News: Mens Over 60’s
Onchan A Win Ismay Cup Again
Ismay Cup Winners 2023 - Onchan A
Photo: Norman KneenOn Thursday the Over 60’s Men’s Ismay Cup Final between Onchan A and Peel Sunset A was held on a well prepared Green at Castletown Bowling Club.
The match started well for Onchan A with Mike Alexander beating Peel Captain Brian Lindsay 21-12 but then they lost the next game as Kevin Quirk went down 19-21 to Dougie Allan. In the following game Onchan’s Neil Dunwell lost 16-21 to Andy Kennish and then Colin Spence levelled the match score to two games each at the halfway stage by beating Alec Taylor 21-11.
Onchan’s Peter Slinger played well to beat Alan Cromwell 21-7, then Tony Carroon pulled one back for the Westerners as he beat Bernie McPhee 21-17. At this stage it looked as if the match could well end at four games all although Onchan A had a considerable chalks advantage but then Mike Thomas ran out with a 21-16 win against Paul Baker and Onchan Captain Phil Kerruish played strongly to beat Dave (Barney) Kelly 21-13 and give his side a 5-3 win.
The trophies were presented by Phil Taubman and Phil Kerruish thanked Castletown for hosting the competition on a superb playing surface and thanked the Over 60’s Committee for their work.
Mini Cup Win for Ballaugh B
Mini Cup Winners 2023 - Ballaugh B
Photo: Norman KneenOn Wednesday the Mini Cup Final which is for teams in the League Two of Men’s Over 60’s Bowls took place at Marown between Finch Hill A and Ballaugh B.
In the first half of the match Finch Hill A drew the first blood with Paul Dougherty beating Ray Griffin 21-9 but Gordy Moore hit back immediately to beat Dave Jones 21-17. We then saw Ballaugh’s Wilfred Waggett lose 13-21 to John Qualtrough and after the first four games were completed the score was two games each with John Maddrell beating Finch Hill’s John Harris 21-12.
In the second half of the match we saw a titanic struggle between Ballaugh’s Barry McDonald and Tony Epifani which ended with McDonald winning 21-20. The next game saw Ballaugh Captain John Keenan play superbly to beat Les Brookes 21-3 and after being behind Gary Griffiths fought back to beat Dave Dixon of Finch Hill 21-20 giving the Ballaugh men the five games that they needed. The excitement was still not over however as in the last game Tom Waterworth of Ballaugh who is in his first full season of bowls looked down and out but he fought back to eventually go down 21-20 to Brian Murphy.
The Chairman of the Over 60’s Bowling League Norman Kneen thanked Marown for hosting the competition and Terry Bates for acting as Referee and Competition Secretary Mark Kelly for running the match before introducing Neil Withers to present the awards.
Howland Pairs Win for McCabe & McDonald
Holland Pairs Winners 2023 - Dave McCabe & Barry McDonald
Photo: Norman KneenOn Friday we saw the ever-popular Howland Pairs Over 60’s Men’s Doubles take place on a well prepared Green at Ballaugh Bowling Club with an entry of 26 pairs.
At the quarter final stage we saw home greeners Fred Waggett and John Kneen lose 14-21 to Andy Kennish (Peel) and Jimmy Sansom (Douglas) while Dave McCabe (Finch Hill) and Barry McDonald (Ballaugh) beat Neil Dunwell and Mike Thomas (Onchan) 21-20. We also saw two more home green players John Keenan and John Maddrell take a 21-14 win against Bryan Corner (South Ramsey) and Ray Skelly (North Ramsey) and Brian Colquitt and Geoff Porter (North Ramsey) lost 19-21 to Kevin Quirk (Onchan) and Steve Parker (North Ramsey and Onchan).
In the semi-finals the pairing of McCabe and McDonald proved to be too strong for Kennish and Sansom as they ran out winners 21-14 and the home pairing of Keenan and Maddrell beat Quirk and Parker 21-18.
In the Final we saw Dave McCabe and Barry McDonald start well and maintain the pressure to run out as winners 21-11 against John Keenan and John Maddrell.
The Chairman of the Over 60’s Bowling Association thanked Ballaugh for hosting the Competition and the ladies for their wonderful catering the awards were presented by Gordie Moore the Chairman of Ballaugh Bowling Club.
