The future is bright for Crown Green Bowls as the sports young lions bared their teeth in a ferocious battle between Castletown A and Onchan A.

Isle of Man Bank Men’s Division One leaders Onchan A will feel lucky to have escaped from the lion’s den with a 7-3 victory, but have not left without the scars from a Town team that was full of fight to the end and who will feel aggrieved not to have picked up at least another point.

Fresh from an Island Championship where the main stays of local bowls showed that they were still the force to be reckoned with, it was the turn of the games fresher faces to fire a warning shot with the young guns from both teams showing their class.

Town’s youth policy is now paying dividends with Captain Bob Clark picking up a strong 21-9 win whilst Nathan Cooil and Michael Collister produced superb displays to beat respective former Island Champions Kevin Quirk and Phil Kerruish. Matthew Quirk and Jordan Cain showed that the title favourites also have some tremendous up and coming talent in their ranks with their own strong single figure wins against quality opposition, although the title favourites had to rely on two more experienced hands, Peter Slinger and Glynn Hargraves, to come back from the death in their games to seal the win for their side.

Champions Marown A used this to their advantaged and capitalised by securing a well-deserved 8-2 victory over Onchan A, to claw one point closer to their rivals. Despite the score line there were some close encounters and both teams will feel they should have another point on the board.

Villa talisman Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly showed his class to scrap to 21-19 win over 2013 June festival winner Neil Withers in a high quality affair. Withers showed some good resistance as he prevented Kelly from getting into his trademark corners however he used all of his green craft to secure victory. Marown stalwart Colin Kelly didn’t have things his own way either against Stuart Garrett and both men were inspired in a game of the highest quality which Kelly just edged by the narrowest of margins, 21-20.

As tipped, South Ramsey A have now leapfrogged both Douglas A and their last opponents Castltown B into third place, as they defeated the latter 8-2 at home.  South as expected were too strong for their rivals but it is town who can draw heart as George Peach and Peter Oates picked up  wins whilst John Holden and Dave Faragher put in spirited displays, both narrowly losing out 21-18. South will see it as two points lost in the battle for silverware.

North Ramsey A and Port St Mary A are now tied on points in the middle of the table after the former picked up a surprise 7-3 win over the strong southern outfit. Some of North’s new boys were the stars of the show with Steve Walmsley, Alan Callow and Steve Parker all impressing.

Peel A and Ballaugh A will be delighted to build some momentum as they both picked up superb 9-1 home wins to get their season off and running in earnest and move away from the foot of the table.

Finch Hill A remain at the top of Division Two but only after a stern examination by Port St Mary B with honours even 5-5. The league leaders won 5-3 on games but the wily Spaniards took the aggregate points, thanks in a large part to Island Junior Champion Sam Parmer’s tremendous 21-2 win.

Onchan B are still chasing top spot and managed to close the deficit by two points as they slugged out a 7-3 victory at home over aNorth Ramsey B side who are acquitting themselves well since earning promotion last term.

Nobles Mixed are some peoples favourites to end the season as champions and a blistering 9-1 win away from home will not have harmed their chances at all.

Marown B topped Division 3 last week and even with a strong 6-4 win away at Peel D they find themselves slipping down the table to third.

Title favourites South Ramsey B were simply ruthless as they mercilessly white washed Nobles Park B 10-0 away from home to take pole position.

Port Erin B now find themselves in second spot, tied on points with Marown B, after some good work at home as they strolled to an 8-2 win over North Ramsey C.

John Kennish picked up an unprecedented 8^th Canada Life International Manx Championship in style at South Ramsey at the weekend to once again etch his name further into the annals of Island bowls history.  

Kennish ended the drought for his 8^th title eight years on from his last win with a 21-12 final victory on his home green over Marown’s five times champion Colin Kelly. This win signifies another momentous milestone for Kennish as it also flags his 100^th men’s singles open title as he becomes the first local ever to notch up an historic century.

The final was a cagey affair in the opening exchanges with Kelly edging into a 6-5 lead. Kennish then took control, but, Kelly dug in to find himself trailing by a solitary chalk at 10-9.  This is when Kennish went into an overdrive and with 7 unanswered points saw himself cruise into an unassailable 17-9 lead. Kelly, himself a great champion, dug deep but didn’t have enough to match the imperious Kennish on this occasion and the Ramsey man saw out a brilliant 21-12 win over his arch adversary.

