News: Reports
Port St Mary Take Control Of Ladies League
Last week in the Ladies League we start with the hotly anticipated top of the table clash between Port St Mary and South Ramsey. The re-arranged fixture took place on Thursday and Castletown A would have been keeping a close eye on events to see how their lead over the two teams would be effected. Earlier in the season South Ramsey defeated Port St Mary 154-130 (5-4) and on paper this was to be another close affair.
Katy Williams got Port St Mary off and running with a 21-8 win over Bethany Kennish. The other four matches from the first half were shared with both sides winning two. Ann Maddrell suffered a rare home defeat as Lyn Bolton just had the edge in their game to win 21-20 and South Ramsey’s second win came from a 21-18 win over Kellie Maddrell-Reeve. Port St Mary responded with Val Macfarlane beating Jill Quayle 21-19 and Wendy Kennuagh who had an excellent result beating Jenny Moore 21-15. Port St Mary took a lead of 17 chalks into the second half.
The second half Port St Mary dominated winning all four games. Trish Bull defeated Fiona Kennish 21-14, Margaret Tasker beat Sue Collier 21-13, Chris Price beat Kim Hargraves 21-5 before Jayne Kneen became only the second person to beat Elaine Moore in the league this year with a fine 21-12 win.
The final score was 185-123 (7-2) with the home team winning by an impressive 57 chalks and extend their winning run to 13 matches. Thursdays result also took them 83 points clear of Castletown A and with only five games remaining, Port St Mary look to have taken control of the league.
On Friday the bad weather returned postponing four of the six fixtures.
Castletown A vs Purt Le Moirrey was one of the fixtures which was able to be played and allowed Castletown to temporarily return to the top of the league following their third full house of the season. The match ended 189-79 (9-0). Five players won to single figures with Kim Foy beating Roma Ware 21-4, Kath Kinley beat Debra Cooper, Heike Perry beat Linda Dawson 21-4, Tracy Moore beat Pauline Worrall 21-7 and Marie Ashurst won 21-3 against Chris Holland. In the remaining matches Ann Hollingworth beat Dot Mylchreest 21-11, Hanna Drewett won 21-12 against Brenda Hawkard, Anne Oates beat Mavis Franks 21-19 and merit leader Amanda Lawler won 21-19 against Edwina Reid.
The only other match to take place was Peel Sunset against Port Erin with the home side winning the match by 26 chalks. Peel won six games with Heather Horsburgh beating Jean Thackrah 21-10, Sue Jones won 21-17 against Jenny Cain, Joyce Kelly won 21-11 against Lynda Cadamy, Mary Moffatt won 21-4 against Voirrey Curphey, Cath Parker beat Susan Inch 21-17 and Lynda Wilson won 21-5 against Phil Dobson. Port Erin’s three winners were Caroline Whitehead winning 21-7 against Shirley Corrin, Jacqui Elliott beat Pat Robertson 21-8 and Carol Kaye beat Gill Clarke 21-8. The final score was 153-127 (6-3).
After this weeks matches Castletown A may sit top of the league but are only 106 points ahead of Port St Mary who have a game in hand and average over 172 points per game this year. South have played the same amount of games as Castletown and trail them by 54 points.
As we enter MGP fortnight there are a number of rearranged matches before a full set of fixtures at the end of race week.
Bolton & Quayle Win Derek Killey Memorial
Derek Killey Memorial Winners 2018
Photo: Glynn HargravesThere was an entry of 34 pairs for the Derek Killey Memorial held on Sunday at Onchan Bowling Club.
The eventual winners were the South Ramsey/Port St Mary duo of Lyn Bolton and Trevor Quayle who beat the South Ramsey pair of Jenny Moore and James Teare 21-7 in the final which was played under the floodlights.
Losing semi-finalists were the home pairing of Sue Gawne and Rob Cowley, along with another South Ramsey pair Kim Hargraves and Stefan Kelly.
The presentation was made by Kevin Quirk who thanked Eileen Killey for the continued sponsorship of the competition held in memory of her late husband Derek Killey who was a popular member of the bowls community. Thanks were also given to the club members who had helped officiate and provide refreshments throughout the day. Libby Andrade was then introduced to present the prizes with the finalists generously handing back their prize money to add to the total amount of over £500 raised for Alzheimer’s IOM.