Over 60’s Manx Championship Preview
Over 60’s Manx Championship Qualifying Games
Photos: Norman KneenThe final stages of this years’ Over 60’s Manx Championship will be played to a conclusion at Peel Bowling Club on Tuesday afternoon with action getting underway from 1pm. BCGBA dress code applies. Get yourself there for what promises to be an intriguing afternoon of bowls.
Peter Collister vs Neil Dunwell
Collie is the most decorated player in the field, there isn’t much bigger an accolade than being a June Festival and Tourism winner at the tender age of 21 in 1983. Forty years on he is vying to get his hands on the Over 60’s Manx Championship. Collie came through his qualifying games with a 21-6 win over Bernard Thackrah and a hard fought 21-20 victory over Onchan man Kevin Quirk.
Dunwell should not be written off, as he is more than capable of an upset, he will quietly fancy his chances after taken out Peel’s Andy Kennish 21-16 to qualify for finals day, following a 21-7 win over South Ramsey’s Hakim Thomas in his first game. A keen competitor as he now plies his trade for Onchan A in the night league and Over 60’s.
Whilst Collister is clearly favourite, don’t write off Dunwell, who is more than capable of an upset,
Brian Lindsay vs Derek Allen
Lindsay is getting back into his bowls after a recent mysterious injury, if anyone ever finds out the real reason his arm was bandaged, please do let me know! One of two home greeners in the field, Lindsay has won eight of his last 10 games for Peel, came through qualifying with a 21-12 win over Ray Beattie, then beat David Buck 21-14 in his second game and just got over the line 21-20 against George Foy to reach the quarter finals.
Allen splits his bowls between Port Erin in the night league and Onchan in the Over 60’s, he will be hoping to go one better than 2020 when he reached the final only to come up against Barney. Derek gets in every competition going, is a good supporter of the open competitions all over the island. Allen came through his qualifying games as he beat Over 60’s Onchan clubmate Mark Kelly 21-11, then held his nerve as he held off night league teammate Seamus Whelan 21-20.
An evenly matched contest, could home advantage prove to be the difference?
Lee Dawson vs Brian Colquitt
‘Dawsy’ to most is a former home greener, so has good knowledge of the Peel green, he particularly enjoys playing the edge of the green, although he did start his bowls at Ballaugh. It is great to see Lee back on the green after a difficult winter. Dawson has won an open competition many moons ago, he came through qualifying following three tough games, beating Brian Aspden 21-18, Steve Parker to the same score and then beat Port Erin man Bernie Durcan 21-16 to qualify.
Brian Colquitt is a tough man to shift, he is a former Over 60’s Manx Champion and the only previous winner in the field having picked up the title in 2019. Colquitt came through his qualifying games with a hard fought 21-20 win over South Ramsey’s Bryan Corner and went on to beat Peel man Phil Clarke 21-8 to qualify.
An all-Ramsey battle, this is a tough one to call.
Dougie Allan vs Peter Slinger
Dougie is the second home greener in the draw, is a tough opponent and should not be under-estimated on Peel or indeed any green. Allan is in good form for Peel with nine wins from his last 10 games, with recent wins over James Teare, Tony Dugdale and a crucial 21-9 victory over Harry Barton in the Rayner Plate on Friday night, which went a long way to securing the win for his team. Dougie came through his qualifying games with two comfortable victories. Write Dougie off at your peril.
Onchan night league captain Slinger is in as good form as he has been for some time, with his run to the semi-finals of the Manx Championship taking the scalps of Peter Jones with a 21-5 win and Peter Collister 21-6. In the qualifying third spot play off the Onchan man beat Colin Kelly to secure a place in the British Senior Merit Finals at the end of the month. On Thursday Slinger came through his games with three single figure victories, with his most notable being his qualifying game to reach the quarter finals as he beat home greener Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who was the three-time champion and the current holder 21-7, despite trailing 5-2, Peter took apart Barney on home turf, later that day Slinger beat Alan Moore in the Rayner Shield semi-final in his fourth game of the day.
This could well be the tie of the round.
Over 60’s Season success for Onchan A and B Teams
Last week saw the final League games of the Men’s Over 60’s Bowls season played with the Final League positions and promotion and relegation places being decided.
