The Isle of Man Team took part in the 2023 BCGBA Senior Supplementary County Championship which was held on Sunday at Bellingham Bowling Club in Wigan on a good playing surface.

Drawn in Group 1, as expected the opposition was tough with Cheshire, South Yorkshire and Wales awaiting.

In the first round of matches the eight man team were up against Cheshire as the
the Manx men won 5-3 on games with Peter Jones, Paul Dunn, David Bradford, Bob Clark and Glynn Hargraves all winning, with the three games lost being to high scores (17,19 & 19) as they scored highly to win by 25 chalks (160-135) to make a positive start to pick up two points for the win.

In their second round match South Yorkshire were the opposition, the team managed to win three individual games with the winners being Paul Dunn, Jordan Cain and Bob Clark. Losing out in close games were David Bradford who lost 17-21 to Ross Meese and Neil Withers who was beaten 17-21 by Tom Boyd as they lost this one by a margin of 13 chalks (137-150) just two chalks a man to show the very fine margins between victory and defeat.

In their final match they faced Wales with all still to play for, winning four individual games from Peter Jones, Jordan Cain, David Bradford and Matthew Quirk. The team ultimately won the all important chalks as they won by 9 chalks (150-141) to pick up two points for the victory, helped by high scores from Neil Withers (20), Glynn Hargraves (18) and Bob Clark (17).

Cheshire ended up topping the group, going on to the reach the final where they came up against Warwick & Worcestershire who prevailed in Group 2, in a group that included Merseyside, North Midlands and Potteries. In the final Warwick & Worcestershire edged out Cheshire as they won by just four chalks (146-142) with the winners hanging on to a 22 chalk lead at the half way stage to take the title home.

The Isle of Man Team who were managed by Phil Kerruish and assisted by Juan Kermode finished in a very respectable second place on four points in the group to surpass last years performance in this competition, as they also finished +21 on aggregate chalks to show they can compete with other counties, with Cheshire progressing largely thanks to a huge 50 chalk win over Wales in their second round match, they then went on to beat South Yorkshire by seven chalks to also finish on four points and progress to the final with a better aggregate (+32) than the Isle of Man.

To put this into perspective the Isle of Man have just 13 bowling greens available on the Island, with a limited pool of bowlers to choose from. Whilst other counties have hundreds of greens to play on and thousands of bowlers to pick from, it could well be argued that the Isle of Man are punching above their weight.

A great team effort overall, with all players winning at least one game, no defeats to single figures and generally high scores even in defeat helping contribute to the overall result. It says a lot that the team were disappointed not to reach the final, to show the expectation has increased within the squad.

The Plumbmaster Limited Rayner Shield final between South Ramsey A and Marown C was held at Noble’s Bowling Club on Friday evening on a superb playing surface. The draw took place ahead of the match, with a short video of the draw put together to generate a bit of interest. This appeared to pay off with over 120 spectators in attendance to watch events unfold, on a fine evening for bowls with fantastic support for both teams. League leaders South Ramsey were the clear favourites on the night, however the Marown men would have been hoping to pull off a huge upset.

First off the green for South Ramsey was Jordan Cain who beat Peter Kelly 21-6, with Cain helped by a 11 point scoring streak over eight consecutive ends. Next off was David Bradford who beat Sam Clague as he finished the game in just 19 ends with a solid 21-7 victory.

The next game off the green was a hard earned win from South Ramsey, with both players performing well as James Teare was level with Kevin Kelly after 14 ends at 10-10, as Teare went on to build up an 18-14 lead. Two singles for Kelly closed the deficit to two chalks at 16-18, then Teare closed the game out with three singles to earn a 21-16 win.

