News: Reports

Zurich International Life Mixed Doubles

Saturday saw a quality field of 35 teams of mixed pairs take to the green at Finch Hill in excellent playing conditions to compete in the Zurich International mixed doubles competition.

With late entries, a pair being scratched and three preliminary matches it was a slow start for many competitors but once we got into the first round it was clear that there were going to be quite a few front runners spread throughout the draw.

First out of the blocks in the top half of the draw was Alan Moore and Shelley Kennish who raced into the quarter finals only dropping five points in three matches which must surely be a record. Philippa and Alec Taylor were also showing good form as they comfortably made their way into the quarter finals with two victories 21-10 and 21-8. Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves had a harder draw as they had to overcome Fiona Kennish and Steve Waters and then James Teare and Jenny Moore to make it into the quarter finals. Sue Gawne and Brian Kelly played well throughout the day but made it into the quarter finals courtesy of wins over Eddie Carlyle and Lil Smith 21-16 and then home favourites Peter and Hazel Hughes 21-15.

In the bottom half of the draw Debbie Leece and Glenn Boland showed good form to make it into the quarter finals with two comfortable wins whilst Wayne Roberts and Joyce Ogden followed them with similar results. Derek Allen and Margaret Tasker eased their way into the quarter finals dropping only seven points in their two matches. Completing the bottom half of the draw was Chris Price and Dave Kelly who had won this event twice in the past three years and they were up against Tina and young Alex Hampson playing in his first competition. What a baptism of fire this was but a great experience also for the youngster and it was great to see Dave chatting to him as they crossed the green together. After the match, which they understandably lost, Alex said he had hoped to win his first match, perhaps not realising the pedigree of their opponents. In their second match Chris and Dave made it into the quarter finals with a 21-11 win over Maureen Payne and Mike Thomas.

In the quarter finals Philippa and Alec Taylor continued their good form with a 21-12 win over Alan Moore and Shelley Kennish. Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves had a closer match with Sue Gawne and Brian Kelly and despite leading 19-12 at one point it took them another eight ends to get over the line 21-19. Wayne Roberts and Joyce Ogden overcame Debbie Leece and Glenn Boland 21-16 in a high scoring rapid fire match. Chris Price and Dave Kelly made quick work of Derek Allen and Margaret Tasker taking just 10 ends to win 21-12.

Philippa and Alec Taylor met Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves in the semi-final and this produced one of the closest matches of the day. The Taylors got off to a great start with a four on the first end and lead most of the first half but after 15 ends it was 20-20 and all to play for. The final end saw Philippa and Alec take the victory with a two.  In the other semi-final Chris Price and Dave Kelly got off to a slow start against Wayne Roberts and Joyce Ogden and after seven ends were 12-9 down but a consistent run of two’s saw them over the line and into the final.

The final was nip and tuck all the way with Philippa and Alec Taylor leading 15-14 at one point but with repeated short ends being played by Chris Price and Dave Kelly and their acceptance of single point ends it was the latter that after eight hours of competition ran out winners for the third time in four years.

The prize presentation was made by Mary Alderson as last year’s winner of the competition on behalf of Finch Hill. Special thanks go to our generous sponsors Zurich International, to our ladies and Frank Christian for keeping everyone fed and watered throughout the afternoon, to John Harris for prepping the green and to all those stewards, measurers and markers who helped make this one of the most successful competitions staged at Finch Hill for many years.

Leaders Drop Points Against Marown

Last week saw rounds 19 and 20 played in the Ladies Bowling League which is the last double game week of the season.  

Wednesday saw straightforward wins for the top three sides Nobles, Castletown A and Port St Mary A.  Nobles defeated Port St Mary B 189-58 (9-0) to collect their third maximum of the season. Castletown A dropped only one chalk defeating Mooragh Park 188-97 (8-1).  Port St Mary A also dropped one chalk in their win against Douglas 188-88 (8-1).