In 3R’s Ltd Division One the League Champions Onchan A had a bye and second placed Peel Sunset A had a 5-3 win against South Ramsey A. Douglas A who were in third place in the league travelled to the Crofts to play Castletown A knowing that they had to get just one point to retain that position. In a close match which was decided by the last game Castletown A took a 5-3 win to leapfrog the visitors and take third place. North Ramsey A beat MarownA 5-3 and Peel Sunset B beat Ballaugh A also 5-3 while Port St Mary A beat Castletown B 7-1. This means that Onchan A win the League on 38 points having gone through the season undefeated. In second place are Peel Sunset A on 34 points with Castletown A in third place on 28 points. At the other end of the League Table and in the relegation places we have Castletown B in 10th position with 5 points and Ballaugh A in 11th position with 3 points.The Individual Merit winner for Division One is Andy Kennish of Peel Sunset A with 18 wins, followed by Dougie Allan also of Peel Sunset A with 17 wins and in third place is Keith Rise of Douglas A with 16 wins.
In 3R’s Ltd Division Two the League winners Onchan B had a bye while the Onchan C Team travelled to play Ballaugh B knowing that they needed just one point to join their B Team in Division One next season. On the day Ballaugh B were the better side taking a 7-1 win with Colin Brown picking up the only win for the visitors. Finch Hill A beat Port Erin A 5-3 and at the ‘Villa’ Douglas B finished off their season with a 7-1 win against Finch Hill B.
Friday saw Peel Sunset C lose 3-5 on their own Green to South Ramsey B and Port St Mary B beat North Ramsey B also 5-3 to conclude the League Fixtures for this season. This means that Onchan B win the league with 34 points followed by Ballaugh B with 30 points with both these teams being promoted into Division One. In third place are Onchan C with 29 points in what has been a highly successful season of Men’s Over 60’s Bowling for the Onchan Bowling Club. The Division Two Merit Winner is John Bolton of Ballaugh B with 20 wins followed by Colin Brown of Onchan C with 18 wins and third is Dicky Watson of Ballaugh B also with 18 wins.
With the 3R’s Leagues now having come to an end the Over 60’s Bowls will now continue with the Tower Insurance Cup in which we have the teams divided into three Groups of six and one Group of five with all teams playing each other home and away.
Family Fortunes for Moore and Kennish
Corkhill & Callow Over 60’s ACD Winners 2022 - Elaine Moore and Andy Kennish with Sponsor Tim Pressley
Photo: Glynn HargravesSouth Ramsey Bowling Club hosted the Over 60’s any combination doubles competition sponsored by Corkhill and Callow Funeral Directors with a healthy entry of 24 pairs taking part on a superb surface on a glorious day. The competition was being played for the second time in its current format and was previously known as the Pro Tours Gold Cup.
At the quarter final stage Marown duo Lynda Cadamy and Joyce Ogden inflicted a heavy 21-6 defeat on home greeners Anthony Kelly and Richie Davies, while Chris Price (Port St Mary) and Les Brookes (Finch Hill) also won comfortably 21-10 against Ballaugh pair Pat Mason and Fred Waggett. In the other half of the draw Janet Monk and Steve Parker didn’t have far to travel from Mooragh Park as they overcame Paula Firth (Onchan) and Kevin Firth (Douglas) 21-17, whilst siblings Elaine Moore (South Ramsey) and Andy Kennish (Peel) seen off Derek Allen (Onchan) and Bernard Thackrah (Port St Mary) with a 21-13 win.
In the first semi-final Cadamy and Ogden got the better of Price and Brookes with a hard fought 21-18 win, while Moore and Kennish claimed their place in the final with a 21-14 victory over Monk and Parker.
The final was extremely well contested with Moore and Kennish being kept to singles early on, with Cadamy and Ogden scoring three doubles they built up a four-point lead at 14-10. The fightback from Elaine and Andy got underway when they levelled matters up at 15-15 with 17 ends played, having still not scored more than a single throughout the game. End 18 in the match was a key point in the match as they scored a three to lead 18-15 and then exchanged singles with their opponents over the next four ends to lead 20-17. Cadamy and Ogden weren’t done there as they capitalised on a poor end to score three to level things up at 20-20. With the mark being set along the edge of the green Kennish played a good second bowl which was good enough to secure a 21-20 win.