The sight of arguably the Islands top two bowlers for the past decade in the final was like seeing the normal order of things restored after Kennish had failed to make it to the main event since his victory over Paul Dunn at Port Erin in 2006. There is no doubt that this must have played on his mind and he will definitely feel like he has exorcised some demons with this win, and who knows maybe 10 titles is not beyond the realms of possibility for the greatest of all Manx Champions.  

Kennish had to be at his best all day and started of with an extremely high quality opener as he saw off the challenge of Bob Clark (Castletown) 21-16 to book his place in the quarter finals. He was simply on fire in his next game against David Bradford (Onchan) and was too hot to handle as he picked up a magnificent 21-7 victory to set up a semi final showdown with Paul Skelly (Port St Mary). Despite giving it his all this was never going to be Skelly’s day and Kennish secured his final berth with a hard fought 21-13 win.

Kelly was equally as devastating on his run to the final and a 21-4 win over fellow Marown Bowler Ian Kissack in his first game on finals day set him on his way in fine style. He backed this up with a solid 21-12 win over former champion Phil Kerruish (Onchan) in the quarter finals before seeing off the challenge of Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly (Douglas) at the semi final stage.

The weekend however belongs to John Kennish who despite always looking like an unstoppable force on his home green had to live up to the billing and put in the hard work to pick up a well deserved title. He is without doubt the greatest local player of his generation to step onto a bowling green and if he continues in this fine vein of form who knows what is possible in both his on and off Island exploits.

Title favourites Onchan A remain on track to regain the Isle of Man Bank Men’s Division 1 title with a strong 9-1 win over Ballaugh A, further opening their lead at the top. Only Daniel Fenton was able to stop the rout as he picked up his teams only point with a mesmerising 21-9 win over then reigning Island Champion Glynn Hargraves.

Marown A however kept their good form going with a brilliant 8-2 win away at inform Port St Mary A to limit Onchan’s extension of their lead with the gap now standing at 8 points. This really is a magnificent win away from home against Port who are again a solid and stable outfit capable of beating anyone, especially on their own turf.

Douglas A were the surprise package of last weeks fixtures and move into third place thanks to a simply mind boggling 9-1 win over Castletown A at the Villa Marina. Every one of the Villa Men chipped in with solid displays and they were only 3 chalks away from an historic maximum with only Ian Watson preventing it with a 21-18 win over Steve Crampton.

Castletown B are still going strong in 4^th place after a great start to their campaign which they cemented with another strong home win, this time 7-3 over Frank Watson’s Peel A. Whilst the Towners are sitting pretty near the top the Govags find themselves too close to the wrong end of the table and they will be hoping to put more points on the board soon.

South Ramsey A are now back up and running after their heavy defeat at the hands of Onchan A and their own 9-1 this time away at the Crofts over Castletown C see them moving back up the table and I don’t think it will be too long before they move into third place.

The final fixture of the round in the top tier was the epic tussle between Port Erin A and North Ramsey A at Port Erin. The home side managed to edge the match on victories with 5 winners, however North had just enough to sneak the aggregate meaning it all ended with honours even on 5 points apiece.

Finch Hill A still top the tree in Division 2 and a solid 7-3 home win over Castletown D keeps them where they want to be. They have always been a solid home team with their home on Kensington Road and impenetrable fortress however if they pick up their share of away points there is no reason why they couldn’t finish off a brilliant start to the season.

Onchan B remain in second place and will be pleased to have matched their rivals result with their own 7-3 win away at Ballaygh C to keep their challenge going.

Finch Hill B didn’t fare as well as their first string and their 9-1 drubbing away from home at the hand of Peel B has opened the door for the Govags to move into third position.

Port St Mary B aren’t out of things just a point behind Peel in 4^th and a really impressive 8-2 victory over Nobles Park A away from home keep them in the hunt for promotion and even title glory.

As predicted the Division 3 lead has changed hands yet again and Marown B, an intriguing mix of youth and experience, now call top spot home after a good 7-3 home win over Port Erin B.

South Ramsey B were savagely axed of top spot by their own C team who claimed the spoils 7-3 in the local derby to move themselves into 4^th just 4 points off the summit.

