News: Reports
Castletown A Open With Highest Score
The first set of fixtures in the Over 60s Ladies League was played on Tuesday morning. Although the Over 60s league has lost two teams this season (Douglas and Port Erin B), the league has gained a new team (Onchan B). The closest match on points was between Finch Hill and Onchan A. Jan Osborne for Finch Hill won to single figures, as did Paula Firth and Dee Lewis for Onchan A.
| Results : | Ballaugh | 92 | – | 114 | Port St Mary A | (1-5) |
| Onchan B | 80 | – | 117 | Peel Sunset | (2-4) | |
| Port St Mary B | 83 | – | 123 | Castletown A | (2-4) | |
| Mooragh Park B | 61 | – | 121 | Marown | (1-5) | |
| Castletown B | 70 | – | 107 | South Ramsey | (2-4) | |
| Finch Hill | 77 | – | 98 | Onchan A | (2-4) | |
| Port Erin | 87 | – | 110 | Mooragh Park A | (2-4) |
On looking at individual results from the above, it is encouraging for the game of crown green bowls to see quite a few junior lady bowlers playing in the Open Age league and new adult bowlers playing in the Open Age league and Over 60s ladies league. I sincerely hope they enjoy the experience and camaraderie of a great sport.
Victory for Marown
JMS Shield Winners 2020 - Marown
The last remaining ladies over 60s bowls match was played on Thursday at Port St Mary in sunny but blustery conditions. For the past few weeks teams from across the Island have been competing for a place in the final of the JMS Veterans Shield and the successful teams were Marown and Finch Hill.
Both teams have players who are extremely talented and experienced so it was predicted to be a very close match. In the first half Margaret Scarffe for Marown played Moire Turner for Finch Hill with Moire taking an early lead in the first 4 ends but Margaret fighting back to take the jack scoring valuable points for Marown until Moire reclaimed the jack to pull ahead and at one point was 5-14 up. Margaret responded with true grit and determination to reduce the lead but the game ended with a win for Finch Hill 13-21.
Alongside them another game was in progress with Elaine Dewhurst for Marown up against Iris Kermode for Finch Hill. Elaine got off to a slow start but then dominated the game with some great shots scoring 2 points on several ends. Iris, trying her hardest, just couldn’t catch up once Elaine pulled ahead and the game finished 21-7. Also on the green were Shirley Whelan for Marown and Elaine Vincent for Finch Hill. Both players had a good game with each of them scoring maximum points on several ends but it was Shirley who pulled ahead after 10 ends having consistently won back the jack to maintain her lead and preventing Elaine from catching up. The game ended 21-12 and another win for Marown. At the halfway stage Marown led by 2-1 but its points that win prizes and Finch Hill were ahead by 5. (75-80).
The second half was crucial for Marown. Philippa Taylor and Rosemary Winkle knew they had to win to single figures and they didn’t disappoint any of their supporters. Both opposition players had some great shots and really played well to try to gain points but the experience of Philippa and Rosemary proved too much and both games gave Marown the single figure wins they needed.
The final game was between the team captains Celia Joughin and Jan Osborne and with the excitement mounting from supporters lining the green the players went end to end in a very close game that could have gone either way. Finch Hill had provided strong opposition for Marown from the start and this game was no exception. Each of the captains were a credit to their team and fully deserved the “all but across” cry from the markers. Final score 21-20.
The match ended with Marown the winners 138-130 and this years JMS Veterans Shield champions.
Presentations were made by Janet Latham who explained that the origins of the JMS are from her family initials and the trophy will be continue through her grandson who bears the same initials. Thanks were given to Port St Mary bowling club for hosting the match and all of the many supporters who came to watch.
This report concludes the summer fixtures for 2020 but bowls continues to be played throughout the winter in the Outdoor League which starts with a Round Robin on Saturday 3rd October.
Payback Time in The Semis
With the play offs for the ladies JMS Veterans Shield completed and all the mini league matches played, their only remains one match to complete this year’s fixture list.
