After two days of qualifying rounds in the Men’s 2023 Crown Green Bowls Championship last week the last eight met at Peel Sunset Bowling Club on Tuesday afternoon to decide a winner.

The first of the quarter finals saw Peter Collister (South Ramsey) put up a great performance to beat Neil Dunwell (Onchan) 21-5 while Brian Lindsay (Peel) lost 19-21 to Derek Allen (Onchan). The only past winner in Finals Day was Brian Colquitt (North Ramsey) who beat Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) 21-12, while Peter Slinger (Onchan) proved to be too strong for home greener Dougie Allan (Peel) as he took the win 21-10.

In the semi-finals we saw Peter Collister putting up another strong performance to beat Derek Allen 21-5 and despite a spirited performance Brian Colquitt went down 13-21 to Peter Slinger.

So to the final and here we saw Peter Collister struggling to match his great form from the earlier rounds, while Peter Slinger played good bowls to build up a 15-7 lead after 18 ends. Collister then won the jack and fought back to 16-16 after 25 ends and get himself back in the game, he then he lost three singles, but then he picked up two singles to make it 18-19. Slinger then scored a two to win his first Over 60’s Championship with a 21-18 victory.

The Trophies were presented by Mark Kelly the Competition Secretary of the Isle of Man Over 60’s League. Peter Slinger then thanked the spectators for staying to watch on what was an extremely wet day, he also thanked the organisers and Peel Sunset Bowling Club for hosting the event and said that it was enjoyable to play such a great opponent as Peter Collister who showed great sportsmanship throughout the competition.

In Canada Life International League Division One, the biggest clash of the night was between Onchan A and Marown A at the Park as the home team were defeated 4-6 but made a good fight of it, losing the aggregate by just nine chalks (138-147) with a couple of high profile upsets thrown in by Onchan, as Jamie Clague beat Dean Kipling 21-17, whilst Will Penhallurick got over the line 21-20 against seven time Manx Champion Colin Kelly 21-20, with Kelly having room to get in on the last end he was short with his last bowl. Other winners for Onchan were Matthew Quirk who beat Paul Kelly 21-8, whilst Peter Slinger had to dig deep for his 21-18 victory. For the Crosby men Glenn Boland had it all to do as he trailed Neil Dunwell before edging over the line 21-20, Peter Jones beat Mike Thomas 21-10, Paul Dunn won 21-11 against Reg Temporaza and Neil Withers performed well to beat Kevin Quirk 21-13.

North Ramsey A welcomed local rivals South Ramsey A to Mooragh Park with the home team taking four games off the current league champions in their 4-6 home defeat. In the first half the South men had three single figure wins from Dido Kelly, Jordan Cain and Glynn Hargraves as they beat Allan Callow, Mike Skelly and Jimmy Moffatt respectively. David Bradford was the only winner for the visitors in the second half of the match as he beat Gary Merrill 21-14. For the home team Steven Waters beat fellow Newcastle fan Bob Clark 21-9, captain Rob Monk beat Stefan Kelly 21-12, Steve Walmsley performed well to win 21-15 against James Teare, whilst Paul Allison just got over the line 21-20 against Peter Collister after leading 20-14.

Port St Mary A eased their relegation fears with a 7-3 win against Castletown A at Breagle Glen, as they won the aggregate by seven chalks (147-140), just missing out on a further two points as Dave Saxon lost 18-21 to George Foy, whilst Robbie Cooil lost to the same score against David Quayle. Nathan Hamilton was the third winner for the Town men as he beat Bernard Thackrah 21-6. For the home team Wayne Roberts and Trevor Quayle won comfortably against Ian Watson and Jordan Drewett respectively, Tim Williams beat Nathan Cooil 21-16, Tom Collins won 21-17 against Aaron Richardson, whilst Dan McCabe held off Chris Lever 21-18.