The last game off in the first half ended up a good contest. South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves was fully in control as he went into a 14-6 lead over Tom Kelly, keeping the latter down to six singles at that point. On the 18th end the momentum of the game shifted, with Hargraves counting for two a fortuitous hit from the Marown man on his own bowl hit the jack, which then ricocheted off Hargraves’ bowl and fell kindly for Kelly to count two. Kelly went on to turn the game around performing brilliantly to score nine chalks over five ends and briefly went into the lead at 15-14, only for Hargraves to get back in before eventually going on to close the game out 21-17, on the final end lying two down a reaching bowl from Hargraves came off Kelly’s bowl furthest away from the jack, to spring Kelly’s bowl onto the jack, with a measure called this went in favour of Hargraves.

With South Ramsey 4-0 up and dominating the chalks, this didn’t take anything away from the support given by the spectators around the green, as Marown captain Stevie Rundle pulled off the shock of the night as he went into a 16-0 lead against Dido Kelly. The South Ramsey man started to work his way back into the game, however with little margin for error Rundle held his nerve to see the game out with a 21-12 win as he put in a captains innings. The sixth game off the green resulted in South Ramsey’s fifth win and officially sealed the Rayner Shield heading back north as Peter Collister beat Jamie Joughin 21-16, with the latter leading 11-10 at the half way point in the game, before the South Ramsey man’s experience came through to seal the victory.

Game number seven resulted in the biggest win of the night as Bob Clark romped home 21-5 against Steve Rough, with Clark leading 19-1, the Marown man managed to get another four chalks on the board. The last game on the green was on for the some time after game seven came off , with the score 9-6 to Crosby man Dan Smith who was up against Stefan Kelly. The South Ramsey man fought back to lead 10-9 after 15 ends, only for Smith to score five singles over six ends to lead 15-11. Kelly started to find his length, as he managed to see the game out with 10 chalks scored, losing just two of the last nine ends to win 21-18. Smith performed admirably to give the South Ramsey man a scare.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Matthew Keggen, who thanked Plumbmaster for sponsoring the competition, Noble’s Bowling Club for the use of the green and their club members for assisting throughout the evening. The Rayner Shield was presented to South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves, who offered his commiserations to Marown who had put up a spirited performance and congratulated his side for a superb team performance. South Ramsey’s win sees them take their 7th win in the competition, along with retaining the Shield to hold the title for a third consecutive season.

South Ramsey A			Marown C
Jordan Cain	21	6	Peter Kelly
David Bradford	21	7	Sam Clague
James Teare	21	16	Kevin Kelly
Glynn Hargraves	21	17	Tom Kelly
Peter Collister	21	16	Jamie Joughin
Dido Kelly	12	21	Stevie Rundle
Bob Clark	21	5	Steve Rough
Stefan Kelly	21	18	Dan Smith
7 Games Won	159	106	1 Game Won

After a day of rain, which was at times heavy all league fixtures went ahead on Monday evening in Canada Life International League Division One.

Marown A took on their C Team with the lower ranked team manging to claim one win and scoring over 100 chalks in their 9-1 defeat (155-106). The lone winner for the C Team was Kevin Kelly, who beat Phil Kelly 21-8. The only single figure winner for the A Team was John Gelling who beat Jamie Joughin 21-6, whilst the other six wins for the A Team were comfortable.

League Leaders South Ramsey A took on their B Team who are bottom of the league, with the rain stopping and the sun making an appearance just in time for the start of play, as conditions improved as the evening went on, by which time the green was running well. The higher ranked team took a 10-0 win to stretch their lead to nine points, as they kept the B team down to just 86 chalks. South Ramsey A captain Glynn Hargraves beat Tony Dugdale with the former trailing 6-8 to run out with a 21-12 win. Dido Kelly beat Toby Hart 21-9, a score matched by Jordan Cain who beat Frank Watson, whilst David Bradford was the best winner on the night as he beat Tony Hart 21-4. The highest scorer for the B team was Christian Caley who got to within three chalks of James Teare at 16-19, before conceding a two to lose 16-21.

