News: Reports
Peel B Crowned Division Two Champions
Peel B sealed their promotion to division one for the 2020 season in style with a 9-1 away win over Finch Hill A on Monday evening with the Finch men finishing in fourth place – the same position as Peel B finished in 2018. It has been a fine season for the Peel men who will next season compete in the same league as their A Team. It has been a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the club from 2015 when their A team were relegated from the top tier. Since then Peel have seen the return of several players along with recruiting players from other clubs and have also had a number of new bowlers take up the game to go from strength to strength.
Ballaugh A finished in second spot and should the league structure remain the same in division one next season, they will make a return to the top tier having been relegated in 2017. The Ballaugh team will need to be at their best next season as they readjust to the top league, however they have a mixture of youth with Patrick Grant, new players in Richard Hainge and Paul Cubbon, along with their ‘old guard’ who need no introduction.
At the other end of the table North Ramsey B finished rock bottom, whilst Ballaugh B made an immediate return to division three having been promoted last season.
The team that came up with Ballaugh were league winners Marown C who finished in a very respectable sixth position with captain Stephen Rundle having also led his team to the Rayner Plate pulling off the shock of the season to put in a superb performance to see off first division team Port St Mary A. After a seasons experience in division two the Crosby men should be looking to challenge the top four next season if they carry on improving as they have each season since the club introduced an extra team. Marown are also looking to introduce a fourth men’s night league team next season, with the club working hard to fund their new clubhouse, whilst their junior set up is second to none not just on the Island but in the UK with a number of visiting bowlers expressing their admiration for the work put in to introduce the next generation of players to the game.
In division three South Ramsey C won the league by a huge 28 points, however there is a good argument that four or five of the C team players should be playing for their B team next season to give their B Team the best chance possible of making an immediate return to division one. South Ramsey C finished their season with an 8-2 home win over Finch Hill B, who finish in second place after finishing second from bottom only two seasons ago to complete a remarkable turnaround.
In division one all matters were settled at the top of the table with Marown A having sealed the league the week before, they ended their season with an 8-2 home victory over Noble’s A, who avoided a whitewash to help their cause to stay up. The two Noble’s winners were Glenn Boland who beat Dean Kipling 21-8, whilst Dave Pease won 21-19 against Matthew Keggen.
Second placed South Ramsey A suffered a mini disaster with a 5-5 draw away to Castletown B after having to give a walkover to the town men which ultimately cost them the aggregate. David Bradford capped off a fine season in the league with 19 wins from 20 games played, with his only loss coming against Andy Kennish 20-21 away to Peel as far back as May, after Bradford led 20-15 and was lying game Kennish played superbly to see the game out. Bradford has had only 170 chalks scored against him throughout the season to average 8.5 chalks scored against per game, bettered only by John Kennish in 2015 who averaged 7.7 chalks against per game.
Onchan A will be glad to see the back of 2019 having suffered a disastrous end to the season losing their last three games, this time losing 2-8 at home to Port St Mary A. This didn’t stop a left handed Jordan Cain from seeing off Glenn Hargraves 21-9, whilst Kevin Quirk returned to see off Rob Cooil 21-7. For Port St Mary Dave McCabe won 21-12 against Peter Slinger, Wayne Roberts beat Matthew Quirk 21-16, Trevor Quayle beat Rob Monk 21-11, whilst Paul Skelly beat Steve Parker to the same score. Tim Williams won 21-13 against Mark Kelly and Dan McCabe edged his game 21-20 against Frank Watson.
At the bottom of the table Castletown B were too far behind the teams above them to have any chance of staying up, whilst Noble’s A taking two points off the champions Marown meant South Ramsey B would have to win 10-0 in their last match of the season. South Ramsey B postponed their match with Castletown A due to a flooded green on Monday night, with the fixture rearranged for Wednesday evening they knew only a whitewash would do, however Castletown A put paid to any faint hope of that with three wins coming from David Quayle, Dean Kinley and Sam Clague. South Ramsey claimed a 7-3 home win however it wasn’t enough, they will be playing their bowls in division two next season.
EVF Mixed Final
The Ellan Vannin Fuels mixed team final takes place at Castletown on Wednesday evening with Port St Mary A looking to add to their three wins in this competition, whilst Marown A will be looking to claim their second win with their only victory in this competition arriving in 2017.
