News: Winter League

Wet weather disrupts schedule

This week’s Outdoor Winter Bowls League sponsored by Pronto Plumbing was somewhat shorter than expected. 

The weather meant that the usual midweek Round Robin did not take place.

Saturday 30th of October saw Outsiders, Bits n Bobs and All But battle it out for the second time this season, with Seven Up also playing.

Bits n Bobs took on Outsiders for their first game and didn’t manage to field a full team. Winning a game was a real struggle for Bits n Bobs, and the only player to come close was Sue Collier who scored nineteen points against Ben Dugdale, a deserved match win to Outsiders.

On the green at the same time were Seven Up playing All But. All But secured four wins leaving Seven Up taking two. The closest scoring game was when Lil Smith from All But held Philippa Taylor to seventeen points.

The second half of the afternoon saw Outsiders taking on Seven Up, and the number of games won by each team was three. Jenny Moore from Outsiders had the closest scoring game against Kevin Quirk, Jenny kept Kevin to eighteen. Seven Up took the match on points.

Bits n Bobs had a better game against All But, managing to win four games, although the points worked in All Buts favour to square the match. There were two close games, both seeing victory to Bits n Bobs, they were Celia Joughin scoring nineteen against Geoff Collier and Willie Corkill scoring seventeen against Gill Morgan.

Seven Up 2 (97) All But 6 (110), Bits n Bobs 0 (63) Outsiders 8 (126), Outsiders 3 (97) Seven Up 5 (106), All But 4 (102) Bits n Bobs 4 (96).

Sunday’s games were abandoned after about half an hour due to a number of heavy downpours making the green unplayable. The fixtures have been rescheduled for Saturday, December 11.

WALOB drop just two points

Week three got under way with the round robin on Wednesday with fewer entries than the previous two weeks. There were only twelve members who played as doubles and the winners were Margie Tasker and her partner Peter Corlett, and in second place was Doug Allan and Gillian Jopson.

On Saturday the 23rd of October WALOB took on Nobles Nutters and won four out of the six games, the closest score being Sid Bolton who held Jay Elliott to twenty. Bits n Bobs won five out of the six games against Castletown Corkers the closest being won by Franz ten Donkelaar who beat Lily Gawne to nineteen. The Nutters took on Bits n Bobs for the second game, with each team winning three games, unfortunately Bits n Bobs couldn’t take a second victory as they were pipped to the post by five points. The closest win was by Jane Lothian who was helping Bits n Bobs out, she managed to take the win from Mark Bradshaw who scored twenty. When Corkers took on WALOB they were unable to win a game meaning WALOB scored the maximum 126 available. The closest scoring game being won by Kim Hargraves who kept Davey Faragher to nineteen points.

WALOB 6 (113) Nobles Nutters 2 (97), Bits n Bobs 7 (116) Castletown Corkers 1 (70), Nobles Nutters 5 (106) Bits n Bobs 3 (101), Castletown Corkers 0 (66) WALOB 8 (126).

On Sunday the 24th Mooragh Lakers took on Castletown Cannons and won five out of the six games, leading to them taking the match, the closest game being taken by Janet Monk who kept George Peach to nineteen. Parkers took two games from Louie’s Angels, although the tightest game was won by Sid McKnight of the Parkers who took the win by one point from Tricia Bull. Louie’s Angels won their second match against the Lakers, again winning four games. Matthew Keggen beat Walter McCarthy to eighteen, whilst Janet Monk of the Lakers kept Margie Tasker to nineteen. The Cannons managed to win one game against Parkers although it was Jo Smith from the Parkers who had the closest fought battle but kept Joy Stephens to eighteen.

Mooragh Lakers 7 (117) Castletown Cannons 1 (91), Parkers 2 (95) Louie’s Angels 6 (119), Louie’s Angels 6 (117) Mooragh Lakers 2 (99), Castletown Cannons 1 (88) Parkers 7 (121). 

Angels set the early pace

The winners of the doubles group were Derek Allen and Brian Colquitt who took the win by five points from Trish Bull and Brian Aspen. The triples winners also by five points were Dougie Allan, Paul Callister and Janet Monk who beat Billy Blair, Margie Tasker and Peter Kelly.