JMS Success For Peel Sunset
JMS Winners 2018
Back: Pat Robertson, Mary Moffatt, Lynda Wilson, Shirley Corrin, Cath Parker Front: Joyce Kelly, Heather Horsburgh, Mona KerruishThe JMS Veterans Shield Final took place on Thursday 16th August at Finch Hill Bowling Club with Peel Sunset facing Port St Mary B. Port St Mary B will start with a 20 point handicap.
Peel Sunset compete in their third JMS final having won the competition once in 2014. Port St Mary B will take part in their first final.
Peel Sunset made inroads into the handicap winning the first three games as Pat Robertson beat Chris Holland 21-11, Joyce Kelly beat Pauline Worrall 21-6 and Cath Parker defeated Edwina Reid 21-11. Peel after these three games had wiped out their handicap deficit and built a strong lead of 15 chalks.
In the back three games Port St Mary faired better winning two of the three games as Mavis Franks beat Lynda Wilson 21-10 and Brenda Hawkard just held on to defeat Heather Horsburgh 21-20. These wins could only reduce the gap to three points, and with Mary Moffatt dominating her game and winning 21-11 against Roma Ware the victory for Peel Sunset was sealed with an overall 11 chalk win 114-103 (4-3).
Thanks go to Finch Hill for hosting the final and to Janet Latham for her continued sponsorship of the competition.
South Ramsey A Edge Closer to Hat-trick of League Titles
It was only the second double week of the season in Ellan Vannin Fuels division one this week with the positions at the top and bottom becoming a lot clearer.
Champions South Ramsey A had a good week starting with a 10-0 win at home to bottom of the table Douglas B. For the visitors Pat O’Donohue lost 16-21 against John Kennish, whilst Grahem Moore was 9-1 up on Glynn Hargraves before losing 15-21.
On Wednesday evening South Ramsey A had a much tougher fixture away to Onchan A on a wet night, despite this the Onchan green played well with the rain mostly holding off for the duration of the match with some good comebacks from both teams. For Onchan Phil Kerruish was first off winning 21-15 after being 7-10 down to go 20-10 up, with Grills taking five singles to get back to 15-20 before Kerruish got in to finish the game. Stefan Kelly replied for South Ramsey after taking a 10-4 lead against Steve Crampton with Crampton getting back to 17-18 before Kelly finished with a single and a double to win 21-17. Glynn Hargraves was next off for the visitors recovering from 5-9 down against Kevin Quirk to take a 19-12 lead. Quirk picked up five points over the next four ends to pull the score back to 17-19 and was lying one before Hargraves got back in to finish the game with two singles to win 21-17. Perhaps one of the best comebacks of the night was the game between Peter Slinger and Dido Kelly with Slinger taking a 15-5 lead only for Kelly to take 14 points without reply to go 19-15 up. Slinger then staged his own mini comeback to take the next four ends scoring six points to run out winning 21-19. Kelly would have been disappointed at playing a poor end at 19-15 up and then having opportunities on the next two ends to get back in. The match could not have been any closer at the halfway stage at 2-2 and the chalks tied at 76 each.
In the second half Rob Monk helped Onchan’s cause performing well to win 21-6 against Peter Collister. John Kennish responded with a 21-12 win over Jordan Cain, with Cain doing well to reach 12 after being 2-13 down in a game which had several tight ends. David Bradford was another who dug in for his team to pull off a good comeback against Matthew Quirk who performed well despite eventually losing out. Quirk was 14-6 up before Bradford ‘edged’ his way back into the game playing the edge along the shelter side of the green to take the lead 18-16. Quirk replied with three singles to retake the lead at 19-18 with Bradford getting back in playing a good bowl to level up the score 19-19. Bradford then played two good length bowls on the last end to take a double to secure a 21-19 victory with his experience seeing him through a tough game. This left Alan Moore needing to win 21-16 or better against Mark Kelly to secure the aggregate for the visitors, with Moore doing just that winning 21-11 to secure the aggregate by just six chalks (145-139). South Ramsey came away with a 7-3 win knowing they had been in a tough game against an Onchan team that performed well despite the loss.
Marown picked up two wins during the week, however slipped three points further back on the league leaders South Ramsey. On Monday night the Crosby men won 7-3 away to Castletown A with Peter Oates, Juan Kermode and Jordan Drewett beating Peter Kelly, Matthew Keggen and Phil Kelly respectively.