Port St Mary reached the final coming through the group stages with five wins and one defeat to top a group that included Onchan A, Douglas A and Finch Hill. In the semi-final they came up against Peel, reaching the final thanks to winning by a huge margin of 63 chalks (183-120) on Noble’s 1. Peel’s only two wins came from Mike Ashmole and Shirley Corrin with both players winning 21-18. Port St Mary did the damage to their opponents with three wins to single figures coming from Chris Price, Wayne Roberts and Dave McCabe.
Marown A came through a group that included Port Erin A, Marown B and Castletown A with six wins from six games played. In the semi-finals they had the formidable task of defeating the current holders South Ramsey A. The match was well competed with South Ramsey holding an 11 chalks lead after five games completed, thanks to single figure wins from Gill Dixon and Dido Kelly, however Neil Withers had the biggest win of the night with a 21-6 win over Elaine Moore to keep the northern teams lead down. In the second half of the match the Ladies Manx Champion Jenny Moore faced the Men’s Manx Champion Colin Kelly with Colin taking a 21-13 victory. Tony Dugdale claimed a 21-17 win over Lil Smith who battled well, whilst the turning point in the match came with Matthew Keggen performing well to see off James Teare 21-12. With the chalks now favouring the Crosby outfit by just two chalks and the games tied at 4-4 it left one game on the green between Lyn Bolton and Paul Kelly with Lyn performing brilliantly to recover from a 5-18 deficit to level the match at 19-19 playing a short mark under the floodlights on Nobles 2 green. Unfortunately Lyn didn’t send her block far enough to set a legal mark which allowed Paul to set the length of the jack and score the all important chalk needed to win the match and reach the final. Paul just got over the line 21-20 to seal the victory by three chalks 152-149 and the team winning 5-4.
Two Horse Race Heading Into Final Week
With a week left to go Castletown A and Port St Mary A will battle it out to become champions of the Ladies Night Bowling League.
Last week, Castletown A faced a tricky away match against Nobles knowing they could not risk dropping too many points with the title in sight. Nobles saw wins from Clare Cooper, Rebecca Teare, Alison Keggen, Debbie Leece and Sylvia Kennaugh. Castletown’s winners were Anne Oates, Hannah Drewett, Hilary Kermode and Tracy Moore. The match finished with Nobles claiming a one chalk victory winning 164-163 (5-4). Castletown’s losing ladies all performed well pushing into double figures ensuring they dropped little points and retaining their advantage heading into the final week of the season.
Port St Mary A have done all they can to keep themselves in the title race with a crushing win over their B team in which they scored a maximum winning by an overall score of 94-189 (0-9).
Castletown B played their final match of the season, at home against Mooragh Park, as they sit out of the last round of matches. Mooragh Park won by 66 chalks 112-178 (2-7). Rosemary Quirk and Aalish Haworth top-scored both winning 21-2 with Janet Monk also winning to single figures. Victoria Johnson, Vicky Lloyd-West, Helen Martin and Shannon McMullan also won for the visitors. Castletown picked up their wins from Jo Robert and Rachel Palmer. In only their second season Castletown B have improved with each week and have scored over 250 points more than their debut season. I expect further improvements in 2020 and this team will begin to rise the table.
Peel Sunset travelled to face Douglas at the Villa green and left with a 41 chalk victory. Heather Horsburgh and Pat Robertson top-scored for Peel both winning 21-3 with wins also coming from Lynda Wilson, Joyce Kelly, Gill Clarke and Sue Jones. Douglas picked up three wins from Harley Garrett, Wendy Cowin and Pat Kelly with the match ending 120-161 (3-6).
Ballaugh had a home encounter against Onchan with the visiting team winning more games on the night but losing on chalks with having to give a walkover. Michelle Cubbon received the walkover whilst Elaine Fenton, Cath Harvey and Gill Dixon won for the home team. Onchan’s winners were Marilyn Ellison, Dee Lewis, Maureen Payne and Lynda Clarke. Final score 145-137 (4-5).
The final match last week saw another close result as Port Erin lost at home by three chalks to Marown. Port Erin picked up four winners from Di Benson, Carol Kaye, Kay Primrose-Smith and Lynda Cadamy. Marown’s winners were Lil Smith, Mary Alderson, Joyce Ogden, Rosie Winckle and Elaine Dewhirst. The five wins gave Marown the chalks they needed to win 144-147 (4-5).