Over at Mooragh Park North Ramsey A took on Marown B, with the home team claiming a 7-3 victory. Two big wins were taken by Rob Monk who beat Harry Barton 21-2 and Steven Waters who also won 21-2 against Darren Kerruish, Steve Walmsley beat Brian Kelly 21-7, whilst Jimmy Moffatt beat Matthew Keggen 21-13. For the visitors two of their wins were close as Tom Kelly pipped John Cannan 21-18, Juan Killip held off Gary Merrill to win 21-19, whilst Walter McCarthy beat Allan Callow comfortably 21-11.

Peel A hosted Castletown A in the Sunset City, as the home team took an 8-2 win. Winning for the visitors were George Foy who beat Tony Carroon 21-9 and Ian Watson who won 21-15 against Peter Greenlees. For the home team Stevie Kelly beat Aaron Richardson 21-11, whilst his father Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly won 21-11 against Nathan Hamilton. The result leaves Castletown second from bottom of the league with five games remaining, however they aren’t too far from safety.

Onchan A drew 4-4 on games at home to Douglas A, however a superior chalks difference secured the two points for the aggregate (137-117) for a 6-4 home win. For Onchan Kevin Quirk, Will Penhallurick and Matthew Quirk all won to single figures against Ian Moore, Keith Rise and Merv Sayle respectively. For the Villa men Andy Cannell beat Peter Slinger 21-11, whilst Gary Conwell beat Neil Dunwell 21-18.

Port St Mary A drew 5-5 at Breagle Glen against fellow strugglers Peel B who were a man short. The Port men lost five games, however they secured the draw thanks to winning the aggregate (140-123). Winning for the home team were Robbie Cooil who won 21-7 against Rob Middleton, Trevor Quayle beat Mick Kavanagh 21-11, with Dan McCabe being the lucky recipient of the walkover. Just missing out to a 19-21 score line were Wayne Roberts, Tim Williams, and Tom Collins against Paul Quirk, Dewi Bartlett, and Dougie Allan respectively. For Peel Dave Smith beat Juan Hargraves 21-6, whilst Andy Mackie won 21-14 against Paul Skelly.

In Division Two league leaders Finch Hill A show no sign of slipping up in their chase for a return to the top flight following their 7-3 home win over Noble’s B. Les Brookes was the best winner for the Finch men as he beat Alex Hampson 21-8, whilst three hard earned wins were claimed by Kevin Anderson 21-17 against Noel Ash, Dave McCabe won 21-18 versus Jay Elliott, and Paul Dougherty just edged his game 21-20 against Ciaran Broad.  For the visitors Grahem Moore beat Tony Epifani 21-13, Stephen Corkill won 21-16 against Pat Maher, whilst Mikey Cooper beat Mark Taylor 21-18.

Castletown B could well be heading for promotion, as they won 8-2 at home to North Ramsey B. Winning for the visitors were Andrew Honour, who beat George Peach 21-19, and Ray Skelly who won 21-15 against Alan Phair. For the home team Peter Oates had a tough battle with Brian Colquitt before prevailing 21-20, Junior bowler Sam Quayle beat new bowler Joe Kneale 21-17, whilst Derek Lewney was the best winner as he beat Euan Christian 21-5.

Noble’s A are in a solid mid-table position with scope to rise a couple of places following their 8-2 win at home to Onchan B. Winning for the visitors were Colin Spence who beat John Andrew 21-12, and Steve Parker just got over the line 21-20 against Mark Bradshaw. The home team claimed a 21-20 win in their favour, with Juan Qualtrough holding off Mark Kelly, with the other five wins for the Noble’s men being comfortable.

Douglas B slipped to a 3-7 home defeat to Ballaugh A, with the visitors result helping them to stay in second place. Ballaugh captain Phil Quayle beat Stuart Garrett 21-8, Tony Quine won 21-2 against Geoff Mayles, whilst Patrick Grant beat Andy Foster to secure a 21-6 win. Winning close games for Ballaugh were Mike Spooner who won 21-20 against Bob Callow, with Edgar Cowin beating Nick Firth 21-18. Just missing out picking up additional points for the visitors were Nigel Tebay who was beaten 19-21 by Paddy Murphy, whilst John Keenan lost out 18-21 to Steve Cook.