Saturday the 16th October saw four teams battling it out. Nobles Nutters took on Mooragh Lakers and won three out of the six games. Terry Bates held Alison Kearsley to seventeen and Mark Bradshaw took the win leaving Walter McCarthy on twenty.  Parkers took on Seven Up and managed to secure a win for two of the games, one of which Mike Thomas held Philippa Taylor to twenty. Another close game was secured by Dougie Allan of Seven Up keeping Colin Spence to twenty. Sylvia Kennaugh of the Nobles Nutters during their second match against Seven Up prevented a six game victory by taking the only win for the Nutters against Eddie Carlisle who scored seventeen. The last game of the day was Mooragh Lakers against Parkers, again one game prevented Parkers from having a clean sweep. It was Sue Gawne and Tracy Moore who took the one and only win for Mooragh Lakers in the doubles game, they kept Peter Karran and Jo Smith to seventeen.

Nobles Nutters 3 (99) Mooragh Lakers 5 (109), Parkers 2 (98) Seven Up 6 (122), Seven Up 7 (123) Nobles Nutters 1 (82), Mooragh Lakers 1 (89) Parkers 7 (122).

Sunday again saw four teams battling it out on the green. Castletown Cannons took on the newly established team All But and secured two wins, one of the closest being George Peach who held Peter Kennaugh to twenty. All But also had two very close games meaning the win to them when Brian Colquitt beat Joy Stephens to twenty and Celia Joughin did the same to Alan Phair. 

It was all even when Louie’s Angels took on Outsiders, each winning three games but Angels took victory by scoring nine points overall more than Outsiders. Jenny Moore was the closest game, leaving Trevor Quayle to score twenty. All But won two of the six games against Louie’s Angels and had a really closely fought game of doubles, with All But being the victors when Brian Aspen and Peter Kennaugh kept victory from Trish Bull and Caroline Whitehead by a point. The final match of the day was Outsiders against Castletown Cannons which saw Outsiders taking all six games of the match.  

Castletown Cannons 2 (100) All But 6 (117), Louie’s Angels 5 (118) Outsiders 3 (109), All But 2 (80) Louie’s Angels 6 (120), Outsiders 8 (126) Castletown Cannons 0 (74).

Winter bowlers swing into action

Well, it’s that time of year again, after the last season being shortened due to Covid we are back to playing the Outdoor Winter League bowls which for the second-year running is kindly being sponsored by Pronto Plumbing.

The schedule began with a round Robin which took place on Wednesday the 6th of October. There were 24 members taking part, eleven ladies and thirteen men took to the green. The participants were split into two groups, six pairs in each, one using yellow and the other using black jacks.

The winners of the yellow jack group by eleven points were Joyce Ogden and Alan Phair scoring 45 points, who took victory from Elaine McElroy and Terry Bates (34). Elaine and Terry took second from Caroline Whitehead and Judith Moore (33) by one point.

The black jack group was won by Mark Kelly and Kevin Firth (scoring 41), who beat Peter Kelly and Bryan Corner to 34, with third place taking 28 by Brian Colquitt and Paul Callister.

Saturday the 9th saw the Castletown Cannons, Castletown Corkers, Louie’s Angels and the newly formed team Noble Nutters on the first league fixtures. 

Nobles Nutters 4 (107) Castletown Cannons 4 (114), Castletown Corkers 1 (67) Louie’s Angels 7 (125), Louie’s Angels 8 (126) Nobles Nutters 0 (64), Castletown Cannons 7 (118) Castletown Corkers 1 (96).

The following day saw Bits n Bobs, Outsiders compete with the newly formed All But and WALOB.

All But 2 (96) WALOB 6 (119), Outsiders 7 (120) Bits n Bobs 1 (90), Bits n Bobs 3 (93) All But 5 (113), WALOB 3 (103) Outsiders 5 (111).

Kelly is Club Champion

A smaller than expected entry fought for the honour of club champion on Saturday in the Manx Petroleum sponsored Outdoor Winter Bowling Club and it was Stefan Kelly who emerged as the tenth different winner of this event.

The afternoon began in pleasant enough conditions but deteriorated during the second round and from there onwards was completed in wet and windy conditions.