At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by South Ramsey Committee Member Geoff Collier, who thanked Corkhill and Callow Funeral Directors for once again sponsoring the competition, the club members who helped with the running of the competition and the Ladies for the refreshments provided throughout the day. Tim Pressley from Corkhill and Callow was then introduced to present the prizes.
Parker Wins George Hawkins Trophy
George Hawkins Memorial Trophy Winner 2022 - Steve Parker
Photo: Janet MonkBowling conditions could not have been better last Wednesday 18th when thirty-five bowlers competed at Mooragh Park in the 2nd George Hawkins Memorial Trophy.
Watched by George’s family throughout the opening rounds we saw some tremendous bowling with lots of games going the full distance.
The losing quarter finalists were Philippa Taylor against Brian Colquitt 13-21. Janet Monk against Steve Parker 17-21. David Callow against Mike Skelly 6-21 and Geoff Porter against Ray Skelly 15-21.
The semi-finals saw Brian Colquitt and Steve Parker playing a very close game with Steve winning 21-17 and in the other semi-Mike Skelly and Ray Skelly played well against each other but Mike won 21-14.
In the final Steve and Mike both played well but Steve managed to get in front and left too big a gap for Mike to fill.
Congratulations Steve on your win 21-14.
The prizes were presented by the sponsors Beryl Hawkins and family members in memory of George. Steve recalled his own happy memories of George and thanked everyone at North Ramsey for hosting the event and in particular he praised everyone connected with the vast improvement of the green and its preparation for this competition.
Callow & Moore Win Corkhill & Callow Over 60’s Any Combination Doubles
Corkhill and Callow Any Combination Doubles Winners 2021 - Bill Callow & James Moore with Sponsor Tim Pressley
Photo: Kim HargravesSouth Ramsey Bowling Club hosted an Over 60’s any combination doubles competition sponsored by Corkhill and Callow Funeral Directors with 16 pairs taking part on a superb surface on a fine day.The competition was last played for in 2011 and was previously known as the Pro Tours Gold Cup.
The quarter finals had the husband and wife pairing of Steve & Judy Kelly (South Ramsey) lose out 17-21 to Peel pair Dougie Allan and Gordon Corrin, whilst Elaine Moore (South Ramsey) and Kevin Firth (Douglas) were defeated 18-21 by Marown duo Philippa Taylor and Lynda Cadamy. The home green pairing of Richie Davies and Bryan Corner were well beaten 10-21 by Chris Price (Port St Mary) and Les Brookes (Noble’s). Rounding off the quarter finals South Ramsey’s James Moore and Bill Callow ensured it was the end of the road for Derek Allen (Onchan) and Lee Dawson (South Ramsey) with a 21-16 win to take their place in the next round.
In the first semi-final the ladies Taylor and Cadamy coasted through their game against Peel pair of Allan and Corrin only losing three ends, winning 21-10 to reach the final. Joining them in the final was home pair Moore and Callow, who themselves only lost four ends winning 21-13 against Price and Brookes.
The final was extremely well contested with Moore and Callow taking three singles on the first three ends to lead 8-5, only for a swift response from Taylor and Cadamy to win three consecutive ends, scoring a two, a four and a single to lead 12-8 after six ends. Moore and Callow stepped up a couple of gears to take the next six ends scoring 12 points on the way to lead 20-12. Taylor and Cadamy hit back with a three and a double to make the score 17-20, only for Moore and Callow to score the single chalk they needed to take the victory.
At the conclusion of the competition the presentation was made by competition secretary Kim Hargraves, who thanked Corkhill and Callow Funeral Directors for sponsoring the competition, the club members who helped with the running of the competition and the Ladies for the refreshments provided throughout the day. Tim Pressley from Corkhill and Callow was then introduced to present the prizes.
Elaine Moore Wins George Hawkins Memorial Trophy
George Hawkins Memorial Trophy Winner 2021 - Elaine Moore pictured with George’s daughters Rachel & Lynnette
Photo: Pat LentonNorth Ramsey hosted the inaugural George Hawkins Trophy in beautiful sunshine and perfect conditions all day on Wednesday 12th May at Mooragh Park.
George was a member of North Ramsey for a long number of years and many of the competitors that took part remembered him with great fondness. North Ramsey Bowling Club are very proud to add this over 60’s competition to their programme at the request and sponsorship of George’s family who were present around the green, offering support for most of the day.
