Onchan had already won the Isle of Man Bank Men’s division one title going into the final fixtures and the only thing left to work out was the margin of their impressive victory.

They signed off a very impressive campaign with an 8-2 win over Nobles A to finish twenty one points ahead of runners up Marown A. I have already used almost every superlative in the dictionary to describe this great team, however I have saved a couple for club stalwart Kevin Quirk.

Less than eighteen months after we were left wondering if he would ever play the game to the best of his ability again, due to a series of major health scares, he not only goes and wins the division one merit but he wins all of his 24 games in his first full season back. There as so many descriptive words I could use to sum up Quirk and this achievement but I will simply go with courageous, deserved and magnificent. It’s great to see you back at your best.

Nobles will have been delighted with their two points as they finished above Peel A by the same number of points three places off the bottom, safe o rom the drop.

Marown A signed off in style with a 10-0 maximum victory over Castletown B, and the first outing for their innovative electronic scoreboard. They will be left pondering what they need to do to stop Onchan next term as they found themselves in no man’s land with fifteen points between them and the third placed outfit but a way off the top.

Castletown B were not as lucky as Nobles as a hard run in left them firmly rooted to the bottom of the tree with division two bowls looming next year.

Port St Mary A won the season long battle for third place by a solitary point over South Ramsey A. Both teams have been battling it out all season and Port will take a little satisfaction from getting one over on the team that beat them in the Rayner Shield.

It had been neck and neck all season in the battle for Division Two champions however in the final few games South Ramsey B turned on the style and challengers Douglas B just couldn’t live with their end of season form.

In the end South finished eight points clear of the men from the Villa with Port St Mary B completing the top three just four points further back.

Castletown C finished bottom after really struggling this season, there were encouraging signs from a couple of new players and I am sure after a period of rebuilding in division three they will be back in the higher echelons of the local game. Despite a good 7-3 win in their final fixture Nobles B finished second bottom just two points adrift of Port St Mary C.

The closest battle actually came in division three with Onchan C taking the silverware by just one point between them and runners up Peel C.

Both teams were on opposite ends of 7-3 results and despite a spirited win by the Govags away from home at Finch Hill B it just wasn’t to be, with Onchan emulating the success of their A team.

All in all it has been a magnificent season for bowls all round both in terms of the league, development and other initiatives that are really thrusting the sport to the fore. The IOMCCGBA would like to thank the Isle of Man Bank for their continues support of the Men’s leagues and it is hoped that this partnership can continue for many years to come.

Another brilliant week for league leaders Onchan A leaves them within touching difference of retaining their Isle of Man bank Men’s Division One Title.

Two more superb results leaves them needing just fifteen points from their remaining three games to make certain of their twelfth title in just thirteen years, although with the champions in such a rich vein of form I am certain it will be all over this week.

They would have been pleased with an above par 8-2 home win over South Ramsey on Monday night before yet another maximum 10-0 win, this time at the expense of Peel A, on Wednesday.

Second placed Marown only had one game last week and put in a strong performance winning 9-1 away at Peel A. They have a game in hand over Onchan but at twenty six points adrift with only forty for them to play for nothing short of a miracle will be enough if they want to halt the champions charge.

Douglas A remain in third place, having played a game more than the two teams below them, after an impressive 9-1 away win at Finch Hill A was followed up with a hard fought 6-4 home win over fourth placed Port St Mary A.

Port had a tough week and had to fight hard in their first game just getting the better of North Ramsey 7-3 at the Mooragh.

Ramsey teams occupy 5th and 6th places after South A finished the week on a high with a 10-0 mauling of Port Erin A at home and North A picked up and 8-2 home win over Nobles A.

With second division leaders South Ramsey B sitting out Douglas B ceased their opportunity and moved into pole position thanks to an 8-2 home win over Nobles B. The Villa men now lead by a solitary point and with three games to go its all to play for in the battle for silverware.

Port St Mary B are third seven points further back after they had to dig deep to beat Peel B 6-4 at home.

Its just as tight at the top of Division 3 with Peel C holding the slenderest of leads over Onchan C after they both picked up respective 7-3 wins. Port St Mary D are still in with an outside chance of the title five points further back.

Onchan A moved within touching distance of yet another Isle of Man Bank Division One title after two hard fought victories over tough opposition sees them move eighteen points clear at the top.

They hosted Douglas A on Monday night and with Douglas being the only team to beat them this year knew they had a fight on their hands. The Villa men put in a spirited performance in a match which could have gone either way but fell just short on this occasion losing out 7-3.

The champions then travelled to Marown A for the hugely anticipated top of the table clash, with the Crosby men needing to make up some ground on their rivals to stand any chance of snatching the title for themselves. Marown would have been pleased with how the week started as their 9-1 win away at Castletown A had seen them already claw two points back on Onchan.

The early stages of the old firm match were as even you would expect and with things finally balanced at three apiece it looked like the home side might just pull it off. It wasn’t to be though as Onchan’s tail showed their strength in depth as they took the remaining games to seal a 7-3 victory, and all but assure themselves of the silverware.

Port St Mary A are the form team at the moment and after a brilliant week have moved into third twelve points behind Marown with a game in hand.  They began the week with a brilliant 7-3 away win over high flying South Ramsey A and backed this up with a solid 8-2 home win over Castletown A.

Port’s primary aim will be to secure third spot but if they can make use of the extra game and Marown falter you just never know they might just pull off a massive upset and break into the top two.

South now find themselves in fourth place just two points above Douglas A after the sides won 7-3 and 9-1 respectively on Wednesday night. The top five are thirty points clear of North Ramsey in sixth, who are themselves 20 points clear of seventh, so whilst I don’t think anyone else can displace the top teams the order is still all to play for and Douglas will have their eyes on fourth spot.