Ballaugh and Peel Sunset played out the closest match of the night with Peel coming through the close affair winning by only four chalks.  Ballaugh picked up four wins from Elaine Fenton, Alison Millard, Michelle Cubbon and Barbara Graham who won 21-4. Peel replied with five wins from Mary Moffatt, Heather Horsburgh, Joyce Kelly, Shirley Corrin who won 21-9 and Lynda Wilson who won 21-8.  The final score 154-158 (4-5).

Marown had a strong home performance against Castletown B winning seven of the nine games.  Shirley Whelan, Philippa Taylor, Helen Withers and Lil Smith all won to single figures and Pat Withers, Rosie Winckle and Margaret Scarffe also won.  Barbara Young and Joy Stephens won for the away team with the final score 182-106 (7-2).

Onchan welcomed South Ramsey with the away team taking all the spoils following a good performance.  Onchan picked up two wins from Sue Gawne and Maureen Payne but was unable to get close in the other games.  For South Ramsey, Elaine Moore, Jenny Moore, Lyn Bolton and Sue Collier all won to single figures and Kim Hargraves, Ann Gale and Fiona Kennish also won.  Final score 105-171 (2-7).

On Friday Castletown A had their sit out and South Ramsey against Port St Mary A was postponed which would allow leaders Nobles to try and increase their advantage.  However, despite Nobles winning by 33 chalks they struggled at home against Marown only winning five games and scoring 160 chalks, their second-lowest at home this season.

For Nobles Viv Cook, Jan West, Paula Firth and Debbie Leece all won to single figures to build their advantage and Sylvia Kennaugh also won for the home team.  Ceila Joughin beat the current Top Lady Rebecca Teare. Wins also for Margaret Scarffe,Phillippa Taylor and Shirley Whelan dented their overall score with the match finishing 160-127 (5-4).  The result leaves Nobles 184 chalks ahead of second-placed Castletown A who have a game in hand.

Ballaugh took on Douglas with the home team winning by just 10 chalks despite winning six games.  Brenda Bowyer top-scored winning 21-5 and Elaine Fenton, Gill Dixon, Alison Millard, Michelle Cubbon and Voirrey Oates also won for Ballaugh.  Shantelle Thorpe 21-16, Kay McKiernan 21-4 and Sue Caley 21-8 pushed the match back into the balance but Ballaugh had done enough to claim a 154-144 (6-3) victory.

Castletown B picked up their second win of the season defeating Onchan 153-121 (6-3).  Castletown’s wins came from Linda Dobinson 21-9, Elaine McElroy 21-17, Emma Hurst 21-7, Sonya Mercer 21-4, Grace Quayle 21-12, and Barbara Young 21-9.  Onchan had wins from Jo Smith 21-7, Sue Gawne 21-8 and Dee Lewis 21-12.

Port St Mary B managed to beat Mooragh Park by six chalks despite losing 4-5 on games.  Mooragh Park had two wins to single figures from Janet Monk 21-8, Rosemary Quirk 21-9. Another good win for Mooragh Park came from Helen Martin but much closers affairs came from  Ellie Cowell v Dot Mylchreest 21 -18 and Caroline Parker v Christine Holland 21-19. Single figure wins for PSM B came from Wyn Collister and Pauline Worrall. The game finish 150-144 (4-5).

Peel welcomed Port Erin in their second game of the week and it was Peel who won the match by 29 chalks. A tough battle between Joyce Kelly and Di Benson saw the away player taking a strong win 21-19. Lynda Cadamy, Jacqui Elliott and Caroline Whitehead also won for the away side. But big single figure wins from Peel saw Pat Robertson win 21-5 and Sue Jones winning 21-5 restricting Port Erin to 136. Winner for Peel was Shirley Corrin, Heather Horsburgh and Mary Moffatt. The match finished 165-136 (5-4)

Next week sees Nobles sit out and gives Castletown A the opportunity to leap over into the top spot if they score 187 in their match against Onchan.  PSM are two matches behind Nobles due to a rearranged game but should they average around the 185 mark in those games they could easily take the top spot.

