dan McCabe lost 18, 18 and 19 to Jordan Drewett, Ian Watson, and Nathan Cooil respectively. For the home team their closest game was Wayne Roberts’ 21-17 win against Andy Clark, whilst former Town player Chris Lever beat Dean Kinley 21-16.

In Division Two Ballaugh A reached top spot thanks to a 9 -1 home win over Onchan B, missing out on the whitewash by four chalks as Mark Dimsdale lost out 17-21 to Derek Allen. The Onchan men will feel hard done by having lost three games to 17, and a further two games to 18 and 19.

In a rearranged fixture Noble’s B had their toughest test of the season at home to Marown C (report to follow)…

Noble’s A came away from the Crofts with a 4-6 win over Castletown B. The visitors won 5-3 but couldn’t edge the two-point aggregate as this was shared (137-137). Ron Williams returned to the B Team having turned out for the C team the previous week, went on to win 21-8 against Stephen Corkill. For the visitors Kevin Moore was the best winner as he beat John Holden 21-11, whilst Jim Callister held off Patrick Cooper 21-18.

Finch Hill A kept up their good form with a 9-1 home win over Breagle Glen B, with four of their wins to single figures. Peter Hulley ensured the Breagle men didn’t go home empty handed with a 21-11 win over Kevin Stannard, with Seamus Whelan closest to picking up a second point for the visitors losing out 19-21 to Pat Maher.

Douglas B lifted themselves off bottom spot, jumping two places as they beat opponents Peel B 6-4. Single figure wins were secured for the Villa men from Paul Cowley, Kevin Firth, and Steve Cook, with Dougie Allan returning the favour for Peel with a 21-6 win over Paddy Murphy. Both teams shared a 21-20 win with Willie Cowley holding off Harry Kelly, whilst Andrew Cover got over the line against Bob Callow.

In Division Three Breagle Glen C picked up their best result of the season drawing 5-5 at home to Noble’s C, winning five games, but losing the aggregate by six chalks (118-124) due to being a man short. Mike Caley was the lucky recipient of a walkover. A blast from the past saw Terry Collister return to crown green bowls after an absence of 13 years, he shown he hasn’t lost his touch with a 21-3 win over Pete Bass. Hitting back for the visitors was Andrew Bell, who beat Mark Pendlebury to the same score.

South Ramsey C picked up a solid 3-7 away win over Ballaugh C, with Ian Moore stepping in to beat Ray Corlett, whilst Franz ten Donkelaar beat Simon Clarke 21-4. John Kneen managed to win 21-19 against recent open winner Paul Routledge despite not having a good start to his evening by turning up at the wrong green!

Noble’s D won 7-3 at home to Ballaugh B, with 14 chalks separating the two sides (142-128). John Andrew and Michael Johnson both won to single figures for the home team, whilst Gordy Moore won 21-7 for the visitors.

Marown D hosted North Ramsey B at Crosby, with the home team preventing the Mooragh men from hitting top spot with a 7-3 win. Winning close games for Marown were Steve Walters, Eddie Rough, and Jay Waters against Paul Cannan, Lee Christian, and John Corteen respectively.

In Division Four South Ramsey D hosted Finch Hill B, it was the visitors who went away the happier of the two teams with a 3-7 victory. Elsewhere Peel D edged the aggregate by a solitary chalk (135-134) to seal a 7-3 home win, with three of the wins being close. Noble’s E beat Douglas C 7-3 at home, with nine chalks separating the teams (153-144). Onchan C maintained their lead at the top with a 3-7 away victory over Douglas D as all four league games finished with a 7-3 scoreline. The Park men missed out on a whitewash by eight chalks with Roy Corlett losing out 17-20 to Clark Kelly, Marcus Avery was defeated 18-21 by Dave Jones, whilst Paul Callister was pipped at the post 20-21 to David Manley.

Peel Sunset Bowling Club hosted the Lancaster Cup Open competition on Sunday 27^th April.

Lancaster’s have been sponsoring this competition over the last ten years; A Peel business supporting local clubs. This was a men’s doubles. 21 pairs entered and handicaps were applied.

Under blue skies and warm sunshine, the competition started with five preliminary round games, 10 clubs were represented. There were some really close games and some excellent bowling.

