News: Reports
Hargraves Retains Manx Championship
Report by Mark Kneen
Glynn Hargraves picked up his second Canada Life International Manx Championship in as many years as he defeated Onchan team mate Kevin Quirk 21-16 at Castletown Bowling Green in a repeat of last year’s final to retain his title. Hargraves was in spectacular form all day playing with the experience and composure of a seasoned champion, and even on the rare occasions that he found himself in trouble he never seemed to lose focus or belief and just played his own game.
Quirk himself a double champion, also played his part in making this a magnificent championship and put in some excellent performances on his way to the final. If anything though his success over the day is a testament to his resilience as despite not always being at his brilliant best he managed to grind out wins and almost pull off his third championship victory, falling at the last. In the final though, after initially falling a few points behind, Hargraves found his form and never allowed his opponent to fully settle, keeping him out of his devastating rhythm and in turn finding his own. Both finalists have been at the top of their games in recent seasons and you wouldn’t bet against either of them completing their hat-trick of titles next year.
To reach the final both players had to dig deep in the semis as they both trailed moving into the closing stages of their encounters. Hargraves found himself 17-14 behind against former champion Phil Kerruish (Onhan) but had the wherewithal to see the game out finishing it off 21-18. Quirk as mentioned above showed the resilience of a great champion to overturn a similar deficit to beat Paul Skelly (Douglas) 21-19.
Kerruish and Skelly both played magnificently all day and Kerruish’s crushing 21-11 quarterfinal victory over competition favourite and seven times Champion John Kennish was just one of the days many highlights. In the other quarter finals Skelly eliminated Chas Grills (South Ramsey) 21-6, Hargraves progressed with a good 21-13 win over perennial quarterfinalist Mike Cain (Marown) and Kevin Quirk just managed to see off the challenge of Neil Withers (Marown) 21-19.
The whole weekend was one of personal achievement for Glynn who had the previous day coordinated and administered the sports inaugural inclusion in the Manx Youth Games, which was a massive success. Few people know this but just four years ago he seriously contemplated packing in the sport as he was becoming frustrated and disillusioned with it, and it was actually his success in this very same competition, just losing out in the final, which gave him the impetus to carry on and go from strength to strength. It would have been a total travesty for bowls if he had decided to quit and his decision to carry on has been invaluable for the development of the game due to his work off the green, which incidentally seems to have improved his form on it!
At the conclusion of the competition Isle of Man County Crown Green Bowls President Steve Moore presented the prizes and thanked both Castletown Bowling club for their assistance in running the championship and Canada Life International for their continued support of the Islands premier completion. I would also like to thank new Association Competition Secretary Matthew Keggen who did a magnificent job of organising the competition at the first time of asking. And his continual work behind the scenes is dragging our sport kicking and screaming into the 21st century. At the end of the day however this weekend belongs to Hargraves and the only thing left to say is “well done mate, you deserve it”.
Town but Not Out
League Week 5 Report by Mark Kneen
Castletown A travelled to Isle of Man Bank Mens Division One Champions Onchan A last week and gave their all in an epic tussle near the top of the table. They left everything they had on the green, they came, they saw and they fell just short. Score lines rarely tell the full story and when you look back at the record books you will just see a 7-3 victory to Onchan, you will not see the drama that went into making this one of the most toughly contested encounters in recent memory.
Like I always say there are 3 sides to every story, yours, theirs and the truth. The Castletown version will be one of heartache and hard luck and what could have been. With the last game on the green they trailed 4-3 with their man needing to win 21-19 or better to seal the points for his team and an historic 6-4 win for the visitors, and with the leg finally balanced at 16-16 anything looked possible.
The victor’s story will be one of resilience, strength in depth and the emergence of a new hero. Despite leading 3-1 at the half way point they surrendered the lead to tie going into the last two blocks and an unthinkable defeat at their usually impenetrable fortress loomed on the horizon. With the seventh game sealed the weight of expectation rested firmly on the shoulders of the new kid on the block, Jordan Cain who in only his 5th league game for the champions showed composure beyond his years to bring home the tie for his team and more than justify his place in their stellar line up.
The truth as always is somewhere in between and there are two major truths I have gleaned from this result. Town may not have left with a victory but they left Onchan Park with something more than that, they left hurt. This is because for the first time since their championship winning team of the 90’s they have genuine belief that they belong at the games top table, that they can beat anyone. This pain will help them as they will not want to feel it again going into tonight’s big clash against South Ramsey A. The Onchan story is far more frightening however as despite not firing on all cylinders yet they are still capable of dishing out that pain and any doubts on whether this year’s line-up has what it takes have been quashed, well for now at least.