On Wednesday evening Marown had a tough looking home fixture against Peel A, however they still managed to take a 7-3 win with Paul Dunn and Colin Kelly winning 21-8 against David Proctor and Frank Watson respectively. Dean Kipling won comfortably 21-11 against Mick Kavanagh, whilst Peter Kelly did well to beat Peel captain Stevie Kelly 21-18, with Paul Kelly beating Tom Kelly to the same score. Winning for Peel were Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly who beat Neil Withers 21-16, with Tommy McMeiken beating Matthew Keggen to the same score and Jerome Surridge defeating Phil Kelly 21-17.
South Ramsey B will have been pleased with their weeks work despite losing 8-2 away to Marown B they managed to beat Douglas A 6-4 at home. The result on another night could have ended up 9-1 to the Ramsey men with Sid Bolton, Steven Waters and George Brew all losing 19-21 to Jimmy Sansom, Gary Conwell and Shaun Seal respectively. Austin Hart recorded his second league win of the season defeating Ian Moore 21-13, with good wins from Tony Dugdale, Ben Dugdale and James Teare.
Port Erin A now need a minor miracle to stay up having picked up five points following an 2-8 away loss to Peel A and a 3-7 home defeat against Marown B. The Breagle Glen team are 13 points from safety with three games to play, one of which is away to the team closest to them South Ramsey B.
Douglas B picked up just one point this week and are certainties to be relegated to the second division.
In division two it was very much a case of as you were at the top with both Noble’s A and Castletown B taking 14 points each with both teams picking up the points with differing results.
Noble’s A won both of their fixtures 7-3 starting the week with a home win over Onchan B that could have been 9-1 with Glenn Boland losing 19-21 to Mike Alexander and Mark Quinn also missing out 18-21 to Colin Spence. Noble’s ended their week with a good away win against Peel C, with David Quayle, David Pease and Tommy Collister all winning close games.
Castletown B started their week with a 6-4 win taking the aggregate by just six chalks. Alan Phair missed out on winning an extra point for the visitors losing 20-21 to Brian Colquitt. In their second fixture of the week Castletown beat Onchan B 8-2 bettering the result that Noble’s had recorded against the same opposition on Monday evening.
At the other end of the table Port St Mary C look to be safe on 73 points having picked up 12 points during the week helped by a 9-1 home win over the side closest to them Noble’s B. Things don’t look so good for Port Erin B who are firmly rooted to the bottom of the table on 50 points and facing a return to division three, with Noble’s B looking likely to suffer the same fate, currently sitting 22 points from safety with just three games to play.
In division three Marown C continue to set the pace at the top of division three following two good 7-3 wins, away to Peel D and at home to Douglas C.
Castletown C are hot on their heels, sitting just three points behind Marown despite giving a number of walkovers throughout the season. It was great to see Nathan Cooil back playing league bowls with Cooil showing he has still got it with two single figure wins, winning 21-2 and 21-9.
Another three points back on Castletown are Ballaugh B who have a game in hand on the two teams above them, which they could well use to return to the top of the league if they record a big win.
Two of the junior players performed well this week with Peel D player Ryan Tate winning both of his games, with Ryan Hargraves doing the same for South Ramsey D. Both players have improved this year, as shown in their improvement not just in winning games, but their overall scores.
Port St Mary End Castletown’s Winning Streak
The week started with two re-arranged matches as Douglas took on Ballaugh and Nobles facing Purt Le Moirrey.
Douglas beat Ballaugh 166-122 (7-2) with Harley Garrett, Maureen Wilcox and Shantelle Thorpe all performing well winning to single figures. Ballaughs winners came from Gill Dixon and Elaine Fenton.
Nobles put in a strong home performance to beat Purt Le Moirrey 181-137 (8-1). Joyce Ogden top scored on the night beating Linda Dawson 21-9. Purt Le Moirrey pushed Nobles in a couple of games with Rita Callister just losing 21-19 to Alison Keggen and Mavis Franks losing 21-19 to Jan West. Purt Le Moirrey did avoid a whitewash with Roma Ware beating Rebecca Teare 21-13.
On Friday 10th August Port St Mary took on league leaders Castletown, with Castletown looking to extend their 115 chalk advantage. Port St Mary have a game in hand and would look to close the gap before their catch up game next week.