The quarter finals for the JMS saw Ballaugh, Peel Sunset, Port Erin A and Mooragh Park all beaten in matches that witnessed some tremendous bowls take place.
The semi-finals were played on Thursday 10th September.
Castletown A travelled to Marown who were determined for some pay back following their 5-point defeat against Castletown A in the mini league championship final played recently. However, Marown were on their own green, which for every club is preferable. Shirley Whelan, Rosemary Winkle and Philippa Taylor all scored maximum points and kept their opponents to scores in the low teens while Elaine Dewhurst had a very close game against Ann Hollingworth and just piped her to the post 21-20 these good scores tipped the scales to give Marown a clear win and a place in the final. 106-97 (4-2) both teams off scratch.
In the other semi-final Onchan were at home to Finch Hill but had a mountain to climb, even on their own green, to beat their visitors who started the match with a 60 point advantage. Onchan played really well and won 5 games but were up against experienced players especially Lil Smith, who won her game alongside Jan Osborn and Sue Caley who scored into the high teens. These high scores combined with 60 points took Finch Hill to the final in a match that ended 116-154 (5-1).
At the time of writing this report the venue for the JMS Veterans Shield final is still undecided but wherever it is, one thing is certain, it’s going to be a great match between Marown and Finch Hill on Thursday 17th September.
Castletown Win Jean Kelly
Jean Kelly Knockout Winners 2020 - Castletown
The highly anticipated final of the Jean Kelly competition was played at Onchan Bowling green on Thursday 27th August.
The rather challenging weather conditions included heavy rain & strong winds but in no way dampened the enthusiasm of either the players or the many supporters around the green who were treated to a masterclass of bowling from the Ladies of Castletown A and Nobles, the latter having been given a handicap of 5. The standard of bowling throughout the evening was exemplary with extremely high levels of skills evident and all games were finally balanced.
Becky Teare was first on for Nobles and she eventually triumphed 21-16 over Tracy Moore. Paula Firth & Hilary Kermode had an excellent tussle but it was Hilary who eventually won the game 21-15. Fantastic bowling between Paula Garrett & Stella Watterson resulted in Stella winning 21-17 and Hannah Drewett overcame Nobles’ Debbie Leece to win 21-13. Next up was Sylvia Kennaugh who stormed to victory over the talented Amanda Lawler 21-7, meaning that at the end of the first five games, Nobles took the lead by 92 points to 86.
Jan West was on next for Nobles, but could not get the better of Ann Oates who scored 21 to Jan’s 13. Clare Cooper and Ann Hollingworth also had a fantastic game but it was Ann who came out the eventual winner, 21-15. Ali Keggen played brilliantly against Kim Foy to triumph 21-10 and with the competition poised at 141 to Nobles & 138 to Castletown A, it came down to the final game between Jayne Smith & Kath Kinley who, in the end, had the green to themselves. A further showcase of great bowling but it was Kath who brought it home for the Castletown Ladies 21-14, thus securing the Jean Kelly Shield for the team.
The presentation was made by Sue Gawne, President of the Ladies Association, who thanked Moore Kelly & his family for their continued support of this competition and also for the buffet and refreshments that they supply each year. She also thanked the Club, the supporters and everyone involved in making the evening such a great success. Moore’s Granddaughter, Kate Watson, made a short speech and presented the awards to each team.
Rain delays play in semi-finals.
Storm Frances proved too much for bowling greens on Tuesday and the decision was made to delay the semi-finals by 24 hours. So, in much improved conditions players from South and Middle came together in two very close semi-finals on Wednesday.
Port St Mary A and Marown played their match at Port Erin’s Breagle Glen and it was a fantastic match with winners and losers on both teams resulting in a tie. In these circumstances the winner is decided on whichever team has the best individual winner and in this case it was Marown by just one point, in the Shirley Whelan game where she won 21-3. The final match score was 95-95 (3-3).