Unfortunately, after a few late withdrawals and some no shows a field of 32 was brought down to the last eight, with no less than four losers in the first round falling just one point short.

After a decision between those involved, the eight quarter finalists decided to carry on in the poor conditions, with Kelly who plays for Guns for Hire, coming through a tough encounter with the individual merit winner Matthew Keggen (Louie’s Angels) by a score of 21-17.

Jenny Moore (Outsiders) was also successful, with a win to 16 over team-mate James Teare; whilst Bryan Corner (Govags) took control from 12 across to defeat Kevin Firth (Outsiders).

The other game brought together junior merit winner Shannon McMullan (Mooragh Lakers) and Caroline Whitehead (Erin Porters) with the latter coming from behind at 14-16 to eventually win 21-17.

The first game in the semis saw Moore take a 13-11 lead over Kelly, before the eventual winner moved ahead on a longer mark and ran out 21-14; this while Corner and Whitehead were all-square at 11-across before the Porters player took six ends on the trot to lead by nine and two ends later the contest was all over.

The rain had eased before the players took to the green for the final, with Whitehead winning the first end, however Kelly took the title after once again playing the longer marks and winning the next eleven ends for a comprehensive victory.

Results – quarter-finals: Stefan Kelly 21, Matthew Keggen 17; Jenny Moore 21, James Teare 16; Kevin Firth 13, Bryan Corner 21; Shannon McMullan 17, Caroline Whitehead 21. Semi-finals: Kelly 21, Moore 14; Corner 12, Whitehead 21. Final: Kelly 21, Whitehead 7.

Just a few days earlier the midweek round robin had a relatively small gang of 25 split into two sections, with the trio of Derek Allen, Tricia Bull and Bernard Thackrah taking victory ahead of Sid McKnight, Peter Corlett and Bernie McPhee.

The eventual winners in the doubles group were Bernard Galka and Alec Taylor, with second spot going to Steve Parker and Ken Karran.

In the interest of safety and based on advice given regarding Coronavirus  it is with sadness that the Outdoor Winter Club has had to bring this season to an abrupt end, therefore the midweek round robin was cancelled on Wednesday, along with the final weekend, which included the prize presentations.

The annual Best versus Rest event was also due to take place during an afternoon that was being given over to raise funds towards Cancer Research UK, Relay for Life IoM, Team Elf, I am sure this will happen at a later date.

The full list of prize winners for the past season are: J&M Lee doubles, winners Steve Parker and Dougie Allan; runners-up, Mike Alexander and Jenny Moore; Derek Killey individual merit memorial trophy, Matthew Keggen (Louie’s Angels); Geoff Osborn womens merit memorial trophy, Margie Tasker (Angels); junior merit, Shannon McMullan (Lakers); club champion, Stefan Kelly; runner-up, Caroline Whitehead.

League champions were Guns for Hire; runners-up, Seven-Up; third, Outsiders; fourth, Louie’s Angels and in fifth spot were Mooragh Lakers. Team merit winners in league finishing order were Dave Kelly (G4H), Mark Kelly (Seven-Up), Jenny Moore (Outsiders), Matthew Keggen (Angels), Steve Parker (Lakers), Mike Thomas (Parkers), Dougie Allan (Govags), Sylvia Kennaugh (Bowl Rollers), Bernard Thackrah (Erin Porters), Franz ten-Donkelaar (Bits n Bobs), George Peach (Cannons) and Dave Faragher (Corkers).

Angels snatch 4th spot

Louie’s Angels enjoyed the extra weekend of the Manx Petroleum sponsored Outdoor Winter Bowling League after they clawed back a 48 point deficit to clinch fourth spot in the final table by a single point.

Two of their squad also took the top two honours in the individual standings after Matthew Keggen won the Derek Killey memorial trophy, whilst Marg Tasker won the Geoff Osborn memorial trophy awarded to the best woman.

They finished one and two in the overall list, both winning the awards for a second time and with Mark Kelly (Seven-Up) completing his games some weeks back he had to wait to see what his final position would be, just missing out on top spot by four points.

Fourth position was taken by Jenny Moore (Outsiders) and making up the top six were Mike Thomas (Parkers) and Steve Parker (Mooragh Lakers); the top junior was Shannon McMullan who also played for Lakers.