The game was finely balanced with both sides evenly matched and with a stand out performance from Ann Maddrell who won 21-1 against Sue Peach made sure that the home side won the match, ending Castletown’s impressive 14-win streak, and clawed vital points back on their rivals. Port St Mary’s other wins came from Val Macfarlane 21-15 against Kim Foy, Katy Williams 21-14 against Heike Perry, Trish Bull 21-19 against Anne Oates and Chris Price who beat Hannah Drewett 21-16. Castletown’s winners were merit leader Amanda Lawler who beat Wendy Kennuagh 21-12, Ann Hollingworth 21-12 against Kellie Maddrell-Reeve, Kath Kinley 21-18 against Jayne Kneen and Tracy Moore who beat Margaret Tasker 21-15.
With the match ending with a 13 chalk with for Port St Mary, 162-149 (5-4), they close the gap to 102 points and will look ahead to their fixtures next week when they have another crunch tie against South Ramsey. With the game against South Ramsey their catch up game Port St Mary will then look to pick up vital points against Onchan on Friday.
South Ramsey go back to the top of the summit following their 79-186 (1-8) victory over Castletown B. Jenny Moore, Fiona Kennish, Lauren Groen, Elaine Moore and Lyn Bolton all won comfortably to single figures. Castletown avoided a whitewash with Joy Stephens holding off Sue Collier to win 21-18. The result places South Ramsey 109 points ahead of Port St Mary with their match to come on Thursday 16th August.
Port Erin collected their first full house of the season defeating Ballaugh 189-96 (9-0). Di Benson, Caroline Whitehead, Voirrey Curphey and Lynda Cadamy all won to single figures in the match.
Douglas nearly pulled off a great win at home to Marown but fell four chalks short losing 155-159 (4-5). Paula Garrett won 21-8 against Ceila Joughin backed up by Muriel Cain, Maureen Wilcox and Sue Caley. Marown managed to get over the line 21-20 in two of their games with Rosie Winckle defeating Helen Murphy and Philippa Taylor beating Wendy Cowin. Marown players Mary Alderson, Lil Smith and Margaret Scarffe were the other winners giving Marown the edge on the night.
Mooragh Park travelled to Onchan and returned North with a five chalk victory with the away side also winning five of the nine games. Janet Monk, Vicky Lloyd-West, Julie Reilly, Madison McMullan and Helen Martin, who won 21-4, won for Mooragh Park. Onchan players Dee Lewis, Libby Andrade, Marylin Ellison and Sue Gawne won but were unable to prevent the team from losing 152-157 (4-5).
Looking ahead to next week Port St Mary vs South Ramsey could be a pivotal point in the season for one of the sides. South then sit out on Friday, their match against Douglas re-arranged to a later date due to players representing the island in a competition on the mainland.
Onchan Stall Peel’s Bid For Top Spot
Onchan produced a fine home performance on Tuesday to shock Peel Sunset and restrict them to under 90 chalks for the first time this season. Peel have been within sight of their first Over 60s title but Onchan pulled off an 11 chalk victory which could prove costly in the title race. In a low scoring game both teams won games to single figures with Lynda Clarke and Libby Andrade winning 21-7 for Onchan. Peel’s Mary Moffatt won 21-8 and Joyce Kelly won 21-4 to cancel out Onchan’s win’s. Jean Quine held off Pat Robertson to win 21-19 but Maureen Payne proved the difference winning her game 21-12 against Lynda Wilson. The final score finished 96-87 (4-2).
Marown defeated Port St Mary B by a comfortable 22 chalks winning five of the six games. Mary Alderson, Philippa Taylor, Shirley Whelan, Celia Joughin and Margaret Scarffe all won for the home team. Mavis Franks made sure there was no whitewash with a 21-13 win over Mia Moore. The match finished 118-96 (5-1).
Nobles picked up their fourth win on the trot coming out on top by 11 chalks against Port Erin A. In a tight game Nobles won five of the six games but were pushed all the way in the games. Carol Kaye was Port Erin’s sole winner defeating Sylvia Kennuagh 21-16. Final score 121-110 (5-1).
Castletown travelled to Breagle and returned home with a strong 69-124 (1-5) victory. Breagle had to concede two games with Marie Ashurst, Barbara Young and Ann Hollingworth won for Castletown. Breagle avoided a whitewash through Kay Primrose-Smith who beat Joy Stephens 21-19.