The other major contenders in the division had things more their own way. Leaders Marown continued to top the tree and pulled another point away from Onchan with an 8-2 home win over North Ramsey A. The only thing I would say is that although this is a good result, they were winning games like this 10-0 a few weeks ago so maybe there is a chink appearing in their armour? Douglas A leapfrogged town back into third place with a solid 8-2 win over Peel A at this Villa, whilst South Ramsey remain in fifth place, tied on points with Town, thanks to a 7-3 win over Nobles Mixed.
Port Erin A have finally managed to reach the summit of division 2 after a crushing 10-0 defeat of Peel C. On this evidence I think they may pitch their tent and remain there for the remainder of the expedition. As I have said before they are a class outfit and will take some shifting in this tier. Castletown D remain on course for a shock promotion and they picked up another big win to find themselves in second spot, just one point adrift.
Port St Mary B are now stringing some form together and in reality are likely to soon surpass Town D and move into a promotion place and their 7-3 win over Finch Hill B will do their chances no harm at all. The only other outfit I see with a realistic chance at promotion are Castletown C and their superb 9-1 win away at Port St Mary C keeps them in the hunt. There are a lot of teams in this division capable of taking points of each other and this championship race really could come down to the wire.
Division 3 leaders Onchan C have settled nicely into their groove and a comfortable 8-2 win against Douglas C sees them four points clear of Nobles Park A in pole position. I was at the Villa Marina for that game and it was amazing to see a handful of new young bowlers on the display. The future of our sport certainly is in good hands.
Nobles Park A won the derby against their B team to keep them in second spot and in line for promotion at the end of the season.
Capital International Cup
Report by Di Benson
27 pairs took part in the Capital International Cup at Breagle Glen Port Erin. Once again the weather was normal for bowls , raining!
Despite the green being wet there were some really good bowls being played and some close scores.
The sun came out in time for the final and it was a very close game with mostly one’s being scored, firstly one side and then the other, eventually Matthew Keggen and Rachel Quirk were victorious 21-18 over Mary & John Alderson.
Losing Quarter Finalists were Rita Callister & Thomas Keggen, Linda & Derek Cadamy, Hilary Kermode & Trevor Quayle, Caroline Whitehead & Ken Jackson.
Losing Semi Finalists were Viv & Chas Grills, Trish Bull & Ray Watterson.
Chairman, Di Benson thanked everyone for coming and Janet Shilling for running the days’ competition , then introduced Daren Ward from Capital International , sponsors of the competition , to present the prizes.
Greeba Cup
Report by Heather Horsburgh
There was a strong entry of 28 pairs for the ladies’ doubles played at Marown on Saturday 11 May for the Greeba Cup. The weather was mixed, with sunshine, heavy showers and temperatures staying low.
Despite the changing conditions the standard of bowling, particularly in the latter stages, was of a high standard.
Semi-finals: Janet Monk and Lilian Slinger 21, Sonja Lees and Pat Robertson 13; Marie Ashurst and Kath Kinley 21, Helen Martin and Rachel Quirk 16.
In the final Lilian and Janet took an early lead with a 3 on the second end but from 7-10 down the Castletown pair won 4 ends in a row to lead 14-10.Points were shared up to 15-16 when a 1 and a 3 from Marie and Kath took them to “all but”. Despite a 2 on the next end from the Mooragh Park pair the trophy went to Castletown 21-17.
The presentation was made by Rosie Winckle who thanked all who had stayed to the end and everyone who had helped in the smooth running of the event.
Onchan & Marown at the Double
League Week 4 Report by Mark Kneen
As I reviewed the results from last week’s double set of fixtures in Isle of Man Bank Men’s Division One, I sat perplexed, scratching my head to try and find what I should focus on for my report as nothing significant had really happened, but when I looked harder something had happened, normality had returned.
After a yoyo start to their season Champions Onchan finally managed to get some momentum going stringing together back to back 9-1 wins over Port St Mary A & Nobles Mixed to move them within striking difference of leaders Marown, only 3 points adrift.
Marown in turn also managed two much needed wins as they turned up the heat on the chasing pack. They started their week with a 9-1 win over Nobles Mixed before going to Castletown and slugging their way to a hard fought 6-4 win. Marown have what looks like a formality tonight as they entertain North Ramsey A at the memorial playing fields and they will look to give themselves more breathing space at the top of the tree with another strong home win.