Bottom side Onchan C are still 11 points adrift of the next placed team despite their 8-2 home win over South Ramsey C, with both teams still in danger of relegation. Winning close games for the home team were Colin Brown who beat Ian Moore 21-19, whilst Neil Taylor won to the same score against Paul Routledge. The two winners for South Ramsey were James Moore who won 21-16 against Ken Clarke, whilst Richie Davies beat Roger Payne 21-19.

Peel C picked up a good 6-4 home win over Port Erin A, to damage the visitors hopes of promotion. Winning for the home team were Jeff Wilson, Jimmy Corlett, Andrew Cover and Kevin Mort. For the visitors Ed Benson and Seamus Whelan ensured it wasn’t a bigger win for Peel as they won their games 21-18 against Phil Clarke and Harry Kelly respectively.

In Division Three Ballaugh B beat Finch Hill B 6-4 at home with 12 chalks separating the teams, however they would have been hoping for a better result at home against a team in ninth place, with Gary Griffiths losing out 18-21 to Guy Smith, and Fred Waggett was beaten by Kevin Stannard 18-21. For the home team Dicky Watson was the best winner as he beat Samson Smith 21-4.

Noble’s C are improving with each game, as they picked up a resounding 9-1 home win over Douglas D, cruelly missing out on a first ever 10-0 by a single chalk as Junior bowler was the hero for the visitors as he beat Kevin Airey. Nigel Hinds beat Les Quayle 21-20, Andy Greggor won 21-19 against Bob Banning, whilst Paul Moore beat Mark Clarke 21-18. Winning to single figures were Mike Caley, Lee Greggor and Steve Cain.

Marown D won 9-1 at home to Port Erin B, with the Crosby men being awarded three walkovers due to the Breagle Men only being able to field five players. Ben Mowle was the lone winner as he beat Richard Bregazzi 21-9, whilst Alan Gault own to the same score against Mark Finlay. Winning close games for Marown were Ryan Holdaway who beat Alan Crebbin 21-18 an Eddie Rough who beat Nigel Haymes 21-17.

South Ramsey D lost 2-8 at home to Ballaugh C, as the lost by just six chalks (144-150). Three games went in favour of the visitors 21-20 as Tim Merriman, Mark Dimsdale and Dan Kelly beat Billy Blair, Frank Feeney, and Hakim Thomas respectively. Winners for South Ramsey were captain Franz ten Donkelaar who beat Steve Bassil 21-8, and Steve Kelly who won 21-16 against Chris Pedley.

Port St Mary B welcomed Noble’s D to Breagle Glen with the home team winning 7-3, as they edged the aggregate by just three chalks (148-145) in a high scoring contest. Nicholas Peterson won 21-20 against Roy Moore, Ray Maddrell and Derek Cain both won their games 21-18 against Charlie Bell and Alex Colquitt respectively, whilst Colin Leece beat Sam Colquitt 21-17. Best winner for the home team was Thomas Keggen who beat Steve Colquitt 21-9, while the best winner for the visitors was Kevin Moore with a 21-7 victory over Pete Collins, with the other two wins for Noble’s coming from Terry Bates as he won 21-18 against Ken Karran, with Andrew Bell winning to the same score against Junior Keggen. The result leaves Port St Mary B top by three points ahead of Ballaugh B.

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the Nobles Cup Men’s Doubles on Saturday with 29 pairs taking part, on a superb playing surface which is returning to its former glory, as the club continue to move forward they had a new sponsor on board this year with Camelback Movers.

Losing out in the quarter finals were Archie Dunn & Paul Dunn (Marown) 10-21 to South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves & David Bradford, home greeners Stephen Corkill & Mikey Cooper got past the pairing of Tony Hart & Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) 21-19.