Onto the semi-finals the Marown favourites Neil Withers and Paul Dunn knocked out Peel pair Tommy McMeiken and Andy Jackson with Dougie Allan and Harry Kelly (Peel) battling it out against Peter Jones and Glenn Boland with the Peel men winning 21-19.

The final therefore was a Marown versus Peel affair, Dougie and Harry built up a lead after 9 ends 14-10 but Neil and Paul managed a full house on the 10^th end 14-14. After the 13^th end they were neck and neck at 16 across with the Marown pair gaining ground on the last 2 ends winning 21-16. Both pairs played brilliantly.

Peels President, Dave (Barney) Kelly presented the prizes. As Peel’s new Men’s Competition Secretary Pip Pemberton ran his first open competition smoothly.

After a week’s break of league action following first round Rayner Shield fixtures, the third round of league fixtures were held this week. On Wednesday evening the top two Division One teams Marown A and South Ramsey A had tricky fixtures for different reasons.

South Ramsey A faced Onchan A with the visitors in a very false position having played teams that usually occupy the top spots in the league in their previous two fixtures Peel A and Marown A. The game resulted in a third consecutive 7-3 defeat for Onchan, with three of their top four players picking up wins with Matthew Quirk edging home 21-19 against David Bradford, Peter Slinger beat Dido Kelly 21-18, whilst Reg Temporaza held off a late fightback from James Teare to win 21-15. Alan Moore stepped into the A team with a solid performance to beat Kevin Quirk 21-13, whilst four single figure wins arrived from Bob Clark, Glynn Hargraves, Jordan Cain, and Peter Collister albeit the last win 21-0 against Steve Parker who injured himself during the first end of the game and was unable to continue.

Marown A had a tough fixture away to North Ramsey A, which is notoriously a tough place to go, so it proved as they had to battle for a 3-7 victory, despite keeping the home team under 100 chalks, thanks to four single figure wins from Peter Jones, Paul Kelly, Colin Kelly, and Marown captain Paul Dunn. Winning for the home team were captain Rob Monk with a 21-2 win over Tom Kelly, Steve Walmsley beat Dean Kipling 21-16, John Cannan picked up an impressive 21-12 win over Neil Withers, whilst Tom Collins just missed out 18-21 against Glenn Boland.

Castletown A bounced back in style from their Rayner Shield defeat to beat South Ramsey B 9-1 at the Crofts, just missing out on the whitewash by a solitary chalk as Toby Hart ensured they didn’t go home empty handed with a 21-20 win over Nathan Cooil. The Town men are sitting pretty in third place, with Kieran Krypner getting his first Division One league win under his belt beating Eddie Carlyle 21-14, as he played with his new bowls, Dean Kinley and Jordan Drewett won to single figures, whilst Ian Watson had the toughest game on his hands with Tony Dugdale, with the former winning 21-16.

The closest match in the top division took place between Marown B and Breagle Glen A at Crosby, with a 6-4 win going to the home team, with 11 chalks separating the teams (145-134). Phil Kelly was the only single figure winner for the home team beating Bernie Durcan 21-6, whilst Dan McCabe responded with a 21-8 win over John Gelling. Chris Lever edged the battled of the captains with a 21-19 win over Juan Killip.

Douglas A were defeated 4-6 at home to Peel A, losing the aggregate by 35 chalks (110-145). Three single figure wins arrived from Gary Smith, Tommy McMeiken, and Stevie Kelly, with the latter winning 21-0 against former Villa teammate Mark Kneen. Hitting back for the home team were Andy Cannell, Ian Moore, Dave McCabe, and Gordy Wynne-Smythe.

In Division Two Noble’s A were the biggest winners of the week as they beat Douglas B 9-1 at the Park, with the Villa men struggling for form in the early part of the season. The lone winner for the visitors was Willie Cowley who delivered a 21-15 win against Mark ‘Postie’ Quinn. For the home team Alex Yates, Stephen Corkill, Mark Bradshaw, and Jim Callister kept the visitors down to just 86 chalks.