With the final matches approaching Castletown A lead Port St Mary A by 25 chalks and face a tricky last match away to Marown. PSM have a home tie against Ballaugh and must look to score another maximum and hope their rivals drop points. It promises to be a great conclusion to the season and the closest finish to the season for several years. Should Castletown triumph it would be a record 16th league win and their first since 2009.
In the race for the individual merit, Elaine Moore remains top on 481 three chalks ahead of Rebecca Teare.
Ladies’ IOM Pairs
There was a small field of ten pairs for the IOM Ladies’ Pairs played at Ballaugh on Sunday 15 September. What the entry lacked in quantity it more than made up for in quality, as shown by the standard, and closeness, of many of the matches.
In the preliminary round the experience of Rosie Winckle and Lil Smith showed against their less experienced opponents, Pat Lenton and Maureen Hamilton, the Marown pair going through 21-8. In the other prelim, the new pairing of Lyn Bolton and Joyce Ogden took on the holders, Fiona Kennish and Jenny Moore. Fiona and Jenny had the better of the early skirmishes to hold an 18-9 lead. With six points in the next five ends Lyn and Joyce pulled back to 14-18, but it was too little too late as the South Ramsey pair clinched a 21-15 win.
In the first of the quarter-finals Rosie and Lil came up against Fiona and Jenny, who won the first four ends to lead 10-6. The next three ends closed the score to 9-10. The ends were then shared, but two 3’s allowed the Marowm players to level the score at 15-15. A 4 by the holders was a killer blow as they went on to win 21-15.
Shannon McMullan and Janet Monk faced Elaine Moore and Gill Dixon, who had won the title three times in the past and, despite a sterling effort, after their opponents scored 7 in the first three ends, they were unable to make up the deficit.
Jean Radcliffe and Chris Price lost the first two ends against Lin Ruscoe and Paula Firth before winning the next six ends to lead 15-10. The Nobles’ combo pulled back to 15-15, but could only score one more point before Jean and Chris progressed to the semi-finals 21-16.
Judy Kelly and Helen Caley almost caused the upset of the afternoon against Mary Alderson and Lynda Cadamy, surging to a 15-9 lead. Seven in the next three ends gave Mary and Lynda a 16-15 lead, but this was countered by a pair of 2’s which brought the South Ramsey ladies to 19. A 3 followed by a 2 gave the match to Lynda and Mary 21-19.
The first semi-final was pretty even throughout with Jenny and Fiona leading 14-13 then Elaine and Gill taking the lead at 17-16. The scores were then level at 18-18, before a 2 and a single took Elaine and Gill through to the final 21-18.
The second semi-final was level at 12-12 before Mary and Lynda won the next four ends to lead 18-12. Despite a 2 and a1 on the next two ends Jean and Chris had to bow out 15-21.
A close start to the final saw the score at 11-11 after eight ends. Winning four of the next six ends, including a 4, saw Mary and Lynda in the driving seat 19-14. It was no fluke that Elaine and Gill were already three time winners of the trophy, as they then dug deep, winning the next six ends to take the title, for a fourth time, 21-19.
The presentation was made by Association vice-president, Heather Horsburgh, who thanked those who had entered, the Ballaugh club for the use of their facilities and all those who had helped in the smooth running of the event.
League Action Resumes
Port Erin B following their 8-2 home win over South Ramsey D
Photo: Glynn HargravesLeague fixtures resumed in Ellan Vannin Fuels division one with Marown A showing no signs of slipping up seeing off South Ramsey B with their 2-8 away win enough to restore their 14 point lead at the top. For the home Team Tony Dugdale inflicted a third league defeat of the season on Neil Withers with a 21-16 win, whilst Steven Waters beat Phil Kelly 21-18. Division one merit leader Colin Kelly made it 18 wins from 19 games with his 21-7 win over Christian Caley, whilst his father Martin Caley lost to the same score against Paul Kelly. Matthew Keggen was pushed hard before taking a 21-19 victory over Ben Dugdale, with the rest of the visitors wins being comfortable.