In the other half of the draw John Kennish & Peter Collister (South Ramsey) won 21-6 against Marown’s Stevie Rundle & Walter McCarthy, whilst Marown’s Juan Killip and Matthew Keggen beat Brian Lindsay & Less Brookes 21-15.

At the semi-final stage Hargraves & Bradford ensured it was the end of the road for the final home green pairing of Corkill & Cooper, with the South Ramsey men winning 21-9 to reach the final. The other semi-final was keenly contested as the Marown pairing of Killip and Keggen went 17-12 ahead against Kennish & Collister, before the Ramsey pair rallied to win five of the last six ends to run out with a 21-18 to take their place in the final.

In the final Kennish & Collister won the first end scoring a single, only for Hargraves & Bradford win the next four ends scoring seven points to take a 13-7 lead, with a three scored as Bradford played out the counting bowl perfectly.

Kennish & Collister got back into the game with two singles, only to concede their second three of the game, however they picked up a three themselves on the ninth end to trail by four chalks at 12-16.

Hargraves & Bradford rallied once more to see the game out scoring five chalks over the next four ends to take a deserved 21-12 victory to lift the cup for a second time, following their first success in 2017.

With prizes paid down to the quarter finals, there was additional prize money paid out and a trophy for Marown’s Archie Dunn for best Junior in the competition.

The presentation was made by Tina Hampson who thanked the club members for their help throughout the day, Camelback Movers for sponsoring the competition.

Photo: Mark Bradshaw

Noble’s Bowling Club hosted the inaugural Junior Boys competition on Saturday morning, with a good standard of bowls from the Juniors with the games played 21 up off scratch.

At the quarter final stage Clark Kelly (Douglas) lost out 11-21 to Ryan Hargraves (South Ramsey), whilst Arran Dunn (Marown) just got the better of Andrew Tomlinson (Douglas) 21-20. Home greener Alex Hampson had a tough game with Archie Dunn (Marown), as the latter led 17-13 before Hampson prevailed 21-17, whilst Rhys Moore (Castletown) beat Robert Tomlinson (Douglas) 21-16.

At the semi-final stage 10-year-old Dunn performed well to beat 15-year-old Hargraves 21-16, whilst Hampson had a slightly more comfortable 21-15 win over Moore to reach the final.

In the final Hampson, who is the more experienced bowler performed well as he went 10-1 ahead scoring five doubles in the first six ends. Dunn had to dig deep and didn’t let his head drop as he performed well in the second half of the game before eventually losing out 10-21 to Hampson, who became the first winner of this competition.

The presentation was made by Tina & Kerry Hampson, who introduced Jackie Williamson to present the prizes, with all competitors receiving a prize. It was a proud and emotional day for the Hampson family, with winner Alex being Roy Williamson’s Grandson, as he became the first winner of the new trophy.

Match number 16 of the Canada Life International took place this week as league leaders South Ramsey A edged another point ahead of second placed Marown A in Division One, with just six games left to play – with a visit to Marown yet to come following their 9-1 home win over Peel A. The lone winner for the visitors was Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly whose 21-13 win was never in doubt against Stefan Kelly, whilst the only other close games for the visitors were two 17-21 defeats for Dean Kinley against James Teare and Tommy McMeiken against Bob Clark. Winning to single figures for the home team were Peter Collister who won 21-3 against David Proctor, whilst Jordan Cain beat Gary Smith 21-8.

Marown A had a short trip to the Sunset City as they took on Peel B who managed to take two games off the Crosby men, with wins from Dewi Bartlett who beat Glenn Boland 21-8, whilst Dave Smith beat Paul Kelly 21-15. Michael Kavanagh just missed out on snatching a third point for Peel as he lost 20-21 to John Gelling. Winning big for Marown were Colin Kelly who beat Andy Mackie 21-4, whilst merit leader Paul Dunn beat opposing captain Paul Quirk 21-8.