Finch Hill A, who are notoriously poor on the road, pulled off the biggest shock of the season, as they won 4-6 away to early pacesetters Marown C, just pipping the aggregate by five chalks (134-139). For the home team Jamie Joughin won 21-4 against Dave Dixon, whilst Stephen Oates hit back with a 21-2 win over Dan Smith. Three home wins were close – 21-17 going in favour of Darren Kerruish, Walter McCarthy, and James Kelly, whilst Sam Stannard-Duke beat Sid Bolton 21-19 for the Finch men.

Noble’s B came away from Onchan Park with a hard fought 4-6 win over Onchan B, as they took the two-point aggregate by just two chalks (140-142). Captain Steve Cain led the way for his men, as he was the only single figure winner beating Sid McKnight 21-8, whilst Lee Price held his nerve to beat Neil Richmond 21-20. The Noble’s men have settled into Division Two life without any issues, they will look to see how far they can go this season.

Castletown B remain winless but managed to pick up four points in their 6-4 defeat away to Breagle Glen B, losing out by just seven chalks (155-148) in a high scoring match. The Town men could have picked up a further three points with James Drinkwater, Patrick Cooper, and John Holden just losing out 20,19, 19 respectively. The Breagle men may also have felt two or three games could have gone their way with Seamus Whelan, Rod Swift and Derek Cadamy losing out 17, 18, and 20 respectively. Derek Cain’s win was never in doubt as he beat Sam Quayle 21-6.

Peel B suffered a heavy defeat 2-8 at home to Ballaugh A, with Dougie Allan and Phil Clarke the two winners. Just losing out for the home team were Jimmy Corlett 18-21 to Tony Quine, Jeff Wilson 19-21 to Richard Hainge, and Ross Menton 20-21 to Mark Dimsdale. For the visitors captain Phil Quayle led the way for the Ballaugh men with a 21-9 win over Ian Gray. Despite suffering defeat just 15 chalks separated the sides (139-154).

In Division Three Peel C sit in top spot with a four point lead following their 8-2 home win over Noble’s D. Home captain Jimmy Lee beat John Andrew 21-14, Matthew Venables won convincingly 21-7 against Rob Bell, whilst Nathan Jones crept home 21-20 against Alex Hampson. For the visitors Stephen Hampson beat Stuart Morrison 21-19.

Occupying second spot North Ramsey B hosted Ballaugh C at Mooragh Park, with the home team prevailing 8-2.

Elsewhere Nobles C drew 5-5 at home to Marown D despite winning 5-3 on games, as they lost the aggregate by just three chalks in a high scoring game (145-148). Ballaugh B picked up their biggest win of the season 9-1 at home to Breagle Glen C, with Alan Crebbin preventing the whitewash with a 21-12 win over Steve Bassil.

In Division Four Onchan C secured a 10-0 home win over North Ramsey C, with the Mooragh men unfortunate not to pick up any points with losing scores of 17, 18, 19 and 20. Onchan extended their lead to nine points after the third round of fixtures.

Castletown C sit in joint second on 17 points following their 7-3 home win over South Ramsey D. The Town team fielded four juniors, once again it was Freddie Palmer who pulled off another win as he beat Chris Brown 21-8, whilst his father Chris Palmer beat Billy Blair 21-16.

Elsewhere Finch Hill B lost 4-6 at home to Douglas D, with the home team suffering three defeats to single figures which ultimately sealed their fate. Douglas C won 9-1 at home to Peel D, with five of the games finishing to single figures.

Castletown Bowling Club hosted the Charity Cringle Fours men’s open competition on Saturday attracting 24 pairs to compete for the trophy, an increase of eight pairs on last year.

The quarter finals saw Glynn Hargraves and Jamie Box (South Ramsey/Quarry) beat Marown pair Neil Withers and Paul Dunn, whilst the Peel/Marown combination of Pip Pemberton and Peter Greenlees ended the run of James Kelly and Trevor Quayle (Marown/Breagle Glen). In the other half of the draw Jordan Drewett and Dean Kinley were the furthest home greeners after seeing off Castletown clubmates Nathan Cooil and Aaron Richardson, whilst Crosby duo Glenn Boland and Peter Jones lost out to South Ramsey pair David Bradford and Dido Kelly.

Hargraves and Box booked their place in the final, with the score tied at 15-15 after 13 ends, it took a one, two and three in that order to secure a 21-15 win over Pemberton and Greenlees, helped in part by two full houses earlier in the game. The other semi-final saw Drewett and Kinley close the deficit with Bradford and Kelly to just two chalks (12-14) after 14 ends. A strong finish from the South Ramsey men ensured a 21-14 win.