Marown B hosted South Ramsey A at Crosby with the home team picking up three good wins in their 3-7 home defeat. Winning for the home team were captain Harry Barton with a 21-8 win over Chas Grills, whilst Brian Kelly claimed an assured 21-13 victory against Alan Moore. Peter Kelly picked up the third win for the home team with his 21-17 win over George Brew. Four of the visitors wins were to single figures with Glynn Hargraves beating James Kelly 21-4, whilst David Bradford matched this with his win over Bobby Thorne. Stefan Kelly seen off Juan Killip 21-8, a result matched by Peter Collister with his victory over Luke Hyland.
Third placed Onchan A recorded a hard fought 7-3 win over Douglas A. Captain Peter Slinger lost 11-21 to Andy Cannell, Matthew Quirk lost 20-21 to Stuart Garrett, whilst Frank Watson suffered the same fate against Ian Moore. Three of the home team wins were to single figures with Rob Monk beating Shaun Seal 21-3, Phil Kerruish seeing off Keith Rise 21-5, whilst Kevin Quirk won 21-8 against Gary Conwell. The other two games were close with Steve Parker winning 21-19 against Mervin Sayle, whilst Mark Kelly also won to the same score against Jimmy Sansom.
Noble’s A are all but guaranteed another season in division one following their 8-2 home win over bottom of the table Castletown B. Steve Cook was ruthless with his 21-6 win over George Foy, whilst Steve Hall beat Ross Moore 21-18, as did David Pease with his victory over Mike Hargraves. Captain Kevin Firth recorded a 21-19 win over Aaron Richardson. For the visitors Ron Williams won 21-12 against John Ruscoe, whilst Bob Clark also won 21-12 against David Quayle.
Castletown A suffered a 3-7 home defeat against Port St Mary A, however their three wins came from their young guns. Jordan Drewett pulled off his finest win to date with a 21-12 victory over Trevor Quayle, Nathan Hamilton was in good form taking a 21-11 win over Tim Williams, whilst Dean Kinley edged home 21-20 against Bernard Thackrah. For the visitors Rob Cooil beat Ian Watson 21-10, Dan McCabe won 21-15 against Sam Clague, Paul Skelly took a 21-16 victory over Peter Oates, with Dave McCabe winning 21-18 against George Peach and Wayne Roberts battling hard to earn a 21-19 win over David Quayle.
In division two Ballaugh A needed a big home win over Peel C using one of their games in hand to close the gap on leaders Peel B. The home team could only take a 6-4 victory to sit 10 points behind the league leaders with one more game in hand.
Port Erin A recorded a 7-3 home win over Onchan B with merit leader Mike Thomas making it 17 wins from 17 games played. Douglas B held off visitors Marown C taking a 7-3 home win at the ‘Villa’. Finch Hill A will have been pleased to record a 3-7 away victory over Port St Mary B, whilst low lying Port St Mary C gave themselves some breathing space thanks to a 7-3 home win over Ballaugh B who look set for an immediate return to division three.
In division three league leaders South Ramsey C had another good week picking up a good 2-8 away win over Castletown C. Second placed Finch Hill B hosted Douglas C to take an 8-2 victory, third placed Noble’s B edged a tight game 4-6 away to Ballaugh C taking the aggregate by just two chalks (146-148), whilst Noble’s C edged the aggregate by a chalk (130-129) to help them to a 5-5 draw against Port St Mary B. South Ramsey D hosted Peel D with the home team taking a 6-4 win thanks to wins from Robert Snape, Billy Blair, Ryan Hargraves and Richard Davies.
On Thursday evening Port Erin B (pictured) brought forward their home match with South Ramsey D recording an 8-2 home win. For the visitors Richard Davies inflicted a second league defeat of the season on merit leader Harry Minor, who needs just one more win to claim the merit, whilst Ryan Hargraves recorded his second win of the week with a 21-14 victory over Stuart Garrett. Winning to single figures for the home team were Alan Crebbin with a 21-7 win over Frank ten Donkelaar, whilst Ken Horsley won 21-9 against Steve Kelly.
Current Champions Produce Impressive Win
Castletown A weathered the first of two tough fixtures by producing a fine home performance to beat South Ramsey by nine chalks and remain favourites to lift the ladies league title.