Peel A had the visit of Douglas A, with the home team winning five games this wasn’t enough to secure the chalks as two heavy defeats cost them the aggregate for a 5-5 draw (136-149). Winning big for the Villa men were Andy Cannell who beat Peter Greenlees 21-8 and Merv Sayle who won 21-6 against Dean Kinley. Ian Moore picked up a third win as he beat George Gadsby 21-17. In contrast all the home team wins were to high scores as David Proctor beat Shaun Seal 21-15, Pip Pemberton won 21-17 against Mark Kneen, with three 21-18 wins claimed by Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly, Gary Smith and Tommy McMeiken against Gary Conwell, Jimmy Sansom, and Keith Rise respectively.

Marown B took immediate revenge on Peel B at Crosby on Monday night just four days after they were put out of the Rayner Plate by just six chalks, thanks to a 7-3 home victory over the Peel men, also winning the chalks comfortably (151-124) to show home advantage goes a long way. Captain Darren Kerruish played his 12^th game of the season and in doing so claimed his first league win of the season as he beat Thursday night hero Mick Kavanagh 21-9, whilst Harry Barton won 21-5 against Geoff Rice. Two 21-17 wins from Karl Parker and Walter McCarthy over Rob Middleton and Paul Quirk helped the home teams cause. For Peel Andy Mackie and Dave Smith took comfortable 21-13 wins against Brian Kelly and Juan Killip respectively, whilst Dewi Bartlett continues to impress as he beat Matthew Keggen 21-20.

South Ramsey B are rock bottom after another home disaster as they lost 3-7 to Marown C, who are moving ever closer to safety. Winning for the home team were Tony Hart who beat Steve Rough 21-19, Tony Dugdale won 21-16 against Sam Clague, whilst Eddie Carlyle won his game 21-15 against Dan Smith. For the visitors Kevin Kelly was the best winner on the night as he beat Christian Caley 21-4, Jamie Joughin beat Toby Hart 21-11, with Stevie Rundle, Peter Kelly and Tom Kelly all winning their games comfortably.

South Ramsey A played their rearranged home fixture with Port St Mary A on Wednesday evening with the league leaders extending their lead to seven points following a 10-0 victory as they kept the visitors below 100 chalks (168-95). Two games could have gone the other way, as Peter Collister fought back from a 2-9 deficit against Trevor Quayle to win 21-19, whilst Glynn Hargraves held his nerve to win his game 21-20 against Wayne Roberts after leading 14-7 before a spirited fightback from the Port Captain levelled the game at 20-20, only for Hargraves to secure the point on the deciding end.

In Division Two Finch Hill A are 13 points ahead of the second placed team as they beat Onchan B 7-3 at home. For the Finch men Dave McCabe was made to work for his 21-18 win over Mark Kelly, whilst Mike Kelly ensured it wasn’t a bigger win for Finch Hill as he beat John Qualtrough 21-19.

Second placed Ballaugh A bounced back from defeat in their last outing with a 10-0 home win over Noble’s B who scored just 80 chalks, as the home team secured five single figures victories. Mike Spooner had a game on his hands against Alex Hampson, with the latter just losing out 20-21 to the Ballaugh man.

Castletown B are in fourth place just five points off second place with a game in hand following their 7-3 home win over Peel C, as Willie Corkill won 21-2 against Steven Bradley, with Ross Moore also winning to single figures as he beat Kevin Mort 21-9.

Elsewhere in Division Two Noble’s A took home a solid 8-2 win over North Ramsey B at home, with John Andrew and Alex Yates helping secure two points with their hard-fought wins.

Douglas B made sure it was an unhappy journey home over the mountain for South Ramsey C with the Villa men winning 7-3. Willie Cowley was the best winner for the home team as he beat Richie Davies 21-5, Stuart Garrett won 21-6 against Anthony Kelly, whilst Greg Barlow stepped in for the visitors to beat Les Quayle 21-7.

Onchan C welcomed Port Erin A to the Park as the home team won 5-3 on games and edged the chalks (136-135). There were two single figure wins for the home team and two for the visitors. Winning close games for Onchan were Colin Brown who won 21-17 against Derek Allen, Brian Aspden won 21-19 against Christopher Dent and Denis Maxwell edged his game with David Cain 21-20, as Mark Stockham reversed the 21-20 for the visitors against David Tait.