The final got underway with the score tied at 6-6 after five ends, then a couple of fours for Bradford and Kelly gave the South Ramsey pair plenty of breathing room as they took a 15-9 lead. This quickly turned to 20-9, with Hargraves and Box lying one a great last bowl from Kelly sealed a deserved 21-9 victory. Bradford was looking for a partner in the morning, with Kelly stepping in at the 11th hour, it proved to be a successful partnership.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Nathan Hamilton, who introduced Murray Cringle’s son Phil Cringle to present the prizes. A grand total of £325 was raised for Sight Matters, with all prize winners putting their winnings back into the pot, this boosted the final figure raised.

The Plumbmaster Rayner Shield got underway last week, this gives teams from the lower divisions the opportunity to test themselves against stronger teams, with preliminary and first round losers going into the draw for the Rayner Plate.

Just one first division team went into the Rayner Plate as Castletown A suffered a heavy 8-0 defeat away to South Ramsey A, in what was a replay of the Rayner Shield final from last season. The visitors scored just 65 chalks, with David Quayle the highest scoring Town player with 13 chalks, whilst Jordan Drewett was the only other Castletown player to reach double figures, scoring 12 chalks. A subject that seems to get raised every year if first division teams suffer heavy defeats like this, this begs the question should lower division teams automatically go into the Rayner Plate?

Marown A hosted Ballaugh A at Crosby, the home team recorded an 8-0 win with four of the Ballaugh men reaching double figures, with Richard Hainge losing out 14-21 to Peter Jones.

Onchan A crushed Division Two league leaders Marown C 8-0, however the visitors passed the 100-chalk mark losing out 168-106. Three of the games were close with two losses to 18 and a defeat to 19. Just one game didn’t go to double figures as Will Penhallurick beat Steve Rough 21-3.

A much-changed Peel A team didn’t have it all their own way away to Onchan B, as they won 2-6 on the night with 15 chalks between the teams (124-139). Mike Kelly beat Phil Clarke 21-8, whilst Neil Richmond won 21-5 against Michael Kavanagh. For the visitors three of the Peel men had to battle for their wins as Pip Pemberton won 21-17 against Mike Thomas, whilst Tommy McMeiken and Harry Kelly won 21-19 against Colin spence and Bernie McPhee respectively.

Douglas A beat seven-man Castletown B 7-1 at the Villa, with green keeper Ian Moore the recipient of the walkover. The Town men were probably not expecting a result against a first division team, especially away from home.

Division Four side Peel D hosted North Ramsey A in the Sunset City, with Adam Kelly the only winner on the night 21-6 against Junior bowler Landon Allison, with the latter given the opportunity to make his A team debut against a lower league team.

South Ramsey B were in a tough game away to Noble’s D, with the score 2-2 at the half way point, only for the visitors to win 3-1 in the second half of the match to secure a 3-5 win. Winning for the home team were Alex Hampson, Grahem Moore, and Michael Johnson.

Marown B just missed out on an 0-8 away win against Breagle Glen C as they won 1-7, with Arran Dunn fighting back from a huge deficit against Alan Crebbin, only to cruelly lose 20-21. The Crosby men had the return of John Gelling, who made his first appearance of the 2025 season.

Of all the first division teams to progress to the second round Breagle Glen A had the toughest test, as they won 3-5 away to Finch Hill A, with just 10 chalks separating the teams (138-148). Two of the games that could have swung the result the other way had the scores been reversed were Pat Maher losing 19-21 to Pat Maher, whilst Paul Dougherty just lost out 20-21 to David Cain.

The first official men’s singles competition of the season was held on Sunday, with an entry of 37 taking part in the Ken Williamson Cup, with entries higher than when the competition is traditionally held in June after a long week of festival bowls.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were James Teare (South Ramsey) 14-21 to Tom Kelly (Marown), Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) 15-21 to Colin Kelly (Marown). Walter McCarthy just lost out 19-21 to Marown clubmate Neil Withers, whilst Castletown man Nathan Hamilton beat Nigel Tebay (Ballaugh) 21-13.