Isle of Man Bank men’s division 1 leaders Onchan A turned on the style last week as they put a serious dent in the title challenge of highly fancied South Ramsey A, sinking them 9-1 on their own patch.

John Kennish, who was just back from a hugely successful campaign in the UK with 8 straight wins meaning he has qualified for 3 major finals days, was the only winner for the Northerners on a tricky green which really suited the visitors. With the Manx Championship scheduled to be on the same green at the weekend it would be hard to rule out one of them, or Kennish himself, going all the way and securing top honours.

Title holders Marown A, who themselves have some major players for the weekends championship, had to work hard to secure a 7-3 win just down the road at the Mooragh as they edged past a battling North Ramsey A team.

In reality the Crosby outfit would have been hoping to make up some ground on Onchan in this set of fixtures, and not drop a further 2 points behind. It’s difficult to see where they will make up the ground on their rivals which will put a lot of emphasis on the two head to head match ups with the first scheduled for June 9^th at Onchan Park.

Port St Mary A are still in third despite going down 7-3 away to Castletown A. Town are still trying to recover from an early heavy defeat and this win seems like business returning to usual, as they close the gap on 3^rd place, which is probably a realistic aim for 3 or 4 teams this season.

Douglas A travelled to a new look Ballaugh A where they picked some magnificent away points with an 8-2 victory. Whilst it is Douglas whose season is now really off and running its great to see a mix of old and new faces at forward thinking Ballaugh A who are really looking beyond this season, as they build for the future by bedding new blood into their top team.

Port Erin have started their campaign in the top tier admirably and a good 7-3 home win over highflying Castletown B will do their chances of survival or even a mid table finish no harm at all.

Peel A picked up their first win this terms as they beat Castletown C 8-2 to get some much needed points on the board and leapfrog their opponents in the league.

Division 2 leaders Finch Hill A picked up another strong win to keep their aspirations of silverware alive as they beat Nobles Park A 8-2 at Kensington Road.

Onchan B keep the pressure on in second place as they had to use all of the ammunition in their arsenal to win the war against Nobles Mixed A 6-4, after tying on games. Only two points separated the teams on aggregate as well so this really was a close encounter between 2 teams who should be in the shake up for promotion at the end.

Douglas B are now starting to fire and an 8-2 win moves them into 3^rd place in the table. They have some strong dependable players in their stellar line up and if they can get their best team on the green will be difficult to shift and have a real shout at top honours.

Castletown D will be delighted to chalk up their first win, but more so in the manner it was achieved. Trailing 4-3 on games, and behind on aggregate, a transformed Matthew Shanahan held his nerve and played magnificently to win 21-12 and seal the points for his side, and his place in the divisions team of the week.

It’s tight at the top in division 3 with all of the top 3 putting in strong performances to all keep their title hopes alive. South Ramsey B are back on top thanks to a superb 9-1 win away at Douglas C, whilst Port Erin B are only one point adrift thanks to their own strong away win, beating Peel D 7-3 in the sunset city. Hotly fancied Marown B come next only 2 points behind after they too picked up a great 7-3 away win, this time over Nobles Park B.

The highly anticipated Manx Championships takes place at South Ramsey this weekend and I am metaphorically salivating at the prospect of the most explosive and open championships in history.

Whilst seven times Island Champion John Kennish must be the clear favourite on his home green to win the title for the first time since 2006 there is literally a shopping list full of contenders who stand in his way.

Five times Island Champion Colin Kelly won the title last time it was contested on the green and will again be amongst the favourites along with double champions Kevin Quirk and Glynn Hargraves, who currently wears the crown. Neil Withers and Phil Kerruish are other former champions who have had recent success on the green and could definitely be in the shake up at the end.

There are a host of players looking to pick up their first title with David Bradford and Paul Skelly heading a list littered with young up and coming talent such as Jordan Cain, Bob Clark and Matthew Quirk however there will be no more popular winner than if Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly breaks his duck and adds this title to his collection.

Castletown B produced one of their finest ever displays in Isle of Man Bank Men’s division one last week with a brilliant maximum 10-0 home victory over high flying North Ramsey A at the Crofts.

It is hard to quantify just how rare it is for a side outside the top 2 or 3 teams in each division to record a whitewash, especially against quality opposition such as the Northerners who beat their A team 8-2 in the previous fixture.