In the final game on Tuesday South Ramsey collected their second full house of the season with their 52-126 (0-6) defeat away to Mooragh Park B.
Thursday 9th August saw a return to form for Peel Sunet with them beating Nobles 118-86 (5-1). Lynda Wilson won 21-9 and Joyce Kelly 21-4 to setup a big points victory for Peel with Nobles Sylvia Kennuagh preventing a full house by winning her game 21-13.
Port St Mary A made the short trip to Port Erin and despite drawing 3-3 on games returned home with a 15 chalk victory. Ann Maddrell won 21-1 for Port St Mary giving them the foundations for their win backed up by wins for Val Macfarlane 21-11 and Margaret Tasker 21-12. Port Erin wins came from Carol Kaye 21-9, Voirrey Curphey 21-11 and Jenny Cain 21-19. Final score 87-102 (3-3)
Port St Mary B took on Breagle and collected a fine full house victory 126-55 (6-0). Roma Ware and Pauline Worrall both top scored winning 21-7.
Castletown picked up their third win on the bounce beating Onchan by 19 chalks. Ann Hollingworth won 21-4 and Anne Oates won 21-5 to build a comfortable lead for the home side with the match finishing 110-91 (3-3).
Ballaugh suffered a 17 chalk defeat at home to Villa losing four of the six games. Muriel Cain, Mary Black, Pat Kelly and Pauline Cowley won for the away side. Ballaugh’s two wins came from Peggy Griffin and Brenda Bowyer. Final score 98-107 (2-4)
In the final match from Thursday Mooragh Park A produced a strong home performance to beat Marown by 17 chalks and winning five of the six games. Janet Monk defeated merit leader Philippa Taylor 21-9 with wins also for Vicky Lloyd-West, Julie Reilly, Ellie Cowell and Maureen Lacey. Celia Joughin claimed Marown’s only win and prevented a whitewash winning 21-3. The final score 108-91 (5-1).
Next week the crunch tie between Port St Mary A and Peel Sunset will define the league standings. Peel Sunset are 79 points ahead of their rivals but Port St Mary have a game in hand so Peel must look to extend their lead.
Kennish & Bradford Continue Winning Streak
Ken Parker Trophy Winners 2018
Photo: Arnie WithersThe South Ramsey duo of David Bradford and John Kennish added yet another title to their ever growing CV of open wins when they came from behind to beat Janet and Robert Monk in the final of the Ken Parker Trophy Any Combination Pairs held at the Mooragh Park and hosted by North Ramsey Bowling Club on Saturday.
With a running green and the forecasted rain holding off until just after the conclusion of the competition, it was a good afternoon of bowls enjoyed by the twenty four pairs that entered.
Fallers at the quarter final stage were Onchan pairing of Kevin Quirk and Adrian Skinner, home greeners Tony Smart and John Cannan, southern couple Tom Kelly and Sam Aherne and North and South Ramsey pairing of Steve Parker and Alan Moore.
In the semi-finals Bradford and Kennish dispatched fellow South Ramsey club mates Jenny Moore and Lyn Bolton while the North Ramsey/Onchan mother and son combination of Janet and Robert Monk saw off the spirited challenge of young Madison McMullan and Lee Christian from the home club. It is worth mentioning that 12 year old Madison bowled well all afternoon with a maturity beyond her years.
In the final the Monks raced in to a 14-8 lead and looked favourites to retain the title they won last year, but Bradford and Kennish clawed their way back and ran out 21–15 winners.
The presentation was made by Steve Parker who gave a few words about his father Ken Parker who was a member of both North Ramsey and South Ramsey Bowling Clubs. Steve also thanked everyone who entered, along with those who helped with the running of the competition. The prizes were then presented.
Marown Head Up Group A In Club Team Championship
Finch Hill Squad
The Finch Hill Team defeated by Marown. Photo: Arnie WithersMarown currently lead the way in Group A with six points after three games, courtesy of winning all five singles games and the three doubles game at home to Finch Hill, who sit bottom of the table in Group A with no points having played four of their six fixtures in the group. Marown look clear favourites to top the group with the squad at their disposal, however they still have to face Peel at Crosby, along with Port St Mary home and away to progress.