In Division Three it was another night of wet weather, as league leaders Ballaugh B came away from Noble’s C with a 7-3 defeat (143-134) as the newly formed team caused on of the upsets of the season. Steve Cain continues to impress as he beat Fred Waggett 21-2, whilst their four other winners were Lee Price, Lee Greggor, Dean Sowerby and Steve Brennan.

South Ramsey D were at home to Finch Hill B, this resulted in a 6-4 win for the home team (142-132). Losing close games 18-21 for South Ramsey were Hakim Thomas and Frank Feeney to Chris Thompson and Chris Duggan respectively, whilst Steve Kelly beat John Smith 21-6. The best winner for Finch was captain Kevin Stannard who beat Geoff Collier 21-9.

Marown D welcomed Noble’s D to Crosby, the visitors came away with a 4-6 victory, with the potential to win more points missed as they lost games to 17, 18 & 20.

Peel D secured their best win of the season with a 9-1 home win over Port Erin B. Charlie McMeiken won the battle of the juniors as he held off Dylan Marsh 21-20, whilst Ken Horsley ensured there was no whitewash as he beat Joshua Trickett 21-11.

Port St Mary B postponed their fixture against Douglas D due to the weather, will have the opportunity to hit top spot.

Peel Bowling Club hosted the Association Singles on Sunday with the competition attracting an entry of 47 on a continuously improving Peel green, which held up well despite the heavy rain throughout the afternoon.

At the quarter final stage Marown captain Paul Dunn beat Noble’s captain Steve Cain 21-11, David Bradford (South Ramsey) put out the last remaining home greener, George Gadsby with a 21-12 win. In the other half of the draw Marown clubmates Matthew Keggen and Peter Jones clashed, with the latter winning 21-17, whilst another all club clash took place between South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves and Bob Clark, with the latter also winning to the same score to progress to the next round.

In the semi-finals Dunn was up against Bradford, with the latter looking to be well in control of the game as the South Ramsey man built up a six chalk lead at 18-12, however a seven end winning streak for the Marown man sealed an impressive comeback to run out with a 21-18 victory. In the other semi-final it was another South Ramsey versus Marown clash, however Jones dominated the game with Clark to take a comfortable 21-9 win to book his place in the final.

The final got underway with the best part of the day as the sun made a special guest appearance. Dunn took the early initiative to lead 12-8 after nine ends, however Jones turned the game around to win eight of the next 10 ends to lead 18-14. With a good comeback already secured in the semi-final Dunn started another as he won five of the last six ends conceding just one single to secure another good comeback with a 21-19 victory.

The presentation was made by competition committee officer Steve Moore, who thanked Peel for the use of the green, the club members for providing helpers throughout the day and the competition committee for the smooth running of the competition.

On Sunday the Douglas Bowling Club Men’s Singles took place on a tricky Green at the Villa and provided all those who took part with a testing but entertaining afternoon.

At the Quarter Final stage we saw Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) lose 9-21 to Tom Kelly (Marown), James Teare (South Ramsey) lose 14-21 to clubmate Bob Clark and Paul Dunn (Marown) lose 7-21 to his clubmate Glenn Boland. In the remaining match at this stage we saw two home greeners with Merv Sayle beating Keith Rise 21-20.

In the semi-finals we saw two titanic battles with Tom Kelly beating Bob Clark 21-18 and Glenn Boland beating Merv Sayle 21-20.

So to the final in which we saw Glenn Boland leading 13-11 after 11 ends and then by 16 ends Tom Kelly had fought back to take a 16-14 lead and four ends later Tom led 20-17. Glenn however kept his nerve and played some great bowls over the next four ends to take the win 21-20.

The prizes were presented by Andy Cannell the Competition Secretary of Douglas Bowling Club.

There were 47 entries for the Ramsey Town Cup held at Mooragh Park hosted by North Ramsey Bowling Club on Saturday. The club have recently received a grant for a new verticutter, which they hope will carry on the good work undertaken by the club since they took over the maintenance of the green in 2020.

In the quarter finals South Ramsey’s David Bradford ended the challenge of home greener Brian Colquitt with a 21-16 win, whilst Marown man Colin Kelly beat Eddie Carlyle (South Ramsey) 21-12. Another Marown player Tom Kelly came through a tough match with Paul Allison (North Ramsey) as he won 21-18, whilst Rob Monk (North Ramsey) beat Paul Quirk (Peel) 21-14.