Ballaugh finished 12th in the league last year and are currently sitting in 7th position. The season continues to be one of the closest seen in the last few years and no doubt will also see strong finishes from South Ramsey, Marown and Peel Sunet.

Ladies’ IOM Merit

A small, but select field of sixteen ladies, gathered at Marown on Sunday 4th. August to compete for Barbara Lee Memorial ladies’ IOM Merit competition. The weather was iffy for most of the afternoon the with sun eventually making an appearance during the final.

Looking at the entry some good bowling could be expected, and the players did not disappoint with some very close and exciting games. Even when the scores were not close there were few easy points with each end being strongly contested.

In the first round Philippa Taylor faced last year’s winner, Jenny Moore, and had the better of the early skirmishes to lead 15-8 after nineteen ends. After exchanging points to 17-11, Jenny produced five 2’s in a row to move into the quarter-finals 21-17.

The game between Margaret Tasker and Helen Martin was definitely a game of two halves, with Margaret in control initially, leading 14-7 after fourteen ends, and then Helen pulling back to 18-18 by end 25. Three singles saw Helen progress to the next round 21-18.

Two home greeners, Helen Withers and Lil Smith also had a tough battle with honours being even over the first 11 ends, before Helen edged into a 15-10 lead. Lil then wrested the initiative from her to eventually come through 21-18.

It was pleasing to see one of the Junior girls, Rebekah Kelly, taking part and putting up a creditable performance before losing out 11-21 to Fiona Kennish.

The first two quarter-finals saw Jenny Moore and Helen Martin being too strong for their opponents, reaching the semi-finals without too much difficulty but it was a different story in the bottom half of the draw.

Caroline Whitehead and Kim Hargraves could hardly be separated as they kept together for 29 ends with neither of them having a lead of more than 2 throughout. On the thirtieth end, despite Caroline having the jack, Kim scored a two to end their titanic battle 21-19.

It was another close game between Fiona Kennish and Tricia Bull, with Tricia maintaining a slight lead up to 14-10 before Fiona won four ends in a row to level at 14-14. Two 2’s eventually gave Tricia a 19-15 lead and sharing the last four ends saw her into the semis.

In the first semi-final Jenny was in imperious form, coming through 21-6 against Helen, but again it was more tricky for the protagonists in the other. Although Tricia had a slight edge from the beginning, Kim was only 2 points behind at 14-16. A single and a 2 for both players saw the score at 19-17 when two singles gave Tricia the game

In the final it was nip and tuck to 5-5 after nine ends. The ends were hotly contested and the final score of 21-9 to Jenny makes her victory sound easier than it was !

The Competition secretary thanked those who had taken part, Marown for the use of their green and their members for their help measuring and marking.

Jenny thanked the organisers of the competition and Marown for their help and for their providing refreshments

Marown A Edge Closer – Peel B Go Top – South Ramsey C March On

In Ellan Vannin Fuels division one champions elect Marown A bounced back from the disappointment of their Rayner Shield final loss with their ‘away’ fixture against their B team at Crosby with last year’s 3-7 defeat fresh in their mind the A team were keen to put things right, doing just that with a 0-10 victory. Coming closest to picking up a win for the B team was Arnie Withers who just lost out 20-21 to Walter McCarthy who stepped up from the C team. Winning to single figures for the A team were Colin Kelly and Paul Dunn, beating Bobby Thorne and James Kelly respectively. The result leaves the A team 14 points ahead of second placed South Ramsey A with just six games left, whilst the B team are just seven points ahead of the bottom two teams South Ramsey B and Castletown B.