Group B has opened up nicely with Onchan sitting top having played three games. Despite Onchan suffering two heavy defeats in the singles games they pulled enough points back in the other games to secure the victory by just four chalks against Douglas. Onchan travel to South Ramsey for their next fixture. Once this fixture has taken place this will give a better idea as to who will go through in the group, with it becoming clear in this format that a lot depends on the draw as to which players get drawn in the singles and the doubles.
South Ramsey slipped to defeat at North Ramsey losing out by 18 chalks to earn the two points the Mooragh Park men, with Brian Colquitt and John Cannan inflicting single figures defeats in the singles games on their opponents Ian Moore and James Teare.
South Ramsey Happy Despite Suffering First Defeat
In Ellan Vannin Fuels division one South Ramsey A suffered their first defeat of the season away to Marown A, with the men from the north anything but disheartened by their 4-6 loss. Leading the way for Marown and first off the green was Dean Kipling winning 21-9 against Stefan Kelly, followed closely by captain Paul Dunn who put in an assured performance to see off Dido Kelly 21-13 with Kelly suffering his first league defeat of the season. South Ramsey hit back with Alan Moore digging in from 14-17 down to eventually win 21-19 against Neil Withers who loses very few games on his own green to show how good a win this was. David Bradford followed soon after with a 21-17 win against Phil Kelly in what was a close game throughout. At the half way point it was 2-2 on games with Marown holding a 14 chalk advantage (78-64). In the second half Marown took the lead again with Colin Kelly disposing of Chas Grills 21-4, with Paul Kelly winning comfortably 21-13 against Peter Collister. This put Marown 4-2 ahead with the chalks now 39 in their favour the aggregate was safe despite John Kennish performing well to win 21-4 against Peter Kelly. Last game off was visiting captain Glynn Hargraves who won 21-12 against Matthew Keggen to level the match on games at 4-4 with the two points for aggregate safely in the home teams pocket. The result pulled two points back on the league leaders with the Crosby men trailing by 14 points with five games left to play.
South Ramsey B continue to pick up the points, following a good 6-4 home win over third placed Peel A. Picking up the wins for the home team were Tony Dugdale and Christian Caley who both won to single figures against Tom Kelly and David Proctor, with James Teare beating Dave Smith 21-13, and George Brew stepping in to win 21-16 against Stevie Kelly. For Peel three of their four wins were close with Dave ‘Barney’ Kelly winning 21-18 against Ben Dugdale, Frank Watson beating Steven Waters 21-19 and Tommy McMeiken sneaking the win 21-20 against Sid Bolton. Gary Smith won comfortably 21-11 against Steve Moore, however the aggregate went to South Ramsey with their losing games scoring highly.
Onchan A missed the opportunity to make up further ground on Peel with their 7-3 away win to Douglas B with the home team securing three wins. Grahem Moore beat Adrian Skinner 21-18, with Andy Cannell winning to the same score against Jordan Cain and Mark Corrin winning 21-3 against Mark Kelly. For Onchan, Kevin Quirk hit back with a 21-5 win over Geoff Mayles, with the other four winners being fairly comfortable from Peter Slinger, Phil Kerruish, Rob Monk and Matthew Quirk.
Port Erin A suffered another home defeat with Castletown A coming away with an 8-2 win. Winning for the home team were captain Bernie Durcan with a good 21-12 win against Jeff Kinley, whilst Derek Cadamy just got over the line to beat the visiting captain Ian Watson 21-20. Winning for the visitors were Peter Oates who had a fine 21-12 win against Dave McCabe, George Peach, Dean Kinley and Mike Hargraves who all won to fairly comfortable scores, along with Jordan Drewett who beat Derek Allen 21-18 and Juan Kermode who beat Peter Addison 21-17. This result leaves Port Erin 10 points from safety with just five games to go and a tough looking away trip to take on South Ramsey B who are the team closest to them in the table.
North Ramsey A finished their run of 11 consecutive home games with a 9-1 win over Marown B in what is their final home fixture of the season. Sparing the blushes of the visitors was Marown captain Harry Barton who won 21-15 against Gary Merrill. For North Ramsey Allan Callow won 21-6 against Bobby Thorne, with Marown just missing out in three close games with John Cannan and Stephen Walmsley winning 21-19 against Brian Kelly and John Kelly, whilst Tony Smart got over the line 21-20 against Steve Bridson. The other three wins for North Ramsey were comfortable from Geoff Porter, Jimmy Moffatt and Steve Parker.