In the first semi-final between David Bradford and Colin Kelly, with the latter being the current holder it was the end of the road for Kelly as Bradford eased into the final with a 21-11 win. The second semi-final saw Tom Kelly also cruise into the final as he ended the hopes of a home win for Monk with a 21-12 victory.

In the final Kelly with both players starting off six, it was Bradford who took firm control playing a long length to take a 15-6 lead after seven ends, with Kelly in danger of not scoring, however a double on the next end kicked off a remarkable comeback.

Kelly went on to play from corner to crown and back, with Bradford struggling to get back in, even when he did get back in Kelly would immediate recover the jack the following end.

Over the following 15 ends Kelly scored 14 points to Bradford’s four points, which put Kelly in the lead at 20-19 . On the 23rd end Kelly played up to the middle of the green, only for Bradford to capitalise on a loose lead from his opponent, with Kelly leaving his second bowl short Bradford changed his peg to ensure he stayed clear of the short bowl to make two for game and claim a 21-20 win in an entertaining final, which both players performed well in. This was Bradford’s fifth singles win of the season.

The presentation was made by Mike Skelly who thanked the competition sponsors Corkhill & Callow Ltd for supporting the competition. Tim Pressley was then introduced to present the prizes.

In Canada Life International league Division One matches were played on Friday evening in glorious sunshine after heavy rain on Thursday evening.

In Division One, Marown A will have been pleased to come away from their game with Peel A with a 1-9 victory, as both teams were missing key players the Crosby men took full advantage. Preventing the whitewash for Peel was Gary Smith who beat Andy Kennish 21-12, whilst Pip Pemberton came closest to picking up a second point for the home team as he lost out 18-21 to Paul Kelly. Two of Marown’s regular C Team players Tom Kelly and Sam Clague stepped up to the A team with both men winning to single figures.

South Ramsey A stretched their lead at the top to six points as they came away from their game away to Marown B with a 0-10 win. All wins for the visitors were comfortable in double figures, with Karl Parker the highest scorer for the Crosby men as he lost 16-21 to Jordan Cain.

Rounding off the Marown teams their C team made the journey North as they travelled to Mooragh Park to take on North Ramsey A. It wasn’t a good night for the visitors as the home team won 9-1, with Peter Kelly the lone winner as he beat Ray Beattie 21-11, with Steven Rough and Stevie Rundle both losing out 19-21 to Allan Callow and Gary Merrill respectively.

Port St Mary A hosted Douglas A at Breagle Glen, with the Villa men coming away with a 3-7 victory. For the visitors Keith Rise beat Tim Williams 21-4, whilst Andy Cannell won 21-9 against Tom Collins. Closer wins were picked up by Ian Moore, who beat Paul Skelly 21-17, Shaun Seal won 21-18 against Bernard Thackrah, whilst Gary Conwell edged his game 21-19 against Dan McCabe. For the home team Wayne Roberts, Trevor Quayle and Robbie Cooil all won comfortably.

Onchan A came away from their game with South Ramsey B with a comfortable 1-9 victory, just missing out on a 0-10 win by a solitary chalk as Eddie Carlyle beat Will Penhallurick 21-20. Winning close games for the visitors were Reg Temporaza who recovered from a 4-13 deficit to beat Tony Dugdale 21-19, whilst Neil Dunwell won to the same score against Ben Dugdale with the latter fighting back from a 10-2 deficit before losing out.

Castletown A had a better week as they won 8-2 at home to fellow strugglers Peel B, to drag themselves closer to the teams above them. Home captain Jordan Drewett beat Dougie Allan 21-19, with Nathan Hamilton also winning to the same score against Alan Cromwell. Winning to 21-17 were Dave Quayle as he beat Andy Mackie, whilst Nathan Cooil beat Peel captain Paul Quirk to the same score. For Peel Dave Smith beat Ian Watson 21-18, whilst Tony Carroon beat Aaron Richardson 21-16 to pick up their second win of the night.