The bottom two sides South Ramsey B and Castletown B faced each other with the town men coming away from Ramsey with a 4-6 win to boost their hopes of staying up.  Winning for the home team were Tony Dugdale, Edward Carlyle, Austin Hart and Christian Caley who has started to find some form picking up some good wins recently. Responding for the town men were Mike Hargraves, Ron Williams, Bob Clark and Nathan Cooil whose 21-8 victory helped his team edge the aggregate by six chalks (132-138).

Port St Mary A were the hosts for the visit of second placed South Ramsey A. The visitors recorded a good 2-8 win with Trevor Quayle in fine form to inflict a first league defeat of the season on Dido Kelly (21-17), whilst Wayne Roberts performed well to win 21-9 against Ian Moore. Hitting back for South Ramsey were David Bradford with a 21-6 win over Dan McCabe, whilst the remaining five winners for the visitors were all comfortable.

Noble’s A are 12 points ahead of the bottom two after picking up four points at home to Onchan A losing 4-6. For the visitors Kevin Quirk and Mark Kelly both won 21-17 against Reginald Temporaza and Tommy Collister respectively, Matthew Quirk had a good 21-12 win over Glenn Boland, whilst Jordan Cain won 21-9 against David Quayle. For the home team Steve Hall and Steve Cook both got home by the tightest of margins 21-20 with good wins over Rob Monk and Phil Kerruish, David Pease won 21-16 against Neil Dunwell, whilst captain Kevin Firth had a superb 21-5 win over Steve Parker. Just six chalks separated the teams with Onchan edging the aggregate (139-145).

In the third 4-4 of the night Peel A hosted Douglas A, with the home team comfortably taking the chalks to round off a 6-4 win (150-124). Winning 21-13 for the Villa men were Ian Moore and Stuart Garrett, whilst they picked up two 21-20 wins from Merv Sayle and Jimmy Sansom against David Proctor and Alec Taylor. For Peel their wins were all comfortable from Tommy McMeiken, Andy Kennish, Alan Cromwell and Dave Kelly.

Castletown A hosted North Ramsey A at the Crofts with the home team taking a good 8-2 win. Sam Clague continues to impress in his first season in division one and just his third year since taking up the game with a 21-10 over Geoff Porter. Other winners for the younger generation were Jordan Drewett (21-9) over Steve Walmsley, whilst Dean Kinley won 21-20 against Bryan Corner. Of the more experienced bowlers for the home team the winners were Derek Lewney, George Peach and Peter Oates.

In division two Peel B have taken over at the top of the table from Ballaugh A, who recently visited Peel for a game brought forward and suffered a 0-10 defeat at the hands of the Peel men.  Peel B had most of their good work undone with their 2-8 away defeat at the hands of third placed Port Erin A, who with a few big wins could be right up there in the mix.

With Ballaugh A looking to bounce back they suffered another setback with a 3-7 home loss to Marown C, with the Crosby men receiving a massive boost ahead of Friday’s Rayner Plate final against first division side Port St Mary A. Ballaugh currently occupy second place, five points behind Peel B with a game in hand.

Finch Hill A are in fourth place, they recorded a good 2-8 away win over North Ramsey B at Mooragh Park. Douglas B will have been pleased with their 7-3 home win over Port St Mary B, Onchan B took a 6-4 home win over Ballaugh B whilst Port St Mary C took the spoils 7-3 at home to Peel C.

In division three South Ramsey C made it 15 wins from 15 games to maintain their 100% record with their crushing 9-1 home win over Port Erin B.

Second placed Finch Hill B took their turn to sit out the latest round of fixtures, which gave third placed Noble’s B the opportunity to close the gap, they made the short visit to take on Onchan C at the Park, however the home team were too strong for the Noble’s men with Onchan recording an 8-2 victory. The Finch Hill men now have a game in hand in addition to their four point lead.

South Ramsey D came away from the Villa with a good 2-8 win, Peel D eased to a 7-3 home win over Castletown C, whilst Nobles C matched this with their win over Ballaugh C.