Douglas A travelled to Port St Mary A coming away with a 4-6 loss. Winning four games for the visitors were regular winners captain Andy Kennish, Stuart Garrett, Ian Moore and Mervin Sayle. Replying for the home team were Paul Skelly who sits fourth in his teams merit despite having played just nine games this season, along with Trevor Quayle, Rob Cooil and Wayne Roberts. The home team won the aggregate comfortably thanks to two big wins from Skelly and Quayle.
In division two second placed Castletown B hosted league leaders Noble’s A and helped their cause to close the gap at the top to just three points thanks to a 7-3 home win. Winning for the home team were merit leader Dave Faragher, Ron Williams, Aaron Richardson with Derek Lewney and Alan Phair both winning their games 21-19 against David Pease and Kevin Firth respectively. For Noble’s Reginald Temporaza beat Mark Saunders 21-7, Steve Cook beat John Alderson 21-14 with Glenn Boland doing enough to beat Ross Moore 21-19. Castletown edged the aggregate by just one chalk winning 145-144 to set up what could be a tense end to the season as to who takes the top spot.
Onchan B secured a 6-4 home win over Ballaugh A with the visitors winning two games by the finest of margins. For Ballaugh Gordie Moore beat Mike Thomas 21-19, with Richard Fisher beating Neil Dunwell 21-20, whilst Peter Graham won 21-3 with Bob Unsworth winning 21-5. For Onchan Mike Alexander and Edward Carlyle both won to single figures, Paul Bailey beat Barry McDonald 21-11 and Colin Spence recorded a good 21-17 win over John Keenan.
Peel C hosted Port Erin B with the visitors doing well to take four games off Peel and losing out on the aggregate by just six chalks to lose 4-6. For Port Erin Harry Minor won 21-5, with the other three wins being close. Ken Horsley beat Bob Berry 21-18, with Peter Blower and Christopher Dent winning 21-19 against Jeff Wilson and Paul Baker respectively. For Peel, Peter Kelly beat John Ryder 21-5 with Ian Pendlebury doing enough to win 21-19 against Alan Crebbin.
Noble’s B travelled to Mooragh Park to take on North Ramsey B with the visitors losing out 4-6 despite having to give a game away. Terry Bates recorded the closest win of the night holding off Bryan Corner 21-20.
Peel B won 7-3 at home to Port St Mary C. On another night it could have been a 9-1 win with Steve Tate and Gordon Corrin both losing out 20-21 to Tom Collins and Brian Corrin respectively. Michael Kavanagh beat Dave Saxon to single figures. For Port St Mary Paul Russell responded with a 21-6 win over Robert Middleton.
Finch Hill A won 9-1 at home to Port St Mary C with Bernard Thackrah the lone winner for the visitors beating Bill Cairns 21-12, with all of the visiting players making it to double figures, with Colin Leece and Chris Oates both losing out 18-21 to Arthur Halsall and Sefton Dent.
In division three Marown C hit top spot following a 9-1 home win over South Ramsey D with Kevin Kelly beating Ryan Hargraves 21-2, Jamie Joughin winning 21-4 against Steve Kelly, with Karl Parker winning 21-19 against Jay Moore and Stephen Rundle holding off Franz ten Donkelaar to win 21-17. For the visitors third division merit leader Ian Moore got back to winning ways with a 21-7 win over Walter McCarthy.
Ballaugh B had a tough trip away to South Ramsey C with the visitors coming away with a 7-3 win. For Ballaugh Philip Quayle beat Robert Snape 21-18, whilst Mike Buckeridge had a good 21-8 win against Anthony Kelly. For the home team, Tony Marler beat Fred Waggett 21-7, Colin Gook stepped in to win 21-17 against John Kneen and David Corkill beat John Bolton 21-14.
Finch Hill B and Onchan C played out a 5-5 draw with the Onchan men losing 3-5 on games, but taking the aggregate by just four chalks. Finch Hill won three close games with Bryan Masterson winning 21-18, whilst Sam Stannard and Stephen Oates both won 21-19 against Graham Atkinson and Brian Woodall respectively.
Castletown C beat Douglas C 9-0 with both teams being a player short both captains agreed to put the walkover games against each other, to allow the players from each team to get a game. For Castletown James Drinkwater and Sam Clague both won to single figures. For Douglas captain Andy Foster recorded the highest score losing out 14-21 to John Matheson.