South Ramsey will take a moral victory in the match-winning more games but with the only single figure win going to Castletown as Kath Kinley beat Lyn Bolton 21-9 it made the difference on the team score. Castletown’s other wins came from Marie Ashurst 21-19 against Jill Quayle, Hilary Kermode 21-13 against Gill Morgan and Hannah Drewett 21-13 against Sue Collier. Winners for SR were Kim Hargraves 21-19 vs Kim Foy, Fiona Kennish 21-15 vs Anne Oates, Jenny Moore 21-15 over Tracey Moore and Elaine Moore who just did enough coming past Heike Perry 21-20. Final score 168-158 (4-5).
Current champions Port St Mary A gained 19 chalks on Castletown and in doing so put themselves right back in title contention following their impressive home win over Marown, dropping only two chalks across the nine games. Jayne Kneen and Chris Price both won to single figures with wins also coming from Ann Maddrell, Val Macfarlane, Katy Williams, Kellie Maddrell and Trish Bull. Marown picked up two 21-20 wins from Shirley Whelan and Philippa Taylor with PSM taking the victory 187-129 (7-2).
Ballaugh welcomed Nobles with the away team taking the victory however, Nobles would have been looking for a larger score to keep up their title race. Nobles had four winners to single figures Sylvia Kennaugh, Alison Keggen, Clare Cooper and Debbie Leece. Lin Ruscoe, Rebecca Teare and Jayne Smith also won for Nobles. Ballaugh’s two wins came from Alison Millard and Elaine Fenton with the away team running out to win 106-165 (2-7).
Port Erin faced Castletown B at Breagle Glen and comfortably won by 59 chalks. Home players Di Benson and Jenny Cain both won 21-3 with Phil Dobson, Susan Inch, Jacqui Elliott, Voirrey Curphey and Lynda Cadamy also winning. Castletown collected two wins from Barbara Young and Angela Quayle with the match ending 177-118 (7-2).
Douglas slipped to a 15 chalk loss at home against Mooragh Park with the away team also picking up five winners. Caroline Parker, Anne Kean and Helen Martin won to 21-9, 21-3 and 21-7 respectively with Aalish Haworth and Vicky-Lloyd West also picking up wins. Paula Garrett top-scored for Douglas 21-7 whilst Kay McKiernan, Pat Kelly and Wendy Cowin added to the home wins. The match finished 128-143 (4-5).
Onchan against Port St Mary B is the final match from Friday night with the home side winning six games to win by a healthy 58 chalks. Sue Gawne, Maureen Payne, Marilyn Ellison and Jo Smith won to single figures and Caroline Corlett, Dee Lewis rounded off Onchan’s winners. Chris Holland, Debra Cooper and Elaine Hawkins won for PSM with the final match score 172-114 (6-3).
With only two weeks to go Castletown A lead at the top of the league by 51 chalks from Port St Mary A. South Ramsey sit second but have played an extra match and sit out this round of fixtures and will drop to fourth position.
Nobles are 63 points behind Castletown and this week sees those two teams face off in what could be the crunch game of the season. Port St Mary A take on their B team and will look to score a maximum 189 points as they continue to chase down Castletown.
Manx Ladies Shine at Festival
The September Bowls Festival, which was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year, has once again completed another successful week, with entries up and Manx ladies putting up a good showing.
Although the weather was “iffy” at times with rain showers and strong winds, it did not detract from the players enthusiasm or their standard of bowling.
The finals started on Thursday morning, when the Tourism competitions were played to a conclusion from the quarter-finals. Jenny Moore went out at that stage to Alison Cotton (St Georges ) 21 – 15. In the final Lyn Bolton had the better start against Alison Cotton . She was able to hold on against a come-back mid game from Alison to take the trophy 21-14. This win means that Lyn has qualified to play in the Champion of Champions at Waterloo at the end of September.
They continued in the evening with the doubles events. In the Open Doubles the Manx pairing of Jenny Moore and James Teare lost out in the semi-finals, 11-2, to Joe Cranston and Gaz Lally (Crossgates).
Elaine Moore, paired with Amanda Nicholas ( Gresford Colliery ), reached the final of the ladies’ doubles against Angela Gaut (Wrockwardine Wood) and Sharon Gadd (Shipley). Despite their opponents taking an early 6-2 lead, Elaine and Amanda then dug in, denying their opponents further points and taking the match 11-6.
