News: Reports
Port St Mary Cup
May Bank Holiday Monday a good entry of 35 pairs turned out at Port St Mary for the annual mixed pairs competition kindly sponsored once again by I.O.M farmers Ltd, after a good days bowling in fine but mainly overcast conditions the final came down to a tussle between two North Ramsey pairs in the form of Steve Parker and Lillian Slinger coming up against mother and son pairing of Janet and Robert Monk with the latter pair coming out on top of a good quality game 21-18.
Losing out in the two semi finals were the pairings of Trevor Quayle and Lyn Bolton (Port St Mary/South Ramsey) and last years winners Stuart and Paula Garrett (Douglas).
Falling at the quarter final stage were Alec and Philippa Taylor (Peel), Jordan Cain and Paula Firth (Onchan/Nobles), Glynn and Kim Hargraves (Onchan/North Ramsey) and Ray and Ann Maddrell (Port St Mary). At the conclusion of play Port St Mary Ladies President Ann Maddrell introduced Michael Atherton from the sponsors to present the prizes.
Report by Ewan Cooil
Kelly at the Double
It was double success for Colin Kelly this weekend as he teamed up with Neil Withers to win the men’s doubles at Nobles Bowling Club, just 24 hours after he lifted the association cup on the same green.
Both men were relentless in their quest for victory and slipped into gear from the off, moving through them every game they played, and by the time they reached the final they were in overdrive and too hot to handle for Ian Moore and Stuart Garrett as they came home 21-9 winners.
The runners up had a great day out too and the Douglas pairing should be very happy with their efforts. In the semi final they knocked out Tom Kelly and Michael Collister, whilst Withers and Kelly eliminated John Kennish and James Teare.
Nobles Park ran the competition, which was held in conjunction with the ladies doubles on the other green, superbly and an entry of 33 pairs shows that things are definitely on the up for Manx bowls.
20 Years in the Making for Kelly
Colin Kelly was at the top of his game at Nobles on Saturday as he lifted the coveted Association Cup which he last won two decades ago in 1995.
Kelly seemed to thrive in a new format which saw both greens used, with players alternating between games and had the measure of both almost instantly.
In the final he overcame the colourful ‘green machine’ Jordan Cain 21-14. It was all change in the final with Kelly playing Cain’s preferred short round pegs and the runner up heading for the champion’s usual choice of full corners.
Jordan played well all day and had some exceptional results but just didn’t have enough in the tank as he struggled to get on terms with Colin.
Both players had excellent results in the semi-finals with Cain, the only player in the last four not to have won a festival on the same green, taking Neil Withers a part 21-6. Our eventual champion will also be very pleased with his work as he dispatched long time adversary John Kennish 21-17.
Losing out in the quarter finals were Kevin Quirk, Ray Maddrell, Stevie Kelly and Rob Monk.
Matthew Keggen and the competition committee should be praised for the new format which worked tremendously well. The recent changes have seen an increase in entries and if we continue in this vein I am sure the sport will flourish for years to come.
Peel B surprise Douglas A
Peel Sunset B provided the shock result of the week travelling to 2nd Place Douglas A they come away with a superb 5-3 victory to put a dent in the home teams title aspirations, this goes to back up the thought that on their day most teams can pull off surprise results, Douglas bad week continued as they had to visit Castletown A and went down 6-2 to leave them in 5th position having played 14 for 18 points, With leaders North Ramsey A having a superb win at tough to beat at home Onchan A before having a superb 7-1 win over another title contender Peel Sunset A THE Northerners sit looking down on everyone having played 13 games for 23 points, Two points in arrears of North Ramsey A on 21 points come Castletown B who used home advantage to beat South Ramsey 5-3 in a very close game before beating Douglas B to get maximum points this week, One point behind come Castletown A who still have the important game in hand on their B team. Castletown A had a very close 4-4- draw at Ballaugh with four games going to all but across, but vitally 3 of those games went to the home side, before as already mentioned they beat Douglas A at the Crofts On 18 points level with Douglas come Port St Mary A, but they have only played 12 but their rearranged game against North Ramsey B should off been played on Friday so the result will be in next week which should move them up the table. Port however suffered a hiccup on Tuesday going down 5-3 on their visit to Marown before getting back on track with 8-0 whitewash over visitors Nobles B. Peel Sunset A hold 6th place on 17 points after whitewashing Douglas B they suffered at leaders North Ramsey A on the Thursday. Marown had a superb week with two home fixtures they had wins over PSM And Ballaugh to climb to 7th place on 16 points with the all-important, game in hand on 6th place Peel. South Ramsey occupy 8th place on 15 points after losing out on their trip south to Castletown B they had a good 8-0 win over Port Erin. With Nobles A, Peel Sunset B both on 14 points. Peel B after beating Douglas A away were brought down to earth by next to bottom North Ramsey B who travelled west and came away with a point, which again proves any team can get points from each other. At Present Stuart Garrett of Douglas A leads the Merit having played and won 14 games, next come George Peach played 14 won 13 and Brian Redman played 14 won 12 both from Castletown B, closely followed by Geoff Porter (North Ramsey A) played 13 won 12, then on 11 wins are Tony Carroon (Peel B), Harry Kelly (Peel A), Peter Kelly (Marown), Dave Foulis (Ballaugh) Ron Maycox (PSM A) and Mike Hargraves (Castletown A)
Ladies’ league Friday 22 May
Lynne Mansley was the hero for Douglas on Friday 22 May, her win denying Port St Mary a full house. The visitors won eight games, four of them to single figures leaving Douglas just short of a three figure total.Castletown put in a strong performance at Port Erin winning 7 games, three to single figures. The two winners for Port Erin were Carol Kaye and Mavis Franks who edged out Marie Ashurst 21-19.Onchan were a player short against Mooragh Park who won 6-3 on games, the match-up of the night being Vicky Lloyd-West’s 21-20 win over Joyce Gardiner. Ballaugh also won 6-3 on games against Peel Sunset, but the visitors fought well to end up level on points, Rose Corfield reaching !9 against Peggy Griffin and Joyce Kelly 20 against Christine MacDonald. Purt le Moirrey struggled against Noble’s but had three winners in Chris Price, Edwina Reid and Pauline Worrall while Roma Ware reached 19 against Julie Macleod. South Ramsey were another team with a 6-3 games advantage, the three winners for Marown being Pat Withers, Mary Alderson and Rosie Winckle, to single figures. Lil Smith nearly added a fourth game, reaching 19 against Jill Quayle.