Both semi-finals were plain sailing for the winners as Colin Kelly beat his son Tom 21-11, whilst Hamilton’s hopes of a first open win were ended by Withers 12-21.

The final got underway with Kelly winning the first two ends with singles, only for Withers to score 10 chalks over the following eight ends to lead 12-6. Kelly responded with 10 chalks of his own over just ends in the corners to lead 16-12. Withers managed to close the gap to just two chalks at 15-17, however one more burst from Kelly sealed a 21-16 victory.

The presentation was made by Kevin Quirk with thanks given to Dave Tait for running the competition and to the ladies for putting on the refreshments. Ken Williamson’s relative Caroline Heathcote was then introduced to present the prizes on behalf of Ken Williamson’s family. In his speech Colin stated it was the third time he had won the trophy having won it for the first two years the competition was played in 1996 and 1997.

Early Division One league leaders Marown had a tricky looking home fixture against Onchan A on Monday evening, the Crosby men took home a 7-3 win, which could have been a 9-1 win with the visitors winning two games 21-20, as Will Penhallurick beat Marown captain Paul Dunn, whilst Kevin Quirk held off Paul Kelly to the same score. The other win for the visitors was from Matthew Quirk as he beat Tom Kelly 21-10. For the home team Neil Withers returned to winning ways with a 21-5 victory over Steve Parker, whilst Colin Kelly beat Jamie Clague 21-8. Dean Kipling came through a tough game with Peter Slinger 21-18.

Douglas A pulled off a great 2-8 win away to Breagle Glen A, with the home team disappointed to suffer a heavier defeat than the week before away to South Ramsey A (7-3). Nick Firth having stepped up to the A team performed brilliantly to beat Trevor Quayle 21-11, whilst Gordy Wynne-Smythe crept home 21-20 against David Cain. Winning for the Breagle men were Bernie Durcan 21-17 against Shaun Seal, whilst Wayne Roberts beat Andy Cannell 21-16.

Peel A played their first home fixture of the 2025 season, as they hosted South Ramsey A in the Sunset City. Things were looking rosy for the Peel men as it was 2-2 after the first half of the match, with Tommy McMeiken and Paul Quirk the two winners beating James Teare and Peter Collister respectively, whilst Bob Clark and Dido Kelly responded for South. The second half of the match resulted in four wins for the visitors with Glynn Hargraves pushed to 21-16 with Gary Smith, whilst John Kennish was the biggest winner on the night with a 21-8 win over Stevie Kelly.

South Ramsey B caused a mini upset as they beat Marown B 7-3, in a game that could just as easily been a 9-1 home win or a 5-5 draw, with 15 chalks separating the sides (163-148). For South Tony Hart and Ed Carlyle were the 21-20 winners over Matthew Keggen and Sid Bolton. For the Crosby men Karl Parker and Phil Kelly won to the same score against Ben Dugdale and Toby Hart respectively. South Ramsey B currently sit in the dizzy heights of fourth place with 11 points from their first two fixtures.

Castletown A picked up their first home win of the season with a 7-3 victory over North Ramsey A. For the home team Nathan Cooil caused a mini upset seeing off Mooragh captain Rob Monk 21-19, whilst Dean Kinley claimed a 21-4 win over Ray Beattie. Winning for the visitors were John Cannan, Allan Callow and Steve Walmsley.

In Division Two Marown C continue to set the pace following their 2-8 win at the Crofts over Castletown B, with the Town men firmly rooted to the bottom of the table, as they suffer another poor start to the season. David Quayle having dropped down form the A team won 21-8 against James Kelly, whilst John Holden beat Darren Kerruish 21-11.

Noble’s B continue their positive start following promotion from Division Three, with an 8-2 home win over Finch Hill A. Just 13 chalks separated the sides (147-134). Whilst promotion may not happen this season, after a full season of second division bowls, I would expect them to challenge for promotion to Division One next season, as they continue to improve individually and collectively.

Ballaugh A occupy third place on 14 points following the visit of Noble’s A, with the Ballaugh men winning 7-3.

Douglas B picked up their first points of the season with a 6-4 home win over Breagle Glen B, following on from their whitewash at the hands of Marown C the previous week.