On Friday, Janet Monk was the only lady in the final four of the visit iom.com Flyer, going out at that stage to David Jackson Knutsford) 9 – 4
In the main event, three Manx ladies made it through to the quarter-finals, Mary Alderson, Fiona Kennish and Jenny Moore.
Mary and Fiona came up against the eventual finalists, Mary going down 21 – 15 to Gill Simm (Lune Rd ) and Fiona losing out 21- 12 to Molly Sullivan ( St Georges ). Jenny got her revenge on Alison Cotton, winning 21-14 to go through to the semi-finals, where she went down 21 – 14 to Molly. This meant that Jenny won the Blanche Kaye Trophy for the Manx lady getting furthest in the main event.
The final was evenly contested, the score being level at 7-7, 11-11, 14-14 with Gill not being behind after the fourth end until at 16-16 Molly won two ends in a row to lead 18-16. Gill then led 20-18 before a 2 from Molly made it 20-20. Gill, who had lost out in the final last year, was not to be denied, winning the last end and the trophy.
Castletown Edge Closer To Champion Status
Round 23 of the Ladies Night League produced another twist in the season as Castletown A extended their lead at the top of the league to 60 chalks as challengers Nobles dropped more points.
Castletown A took on their B team with the result ending 94-180 (1-8). Amanda Lawler, Marie Ashurst, Anne Oates, Kath Kinley and Kim Foy all won to single figures whilst Joy Stephens was the lone winner for the B team allowing them to avoid a full house.
Nobles travelled south to face Port Erin knowing they needed match as close as possible Castletown’s score. Port Erin won four games from Di Benson, Caroline Whitehead, Voirrey Curphey and Lynda Cadamy, who won 21-1 to hamper Nobles scoreline. Rebecca Teare top-scored for Nobles winning 21-3 with wins also coming from Clare Cooper, Alison Keggen, Debbie Leece and Sylvia Kennaugh. Nobles won the match by five chalks 147-152 (4-5).
Port St Mary A has closed to within 10 chalks of Nobles following a strong away win against Onchan. Chris Price and Jayne Kneen won 21-4, Katy Williams won 21-5 with Val Macfarlane, Trish Bull, Kellie Maddrell and Mavis Franks also winning for PSM. Onchan claimed two wins from Sue Gawne and Maureen Payne with the match ending 120-177 (2-7).
In the Ramsey Derby, Mooragh Park took a 7 chalk victory winning five games from Helen Martin, Janet Monk, Rosemary Quirk, Victoria Johnson and Aalish Haworth who top-scored winning 21-7. South Ramseys best performance came from Elaine Moore who won 21-4 with wins from Jenny Moore, Kim Hargraves and Gill Morgan. Final score 160-153 (5-4).
Marown welcomed Ballaugh to their green in Crosby with the matching going all the way with the visitors leaving with a two chalk victory. Rosie Winckle top performed for the home team winning 21-7 whilst Helen Withers, Mary Alderson and Pat Withers also won. The away team picked up five wins from Babara Graham, Elaine Fenton, Brenda Bowyer, Gill Dixon and Alison Millard with the match finishing 164-166 (4-5).
The final match from Friday between Port St Mary B and Peel Sunset resulted in the first draw in Ladies League bowls since May 2017. Wyn Collister, Edwina Reid, Brenda Hawkard and Linda Dawson won for PSM with Linda picking up a fine 21-4 win. Peel collected wins from Lynda Wilson, Shirley Corrin, Heather Horsburgh, Louise Horsfall and Mary Moffatt who won 21-9. The final score was honours even 155-155 although Peel claimed a small moral victory by winning more games (4-5) on the night.
Castletown A has secured a comfortable lead at the top of the league but a potential banana skin match is due in Round 24 at home against South Ramsey. On the same night, Nobles travel away to Ballaugh and Port St Mary A take on Marown at home with those teams hoping to reduce the deficit to Castletown. Should the gap reduce Round 25 could then be the last crucial week of the season as Nobles take on Castletown.
For all the latest bowls results and news visit the IOM Bowls Website www.iombowls.com.
Full House Sends Castletown A Top
Castletown A took on Onchan in their catch up game with the opportunity to chase down Nobles who held a 157 chalk advantage.
Castletown has been in formidable form at home averaging 181 in their last four home matches and made light work of Onchan winning 189-80 (9-0).
