News: Reports
Massacre at the Mooragh
The Tower Insurance Over 60’s League has been torn apart by North Ramsey A, firstly they entertained Castletown A at the Mooragh and demolished the town 7 games to 1, to all but finish off the towns title ambitions, With second placed Port St Mary also in Ramsey playing South Ramsey and needing a win to keep up the pressure they were held to a 4-4 draw. North Ramsey A then headed to second place Port St Mary and again came up with the goods in a 5-3 away victory to move them into a five point lead at the top over the two Southside teams 34 points to 29points, and they certainly are odds on to claim their first ever league title. Castletown bounced back from their mauling to hand out the same medicine to Onchan A at the Crofts with an 8-0 whitewash. Castletown B had a good win over Marown by 6 -2 however it was far closer than the score suggests. While Douglas A went to Port Erin and came home with the two points in a 6-2 win. With Castletown B getting a draw on their visit to Peel B, Douglas had another 6-2 win this time at home to Port St Mary B to to edge ahead of Town B both on 26 points, Next up come Marown on 25 as they got back to winning ways by just edging visitors South Ramsey 5-3 on 24 points are Peel A who got 4 points this week with wins over Finch Hill 5-3 and Nobles B 6-2, on 23 come Nobles A and Onchan A.
Next week sees the Mini Cup Semi Finals on Wednesday with Douglas B hosting Peel B and Nobles B hosting Finch Hill. Could the captains ensure that my name and address is on the back of the card please. Also can I remind everyone that the closing date for the Over 60’s Championship is the 2nd July with qualifying on Wednesday and Thursday 8thand 9th July and the Finals taking place the following Wednesday 15th July all at Onchan, so please text your entries to me on 471301 or email [email protected] please remember to indicate your preference W=Wednesday, T=Thursday, and E=Either, to help with the draw or write the players wishing to play on the reverse of the fixture card.
Isle of Man on a Roll
The Paddy Power sponsored Isle of Man senior men’s team competed in their second senior county championship match against Staffordshire on Sunday, and whilst they didn’t win showed marked improvements from their first match.
In both the home and away legs they picked up the Endsleigh Insurance man of the match for two breath taking performances. Colin Kelly won the award at home as he saw off three times Staffordshire Merit winner Mark Picknell 21-7 whilst Port St Mary’s Ewan Cooil won the award over the water with a brilliant 21-12 win over David Hayward.
These were just two of the many highlights in a day of top quality bowls with the Manx Men proving their worth and showing they belong at the top table of the sport. Things started so brightly in the home leg at Castletown and it looked as if there may have been an upset on the cards as the local team led 3-0 and by 31 chalks with the first three games off the green.
Man of the Match Colin Kelly was the first home after his relentless display and he was quickly followed by team mate and Gellings Manx Man of the Match award winner Dean Kipling who overcame David Semper 21-10. They were soon followed by local number one John Kennish after he had to work hard to see of the challenge of Ben Dixon 21-15.
The visitors experience then shone through and momentum swung their way as they moved into a commanding lead after eight of the twelve games played. The Island were not done yet though and finished almost as strongly as they started with Stuart Garrett beating Jamie Elliott 21-17 and Trevor Quayle adding to his win at Peel in the first match with an impressive 21-18 win over the talented Jason Groom.
It was almost going to be tough for the away side and to get any winners away on a strange green, against top class opposition but they battled admirable and will have learned a lot from their day in the sun against an awesome Staffordshire side.
They were made to wait until the ninth game to taste victory and Ewan Cooil lapped it up in style as he bagged his impressive win. He was closely followed by Paul Dunn who battled for every point to overcome Nigel Egan after a herculean encounter. Barney Kelly nearly added to the tally in the next match as he just fell the wrong side of a 21-19 score line.
Overall though it was a very credible performance by a Manx Side who are improving with every bowl played at this level and with one more game to go on the 5th July let’s hope they can improve again. Away manager Mel Gilbert, who is the only man ever to be awarded and MBE for his services to Crown Green Bowls, praised the local outfit and said he, is sure it is only a matter of time and experience before they draw blood at the top level as they already have and array of talent in their ranks.
Thanks go to Castletown Bowling club for hosting the home leg and to all sponsors, supporters and anyone who has helped along the way to make it possible for the Island to play at this level. I am sure when they take to the green in July they may have more surprises up their sleeves.