Ballapaws Ladies’ Doubles

The ladies’ doubles open, sponsored by Ballapaws Boarding Kennels took place at Peel on Saturday 27 July, with an entry of fifteen pairs. The event started in overcast conditions which turned to rain for the later stages.

In the first round all the matches were won to double figures. Lyndas Cadamy and Lyn Bolton had a tough draw against last year’s winners, Kim Hargraves and Jenny Moore, who seemed to be cruising at 19-13. A three and a single saw the possibility of a come- back from Lynda and Lyn, but it was too little too late as Kim and Jenny came through 21-17.In a similar vein, Celia Joughin and Lil Smith raced to an 18 -11 lead over Caroline Whitehead and Jan West, before their opponents scored seven over the next four ends to close to 18-19. A two from the Marown pair saw them progress to the next round 21-18. The Peel pairing of Lynda Wilson and Cath Parker also came from behind, trailing 14-18. They won the next five ends, including two 2’s to take the game 21-18.

In the quarter-finals Joyce Kelly and Mary Moffatt won their game against Sue Jones and newcomer Courtney Moore 21-7, while Philippa Taylor and Joyce Ogden got of to a flyer against Paula Firth and Lin Ruscoe, sprinting to a 16-7 lead, before winning 21-10. Cath Parker and Lynda Wilson were inspired in their match against Margaret Tasker and Tricia Bull taking the game 21-14, and in the other quarter-final Jenny Moore and Kim Hargraves experienced some dogged resistance from Lil Smith and Celia Joughin, who had the better start, leading 12-8 and holding on to the advantage to 13-12 when Jenny and Kim switched up a gear to reach the semi-finals 21-15.

Quarter-finals: Joyce Kelly and Mary Moffatt 21, Sue Jones and Courtney Moore 7; Kim Hargraves and Jenny Moore 21, Celia Joughin and Lil Smith 15;  Philippa Taylor and Joyce Ogden 21, Paula Firth and Lin Ruscoe  10; Cath Parker and Lynda Wilson 21, Margaret Tasker and Tricia Bull 14.

In the first semi-final, Joyce Kelly and Mary Moffatt stayed with Kim and Jenny to 9 – 9, but their challenge collapsed when they could only manage one more point, while Cath and Lynda had shot their bolt in the previous round and could not find their mojo again, going down 21-9 to Philippa and Joyce

The rain, which had started during the semi-finals was also a factor in the final, with conditions becoming a little inclement.

In the final early exchanges saw the score level at 9-9, but Kim and Jenny were determined to hold on to their title, scoring twelve in five ends to take the trophy 21-9.

Heather Horsburgh thanked those who had entered and those who had helped during the afternoon. Particular thanks went to Ballapaws Boarding Kennels for their sponsorship of the event. Heather then asked club Vice-President, Mona Kerruish to present the prizes.

Top Two Max Out

League action resumed on Monday evening in Ellan Vannin Fuels division one after a weekend of heavy rain there were likely to be no greens running well.

League leaders Marown A show no signs of taking their foot off the gas following their home game with Castletown A taking a 10-0 win. Coming closest to grabbing wins for the visitors were Sam Clague who lost out 19-21 to Marown captain Paul Dunn, whilst Dean Kinley just lost out 20-21 to Dean Kipling.

Second placed South Ramsey A hosted Noble’s A hoping to help their B Team out with a big win over one of the teams their B team are hoping to catch at the bottom of the table. The home team did just that matching the Marown result with their own 10-0 win. South Ramsey captain Glynn Hargraves inflicted just a third league defeat of the season on Tommy Collister to win 21-6, whilst Dido Kelly went one better with a 21-5 victory over Steve Cook, not to be outdone Stefan Kelly played superbly to beat Glenn Boland 21-4. Coming closest to sparing the whitewash was Reginald Temporaza who lost out 18-21 to Chas Grills.