The closest match of the night took place between Douglas A who were at home to bottom side South Ramsey B, as the teams played out a 5-5 draw, with the visitors only winning three games they will have been delighted to take the aggregate by four chalks (149-153) in what was a high scoring contest the Ramsey men could quite easily have picked up more points as their worst defeat was to 17-21, with Eddie Carlyle and Toby Hart losing to Keith Rise and Andy Cannell respectively. Tony Hart lost out 18-21 to Jimmy Sansom, whilst Austin Hart lost out 19-21 to Ian Moore, with Christian Caley losing to the same score to Gordon Wynne-Smythe. All three wins for the visitors were comfortable, which together with their high scoring defeats helped their cause with the aggregate as South Ramsey captain Ben Dugdale beat Gary Conwell 21-12, Frank Watson returned to the team as he picked up his second win of the season as he beat Mark Kneen 21-16, whilst Tony Dugdale won to the same score against Shaun Seal.

Castletown A continued their climb up the table as they won 7-3 against North Ramsey A at the Crofts. For the home team David Quayle finished strongly to beat Steve Walmsley 21-20, whilst Aaron Richardson was another man to pick up his second win of the season as he beat Gary Merrill 21-7. Also picking up good wins for Town were Nathan Cooil and Nathan Hamilton with both men winning 21-11 against Steven Waters and Paul Allison respectively, whilst George Foy made light work of Mooragh captain Rob Monk with a 21-12 win. For North Ramsey Allan Callow returned to winning ways as he beat Ron Williams 21-13, Jimmy Moffatt won 21-16 against Chris Lever, whilst John Cannan beat Town captain Jordan Drewett 21-18.

Marown B sit in seventh place following their 7-3 home victory over Port St Mary A. There is no stopping Crosby captain Darren Kerruish who picked up his second consecutive league win of the season as he beat Dave Saxon 21-13. Walter McCarthy was the best winner for the home team as he won 21-6 against Bernard Thackrah, whilst Karl Parker had to earn his 21-18 victory over Robbie Cooil. Trevor Quayle was the best winner for Port as he won 21-10 against Matthew Keggen, Dan McCabe wasn’t too far behind with a 21-13 win over Juan Killip, whilst captain Wayne Roberts beat John Kelly 21-18.

On Tuesday evening Marown C hosted Onchan A, with the game ending 4-4 on games, however the visitors earned the two bonus points as they took the aggregate by just six chalks (128-134). For the home team Sam Clague picked up the most impressive result of the night as he beat Peter Slinger 21-15, with Tom Kelly winning to the same score against Phil Kerruish. Jamie Joughin was the best winner for the Crosby men as he beat Mike Thomas 21-8. For the visitors Kevin Quirk was the only single figure winner as he beat Marown captain Stevie Rundle 21-6, with teammate Neil Dunwell continuing his good form as he beat Peter Kelly 21-12.

In Division Two second placed Ballaugh A had the opportunity to close the gap as they hosted league leaders Finch Hill A. Whilst they did claim a 6-4 home win, they would have hoped for a bigger win to close the gap further. For the home team Mike Spooner won 21-3 against Paul Dougherty, Richard Hainge beat Mark Taylor 21-9, John Keenan just got over the line 21-20 against Les Brookes, whilst Nigel Tebay took a good scalp as he inflicted a first league defeat of the season on merit leader Dave McCabe 21-17. For the visitors Pat Maher won 21-10 against John Maddrell, Stephen Oates impressed with a 21-13 win over Ballaugh captain Phil Quayle, Tony Epifani held on to beat Patrick Grant 21-20, whilst Dave Jones won his game 21-18 against Tony Grant.

Port Erin A sit in fourth place with a game in hand on third placed Castletown B, as they closed the gap to 10 points with a game in hand following their 8-2 home win at Breagle Glen. Ed Benson was the best winner for the Breagle men as he won 21-9 against Ray Harris, whilst Mark Stockham got the better of George Peach 21-20, with Steve Durcan also winning a close game as he beat Willie Corkill 21-19. For the Town mean Peter Oates beat Ken Horsley 21-15, with Ross Moore winning 21-11 against David Cain.