Onchan B made light work of Peel B at the Park on Monday evening with a 9-1 win. The lone winner for Peel was 2024 Division Three merit winner Andrew Cover who beat Marcus Avery 21-13, whilst Colin Moore just missed out on a second win for the visitors losing out 20-21 to Derek Allen.

In Division Three Peel C are sitting pretty at the top on 18 points, following their 0-10 away win over Breagle Glen C, with four single figure wins resulting in the home team scoring just 75 chalks.

North Ramsey B came away from Noble’s C with a 4-4 draw, securing the aggregate by just three chalks (143-146) for a 4-6 win.

Marown D recorded a 7-3 home win over Ballaugh B, again just three chalks separated the sides (143-140) with two of the wins being close for the home team as Richard Bregazzi won 21-19 against Steve Bassil, whilst Ryan Holdaway beat Richard Fisher 21-18.

Rounding off Division Three in a high scoring fixture Noble’s D hosted South Ramsey C, with the visitors taking home a 4-6 win by 11 chalks (142-153). The best win on the night was from Greg Barlow who beat John Short 21-10, whilst the other seven games finished to scores of 15 or above.

Division Four saw South Ramsey D play their first match of the season having sat out the first round of fixtures, they got their season up and running in style with an 8-2 home win over Douglas C. Junior bowler Kian Bradford showed his dad David how to make a comeback having trailed 13-16, a strong finish to the game resulted in a 21-18 win over John Harrison. Single figure wins from captain Frank Feeney, Steve Kelly, and Geoff Collier helped secure the win.

North Ramsey C came away from the Villa with a solid 3-7 win over Douglas D, helped in part by the home team being a player short. Two single figure wins from Phillip Hassall and Matthew Molesworth ensured the home team secured the aggregate two points despite a 21-2 defeat for Steve Taylor at the hands of Stuart Garrett.

Finch Hill B could only draw 4-4 on games at home to Castletown C despite winning by 40 chalks for a 6-4 win (154-114) with Peter Woods, Dave Dixon and John Harris all winning to single figures.

Finch Hill welcomed 19 pairs competing for the Newsbeat mens doubles cup.

In the preliminary round defending champions Neil Withers and Paul Dunn (Marown) got off to a flying start against Chris Pedley and Andy Young (Ballaugh). Glenn Boland and Peter Jones (Marown) rushed past home greeners Brian Murphy and Pat Maher. Colin and Kevin Kelly (Marown) ended the hopes of Toby Hart and Dave McCabe (South Ramsey/Douglas). South Ramsey pair Lee Dawson and Tony Hart started well against Castletown pair Nathan Hamilton and Kieran Krypner but the latter ran out the winners. Another convincing victory was scored by Jordan Drewett and Sam Clague (Castletown/Marown) against Rich Bregazzi and Stephen Rough (Marown). Particular mention goes to juniors Arran Dunn and Kian Bradford (Marown/South Ramsey) who battled hard against Trevor Quayle and James Kelly (Breagle Glen/Marown).

At the quarter final stage. Quayle and Kelly claimed a close victory over Phil Dunn and Walter McCarthy (Marown). Villa teammates Keith Rise and Andy Cannell took an early lead against John Kennish and David Bradford but the latter proved too strong and took the game. Marown’s Glenn Boland and Peter Jones stopped the challenge of Clague and Drewett. Reigning Champions Withers and Dunn had a battle royale against team Kelly, father and son Colin and Kevin, who claimed the win.

At the semi-final stage, Kennish and Bradford, despite close early scores against Boland and Jones, the Ramsey pair won 21-11. In the second semi-final father and son Colin and Kevin Kelly, were up against James Kelly and Quayle, this was closely fought. Scoring on four consecutive ends the Kelly’s progressed into the final.

The final saw Kennish and Bradford attack the 12th end scoring three shots, team Kelly replied with a couple of single shots but another three shots won by the Ramsey men started the charge for the winning post, giving them a 21-12 victory.

Thanks to all competitors, hosts Finch Hill, the ladies for the catering, sponsors Newsbeat and Joyce Ogden for running the sheet.

Finally, welcome back Arnie Withers – carry on recovery, yessir!

Report by Joyce Ogden

The Men’s open age night League got underway last week, with much warmer and drier weather than we are accustomed to in early April. With 38 teams entered for a second successive season there are 10 teams in the top two divisions, whilst divisions three and four have nine teams.