In Division Two Finch Hill A continue their charge towards a long awaited return to Division One as they came away from Mooragh Park with a 1-9 win over North Ramsey B. Tony Smart was the lone winner for the home team as he beat Stephen Oates 21-17, whilst John Corteen just missed out 20-21 to Tony Epifani. For the visitors Paul Dougherty was the best winner as he beat Adam Greenwood 21-9. The victory puts Finch 11 points ahead at the top.

Douglas B sit in second place on 82 points as they inflicted a damaging 9-1 home win over Port Erin A at the Villa. Six of the seven wins were comfortable for the home team, with Geoff Mayles scraping home 21-20 against Peter Hulley. For the Breagle men Bernie Durcan was the lone winner as he beat Paddy Murphy 21-5.

Castletown B are still in the mix also on 82 points as they won 4-6 away to Onchan C. Derek Lewney was the best winner for the visitors as he beat Roger Payne 21-7, with this win going a long way towards claiming the aggregate points (135-148). For the home team Ken Clarke was the best winner as he beat Ray Harris 21-12, whilst Neil Taylor edged home 21-20 against Ross Moore.

Ballaugh A won 7-3 at home to South Ramsey C, with the winners for the visitors David Corkill, Anthony Kelly and Paul Routledge all winning comfortably. For the home team Gordie Moore shown no mercy to his brother James Moore, as the former won 21-7, whilst Edgar Cowin beat Tony Marler 21-2.

Noble’s A sit comfortably in mid-table as they won 8-2 at home to Peel C. For the home team Alex Yates won 21-7 against David Allwood. For the visitors Jimmy Corlett had a perfect game scoring a single on the first end, then 10 consecutive two’s to win 21-0 against John Andrew.

Onchan B rounded off the Division Two fixtures as they beat Noble’s B 7-3. All three wins for the visitors were close with Michel Cooper beating Steve Parker 21-20, with Michael Johnson and Phil Salmon winning 21-19 against Sid McKnight and Paul Callister respectively.

In Division Three league leaders Ballaugh B came away from their visit to Breagle Glen with a 4-6 win over Port St Mary B, as Dicky Watson ensured the aggregate went to the visitors (128-143) with his 21-4 win over Michael Taylor. for the home team Junior Keggen beat John Kneen 21-17.

Noble’s D hosted Port Erin B, with the home team winning 7-3, as Sam Colquitt beat Trevor Barker 21-17, whilst Andrew Bell beat Nigel Haymes 21-7. it was great to see the visitors a full team as Alan Crebbin beat Alex Colquitt 21-10, Ben Mowle won 20-17 against Steve Colquitt, whilst Ken Horlsey just got the better of Kevin Moore 21-20.

High flying South Ramsey D were expected to get the better of newly formed Noble’s C, however the visitors got the better of the Ramsey men with a 3-7 victory, winning by just eight chalks to claim the aggregate two points (143-151). Winning for Noble’s Lee Price beat Mike Murley 21-17, Kevin Airey won 21-11 against Ryan Hargraves, captain Steve Cain edged home 21-20 against Chris Brown, whilst Dean Sowerby and Lee Greggor both won 21-16. For the home team Frank Feeney beat Paul Moore 21-8, whilst Geoff Collier and Peter Kennaugh won 21-19 against Nigel Hinds and Steve Brennan respectively.

Elsewhere Ballaugh C came away from Peel D with a comfortable 2-8 victory, Marown D got the better of Douglas D 7-3, whilst Finch Hill B came away from the Villa with the spoils as they beat Douglas C 3-7.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Championship

In Group A Marown A made the short trip to take on Douglas A at the Villa, as they came away with a 49 chalk victory (128-177), winning 2-7 on games. For the visitors Neil Withers beat Jan West 21-9, whilst Paul Dunn won 21-8 against Merv Sayle, whilst Clare Cooper just beat Andy Cannell 21-20. For the home team both wins were to a 21-15 score line as Keith Rise beat Lyn Bolton, whilst Gary Conwell beat fellow left hander Glenn Boland.