Nearly half way and three break away
With the Tower Insurance Over 60’s League nearly reaching its half way stage a breakaway group of three teams have opened up a reasonable gap on the chasing bunch. However if it was the Grand National they would have another lap to do so anything can happen, and probably will, look out for Beechers!! Leaders North Ramsey A march on relentlessly firstly beating their B team 8-0 before having a 7-1 home win against Ballaugh, The Castletown’s teams did not do each other any favours by sharing the points at the Crofts, with the A team then visiting Port St Mary B and coming away with a 7-1 win. Port St Mary A also played their B team this week and won comfortably against their understrength team mates. The Port A team then visited Castletown B and became the first team this year to win at the crofts against the B team to hold onto second place on 28 points, 2 behind leaders North Ramsey A, Castletown A come next on 27 points, while just hanging on to 4th place on 23 points are Town B with Marown level on points after good wins against Port Erin and away to Peel A. On 22 points come Douglas A who after beating their B team, sat out Thursdays game. On 21 points are Nobles A who gained four points this week with big wins against their B team and Onchan B, and Onchan A who also beat their B team although it was only 5-3 and then had a whitewash over Nobles B to also get four points this week, South Ramsey are in 9th place and Peel A in 10th place on 20 points at present after finishing runners up and fourth respectively last season. South Ramsey losing at Ballaugh before bouncing back against North Ramsey B, while Peel A were held by their second team before going down to Marown
With Ballaugh in 11th position on 19 points, with only five points separating 4th to 11th there is a lot to play for in the second half of the season, Peel B are next on 17 points after getting a point against their A team they lost out to Port Erin 5-3. Finch Hill are on 15 points, followed by Onchan B on 9 points, which they will be disappointed with after their strong showing last season, Port Erin are also on 9 with Nobles B on 8 points PSM B on 7 points, North Ramsey B on 3 points and Douglas B on 2
North Ramsey Held by Castletown B
The Tower Insurance Over 60 Bowls League this week saw leaders North Ramsey A visit at the time 2nd Placed Castletown B and the result of a close encounter was the points shared in as very close draw, with Port St Mary playing their re-arranged match against North Ramsey B and coming away with a 6- 2 victory, coupled with two more wins this week away to Onchan B in a close 5-3 game and using home advantage to beat Peel B 6-2 they move into second place behind North Ramsey A who beat Douglas B 8-0 at the Mooragh to remain top dogs for another week with 26 points, two ahead of Port St Mary A and Castletown A who are locked on 24 points, Town had a struggle in beating North Ramsey B at the Mooragh 5-3 before using home advantage to beat Finch Hill 7-1next along come the Town B team who had to sit out a game this week on 22 points, next come Douglas A who have played a game more than all their close rivals on 20 points, after losing to Ballaugh before using home green advantage to beat North Ramsey B. only a point behind, come both Peel A and Marown on 19 points Peel A like Castletown B had to sit out a game this week but had a comfortable home win against Port St Mary B 7-1, while Marown had an away draw at Nobles B before defeating Onchan B 6-2 at home. South Ramsey are on 18 points after beating Douglas B at the Villa and then being held to a home draw by Nobles A. with Nobles A, Onchan A and Ballaugh all on 17 points, with Peel B on 16 points only 10 points separate the top 12 teams. The Ismay Cup provided a few upsets in close games in fact all three games played ended up 5-4 two in favour of the home teams and one for the visitors. The winning home sides were Peel B who saw off one of the favourites Castletown A while Port Erin mustered together a team to defeat Ballaugh in another close encounter, while Port St Mary continued their good week with a superb win at Onchan A. Unfortunately Port St Mary B were unable to field a team against North Ramsey A so had to forfeit the game. This leaves Peel B, North Ramsey A, Port St Mary A and Port Erin as the semi-finalists. The Merit is still lead by Stuart
Ladies’ Association Triples
Thirteen groups contested the Ladies’ Association Triples played at Noble’s 2 on Sunday 14 June. On an afternoon which was warm in the sunshine, but quite cold when the clouds occasionally came over, players took some time to come to terms with the speed of the green, especially near the edges, but as the afternoon progressed there was some excellent bowling.
Semi-finals: Kim Hargraves, Jenny Moore and Elaine Moore 21, Lil Smith. Shirley Whelan and Mary Alderson 10; Janet Monk, Lilian Slinger and Helen Martin 21, Tracy Moore, Chris Holland and Linda Dawson 9.
In the final Janet, Lilian and Helen showed there determination to hang on to the trophy that they had won last year, speeding to a 19-9 lead. Elaine killed the next end which was the signal for her group to stage a come-back. Scoring a two on the next end followed by a four and a single narrowed the gap to just three points. On the next end, played corner to corner the come-back was halted by a wonder-ball from Lilian which allowed the holders a two and the match 21-16.
The presentation was made by Heather Horsburgh who thanked Noble’s for the use of their green and facilities, and to their members for their help measuring, marking and providing the very welcome refreshments.
Threesomes Cup
On Sunday the 14th of June an entry of 15 teams gathered at Port St Mary for the annual Mens Threesomes competition, once again kindly sponsored by Colas (I.O.M) Ltd. On a glorious sunny day and a running tricky green the Onchan team of Matthew Quirk, Kevin Quirk and Glynn Hargraves ran out the eventual winners with a comfortable 21-11 win in the final over Nigel Thomas, Ben Dugdale and Tony Dugdale. The latter team having come through a close semi final over the Marown Three of Colin Kelly, Mike Cain and Neil Withers. In the other semi the Onchan team had a slightly easier time of it against the old stalwarts of the competition in the form of another Marown team of Arnie Withers, Juan Kelly and Ian Kissack.