In Division One Marown A got their league defence up and running with a good start as they won 2-8 at the Crofts as they came away relatively unscathed. Winning for the home team were Aaron Richardson who beat Neil Withers 21-18, whilst Dean Kinley won to single figures 21-8 against Dean Kipling. Three of the wins for the visitors were to single figures, with Peter Jones having to battle for his 21-18 win over Ian Watson, with Paul Kelly being pushed even closer before getting over the line 21-19.

Peel A will have been delighted with their 3-7 away win over Onchan A at the Park, as they edged the aggregate by just four chalks (133-137). David Proctor was the best winner for the Peel men as he beat Peter Slinger 21-7. Stevie Kelly had a tough game against Onchan’s star man Matthew Quirk, with the former prevailing 21-18. Rob Middleton stepped up from the B Team, battled to a 21-17 win over Mike Alexander.

Douglas A hosted newly promoted side South Ramsey B, whilst the Villa men did win 6-4 on the night the visitors will have been pleased to pick up four wins on their travels, with Ben Dugdale, Christian Caley, Eddie Carlyle, and Lee Dawson all picking up wins. For the home team Andy Cannell and Keith Rise both won 21-7 against Toby Hart and George Brew respectively.

Marown B won 6-4 at home to North Ramsey A, with Kevin Kelly winning 21-5 against Ray Beattie, whilst Peter Greenlees made his home debut with a 21-6 win over fellow left hander John Cannan. Rob Monk ensured the Mooragh men went away with four points on the night as he crept home 21-20 against Phil Kelly.

South Ramsey A hosted the newly formed Breagle Glen A, with three players featuring from the old Port Erin team and five from Port St Mary. Under the new floodlights the Breagle men gelled well, as they took three points off the home team in their 7-3 defeat. Winning for the visitors were Trevor Quayle, who beat Glynn Hargraves 21-12, Dan McCabe finished the game strongly as he held off Bob Clark 21-18, whilst Wayne Roberts pulled off a stunning 21-2 win over Dido Kelly.

In Division Two Marown C made their intentions clear for the season as they beat Douglas B 10-0, with the Villa men normally in the mix in the top half of the table. Highest scoring losers for the visitors were Geoff Mayles, who lost 17-21 to Dan Smith, whilst Willie Cowley lost out 18-21 against John Kelly.

Finch Hill A occupy second place, as they kept the visitors Castletown B to under 100 chalks following their 8-2 home win. Four of the home team won to single figures, with Pat Maher picking up the biggest win as he beat Rob Sayle 21-2. For the Town men Junior bowler Sam Quayle continues to improve as he beat Paul Dougherty 21-8, with the latter returning to Finch Hill after a season at Onchan. John Holden started the season strongly as he beat 2024 Division Two merit winner Stephen Oates 21-13.

Breagle Glen B had a tough start to their campaign at home to Ballaugh A. The visitors took home a 3-7 win, with three of their five wins to single figures. For the visitors Richard Hainge had the closest game of the night, as he managed to get over the line 21-20 against Ed Benson.

Noble’s A hosted Onchan B, it was the home team who took the spoils 7-3. Two 21-8 wins from Kevin Moore and Dave Naughton ensured the aggregate went to the home team, whilst Mike Thomas was the best winner for the Onchan men as he beat Phil Salmon 21-9.

Peel B may struggle to challenge for promotion this year with three players missing from the team that turned out for them last season, as they lost out 4-6 at home to newly promoted Noble’s B, with the ever improving team ‘fresh’ from their weekend trip which included some friendlies against U.K. clubs and a trip to Elland Road to watch Leeds United, the Noble’s men will be hoping for a similar league position to their beloved football team.

In Division Three North Ramsey B had a relatively short trip down the road as they faced Ballaugh B, in a high scoring encounter, as the Mooragh men came away with a 2-8 win on the night.

Peel C are joint top with North Ramsey following their 8-2 home win over Marown D, whilst South Ramsey C claimed a 7-3 home win over Breagle Glen C, with the visitors unable to muster up a full side on the night. Three of the home team won to single figures, with Breagle scoring just 83 chalks.