On paper, before the match, they looked like they could sneak a home win but for every one of their players to dig to unknown depths and secure wins, 5 of them either 19 or 20, is quite simply awesome and the Town lads deserve every accolade afforded them.

Town A, however, didn’t fare as well on their trip to Marown as they went down 9-1, with Mike Hargraves 21-15 over home captain Neil Withers the main highlight for them. This is a great result for the Crosby men and keeps them hot on the heels of league leaders Onchan A.

Castletown C are holding their own in the top flight and another 4 points at home, this time against the other newly promoted team Port Erin, keeps them in the battle for survival. Port, who are also faring well in the seasons early stages, will leave the happier though as they edged the match on aggregate to pick up a vital away win.

Playing at a temporary home does not seem to be affecting title favourites Onchan A and they put in a great display to beat Peel A 9-1 at the cattery and get their title aspirations very much on track.

The Govags will feel hard done by to not have left with more after what was a highly competitive and entertaining encounter. Jack Beecham was the visitor’s only winner and he will be delighted to have gotten the better of Jordan Cain, especially on a green where the Onchan man was undefeated in the winter league.

Port St Mary A have started the season very strongly indeed and a strong 8-2 win, this time at the expense of Ballaugh A, keeps them fighting it out near the top of the tree. Strong home form is expected from this class act but it will be how they perform on their away trips which will determine their final league position. Ballaugh find themselves in a bit of deep water at present and will be hoping to get some more points on the board soon.

South Ramsey A bounced back from last week’s defeat with a solid 7-3 away win over Douglas A at the Villa Marina. South should be in the hint this season and if they can eradicate the odd bad result and find some consistency they have a genuine shot at top honours.

Finch Hill A find themselves at the top of division 2 after a hard fought 6-4 win away at the Mooragh over North Ramsey B. Both of these sides are fighting it out at the summit and there were some good performances from both sides.

Onchan B were in pole position before their match in the Sunset City against Peel B where they were stunned and left licking their wounds after the home side produced a brilliant 8-2 win, dropping Onchan down to fourth overall.

A rejuvenated Nobles Park A continued their fine start to the season and move into second place after a strong display to beat Castletown D 8-2.

The third division is the most open and unpredictable tier this season and I think the lead will switch hands on multiple occasions before the end of the season. Port Erin B currently occupy top spot after a massive 9-1 win over Nobles Park B.

The Nobles team might be struggling to put points on the board in these early stages of the season but I had the pleasure of watching some of their match in the Rayner Shield and its brilliant to see so many new faces taking up the sport.

South Ramsey B and Marown B both won 6-4 at home to keep them in the fight for silverware and they now occupy second and third spot respectively.

Team of the week (Division 3)

John Kelly (Marown B), Howard Corlett (Douglas C), Sam Stannard (Onchan C), Peter Blower and Ben Mowle (Port Erin B), Tom Wilson (PSM D), Ray Hardman (Peel  D) and Alan Moore (S Ramsey B)

There was both a case of business as usual and shock results in the Isle of Man Bank Men’s league division 1 last week.

Reigning champions Marown A were in devastating form at home against Ballaugh and bounced back from defeat in their season opener to secure an impressive 10-0 maximum win to get their season off and running.

Favourites to secure the title, Onchan A, were equally as imperious with their own maximum over Port Erin at their temporary home at the cattery. Although they were on a different green the result was the same and I really think they might have too much for their rivals this time around.

Castletown A were top of the tree after week 1 but this was short lived as they were brought down to earth with a bang by in-form North Ramsey A who beat the southerners 8-2 at the Mooragh. There is a mix of old and new in the North first string this term and it seems to be doing the trick with both new boys and regular faces on the top of their game.

Port St Mary A were on the money at home against title contenders South Ramsey A drawing on games but picking up the win 6-4 thanks to the aggregate points. Highlight of the match was Chris Oates 21-6 win against 3 times Island Champion Andy Kennish. Oates was simply unplayable for the entire match, and you will do well to see a better individual performance all season.

Douglas A picked up their first win of the season over Peel A at the Villa, but only just. The elixir drinkers managed a draw on games but edged the match on aggregate to get some much needed points on the board.

It was derby day number 1 at the Crofts as Castletown C hosted their B team with the latter being too strong for their opponents, running out 8-2 victors.