In the other match in Group A Ballaugh A this also ended up being a win for North Ramsey A as they also won by 49 chalks (178-129) and matched Marown’s 7-2 score line as they beat Ballaugh A at Mooragh Park. For Ballaugh Fred Waggett held off Adrian Skinner to win 21-20, whilst Patrick Grant beat Maureen Hamilton 21-11. Winning to single figures for the home team were Madison McMullan who beat Michele Cubbon 21-4, whilst Robert Monk won 21-6 against Nigel Tebay.

In Group B Noble’s A came away from the Sunset City with a 61 chalk win over Peel (115-176). All seven wins for the visitors were comfortable, with Grahem Moore the best winner to single figures. For the home team Joyce Kelly beat Jo Corkill 2116, whilst the evergreen Dougie Allan won 21-13 against Dave Naughton.

South Ramsey A were the best winners and highest scores on the night as they won by 72 chalks over Port St Mary (180-108) as Gill Dixon, James Teare and Glynn Hargraves all won to single figures. For the visitors Trevor Quayle prevented the whitewash with his 21-12 win over Peter Collister.

Canada Life International Mixed Team Plate

In the Plate competition in Group A Noble’s B took on Marown B at Crosby with the visitors winning by 93 chalks (94-187) as they won 1-8 on games. James Kelly was the lone winner for Marown as he beat Joanne Kelly 21-19, with Lisa Pugh the next highest scorer for Marown losing out 19-21 to John Andrew. For Noble’s five players won to single figures, whilst Lee Price who started playing league bowls this season continues to impress as he beat Charlotte Clarke 21-15.

Finch Hill hosted North Ramsey B, with the home team winning by 59 chalks (166-107). Winning to single figures for the home team were Dave McCabe, Stephen Oates and Tony Epifani. For the visitors Steve Parker won to single figures, whilst Ray Beattie beat Mary O’Connor 21-16.

In Group B with just three teams in the group Douglas B took their turn to sit out as Port Erin hosted South Ramsey B at Breagle Glen. The home team won by 58 chalks (187-129) as the visitors won just one game as James Moore beat Jean Thackrah 21-19, with Eddie Carlyle losing out 19-21 to Derek Allen. Lauren Groen and Geoff Collier scored 17 against Alan Crebbin and Voirrey Curphey respectively. For Port Erin Bernie Durcan was the best winner as he beat Gillian Jopson 21-8.

Marown hosted the ever popular Tynwald Day R & A Grimshaw Pairs Trophy on Bank Holiday Wednesday on a tricky green. 26 pairs took part and the competition was sponsored by Investasure Financial Services Ltd.

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Nathan Cooil (Castletown) and Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly (Peel) 20-21 to Onchan pair Kevin Quirk and Steve Parker, Mooragh men Paul Allison and Steven Waters were beaten 16-21 by home greeners Paul Kelly and Matthew Keggen. In the other half of the draw South Ramsey’s Glynn Hargraves and Stefan Kelly lost out 13-21 to Jordan Cain (South Ramsey) and Matthew Quirk (Onchan), whilst the Noble’s duo of Stephen Corkill and Phil Salmon lost out 11-21 to Marown men Colin Kelly and Juan Killip.

At the semi-final stage both winning pairs came through their games comfortably as Paul Kelly and Matthew Keggen won 21-10 against Quirk and Parker, whilst Cain and Quirk ended the challenge of Colin Kelly and Juan Killip 21-13 to reach the final.

In the Final Cain and Quirk kept up the good form they had shown throughout the day playing short and tricky marks, as they made a good start to lead 12-6 after six ends against the current holders Kelly and Keggen. The South Ramsey/Onchan duo never looked in danger of losing the game as they kept their opponents down to just six scoring ends conceding five singles and a double, as whilst they only won two ends more than their opponents they scored a pair of three’s, three doubles and three singles to run out with a convincing 21-11 win as the pair picked up the title for a third time.

At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by Brian Kelly, who thanked the sponsors for their support, everyone who had helped with the running of the competition and the Marown Ladies for the refreshments provided. Martin Corkish from Investasure Financial Services Ltd was then introduced to present the prizes.

The final stages of the Canada Life International Manx Championship were played at Castletown Bowling Club on Sunday afternoon, with the qualifying rounds having taken place the previous weekend in very wet conditions, which improved as the afternoon went on. Better weather was experienced this week for an afternoon of bowls in front of a good crowd.