Ladies’ over 60’s Tuesday 19 May
There were two maximums in the Trend sponsored over 60’s ladies’ league on Tuesday 19 May. Onchan A had a fruitful journey south where Ann Hollingworth came closest to giving Castletown a game, reaching 18 against Dee Lewis. Port St Mary A also had a full house at Villa with Margaret Taskr and Tricia Bull winning to single figures. Villa put up some spirited resistance with Muriel Cain reaching 19 against Kath Looney and Brenda Williams taking Rita Callister all the way before going down 20-21. Douglas could only field 5 players but the five fought well with Elaine Vincent reaching 20 against Chris Holland and Jo Oldam registering the same score against Dot Mylchreest. Jan Osborne went one better, winning her game and spoiling the party for the home side. Peel Sunset were also unable to field a full team at Ballaugh, while Mary Alderson was the fly in the ointment for Port Erin, denying them a full house. Noble’s had the better of Breagle, 4-2 on games and at Onchan B the home side had the advantage in a low scoring match that was drawn on games.
over 60’s postponed match
In the match postponed from 5 May Onchan had the better of Marown 4-2 on games, three of those games being to single figures. The two winners for the visiting team were Celia Joughin, in the closest game of the morning against Flo Kelly, and Shirley Whelan.
Ladies’ league Wednesday 20 May
South Ramsey were top scorers in the C Tarleton Hodgson sponsored ladies league on Wednesday 20 May, winning 8 games, 3 of them to single figures. Jean Thackrah was the lone winner for Port Erin. Onchan were affected by sickness and could only field five players, who fought well to win three of their five games, Eileen Thomas winning to single figures as did Debra Cooper for the home side. Ann Gale and Christine McDonald, to single figures, were the two winners for Ballaugh at Castletown, the home side winning 4 games to single figures. Mooragh Park are beginning to look dangerous again, winning seven games against Marown whose two winners were Margaret Scarffe and Lil Smith, while Port St Mary had the edge over Noble‘s winning 6-3 on games. The closest match of the night was at Peel where Sunset won 5-4 on games and by a single chalk. Two of the games could have gone either way with Sue Jones losing out 19-21 to Joan Murphy while Rose Corfield holding off Brenda Williams to win 21-20.
A Sport for All
Grown Green Bowls on the Isle of Man has seen resurgence as of late with a lot of development work taking place at all levels of the game. Neil Withers is working tirelessly to make the sport truly accessible from the grass roots up with the new ‘Bowls for All’ project.
The work he has started could see him meet, and potentially exceed, his aspirations of making the game more accessible by providing more coaches, more equipment and providing more sessions where newcomers to sport can try for free in the very near future.
Neil is looking to achieve his aims by sourcing funding to purchase necessary equipment and coaching aids, and subject to meeting the criteria requested this project will be a massive step forward for the sport.
He is also keen that clubs wanting to benefit from the scheme put something back and really open themselves up to people wanting to try the game. To achieve this he has tied it in with existing work in the bowls development plan to launch a charter standard.
Development officer Mark Kneen has adjusted the charter to encompass all the aspirations of the ‘Bowls for All’ scheme and a draft of the proposed three tiered charter will be circulated around clubs soon.
It is envisaged that clubs achieving level 1 Charter Club status will reap the rewards by receiving equipment and support to continually develop their club as a breeding ground for new players. Neil should be commended by his vision, foresight and tireless effort to achieve his goal which will definitely seal a victory for bowls on the Isle of Man.
Ladies League Friday 15 May
It was not a good week for Peel Sunset in the C Tarleton Hodgson sponsored league as, after their debacle at Noble’s on Tuesday, they faced a rampant Port St Mary on Friday night. The home side won the first eight games, four to single figures, and at one point Joyce Kelly, in the last game, was 15-2 down before coming through to win 21-18 to give the home side a three figure total. It was also a last game for Connie Pettegrew before she returns to America-we all wish her well for the future.It was a hard fought battle at Marown, where all 9 games went to double figures, the visitors having the advantage 5-4 on games, although it could have been the other way round with Irene Corlett reaching 20 against Gill Aughton and Margaret Scarffe 19 against Roma Ware. South Ramsey had the better of things at Ballaugh, winning 5 games with Elaine Moore doing so to single figures, while Port Erin had a good win in a low-scoring match against Mooragh Park, winning 6 games, three of them to single figures. Noble’s put up a strong performance against Onchan, winning four of their six games to single figures. The game of the match saw Marilyn Ellison edge out Sylvia Kennaugh 21-19.At Douglas the home side won three games, two to single figures by Paula Garrett and Pat Kelly and in the third Lynne Mansley pipped Ann Hollingworth 21-20. In reply Castletown won six games with Kim Foy winning to single figures.