Town had begun the week well with an impressive 8-2 win away at Ballaugh A and this is the form they will hope to take with them tonight to Onchan Park to face the champions. Despite their midweek defeat they find themselves in a lofty third place four points ahead of Douglas A and will want to pick up some good away points to keep them there.
Douglas had only one game last week and they picked up an impressive 8-2 win away at Castletown B. They face this seasons surprise package Peel A at the Villa Marina tonight and will hope they can amass enough points to leapfrog Town A back into the top 3. South Ramsey A also kicked into top gear with two wins in a week to find themselves on equal points with Douglas. South still have a most of the main contenders to square off again but even so they have to be happy with their start to the season.
If any of the chasing pack want to seriously challenge for top spot this year they need to do two things they need to either beat or match the top two in head to head matches but more importantly they need to match or better their results against the other teams. This second point will be the key that could unlock the door to success it is not simply enough to win, they have to win big.
If normality has returned to division one then insanity reigns in the second tier as Casteltown D find themselves in pole position after five games. They picked up a great 9-1 win on Tuesday against Port St Mary C before suffering their first defeat of the campaign at the Villa the following evening going down 7-3 to Douglas B. Surely this is the first time a D team has ever topped the second division?
Port St Mary B & Port Erin A both picked up two wins each to close in on Town D and bring some sanity back to proceedings. Port St Mary B are the only undefeated team in the division and draw level with the leaders whilst Port Erin are only one point behind in a title race that could end in a photo finish come September.
Onchan C top division 3 and even this early in the season they are the only team in any division who can boast a 100% record. A brilliant 8-2 win away at South Ramsey B is enough to see them two points clear at the summit ahead of Port Erin B who picked up a good 7-3 win away at Douglas C.
IOM Ladies Pairs
Report by Heather Horsburgh
18 pairs gathered at South Ramsey on Saturday 4 May for the IOM Ladies’ Pairs. On a fast green and in a wind which got stronger as the afternoon progressed conditions were not easy. This did not prevent good bowling and some very close matches.
Semi-finals : Jenny Maddrell and Ann Gale 21, Lyn Bolton and Paula Garrett 19; Helen Martin and Rachel Quirk 21, Linda Richman and Casey Bolton 9.
In the final things were very even, and tactical, with one side taking a lead then the others catching up. Helen and Rachel surged ahead in the last few ends to take the title 21-16.
The presentation was made by Association Competition Secretary, Elaine Moore, who thanked South Ramsey for allowing the Association the use of their green and facilities, and the ladies in the kitchen for providing the refreshments.
Cain Cup
Report by Mark Kneen
Castletown played home to the Cain Cup on Saturday and most of the games major players were out in force. Kevin Quirk was in imperious form all day and whilst others struggled to get to grips with the green he mastered it with ease to pick up his first singles win of the season, beating current Island champion Glynn Hargraves 21-8 in the final. Castletown is the venue for the Manx Championship in 2 weeks’ time and if Quirk picks up from where he left off you wouldn’t bet against him winning his third title.
The eventual winner was in control of the final from the off and never looked like falling at the final hurdle despite Hargraves’ best efforts to change things around. Quirk made it to the final thanks to a 21-14 win over home greener Andy Clark in the semi-finals. Hargraves played his best game in the semis just doing enough after surrendering a big lead to beat Colin Kelly 21-18.
Fallers at the quarter final stage were Ken WIllams, John Kennish, David Bradford & Stuart Garrett.
Sylvia Cashen
Report by Heather Horsburgh
There was an entry of 19 pairs for the Sylvia Cashen ladies’ pairs played at Port St Mary on Wednesday 1 May. The weather was a bit “iffy” at the start of the afternoon, cold with a hint of rain but it soon cleared and the green was bathed in glorious sunshine.
There were some good games throughout but perhaps the best matches were two of the quarter-finals. In one Val Macfarlane and Jayne Kneen came through 21-19 after a tough tussle against Kath Kinley and Marie Ashurst while in the other Chris Price and Janet Monk squeezed through 21-20 against Paula Firth and Lin Ruscoe.
In the semi-finals Ann Maddrell and Win Collister came through 21-9 against Janet and Chris while Barbara Young and Ann Hollingworth put up some strong resistance before going down 15-21 to Val and Jayne.
In the final Jayne and Val showed why they had won this trophy so often putting on a display of excellent bowling to win 21-10
The presentation was by Lady President, Sheila Shimmin, who thanked all those who had helped in the smooth running of the event which raised about £300 For the Isle of Man Anti-Cancer Association.