Division Four got underway with North Ramsey C coming away with a solid 2-8 away win over Noble’s E, with both teams now in their second season of league bowls. The score line was somewhat distorted as just five chalks separated the sides (137-142).

Onchan C won 8-2 at home to Peel D, with the visitors still managing to field a full team despite the movement of players to higher ranked teams over the winter.

Castletown C took a 6-4 home over Douglas D at the Crofts, with the result going in favour of the Town team with the Villa men being a player short and losing out by just seven chalks (130-123) this proved to be costly. It was great to see the Town team featuring three Junior bowls again, with Zac Bowrey the lucky recipient of a walkover, Jacob Robert lost out 7-21 to fellow Junior Robert Tomlinson, whilst Freddie Palmer fell at the final hurdle 20-21 to Les Gale.

Douglas C claimed a 6-4 win over Finch Hill B at the Villa, with 13 chalks separating the teams (148-135) the aggregate was secured with Dave Corkish winning 21-3 against Samson Smith.

The qualifying stages of the 2025 Club Team Championship took place on Sunday 30th March at four different locations, with 2024 Canada Life International League Winners Marown A playing at Windle Bowling Club in St. Helens.

With an early 9:30 start the Marown men got off to a solid start with an 18 chalk victory (156-138) over Hoghton (North Lancs & Fylde) to pick up two points, dropping just 12 chalks as they won 6-2 on individual games.

Marown’s second game was always going to be tough against King George V (Warwick & Worcester) a side littered with top players as they lost out by 38 chalks (163-125), this time losing out 2-6 on games.

Their final group game ended with a true draw as they tied on 138 chalks with Willenhall Nordley BC (Staffordshire) whilst also drawing 4-4 on games.

Winning the group with three wins and a maximum six points were King George V, who will now go onto the Finals Day on Sunday 27th April. The Marown men finished in second place in the group with three points.

2025 Season Preview

In Division One Marown A (pictured) will be the team to catch having won the league by a comfortable seven points last season. Marown haven’t won back to back league titles since 2002, when they dominated the local game, they will be looking to achieve that feat this season.

South Ramsey A have strengthened with the return of John Kennish, as they look to regain the league title, still have the core of their team from last season, whilst Stefan Kelly continues his travels, is due back a some point during the season, he may turn out for the B Team upon his return.

Castletown A have a new captain onboard with Nathan Hamilton stepping up as he looks to bring the team forward, following their Rayner Shield final defeat last year, with Dave Quayle stepping down it is understood Kieran Krypner will be plying his trade in Division One this year.

The much talked about merger of Port Erin and Port St Mary took place over the winter, with one club having a bowling green and the other club having a higher membership. Three of the Port Erin ‘old guard’ are rumoured to be in the newly formed Breagle Glen A – David Cain, Bernie Durcan and Steve Durcan.

Port St Mary’s Tom Collins has jumped ship and has settled for somewhere closer to home in the North of the Island, as he turns out for North Ramsey A this year, having lost Paul Allison and Steven Waters to golf, with Gary Merrill stepping down to the B team. Collins is a welcome addition with Joe Kneale and Ewan Christian also rumoured to be stepping up to Division One for the Mooragh Park men.

Peel man George Gadsby is A team captain once again, whilst not playing early on this season following his recent surgery he will have to pull in two players, with Peter Greenlees moving on to pastures new as he will be turning out for Marown B.

South Ramsey B are the newly promoted team to Division One, they will have it all to do to stay up, as they have become a bit of a yoyo team over the past few years.

Marown C will be plying their trade in Division Two as they look to make an immediate return to the top flight.

This Division contains no fewer three A Teams with Noble’s A, Finch Hill A, and Ballaugh A. The Finch men probably look most likely to finish highest out of these three teams.

Noble’s B are the Noble’s D team from last year who won Division Three, under the league rules the highest placed team gets rebranded as the B Team.

Peel B will be looking to return to Division One after missing out last year, however the club are understood to have lost a couple of players to other clubs over the winter, they may well struggle to make a return.

Breagle Glen B could be contenders to battle for promotion with having different players to pick from now.

In Division Three North Ramsey B will be hoping to bounce back to Division Two, however Noble’s C and Noble’s D who have new and improvers players in their ranks might have something to say about that after competing at the top end of the table last season.

More to follow…