Third placed Douglas B are well placed in the league as they came away from Onchan B with a hard earned 4-6 win at the park, winning the aggregate by 11 chalks (125-136). Single figures victories from Bob Callow and Stuart Garrett over Paul Callister and Mike Alexander helped their cause with the aggregate.

Noble’s B occupy ninth place, but aren’t fully out of danger yet, as they are just five points away from the relegation places, however they kept Peel C in the danger zone as they inflicted an 8-2 win on the Western men with three 21-20 wins going in their favour, along with two single figure victories from Stephen Corkill and Phil Salmon.

South Ramsey C had a better week as they beat Noble’s A 7-3 at home, as they missed out on a further two points with Mark Quinn just getting the better of home captain Dave Corkill 21-20, Jim Collister beat Jay Moore 21-18, with Mark Bradshaw picking up a comfortable 21-12 win over James Moore. For the home team Ian Moore was the best winner with a 21-11 victory over Dave Naughton, with Andy Morgan winning a close game 21-19 against John Andrew.

In Division Three Ballaugh B came away from Breagle Glen with a 3-7 win over Port Erin B as they remain in top spot. For the home team Ben Mowle won 21-17 against Mike Buckeridge, Nigel Haymes beat Gary Griffiths 21-18, whilst Alan Crebbin eased to a 21-11 win over Stephen Swift.

Noble’s D kept themselves within touch of Ballaugh B, following their 7-3 home win over Douglas C (pictured). Winning for the Villa men were David Caley who beat Stan Cooper 21-2, Juan Readshaw, and Steve Gregg. For the home team winning to single figures were Terry Bates, Kevin Moore, and Andrew Bell.

South Ramsey D sit in fourth place, as they continued one of their most impressive seasons to date, following their 2-8 victory over Douglas D at the Villa. Greg Barlow won 21-2 against Junior bowler William Cowley, whilst another Junior bowler Ryan Hargraves beat Mark Clarke 21-20, with Billy Blair beating David Manley 21-19. For the home team Bob Banning ensured he cancelled out the 21-2 win from the opposition as he beat Chris Brown to the same score.

Marown D took the spoil with a 4-6 away victory over Peel D (133-142). Mike Ashmole was the best winner for the Peel men as he beat Ryan Holdaway 21-10, Andy Jackson held off James Kelly 21-19, whilst Joshua Trickett won 21-17 against Keith Watterson. For the Crosby men Alan Gault eased to a 21- won over William Quirk, whilst Jay Waters beat Own Crompton 21-17.

Ballaugh C welcomed Port St Mary B, as the visitors slipped to a 7-3 defeat to the Ballaugh men, as Juan Hargraves made a rare appearance on a bowling green, as he won 21-7 against Brian lace, a result matched by Nicholas Peterson who beat Tom Waterworth, whilst Ken Karran got over the line 21-20 against Jamie Kelly.

New formed team Noble’s C pulled off a great 2-8 victory away to Finch Hill B. The best winner for the visitors Nigel Hinds who beat Samson Smith 21-7, with Finch Hill captain Kevin Stannard responding with a 21-2 win over Dean Sowerby.

Port St Mary B rearranged their match at home to Douglas D, as they ended their week on a high as they hit top spot by two points thanks to a 9-1 win. Greg Brew ensured the visitors picked up a point as he beat Pete Collins 21-13.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Championship

In Group A Marown A hosted Ballaugh at Crosby as the home team eased to victory by 86 chalks (189-103), whilst North Ramsey A took the win over visitors Douglas A by 43 chalks (172-129).

In Group B current holders South Ramsey A took on Peel with the home team taking a comfortable victory by 79 chalks (180-101). In the other fixture Noble’s A fell to defeat at home to Port St Mary A by just seven chalks (147-154) as the visitors won 4-5 on games.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Plate

In the Plate competition in Group A Finch Hill took on the youthful Marown B at Kensington Road, with the hosts taking the win by 43 chalks (169-126), whilst Noble’s B beat North Ramsey B by 58 chalks (171-113).