At the end of an entertaining days bowling, competition secretary Ewan Cooil thanked the greenkeeper and the ladies of the club for supplying a great playing surface and a wonderful supply of refreshments before introducing Ian Dunbar from Colas (I.O.M) Ltd to present the prizes to the successful teams. A good day was had by all.
Report by Ewan Cooil
Marown Ladies’ Singles Open
A small, but select, field gathered at Marown on Saturday 13 June to compete for the Julia North ladies’ singles trophy. The weather played its part being dry and sunny if a little on the windy side, while the tricky green seemed to improve as the afternoon progressed allowing for some quality bowling. Quarter-finals: Lil Smith 21, Tricia Bull 18; Philippa Taylor 21, Margaret Tasker 15; Maureen Wright 17, Katy Williams 21; Caroline Whitehead 21, Mary Kinrade 20. Semi-finals: Philippa Taylor 21, Lil Smith 15; Caroline Whitehead 21, Katy Williams 15 The final was evenly contested with Caroline having the advantage at 12-9 at which point Philippa won the next four ends to lead 14-12. Winning the next three ends put Caroline ahead at 16-14 but Philippa took a 2 on the next end and did not relinquish the jack again, a single and two more 2’s giving her the title 21-16. Club president, Rosie Winckle, thanked those who had entered and all those who had stayed to watch the final. She also thanked the Marown ladies for providing the refreshments before introducing Julia North to make the presentations. Julia said she always enjoyed coming to watch the competition and commented on how nice it was to see some new faces in the final.
Ladies’ over 60’s Thursday 28 May
Things were pretty close at Breagle when they were visited by Ballaugh, both teams winning three games, a win to single figures by Jenny Maddrell giving the visitors the advantage on points. Port St Mary A had a fruitful journey to Noble’s Park, dropping just four points as Sonja Lees and Pat Dacre both won to 19 for the home side, while Port Erin had their second impressive win of the week against Onchan B who could only field four players, Joyce Gardiner preventing a whitewash for the home side. Lilian Slinger and Mary Kinrade were the two winners for Mooragh Park at Peel but it was nice to see some new faces who will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Once again Douglas were a player short as they travelled to Castletown, although they did have two winners in Lynne Mansley and Elaine Vincent, while Villa took on Onchan A, with Joan Murphy and Muriel Cain winning their games but the visitors had the edge winning four games .It was a high scoring game at Port St Mary B, where the home side won four games, Sandi Lowe almost making it five as she reached 19 against Shirley Whelan.
Ladies’ over 60’s league Tuesday 26 May
Breagle managed to take two games of the champions when they visited Port St Mary A in the Trend sponsored Over 60’s league on Tuesday 26 May. Gwen Tuck had the better of Tricia Bull 21-20 while Sylvia Maddrell came through against Rita Callister by the same score. The only other visiting player to reach double figures was Steph Swift, giving the home side a comfortable win on points. Port St Mary B were not so lucky at Port Erin as Pauline Worrall saved their blushes with her win denying the home side a full house. Three wins to single figures gave Noble’s the upper hand against Marown, whose two winners were Mary Black and Mary Alderson who just pipped Sonja Lees 21-20, while things were much closer at Ballaugh where all six games went to double figures, the home side ending with a 5-4 advantage on games. Mary Moffatt spoiled the party for Onchan A who won 5-1 on games against Peel Sunset. Mary won to single figures as did Hazel Hughes for the home side, the other four games being more closely contested. Onchan B were unfortunately a player short at Douglas who took a 4-2 advantage on games while further north the match at Mooragh Park ended level on games with both sides having two single figure wins.
Ladies’ League Friday 29 May
Ballaugh could only muster two winners in their match against the reigning champions in the C Tarleton Hodgson sponsored ladies’ league on Friday 29 May. Jenny Maddrell had a comfortable win to single figures, as did four of the Port St Mary team, while Barbara Graham came through 21-20 against Alison Keggen. South Ramsey also won seven games with four to single figures, the two winers for Onchan being Marilyn Ellison and Jo Smith who also won to single figures. Despite Margaret Scarffe and Lil Smith winning to single figures Marown fell just short of the 100 point mark when Castletown won 5 of their 7 games to single figures, the highest losing score of the match being 13, achieved by both Mary Alderson and Rosie Winckle. Peel Sunset entertained Port Erin and came out ahead by 5 games to 4, Joyce Kelly and Mary Moffatt both winning to single figures, while at Noble’s four of the home side had single figure wins the game of that match being Lynne Mansley’s 21-19 victory over Lin Ruscoe. It was a low scoring affair at the Mooragh Park, the home side being unlucky to have Rosemary Quirk injure herself as she played her first end. Mooragh Park won four games, Caroline Parker almost adding a fifth as she reached 19 against Debra Cooper.