Ballaugh C hosted Peel D with the home team winning 7-3. For Ballaugh Bert Quayle, Peter Corlett and Paul Bradford all won to single figures, whilst Phil Faragher had his work cut out before seeing off Leslie Halsall 21-19. For Peel their very own Bert Quayle (not to be confused with Ballaugh’s Bert Quayle!) won 21-15 against Charlie Howland, John Lightfoot beat Alan Kelly 21-9 and Steven Bradley beat Ray Parry 21-15.
Castletown March On Ahead Of Crunch Tie
Only two matches were able to take place on Wednesday 1st August as heavy downpours waterlogged many of the bowling greens across the island.
Castletown who have been the form team over the last two months made it 14 wins on the bounce mastering the wet conditions to beat Mooragh Park 162-130 (5-4). Amanda Lawler retained her position at the top of the individual merit with a 21-3 win with Heike Perry and Hannah Drewett winning 21-1 and 21-8 respectively. Janet Monk top scored for the away team beating Kim Foy 21-9 and Shannon McMullan, Caroline Parker and Helen Martin also won to restrict the home side to under 170.
Onchan faced Marown but the conditions played their part as they lost 98-163 (3-6). Shirley Whelan, Celia Joughin, Rosie Winckle, Philippa Taylor and Lil Smith won comfortably to single figures with Mary Alderson also winning 21-13. Onchan picked up their three wins from Sue Gawne, Joanne Kelly and Libby Andrade.
The league returned on Friday with a full set of fixtures and two maximum scores.
The first maximum was at Marown who eased past Castletown B 189-87 (9-0). Nobles also produced a full house winning away at Ballaugh 76-189 (0-9).
With Castletown A sitting out on Friday Port St Mary should have had their chance to catch up however, with their match postponed on Wednesday they remain a game behind. Port St Mary did make some ground back with their away win against Mooragh Park. Jayne Kneen, Val Macfarlane, Wendy Kennuagh and Ann Maddrell all won to single figures with Kellie Maddrell-Reeve and Chris Price both winning 21-13. Katy Williams battled from being down to beat Island Champion Janet Monk 21-19 with Mooragh picking up their two wins from Helen Martin & Caroline Parker. The match finished 114-169 (2-7).
South Ramsey defeated Onchan with wins for Lauren Groen 21-7, Elaine Moore 21-5, Jenny Moore 21-9, Sue Collier 21-15, Kim Hargraves 21-18 and Bethany Kennish who just got over the line 21-20 against Marilyn Ellison. For Onchan Dee Lewis beat Fiona Kennish 21-15 and Caroline Corlett won 21-13 against Gill Morgan with the match score ending 175-124 (7-2).
Peel welcomed Douglas to Sunset City with the home side using their home advantage to win by a comfortable 35 chalks. Peel had wins from Sue Jones 21-9, Joyce Kelly 21-5, Shirley Corrin 21-11, Heather Horsburgh 21-12, Pat Robertson 21-14 and Mary Moffatt who beat Paula Garrett 21-18. Douglas picked up two wins from Brenda Williams, Wendy Cowin and Shantelle Thorpe. Final score 167-132 (6-3).
In the final match on Friday Purt Le Moirrey suffered a home defeat to Port Erin despite winning five games. The home side had wins from Roma Ware 21-20 against Phil Dobson, Pauline Worrall beat Steph Swift 21-18, Edwina Reid won 21-17 against Voirrey Curphey, Debra Cooper defeated Joyce Henry 21-18 and Mavis Franks won 21-18 against Jean Thackrah. Port Erin had two big wins to setup their victory with Carol Kay beating Dot Mylchreest 21-5 and Lynda Cadamy winning 21-7 against Linda Dawson. Jacqui Elliott won 21-15 against Chris Holland and Slyvia Shelbourne just held on to win 21-20 over Brenda Hawkard. The match finished 152-175 (5-4).
Looking ahead to next week the tie which could define the season takes place as Champions Port St Mary face a home tie against current league leaders Castletown A. Port St Mary trail by 115 points with a game in hand and will hope to close that gap as they look to wrestle control back at the top of the league. Castletown will be confident that they could cause an upset given their current form and run of 14 wins on the trot. Should the tie produce a low score South Ramsey, who only sit 30 points behind Castletown, will look to leap back into contention for the top spots.