Group B consists of just three teams as the fixture took place between Douglas B and South Ramsey B at the Villa the visitors won 4-5 on games and secured the all important chalks by 21 in a high scoring game (157-178).

Peel Sunset Bowling club hosted the popular Peel Town Cup on Saturday afternoon. The competition returned to its home venue after being played on Ballaugh last year, with the Peel green vastly improved on last year the competition attracted 55 entries, despite the poor weather forecast the rain held off for most of the day. With handicaps ranging from +3 to +9, it certainly made for an interesting day with some shock results. There were a number of high profile casualties early on.

Losing out at the quarter-final stage were James Kelly (Marown) who was beaten 13-21 by clubmate Neil Withers, Sammy Clague (Marown) who lost 18-21 to South Ramsey’s Tony Hart, Nathan Cooil (Castletown) was well beaten 13-21 by Glenn Boland (Marown), whilst another Marown man Colin Kelly eased past Dave McCabe (Finch Hill) 21-10.

The first semi-final was well contested between Withers (+3) and Hart (+6), with the latter leading 15-8 after 12 ends, before a flurry of two’s from Withers ensured he reached the final with a 21-17 victory. In the other semi-final Boland had his work cut out with Kelly, as the latter ran out with a 21-14 win.

Both finalists have clashed a number of times on the green this season, with the match a tough one to call, with both players having enjoyed success on the Peel green over the years. After 10 ends the score was 10-10 with the players having tied the score on five occasions up to that point of the game, only for Withers to make the first move to go 16-12 ahead, then extending the lead by another point to go 19-14 and within touching distance of victory.

On the 20th end Kelly picked up a two following a measure to close the gap to three points. With Kelly intent on heading for the corners Withers capitalised on a poor lead from his teammate to count for one, with Kelly not beating this bowl Withers had the opportunity to make two for game, which he did to seal a 21-16 win and with it his third time lifting the famous trophy, with his previous titles picked up in 2013 and 1996, which was the first time that Withers had won a singles open.

At the conclusion of play the presentation was made by Peel President Lynda Wilson, who thanked the new sponsors Central Bar & Bistro for their support, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Arran & Archie Dunn for helping to run the competition and the club members for assisting throughout the day.

A healthy entry of 40 players took part in Port St Mary’s Dreswick Cup men’s singles competition played at Port Erin Bowling Club on Thursday afternoon. Luckily the weather was warm and sunny making it a very enjoyable afternoon of bowls.

The Dreswick Cup has been going for over 50 years and has always been played on a Thursday afternoon when traditionally most local shops had half day closing on a Thursday.

A couple of big matches in the second round saw club mates competing with each other, in the top half of the draw South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves pushed David Bradford hard eventually losing to 19-21. In the bottom half of the draw Marown’s Colin Kelly also went close before losing to 20-21 against Neil Withers.

At the quarter final stage David Bradford beat teammate James Teare 21-18, Paul Dunn beat clubmate Walter McCarthy 21-11, Alan Moore (South Ramsey) ended home greener Bernie Durcan’s (Port Erin) run winning 21-17 and Neil Withers got the better of Nathan Hamilton (Castletown) 21-16.

Both semi-final matches involved players from South Ramsey and Marown, Bradford and Dunn have had many battles together, Dunn came out on top this time winning seven of the last eight ends to win 21-17.

In the second semi-final Moore and Withers had a good match with the lead constantly changing, Withers finished stronger though and won 21-18.

An all Marown final between team mates Dunn and Withers was a good quality game, Withers started strong building up a 16-7 lead, Dunn came back winning the next five ends closing the gap to 16-14 before Withers took control again taking the next four ends to win 21-14.

The Presentation was made by Port St Mary Club President Margaret Tasker who thanked all the members that helped through the day to run a successful competition. In his speech Withers said it was his first time winning the title having reached the final five times previously.