The other semi-final was played at Peel. Castletown A against Port Erin A and again it was a very close match with 3 wins for each team but Castletown just managed to keep the average score of the non-winners higher than that of Port Erin’s and now face Marown in the final next Tuesday. Final score 109-104 (3-3).
By Thursday storm Frances had moved on but more rain was forecast, however Ramsey remained dry which facilitated both Ramsey clubs to play their matches in the Prelim JMS Veterans Shield. Mooragh Park were at home to visitors Douglas and the North Ramsey team knew that they had a hill to climb playing off scratch against a +15 advantage for Douglas but their recent form and home green knowledge gave them a convincing win. Douglas were on the back foot from the start with a player short but their remaining team played well. Final score 108-80 (4-2).
The other local club, South Ramsey, have already experienced disappointment as a result of this year’s handicap system. In the ladies night league they played Castletown B, won all 9 games but lost the match on points and unfortunately it was a similar story for them in their match against Finch Hill. The visitors started the match with 60 points which gave the home team a near impossible task. However, they played brilliantly and the final score was 121-145 (5-1) taking Finch Hill to the quarter finals.
Because of the weather Onchan vis Port St Mary B decided to delay their match until Tuesday 01 September but the match between Marown and Port St Mary A did go ahead.
Both teams must have been very tired after their match just 24 hours earlier in the Team Championship semi-finals but Marown at home and with a 45-point start proved too much of a challenge for the reigning champions who were knocked out in a very close game that Marown would have won without the points advantage. Final score 146-94 (3-3).
Next week the Team Championship Final is at Nobles on Tuesday 1st with the quarter finals of the JMS Veterans Shield being played on Thursday.
Pat Lenton.
Peel & Marown to Meet in Rayner Shield Final
Both Rayner Shield semi-finals took place last week with Douglas A hosting Peel A on Monday evening in good conditions. For Peel Gary Smith got the visitors off to a flying start beating Gordon Wynne-Smythe 21-5, whilst Tom Kelly won 21-9 against Jimmy Sansom. Villa captain Andy Cannell hit back with a 21-6 win, whilst Keith Rise dug deep to beat Dougie Allan 21-18. In the second half of the match Mervin Sayle performed well to beat Andy Kennish 21-17, Ian Moore won 21-14 against Peter Greenlees, Tommy McMeiken recording a third single figure win on the night for Peel only a Shaun Seal win against Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly would do. Seal performed well before finally losing out 16-21, which meant whilst Peel drew 4-4 on games, but their superior chalk difference of 17 (122-139) booked their placed in the final. Douglas can take consolation from a solid performance.
The following evening play went ahead despite the heavy rain throughout the day, the Marown green held up well for the visit of South Ramsey A, there was an excellent crowd up to watch this encounter. The match was incredibly tight with the 6-2 score line in favour of the Crosby men not reflecting the match or the performance put in by the visitors. First off was David Bradford who found his form to win 21-11 against John Gelling. Alan Moore performed brilliantly before agonisingly losing out 20-21 to Colin Kelly. This defeat was compounded by Dean Kipling getting over the line 21-19 against Dido Kelly. Visiting captain Glynn Hargraves had to win against Phil ‘Rambo’ Kelly for South Ramsey to stay in the match, however he found himself trailing 11-17, but dug deep to run out with a 21-19 victory to level the game at 2-2 with the visitors holding a nine chalk advantage (72-81). In the second half Marown A captain Paul Dunn romped home with a 21-9 win over Austin Hart to tip the chalks in the Crosby outfits favour, whilst Paul Kelly got a crucial hit at 18-18 with Stefan Kelly lying two to run out with a 21-18 win. This meant South Ramsey had to win the last two games on the green and this was by no means out of their reach with Steven Waters 20-19 up and putting up a good lead against Matthew Keggen and James Teare was 16-8 up on Neil Withers, however Keggen played two good bowls on the last end to seal the win for Marown. This result visibly deflated Teare, who ended up losing 20-21 to Withers with the match now decided. South Ramsey pushed Marown all the way on their own green and can take pride from their performance, losing by just eight chalks (156-148) after losing three games to 20, one game to 19 and another game to 18.