South Ramsey B are turning the screw at the top of Division Two and a 9-1 victory away at Marown B backed up with a solid 6-4 showing against Port St Mary B will do their title aspirations no harm at all.

Port B are flying high too and their own 6-4 victory over Ballaugh B keeps them in the hunt for main honours. Douglas B need to relight the fire behind their challenge if they want to be at the top of the pile come September after they dropped points going down 7-3 away at North Ramsey B in their only match of the week.

Douglas C caused an upset in Division 3 on Tuesday as they beat runaway leaders Onchan C 7-3 at the Villa Mariina. It’s hard to believe that this high flying Douglas side picked up only one win in the final fixture of last season as they are now a match for anyone they play.

With a free weekend in store 32 men made their way to Nobles Park to take part in an adhoc singles competition, containing a plate competiton, that was put together last minute.

Dave ‘Dido’ Kelly got to grips with the green the best and came out on top of a quality field with a 21-14 win over Colin Kelly.

Dido led extremely well to his trademark short marks, and coped well when asked questions in the corners, and didn’t put a foot wrong as he bowled his way to victory.

Colin had his game of the tournament the previous round as he eliminated June Festival Winner John Kennish 21-1. Dido was again in good form beating Steve Parker 21-8.

Parker should take confidence in his performance though, as he has shown he can mix it at the top level and a 21-16 quarter final win over Neil Withers will do his credentials no harm at all.

In the plate competition Matthew Keggen took victory with a 21-18 final win over the evergreen David Faragher.

Thanks go to Nobles for their hospitality in allowing us to run the competition.

The Onchan A Express is surely on track for another title after another ruthless maximum 10-0 win stokes the fire of their title bid.

This time it was Castletown B who had to feel the wrath of the defending champions, who have now pulled away at the top of the table with sixteen points now between them and second placed Marown A. Town B shouldn’t lose heart as they are definitely improving and still have a chance of remaining in division 1 nest term if they can string some positive results together.

Despite losing ground second placed Marown A will be delighted with their result in game of the week as they beat third placed South Ramsey A 8-2. The result was not as one sided as it seems, however, as a reverse of two 21-20 wins to the home side could have been the ending to a very different story.

Douglas A remain in fourth place but were made to fight for the win by Castletown A at the Villa with the homesters having just enough in the tank to come home 7-3.

Port St Mary A are on a charge and are on equal points with Douglas having played a game less. They had their own 10-0 maximum win over Ballaugh A to really put some steam behind their season. They are now only four points behind South and will hope to make use of their extra game to leapfrog the two teams above them.

The mid table battle saw North Ramsey just come out on top as they picked up a solid 6-4 win away at Finch Hill A.

Whilst not out of the relegation dogfight just yet Port Erin A find themselves in the relative safety of ninth place after a good 7-3 home win over Nobles A leaves their opponents flagging behind them.

It all change at the top of Division 2 after leaders Douglas B travelled to South Ramsey B. South were on the top of their game to not only topple their opponents 7-3 but to also relieve them of top spot as there are now two points ahead of the men form the Villa.

Port St Mary B had their own 7-3 win away at Onchan B to move on to level points with Douglas and keep themselves well in the hunt for glory. Its going to be a race to the finish with all of these teams perfectly positioned to take top spot.

North Ramsey B kept their season going with a great 9-1 win over Nobles B, however they are still eleven point adrift of third place and its going to be hard for them to make up ground on the leading three.

Division 3 leaders Onchan C had to work hard for their win over second placed Peel C, coming out on the right side of a 6-4 win. This leaves them eleven points ahead of the govags in the title race and hot favourites to taste glory at the end of the season.

Onchan A are starting to run away in the Isle of Man Bank Men’s division title race as another 10-0 maximum win sees them move fourteen points clear of second placed Marown A.

Staggeringly their white wash of Port Erin A at Onchan Park is their sixth maximum in just fourteen matches. The frightening ease in which they dispatch their opponents this season is surely the key to them unlocking another championship door, which would be their twelfth in just thirteen years.

There is still a long way to go in the title race and there are three or four teams capable of beating the Champions in a one off, but there is no other team with the strength in depth to match their devastating consistency.

Second placed Marown A will be kicking themselves as they lost more ground even after a strong 8-2 showing away at Ballaugh A they will be wondering what they have to do to catch the leaders.

South Ramsey A had their work cut out in a battle with Douglas A just getting the better of the travelling side 6-4 after a hard fought battle. They will be hoping to catch Marown and be the first team to break into the top two since Castletown A finished second to Marown way back in 2002, the year before Onchan’s decade of dominance began.

Result of the week though came at the Crofts where Castletown B managed to overcome their A team 6-4 after some spirited performances from the second string. Town B are still firmly routed to the bottom of the table but results like this will do their chances of survival no harm at all.

North Ramsey A have made sixth place their own this term and an 8-2 win over Peel A helps them cement this place. In the final fixture of the week Finch Hill A continued their brilliant season beating Nobles A 8-2 away from home.

Douglas B are still at the top of Divison Two after their 6-4 home win over Ballaugh B, but only just.

Second placed South Ramsey B have started their assault on the title in earnest and have closed the gap to just two points with an impressive 8-2 away win at Castletown C.

Port St Mary B are closing in on a promotion spot in third place just two points further back that South after beating Marown B 6-4 away from home. These teams now have an eleven point buffer over the chasing pack and I can’t see anyone else winning either the title or promotion.

Onchan C’s 9-1 win away at Peel D has seen them move even further ahead at the top of division 3 and they are now nine points ahead of Peel C, who in turn are 8 points ahead of Port St Mary D.