The result has pushed Castletown 32 points ahead of Nobles with the crunch match between the leading pair due to take place in a couple of weeks. Before that match, Castletown will face their B team where they will be favourites to secure another maximum before a tricky home tie against South Ramsey.
Nobles have two away games against Port Erin and Ballaugh and must look to score big to ensure the gap doesn’t widen too much before the showdown with Castletown.
Port St Mary A won’t give their status of Champions up without a fight and now only sit 67 points behind. With matches coming up against Onchan, Marown and their B team they will push the top teams all the way.
South Ramsey have played an extra game so will sit out in two weeks. Before that an away tie against Mooragh Park followed by the away match against Castletown will give SR their chance to push to finish in the top 3.
Individually Elaine Moore has been in terrific form all season having already won the Over 60s merit. Elaine is top of the night merit, with 439 chalks, having only lost a single game. Second is Jenny Moore (429) and third is Top Lady Winner Rebecca Teare on 416. Rebecca has played a game less but even with this game in hand, Elaine would remain top by two points.
It’s all to play for with only a few weeks left of the season and should be a fantastic battle for the teams and players.
Port St Mary A Crowned League Champions Again
Ladies Over 60s League Winners - 2019 - Port St Mary A
Back: Ann Maddrell, Rita Callister, Wendy Kennaugh, Margaret TaskerFront: Trish Bull, Val Macfarlane, Mavis Franks
The final league matches were played on Tuesday and as anticipated it was a close finish resulting in Port St Mary A winning the league title but by just 2 points!
The A team arrived at Breagle to play Port Erin ‘s A team in the final match of the season holding a 16-point lead over Peel.
The Port Erin side played exceptionally well in a very close game taking the league leaders to a 92-95 (2-4) final score and surely reducing their overall points total.
The 2 wins came from Lynda Cadamy, who won 21-2, and Jacqui Elliot, who won 21-9, with 3 of the remaining team reaching double figures giving them 92 points in total. However, Port St Mary had their eyes firmly on the prize and got 4 wins from Margaret Tasker, Tricia Bull, Mavis Franks and Ann Maddrell taking their total to 95 points.
Meanwhile in Ballaugh Brenda Bowyer and her team awaited the arrival of Peel.
Glorious conditions and a much-improved green saw some excellent bowls played.
Ballaugh fought hard against the visitors and had 3 wins from Barbara Graham, Carol Holt and Voirrey Oates plus double figures from all the other players. In contrast Peel also played well, trying hard to close the 16-point lead that the southern side were holding. Peel bagged 3 wins from Joyce Kelly, Mary Moffatt and Heather Horsburgh to clinch a 5-point victory 104-109 (3-3) but in the end Port St Mary were crowned league champions for another year.
Castletown were keen to hold onto their 3rd position in the league when they played their nearest rivals Marown. The visitors played well but were unable to dominate the home side and the final score was 114-95 (4-2).
As well as the league being decided the Merit Table has been topped by Elaine Moore who has had an outstanding season winning all of her games.
To finish my final league report for 2019 I thought I would leave you all with a poem dedicated to all new bowlers. We need as many new recruits as we can get to strengthen our sport and provide continuity for the future.
DON’T GIVE UP
When the summer day is over and I’ve put my bowls away
I sit before my iPad and I wonder what to say
Oh, the time has gone so quickly I can’t believe it’s done
With all the games decided, are they lost or won?
April saw the start of bowling and we played it twice a week
Wet and windy and no sunshine, followed up with lots of cake.
We started off quite handy full of hope and motivation
Perhaps next year they’ll choose us to represent the nation!
But no, it didn’t last we bowled our bowls a bit too fast
Jack up they cried Long tapes they cried
But most of all “All but “they cried
More land, Reach up, my finger, your thumb
Oh my goodness what have I done.
Even when we’re down the Park we sometimes cannot reach the mark,
Too short, Too long, Too narrow, Too wide
Our lack of practice you couldn’t hide.
The captains said “well done “well played “You are improving “
So come on girls let’s get moving.
The winter league is set to start
A mid-week game at Nobles Park
Send the form in, pay the subs
There’s lots of bowlers from all clubs
But don’t be late, listen and learn.
Then maybe next year it will be our turn.