The final is to be held on at Port St Mary Bowling Club on Friday 11th September at 6:30pm. Marown will be looking to extend their record and capture the shield for the 17th time. A Peel victory would be their third in the competition, previously winning in 1983 and 1987.
Moore is Manx Champion
Ladies Manx Champion Winner 2020
Jenny MooreThe Ladies Manx Championship was held at Peel Sunset BC on Saturday 22nd August, a fitting venue as the competition was held in memory of Heather Horsburgh, who was a proud member of Peel and a key contributor to the ladies committee for many years. A raffle during the day raised £300 for the MSPCA, a charity which Heather held close to her heart.
With a strong entry of 51 women, the day looked to be a long one, with rain showers possibly adding time to the games. Competition committee members Gill Morgan and Tracy Moore kept the games running smoothly and the day was a brilliant success.
Losing in the quarter final stage were Nobles clubmates Beckie Teare and Clare Cooper. Beckie put up a fight against Philippa Taylor, but the former Peel player used her knowledge of the green brilliantly and managed to win the game 21-12. Clare came up against South Ramsey’s Jenny Moore, who had been playing brilliantly all day. Despite Clare’s best efforts, Jenny won comfortably with a score of 21-11. In the third quarter final game, Kim Hargraves played some great bowls to knock out Onchan’s Maureen Payne 21-10. The final match was the closest out of all the quarter finals, with Port Erin player Lynda Cadamy playing Mooragh Park’s Janet Monk. It really was a nip and tuck game, which could have gone either way, but Monk managed to shrug Lynda off and take the win with the final score of 21-18.
The first semi-final was Philippa Taylor against Jenny Moore, a close game with some great bowls. There was some impressive corner bowling, and Jenny managed to take the game with a 21-16 score. In the second semi-final Kim Hargraves took on Janet Monk, and despite having played well all day, Kim just struggled to shake off Janet, with Janet playing short round marks on the edges and leading exceptionally well. Final score was 21-10 to Janet.
The final between Jenny Moore and Janet Monk was another close game, closer than the score reflects. Jenny kept her incredible form and won the game 21-11. The presentation was made by Ladies President Sue Gawne, who thanked everyone for a wonderful day, with a special mention to Heather and how she would have loved the day. Special thanks went to Ann Gale, who has continued to support the Manx Championship with a cheque of £250.
Onchan Wins First Ladies Plate
Ladies Plate Winners 2020 - Onchan
The final of the Ladies Plate Competition was held on Friday (21st August) at Finch Hill Bowling Club, with Mooragh Park taking on Onchan who had a handicap of 15.
There was some fantastic bowling by both teams, and it was great to see supporters around the green. First game off was Libby Andrade v Maureen Hamilton, with the Onchan player comfortably winning to 9. Second game to come off was Joanne Kelly v Shannon McMullan, with the latter taking the win with a very close 19-21. Both players demonstrated some excellent bowling and it was definitely one of the matches of the night, with one of Onchans newer players Joanne really holding her own against the up and coming star of the future Shannon. North Ramsey players Chris Sims and Pat Lenton battled against Dee Lewis and Marilyn Ellison, managing to beat them with scores of 21-19 and 21-14 respectively. Final game of the first set of jacks was two junior girls, Grace Gawne v Aalish Howarth. Again, two players to watch in the future, with some exceptionally close ends, Grace managed to secure another win for Onchan with a score of 21-16. This left the scores after the first blocks off at 94 Onchan, 88 Mooragh Park before handicaps.
Caroline Corlett played Victoria Johnson and struggled to shrug the junior star off. Playing some brilliant bowls, North Ramsey player Victoria won the match 21-15. Maureen Payne fought against Janet Monk, but Janet played the green extremely well with some brilliant leads and beat Maureen to 9. Onchan players Jo Smith and Sue Gawne played Katie Johnson and Irene Goodall, keeping them to single figures with a 21-6 and a 21-5 win, which really secured Onchan’s victory as the first winners of this new competition. Final score was 175 Onchan and 141 Mooragh Park.