Onchan A lie in third place, continue to press their claims for second spot taking on South Ramsey B at home with the match ending in a 8-2 win for the home team over the team currently second from bottom. Tony Dugdale got back to winning ways with a 21-16 win for the visitors, Christian Caley recorded a superb 21-17 win over Steve Parker, whilst Edward Carlyle lost out 19-21 to Mark Kelly. For the home team Matthew Quirk and Jordan Cain won to single figures, it was good to see Rob Monk back in action after missing several games due to a back injury, with Monk winning 21-9 against George Brew.

Castletown B took on Peel A at the Crofts with the home team desperately needing to start picking up points to close the gap on the teams above them, however Peel took a 3-7 away win. Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly held off Ron Williams to win 21-19, as did Jerome Surridge who dug deep to inflict a second league defeat of the season on Bob Clark. Home team winners were George Foy who won 21-15 against Gary Smith, Nathan Cooil took a 21-17 victory over Alan Cromwell, whilst Alan Phair just snatched a 21-20 win over Mike Ashmole.

Port St Mary A made the long journey north to take on North Ramsey A at Mooragh Park with the home team hoping to bounce back from last week’s heavy defeat to South Ramsey A, however the Port men were in good form taking a deserved 2-8 win. Winning for the home team were Tony Smart who won 21-10 against Bernard Thackrah, Ray Skelly had a good 21-16 victory over Dave McCabe, whilst Bryan Corner just lost 20-21 to Tim Williams.

Douglas A took a hard earned 8-2 win over Marown B with the Crosby men just losing the aggregate by three chalks (148-145). The Villa men had Stuart Garrett, Jimmy Sansom and Gary Conwell all winning to the same score (21-18) over Bobby Thorne, Harry Barton and Peter Kelly respectively, whilst Andy Cannell won 21-20 against John Kelly. For the visitors Luke Hyland won 21-17 against Shaun Seal, whilst Brian Kelly had a fantastic 21-5 win over Ian Moore.

Full report to follow…

Honours Even in Sunset City

It was another good clash between the top teams in Ellan Vannin Fuels division one with Peel A hosting Onchan A with the home team winning 5-3 on games, however Onchan won the aggregate comfortably by 12 chalks to secure a 5-5 draw. For the home team Harry Kelly stepped up from the B team to beat Steve Parker 21-12, Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly won 21-16 against Mark Kelly, Tommy McMeiken took a 21-15 win against Kevin Quirk, Andy Kennish won a tight game 21-19 against Peter Slinger, whilst Gary Smith won 21-20 against Tom Slinger who performed well on his first division debut. Responding for Onchan were Jordan Cain who beat Peel captain Stevie Kelly 21-9, Matthew Quirk seen off Tom Kelly 21-12, whilst Frank Watson no doubt feeling he had a point to prove on his old stomping ground won 21-7 against David Proctor.

Marown A kept a firm grip at the top with their 1-9 away win over Port St Mary. Captain Trevor Quayle was the only winner for the home team with his 21-11 victory over Juan Killip, with the home team reaching just 90 points to record one of their lowest scores at home in recent history.

Reigning champions South Ramsey A made the short trip to Mooragh Park, also coming away with a 1-9 win over North Ramsey A. Geoff Porter saved the whitewash with his 21-14 win over Glynn Hargraves.

Noble’s A gave themselves some breathing space in their quest to stay up with their 8-2 home win over second from bottom South Ramsey B, with Marown B doing likewise with their 8-2 win at Crosby over bottom of the table Castletown B.

Castletown A seen off Douglas A with their 7-3 home win with Sam Clague continuing to impress despite losing out 20-21 to Stuart Garrett. The town men had their second home fixture of the week with their rearranged match with Onchan A taking place on Thursday evening with the Onchan men taking a hard earned 3-7 win.