A large entry of 56 bowlers came from all over the Island and after some very close matches the final eight took to the green in the quarter finals. George Foy (Castletown) had a great game against Dougie Allan (Peel) alongside South Ramsey’s Lee Dawson and Bryan Corner with both games ending 21-14. Janet Monk (Mooragh Park) played well against Elaine Moore (South Ramsey) in a close match losing 17-21 and Craig Sims (North Ramsey) lost out to Andy Kennish (Peel) 8-21.
In the semi-finals Elaine Moore had a comfortable win against club mate Lee Dawson 21-8 alongside Andy Kennish who won against George Foy 21-10.
The final between brother and sister was predicted to be a good game and it didn’t disappoint. Elaine got off to a flying start playing some tremendous bowls, but Andy is a master at the game and was not going to give in without a fight and he quickly pulled back the score to leave them neck and neck going into the final few ends of the game. When they reached 19 across it was impossible to predict who would win but Elaine just managed to claim the last 2 points to be the first ever winner of the George Hawkins Memorial Trophy.
The prizes were presented by George’s family who thanked North Ramsey for organising such a great competition and everyone for taking part.
Castletown A suffer first League defeat of the season.
The ever consistent League Leaders Castletown A travelled to play North Ramsey A in the Mooragh Park and at the end of the afternoon must have wished that they had taken them on at Crazy Golf rather than Crown Green Bowls as the Northerners won 7-1 inflicting the first defeat of the season on the long time League Leaders.
The Castletown B side suffered a similar 7-1 defeat but this time at home to Port St Mary A with Billy Jones being the only winner for Castletown B.
Peel Sunset A kept up their title hopes with a 7-1 home win over Nobles B with the only Nobles winner being Brian Atherton who beat Dougie Allan to 18. The Peel Sunset C side meanwhile lost 7-1 at Finch Hill A with their only winner being Leslie Halsall. The Peel Sunset B side travelled to the Villa Marina to play Douglas A and it was the Douglas side that took the result with a 5-3 win.
The Marown lads travelled along the T.T. Course to play Ballaugh A and with a very creditable performance they beat the home side 6-2 with John Keenan and Peter Graham being the only winners for Ballaugh A. Ballaugh B also suffered a 6-2 loss at Nobles Park where they were beaten by Nobles A with the Ballaugh winners being Ray Parry and Paul Bradford.
Onchan A travelled to Port Erin and they came away with a 7-1 victory with the only Port Erin winner being Derek Allen who beat Peter Karran to 11. Onchan B also had a successful day in the Park as they beat North Ramsey B 6-2 with the Ramsey sides winners being John Breen and Gary Lenton.
Finally on Tuesday the 17th July South Ramsey hosted Douglas B and the was the Ramsey side that took the win 5-3.
So on the second batch of matches of the week Castletown A hosted South Ramsey and this was a 5-3 win for the home team while Castletown B suffered a 6-2 loss to Onchan A with their only winners being Dave Ali and Brian Redman.
With the Peel Sunset A having a day off the Peel Sunset B side hosted Ballaugh A and it was the visitors who took a 7-1 win with the only Peel winner being Jeff Wilson who beat Gordie Moore to 12. Peel Sunset C travelled to the Mooragh Park where they suffered an 8-0 defeat at the hands of North Ramsey A who appeared to be coming through with a late challenge for the League Title although they may well have left this too late.
Ballaugh B had a 6-2 home win over Port Erin with the ‘Port’s’ winners being Derek Cadamy and again the consistent Derek Allen.
Douglas A travelled to play Port St Mary A in what could have been a tricky fixture and the Douglas side took a 6-2 victory with Ray Watterson and Milton Cubbon being the winners for the Southerners. Douglas B however suffered an 8-0 defeat by Nobles A back at the Villa.
Marown ran out 5-3 winners in a close match against Onchan B at Crosby with the feature of this being two games which went 21-20 and finally Nobles B lost 6-2 to Finch Hill A at Nobles Park with the Nobles Winners being Brian Atherton and Brian Cain.
So after Game 27 of 42 games we have Castletown A leading with 46 points from 26 games followed by Peel Sunset A with 44 points from 25 games and in third place Marown with 43 points from 26 games.