Last 16 Results

Losing out at the quarter final stage were Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey) who led for the entire game, only to lose out 20-21 to Tom Kelly (Marown), with the difference ultimately being Kelly scoring five two’s to his opponents four doubles. Onchan captain Peter Slinger had the measure of Peter Collister (South Ramsey) with a resounding 21-6 win. Current holder going into the day David Bradford was the third South Ramsey man to lose out at the quarter final stage with Colin Kelly (Marown) winning 21-17 as the latter scored five doubles to his opponents two, whilst Neil Withers (Marown) progressed to the final with a hard fought 21-18 win over Peel man Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly.

At the semi-final stage Tom Kelly mastered the corner/crown mark to build a six chalk lead at 20-14 over Slinger, before conceding a double and a single then securing the point he needed to reach his first final. Withers looked to have a game on his hands with Colin Kelly, however he gained his revenge over Kelly for the recent Ballacashtal Cup final defeat with a resounding 21-12 victory.

The final got underway with Withers, starting as favourite having one previous Manx Championship and a Isle of Man Festival title under his belt, he started the stronger as he played the length that had served him well throughout the day to go seven chalks ahead after nine ends with the score at 10-3.

The next two ends went in favour of Kelly, who picked up a two and a single as he headed for a corner, only for Withers to get back in with a double. After the 13th end Withers maintained his seven point lead with the score now 13-6.

The rain arrived for a brief period as Withers shifted up a gear to go within touching distance of the title as he shot into a 19-11 lead. Kelly had to dig deep to drag himself back into the game as he bowled two great bowls to win the end, followed by another good end as he went on to win four successive ends, picking up three doubles along the way to put the score at 18-19.

With all to play for Kelly went back along the edge of the green, with his first bowl a good length Withers stepped in with his first bowl which pulled up quickly to rest 18 inches away from the jack. Kelly’s second bowl looked to be on a good track, somehow it went through the gap between the jack and Withers counting bowl. Withers who was safe in the knowledge that he was counting for one settled himself as he took a deep breath to send his second bowl to make two to claim his second Manx Championship victory with a hard fought 21-18 win. This second win arrives 14 years after his previous win at Marown in 2009.

The presentation was made by competition secretary Matthew Keggen who thanked Castletown Bowling Club for preparing the green, providing the refreshments and measurers. In his speech Withers dedicated the win to his Mother Pat who sadly passed away last year. Withers and Kelly along with play off qualifier Peter Slinger all qualify to represent the Isle of Man on Saturday 29th July at Heaton Park BC in Manchester in the Senior Individual Merit.

Another double week of fixtures took place across all three divisions this week in the Canada Life International sponsored bowling leagues.

In Division One league leaders South Ramsey A had a good week with two 9-1 victories. Monday’s win was away to Peel B, with the most notable result of the evening coming from South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves who fought back from an 8-19 deficit to run out with a 21-19 win over Dewi Bartlett to ensure further points weren’t dropped for his team. Alan Moore had to dig in for his 21-17 win over Andy Mackie, whilst Dougie Allan shown once more how hard he is to shift with a 21-11 win over James Teare to secure a point for the home team.

With South Ramsey A missing two regulars on Friday evening the result at home to rock bottom Castletown A could quite easily have been 7-3, with Ben Dugdale in a battle with David Quayle, before eventually winning 21-16, whilst James Teare returned to winning ways with a 21-18 win over Aaron Richardson who performed well in the second half of the game to recover from a 10-17 deficit. Winning to single figures for South Ramsey were David Bradford, Bob Clark and Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly. The lone winner for the Town men was Nathan Hamilton who beat Alan Moore 21-12.

Marown A matched the leaders on Monday evening as they beat Port St Mary A 9-1 at Crosby. Neil Withers also made a good comeback as he trailed Trevor Quayle 10-17, battling back to win 21-20, whilst Glenn Boland got over the line 21-18 against Chris Oates. Four single figure wins arrived from Paul Dunn, Colin Kelly, Peter Jones and John Gelling, whilst Port St Mary captain Wayne Roberts prevented the whitewash with a 21-13 win over Phil Kelly.