In division two Ballaugh A recorded a good 3-7 away win at the ‘Villa’ over Douglas B, whilst second placed Peel B kept up the pressure with their 1-9 away win over Ballaugh B to close the gap by two points. Port Erin A sit in fourth place after their 7-3 win at home to Finch Hill A and sit 14 points behind Peel B with a game in hand. Port St Mary B are currently in third place, however they slipped up again with their 6-4 away loss to lowly North Ramsey B. Fifth placed Onchan B won 7-3 at home to Peel C and promotion may well beyond them this season.

Marown C continue to establish themselves in division two with their hard fought 4-6 away win over Port St Mary C, who have a new player in their ranks Will Cain, who despite losing on the night has only taken up the game properly this season, with Cain showing some good potential and has got the ‘bug’ putting the time in to improve his game.

In division three league leaders South Ramsey C showed no sign of relenting in their chase for promotion with a good 8-2 home win over Nobles C, whilst second placed Finch Hill B went one better with their 9-1 win over Noble’s B. Castletown C recorded a 2-8 away win over Douglas C, matched by Onchan C at home to Ballaugh C, whilst Peel D who picked up a 7-3 home win over Port Erin B.

Top Two March On

Nobles extended their advantage at the top of the Ladies bowling night league following a crushing away win against Douglas. Nobles won all nine matches which saw comfortable wins for Paula Firth, Jayne Smith and Lin Ruscoe who all won to single figures. Paula Garrett nearly prevented the whitewash but Jan West got over the line 21-20. Result 106-189 (0-9).

Castletown A continues to chase Nobles and will be happy with another dominant home performance beating Ballaugh by 59 chalks. Kim Foy and Anne Oates collected fine wins to single figures with wins also coming from Ann Hollingworth, Heike Perry, Hilary Kermode, Amanda Lawler and Kath Kinley. Cath Harvey and Pat Mason won for Ballaugh with the match ending 179-120 (7-2).

South Ramsey picked up their second full house of the season with a strong home performance against Castletown B. Elaine Moore, Ann Gale, Lyn Bolton, Jenny Moore and Kim Hargraves all played well and won to single figures. Charlotte Peach came closest for Castletown and was just pipped 21-19 by Fiona Kennish. Final score 189-82 (9-0).

Port St Mary A made the trip north to face Mooragh Park. Mooragh picked up four wins from Janey Monk, Vicky Lloyd-West, Shannon McMullan and Madison McMullan with Madison winning 21-6. Port St Mary responded with five wins including Kellie Maddrell and Chris Price who won to single figures. Trish Bull, Jayne Kneen and Val Macfarlane also won to give PSM an overall 24 chalk win 134-158 (4-5).

Peel Sunset who on the back of a four-game losing streak had a tricky home tie against Marown, who had only lost twice in the last eight games. Peel controlled the match from start to finish picking up wins from Shirley Corrin, Heather Horsburgh, Joyce Kelly, Mary Moffatt, Gill Clarke, Pat Robertson and Lynda Wilson. Marown’s Helen Withers and Margaret Scarffe claimed wins for the away side with a final score for Peel 183-121 (7-2). A special mention goes to eleven-year-old Grace Cooper who made her first league appearance for Marown, it is always good to see another youngster coming through the ranks.

The final game of the week saw a southern derby between Port St Mary B and Port Erin. The match was only separated by ten chalks with PSM just falling short on the night. Rita Callister top-scored 21-8 for the home team and Edwina Reid, Pauline Worrall and Linda Dawson also won. Port Erin fought back and with Di Benson winning 21-6 and Lynda Cadamy 21-8 and with three more wins from Jacqui Elliott, Carol Kaye and Caroline Whitehead, gave them victory 141-151 (4-5).

With Round 17 done and dusted Nobles stay top holding a 23 chalk lead over Castletown A. South Ramsey sit third 110 chalks behind Castletown. Port St Mary A, who still have a game in hand, remain fourth but are 204 chalks from the top spot.