It’s too early to tell who will win and who will finish in the relegation places come September however things are looking ominous with Onchan A already 4 points clear of the chasing pack and it will take some twists and turns to reel in this deficit.

Onchan B are the early pace setters in Division 2 after a highly impressive 9-1 win away at Finch Hill B. They are serious contenders for promotion this year and will be hoping to build on their strong start.

Newly promoted North Ramsey B are hot on their heels though and a second win, this time 7-3 over Nobles Park A, has set them up nicely for a shot at back to back promotions.

Finch Hill A will have something to say about it though as they picked up a great 9-1 victory away at Ballaugh B to keep them on the promotion trail.

South Ramsey B lead the way in Division 3 after they took out Onchan C 8-2 at home to keep their championship bid very much on track, even in these early stages. They are the class act in this division and should be there or there abouts at the end of the season.

Marown B might have something to say about where the silverware goes at the end of the season and if the keep up the form that they displayed in their 9-1 win over Douglas C will be a force to be reckoned with.

South Ramsey started their season with a tremendous 7-3 home victory to kick of their campaign in style and throw down a marker to all the other teams in the Isle of Man Bank Division 1, letting the Islands bowls fraternity know that they are the real deal and a genuine contender for top honours.  Peter Collister rolled back the years with a brilliant 21-8 victors over the visitors captain Neil Withers.

New boy Dave Hughes raised a few eyebrows on his debut performance as he found himself trailing 14-3 but managed to turn the game around and pick up a 21-16 win over John Gelling. Whilst Marown will be gutted not to have started with a win, lets not forget that last season started with an away defeat at the Villa yet the Crosby Men rallied and went onto pick up an historic double in one of the most memorable seasons ever, so lets not writhe them off just yet!

Onchan A slipped up last time out at Castletown B but there were no mistakes this time around as the title favourites picked up a solid 8-2 win to get them off to a strong start, and set them up in their bid to bring the silverware back to the park.

It was Castletown A, however, who top the tree after the first set of fixtures as they picked up a very impressive 9-1 victory on their travels at Ballaugh, only missing out on a maximum by a single point as Daniel Fenton picked up a 21-20 victory over Mike Hargraves on his return to his home club this season.

Port Erin began life in the top tier in style with a 6-4 win over Douglas. Port will need to do well in their home games if they want to cement a place amongst the games elite and this start will definitely have done their chances no harm at all.

Port St Mary A started the season well with a 7-3 win away at Peel. They hae a stronger line up this year and I think they are capable of causing more than a couple of upsets. Frank Watson’s Govags can draw comfort in the performance of their winners with new boy Nigel Thomas leading the way with a 21-4 victory.

North Ramsey A will be happy to have left Castletown C with a win as they drew 4-4 on games with the northerners picking up the 2 aggregate points by a single chalk. Whilst Ramsey will be happy with the win Town should be proud of their first game at this level and it something they can certainly build on.

Newly promoted North Ramsey B top the second division after a brilliant 8-2 away win at Castletown D. There has been a revolution at the Mooragh in recent years and it is breath taking to watch the massive strides this club is taking. I am not sure they have enough to gain promotion again this time around, but this team has the tenacity to prove me wrong.

NoblesPark A pipped North to the third division title last year and they also began life at the higher level with an 8-2 win. This is another rejuvenated club which is going from strength to strength and it is great to see a new lease of life to the former giants of the local game.

Douglas B, Onchan B and Port St Mary B are hot on the heals of the top 2 as they all picked up strong 7-3 wins and they will all be intent on showing the divisions new boys ‘the way it is done around here’ in forthcoming fixtures.

Division 3 is the breading place of our games top players and it is simply awe inspiring to see 3 new teams starting out this season. South Ramsey C, Onchan C, South Ramsey B and Port Erin B all got of to a fine start with respective 7-3 wins.

With 23 players making their debuts across all divisions it looks like our game is moving in the right direction and in an attempt to freshen things up I will be putting together a team of the week for each division based on individual performance, and rotating which divisional team appears in print each week starting this time out with division 1. Details of how the team of the week is selected and all 3 teams every week are available on iombowls.com

Team of The Week Division 1 – Ewan Cooil & Paul Skelly (PSM), Steve Durcan (P Erin), Peter Collister & David Hughes (South Ramsey), Peter Slinger (Onchan), Jack Beecham & Nigel Thomas (Peel)