On Friday evening Marown A travelled to Mooragh Park to take on North Ramsey A, with the visitors missing four regulars they had to draft players in from other teams. Winning comfortably for the visitors were Peter Jones and Colin Kelly, whilst Neil Withers and Matthew Keggen had it easier still as they both won to single figures to ensure the chalks were safe (122-136) for the aggregate. For the home team Paul Allison beat Karl Parker 21-12, Steve Walmsley beat Juan Killip 21-11, which Rob Monk matched as he beat Paul Kelly. The fourth win for the Mooragh men was from John Cannan who beat Dean Kipling 21-18, in a result that could prove quite damaging to the Crosby men’s title hopes.

Elsewhere Onchan A played out a 5-5 draw at Mooragh Park on Monday evening with the home team winning the five games, however the aggregate went in favour of the visitors who had two single figure wins.

On Friday evening Onchan A and Peel A battled it out, with the visitors performing well to take a solid 3-7 away victory helped by three single figure wins for the visitors from Philip Pemberton, Dean Kinley and Gary Smith over Mike Thomas, Reg Temporaza and Jamie Clague respectively. Tommy McMeiken just edged past Neil Dunwell 21-20, with George Gadsby beating Will Penhallurick 21-16. Winning for the home team were Peter Slinger, Kevin Quirk and Matthew Quirk, with the latter inflicting a first league defeat of the season on Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly.

South Ramsey B picked up seven points this week as they lost 3-7 at home to Peel A on Monday night, with Tony Hart, Toby Hart and Tony Dugdale all winning, whilst a 6-4 away defeat to Peel B on Friday was not too damaging to their hopes of staying up, with Lee Dawson, Eddie Carlyle, Tony Hart and Toby Hart all winning.

Douglas A had a good week picking up an 8-2 home win on Monday evening, then came through a tough home game for a 6-4 home win over Marown B on Friday night.

Marown C had a positive week picking up 11 points, following a close 4-6 defeat to Marown B losing the aggregate by just four chalks (137-141), whilst a 7-3 home victory was claimed by a closer margin of two chalks (139-137) over relegation rivals Port St Mary A.

In Division Two Finch Hill A sit in top spot by eight points following their 2-8 away win to Peel C, whilst a home 6-4 win over second placed Port Erin A kept the visitors at arm’s length.

Port Erin A did start their week in red hot form as they inflicted a 9-1 defeat over Ballaugh A at Breagle Glen to damage the visitors hopes for promotion.

Third placed Castletown had an up and down week, starting brightly with a 7-3 home win over Douglas B, then slipped to a disastrous 4-6 home defeat to Noble’s A.

North Ramsey B took a solid 8-2 home win over Onchan B, then slipped to a 4-6 home defeat to Ballaugh A as they lost the aggregate by three chalks (139-142).

South Ramsey C won 6-4 at home to Noble’s B on Tuesday evening, claiming the aggregate by just two chalks (139-137) then slipped to a 2-8 home defeat against Onchan B two days later.

Onchan C remain 11 points adrift of safety as they suffered two 2-8 away defeats, firstly away to Noble’s A, then Noble’s B repeated the trick on Friday night.

Peel C had a better end to the week as they beat Douglas B 8-2 at home with just nine chalks separating the sides (142-131).

In Division Three Port St Mary B sit top following an 8-2 home win to South Ramsey D, then went one better later in the week as they beat Noble’s C 9-1 at Breagle Glen.

Ballaugh B are hot on their heels, sitting just a point behind the Port men as they beat Marown D 7-3 at home, then won their second home fixture of the week as they won 9-1 against Douglas C.

Noble’s D will be happy with their weeks work after two away games beating Douglas D 1-9, then winning 3-7 against Ballaugh C.

South Ramsey D had their second trip of the week to Breagle Glen, this time facing Port Erin B as the visitors made the long trek home with a 4-6 victory (134-149).

Douglas D did manage to pick up their third league win of the season as they beat Peel D 8-2 at the Villa.

Peel D pulled off a good 4-6 away win to Finch Hill B on Tuesday evening, with the Finch men having a tough week as they went on to lose 8-2 to Marown D at Crosby.