Next week Nobles travel to Castletown B and Castletown A travel to Port St Mary B with both sides looking to avoid any slip-ups. Port St Mary A face a rejuvenated Peel Sunset team and South Ramsey is home to Marown.

Elaine Moore continues to lead the way at the top of the merit having won all 16 games with Rebecca Teare two chalks behind and Jenny Moore ten chalks behind.

Keggen & Bolton Win Jordan Cup

The Jordan Cup was held on Saturday 20th July with a good entry of 32 Ladies entering the competition which was played in a drawn doubles format. The teams were split into four groups playing in a round-robin format with each game consisting of ten ends with the fifth and tenth end being a “power end” where points scored are doubled.

Qualifying from the first three groups were Lyn Bolton and Alison Keggen, Pat Robertson and Paula Firth, Chris Price and Libby Andrade. The final group saw Debbie Leece and Caroline Whitehead joint on points with Rebecca Leece and Joyce Kelly so a one end shootout would decide the final spot. One player from each team would contest the end and sisters Rebecca and Debbie battled it out with Debbie bowling closest to the jack taking herself and Caroline through.

In the first semi-final, Alison and Lyn took on Pat and Paula. A great start saw Alison and Lyn build a 6-0 lead before scoring a two on the power end which was doubled taking them to 10-0. Pat and Paula picked up their first point on end seven and took the final power end but Alison and Lyn went through 17-3 winners.

The second semi-final was nip-tuck with the game evenly poised after the first power end at 5-5. After eight ends Debbie and Caroline led 8-6 before a three pulled their opponents back in front 9-8 meaning whoever won the final power end would reach the final. Debbie and Caroline won the end taking the victory 10-9.

The final was a tight affair with Alison and Lyn leading 3-1 after four ends with the players restricting each other to singles. On the first power end, Alison and Lyn scored a three allowing them to take control of the match and lead 9-1. Debbie and Caroline fought back and won three out of the next four ends to trail 10-5 going into the final power end. The final end proved to be a cliff hanger, with Debbie and Caroline lying two Debbie sent her last bowl which went into the end close to making a third. With all the players checking the end Alison and Lyn conceded two down and hung on to take a 10-9 victory.

At the conclusion, Rebecca Teare presented the Trophy to the winners and praised all the players for a great day of bowls and thanked all the members of Nobles who helped run the competition.

Onchan Commissioners Cup

A total of 26 ladies entered the competition which started at 1pm under difficult weather conditions which only got worse as the afternoon progressed.

There were 5 preliminary games and going through to the quarter finals were 8 pairs.

The first game of the quarter finals saw Jenny and Elaine Moore win their game against Sue Gawne and Marilyn Ellison 21-9, the second game Paula Firth and Lin Ruscoe beat Caroline Corlett and Libby Andrade in a closely fought game 21-16, the third game Chris Price and Jean Radcliffe defeated Maureen Payne and Lynda Clarke 21-13 and finally in the fourth game Phillipa Taylor and Joyce Ogden eased past Judy Kelly and Helen Caley 21-7.

In the first semi-final, Jenny and Elaine Moore triumphed 21-13 against Paula Firth and Lin Ruscoe. In the other semi-final Chris Price and Jean Radcliffe conceded their game against Phillipa Taylor and Joyce Ogden 16-14, the deteriorating weather conditions playing a part in their decision thus Phillipa Taylor and Joyce Ogden made their way through to the final against Jenny and Elaine Moore.

In the final Phillipa Taylor and Joyce Ogden were unable to get the better of their opponents Jenny and Elaine Moore who were in commanding form and eventually triumphed 21-6.

Overall, despite the inclement weather the afternoon proved to be a success and there was some extremely good bowling on display from all entrants.

Onchan Ladies Bowling Club and all entrants would like to thank Kathryn Williams, the Vice Chairman of Onchan Commissioners for turning out in such awful weather conditions to present the trophy.