Particular thanks went to the green keeper, to “Shaun the sheet” and the ladies’ who had helped throughout the day.
Mooragh Park Ladies put on an excellent performance in County Club Championships
Mooragh Park Ladies Bowling Team sponsored by Raymotors Automative Group travelled to Shrewsbury at the weekend to play in the County Club Championships. They were drawn in group 4 which consisted of teams Amasal (South Staffordshire), Hall Green (Warwick & Worcester) and Hatton (Burton).
After 3 very hard fought games, Mooragh Park won all of their games in their group to give them maximum points. It was with great delight to have won and qualified for the semi-finals, playing on a different green against a very strong team Wrockwardine Wood (Shropshire), who have won this competition before. Mooragh Park took to the green with a positive attitude even though the weather turned for the worse, making play unpleasant. The green was extremely interesting and difficult to play with lots of dips and hollows making it very difficult to follow the jack,. Mooragh Park put up a good performance with a fantastic atmosphere and plenty of support for both teams, after a hard fought game they lost out with a scoreline of 84 to 108 (games 3-5).
Mooragh Park Ladies are extremely proud to have represented the Isle of Man County and proved that Manx players are a force to be reckoned with.
Peel 6 Onchan 4
League Week 3 Report by Mark Kneen
I have been trying to write a fitting headline to sum up the breath taking performance put in by Peel A last Monday as they defeated champions Onchan A in Isle of Man Bank league division one, and to me the score is the headline. It is remarkable in every way. On paper Peel were outclassed, outmatched and after losing 10-0 away at Marown last week looked set to face another mauling, but bowls isn’t played on paper and every member of the Govags first string ripped up the form book and stunned the champions.
I am struggling to quantify just how impressive this score line is. In sport sometimes the opposition can play the game of their lives, their cup final and cause a massive upset but in bowls it isn’t like that. It is a team sport, but a match is made up of eight individual games so in essence to take four games off the champions and win on aggregate took eight cup finals. Captain Frank Watson led the way for his men with, quite frankly, a superb 21-13 win over two times Island Champion Kevin Quirk.
I could try and run down the performance of Onchan and say they were under par or complacent after last week’s big victory over Douglas but this wouldn’t be fair on the boys from the Sunset City. On Monday night champions Onchan A were weighed, they were measured and they were found wanting. This and other recent results are building towards the most exciting season for over a decade and I am literally salivating to see how things unfold. All that is left to say to Peel is well done lads brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Marown A capitalised with another ruthless 10-0 win, this time away at Port St Mary A. The boys from the port are not as strong this term but even still for a team to leave there with maximum points is amazing. Whilst other teams are making all the headlines the men from the memorial playing fields are mercilessly going about the business of racking up points, and if the other title challengers are not careful they could find themselves with too big a bridge to build.
Douglas A bounced back from last week’s defeat as they picked up and impressive 8-2 home victory over the much fancied South Ramsey. South are a much tougher proposition than last season, but so are the mercenaries from the Villa who were more than a match for the opposition on this occasion. This is the first time I have seen the new look South outfit and once they get their players firing on all cylinders though I am sure they are more than capable of causing a few upsets, and whilst I feel they are a little short of challenging for top honours this time around it may only be a matter of time.
Castletown A kept momentum going, and the pressure on Marown, with a solid 9-1 home victory over North Ramsey A at the crofts. If I am honest I would expect a score line like this in favour of Town at home, but like all teams wanting to challenge Onchan & Marown it will be how they travel that makes all the difference. In the divisions final fixture Nobles Mixed picked up a much needed 6-4 home win over Ballaugh A. Both these teams could find themselves down the bottom of the table and who knows how vital these points will be at the end of the season?
Both Castletown teams kept the pressure on at the top of division 2. This week the D performed better with a really good 6-4 victory away at Finch Hill B who are always tricky to beat on their own patch. The C had a battle on their hand at home to Port St Mary B and whilst they won 5-3 on games they lost on aggregate sharing the spoils 5-5.
I fancy Port Erin to be near the top of the tree at the end of the season and a 7-3 win away at Ballaugh B will do their chances no harm at all. They are a quality outfit and if they continue to pick up points away and win their matches at home we be real contenders for silverware.
Onchan B bounced back from last week’s defeat with 6-4 home victory over Peel B whilst Peel C won by the same score line as they entertained Douglas B. Port St Mary C produced some goo home form against Finch Hill to win 7-3 on the night.