The presentation was made by Janet Latham, treasurer for the Ladies Committee, who thanked all involved for the running of the evening, and all the players who took part. Special mention was made to the juniors who all played exceptionally.
Disappointment for Finch Hill
The final matches before the semi-finals took place on Tuesday 18th August. The winners from each of the four groups will play on Tuesday 25th August with the final taking place on Tuesday 1st September.
In GROUP D Finch Hill knew that every point would count but just couldn’t get the full house that they needed against Castletown B who went home with 2 wins 120-80 (4-2). This left Finch Hill very disappointed and just 3 points behind Marown who now qualify for the semi-finals.
In GROUP C Port Erin A made certain of their place in the semis with a convincing win away to Peel Sunset. Port Erin only managed to win 2 of their games but these were to single figures which made all the difference to the final score with both teams playing brilliantly all morning. Final score 88-100 (4-2).
GROUP A leaders are Port St Mary A who finish 121 points clear at the top of their group and face Marown in the semis. They played at home this week against South Ramsey who managed just one win from Elaine Moore who had a close game against Chris Price who proved a very worthy opponent scoring into the mid-teens 15-21. The rest of the match was dominated by the Port St Mary team who are always at their best when playing at home. Final score 120-64 (5-1). Also in group A are Port Erin B who this week played against Onchan. The match was at Port Erin with Kay Primrose-Smith playing for the home team and gaining a good win against Marilyn Ellison. However, Onchan are a very good team and won the match. Final score 88-117 (1-5).
GROUP B qualifiers are Castletown A who are 111 points clear of the next team in their group. This week they played at home against Ballaugh. The visitors played well with 4 of their players reaching double figures but it wasn’t enough to make any difference to the final result and it was a full house for Castletown A 126-69 (6-0). Castletown A now face Port Erin A in the semi-finals. Also in group B and at the other end of the Island Mooragh Park were in top form on their own green and won their first match this season against the visitors Port St Mary B. Wins from Pat Lenton ,Maureen Hamilton, Peggy Freeman and Chris Sims gave the home team a comfortable win and a final score of 116-92 (4-2).
Lots to look forward to next week with the semi-finals on Tuesday and the first round of the JMS Trophy on Thursday.
Club Team Championship Commences
The preliminary round of the Club Team Championship took place last week with three matches taking place. The format this year is a straight knock out with matches played home and away decided on the total chalks scored over the two matches.
The closest match of the week was between Douglas and Noble’s with just 19 chalks separating the teams, with Douglas claiming a home victory by 37 chalks (192-155), whilst Noble’s took an 18 chalk victory in the return leg (190-172), however this wasn’t enough to recover the deficit from the first leg with the Villa team progressing to the next round by 19 chalks (364-345). There was very little to choose from between the two teams with the games ending up 10-10 over both legs.
Finch Hill played host to Onchan, with a couple of couple of new names turning out for Onchan, however it later transpired that the two players hadn’t been registered to play, therefore the results resulted in walkovers in favour of Finch Hill. This didn’t stop the Onchan men from taking a 17 chalk victory in the first leg (148-165), whilst in the second leg they ensured the players were correctly registered and romped home to a 42 chalk victory (189-147), winning by 59 chalks over the two legs (354-295) to progress to the next round.
Port St Mary made light work of Castletown with a 38 chalk victory in the first leg at home (185-147) winning 7-3 on games, whilst away from home they won 8-2 on games but only won by 26 chalks (189-163). Overall Port St Mary won the tie by 64 chalks (374-310) to take their place in the quarter finals.
Ladies Announcement
The final of the inaugural Ladies Association Plate competition is being held on Friday 21st August at Finch Hill Bowling Club between Onchan (+15) and Mooragh Park (SCR). This was previously published in The Courier last week as being held at Peel, however it has been confirmed that Finch Hill will be hosting this final. It is hoped that there will be a good crowd there to support both teams.