Saturday’s fixtures were re-scheduled when storm Ciara hit the Island back in early February and things didn’t quite go to plan this time either after an accident on the mountain road delayed some players, resulting in a change to the order of play.

So first up it was Govags who were trying for a top six finish and Cannons who were battling near the foot of the table, the score went in favour of the westerners, but only by a margin of five from a three-all draw on games.

After the arrival of the missing players, Outsiders joined in the action and wasted no time in racking up the campaign’s 21stmaximum at the expense of Cannons, who in turn set a target of just over 240 points for their stablemates to catch up the following day.

Govags had reduced the margin to Parkers down to 96 after the first fixture, but fell one short of that target when Outsiders completed their season in great style with a result of 123-95 and secured third position along the way, leaving Govags down in seventh.

Results for Saturday, March 7: Govags 107 (3), Castletown Cannons 102 (3); Castletown Cannons 60 (0), Outsiders 126 (6); Outsiders 123 (5), Govags 95 (1).

Storm Dennis was to blame for Sunday’s re-arranged games and Louie’s Angels certainly enjoyed the slightly better weather this time around as they romped to the season’s 22nd maximum score against Mooragh Lakers who were unfortunately a player short.

Angels began the afternoon aiming to hold onto fifth spot and securing those two merit titles, but after beating Lakers by an impressive margin of 45 points were in sight of snatching fourth from their opponents.

Erin Porters and Castletown Corkers were also competing with the result going pretty much to form and with a total of 89 the Castletown outfit were confirmed as the basement side.

Lakers only dropped six points in the games played, but added to the 15 for the walkover left a glimmer of hope for Angels; Corkers meanwhile put up a great fight only to lose out on their second victory by just four chalks.

Angels meanwhile lost nine points in the opening games against Porters, followed by another eight in the final three, to leave them with a score of 109; they then had an anxious few minutes before they found out that Lakers had totalled 105, therefore the sides swapped places in the table.

Results for Sunday, March 8: Mooragh Lakers 81 (0), Louie’s Angels 126 (6); Erin Porters 111 (4), Castletown Corkers 89 (2); Louie’s Angels 109 (4), Erin Porters 90 (2); Castletown Corkers 102 (2), Mooragh Lakers 105 (4).

The seven teams in action still had more than one player in with a chance of winning their merit, with the triumphant ones being Matthew Keggen, Jenny Moore, Steve Parker, Dougie Allan (Govags), Bernard Thackrah (Porters), George Peach (Cannons) and Dave Faragher (Corkers).

The club championship will be held on Saturday with a 12 noon start and with an entry of almost 40 it will be a busy afternoon to complete the games.

Sunday, March 22 will be the prize presentations and annual Best versus Rest when the league champions Guns for Hire along with some support players will take on the remaining 11 team merit winners or representatives. 

This will be a top-up fundraiser for the Relay for Life charity round robin which was rained off a few weeks ago, so there will be a raffle, along with some cakes for sale, also the chance to watch the final bowls of the winter season.

Two groups of doubles made up from an entry of 22 contested the latest midweek round robin; with the winners being Steve Parker and Bryan Corner in one gang; whilst Bernie McPhee and Peter Corlett won the other.

Still lots to play for

There are still 10 league places up for grabs, along with seven team merit winners to be decided as the Manx Petroleum sponsored Outdoor Winter Bowling Club goes into an extra weekend of games brought on by the recent storms.

Once again, the participants had to endure strong cold winds over both days with the Saturday gang in a race to beat the wet weather arriving late afternoon and this they did with little time to spare.

Unfortunately for them, Castletown Cannons were a player short and as a consequence lost out to Erin Porters by 12 points even though they won four of the six games.

Bowl Rollers then joined in the action needing to maintain their average to stay above first opponents Erin Porters, they went down by a margin of 16 chalks, but also set themselves a manageable target for their final outing.

Rollers then battled the elements and a spirited Cannons team to record a high enough total to hold onto eighth spot, whilst Cannons improved their average a little in the contest at the basement of the table.

Results for Saturday, February 29: Castletown Cannons 102 (4), Erin Porters 114 (2); Erin Porters 108 (4), Bowl Rollers 92 (2); Bowl Rollers 112 (3), Castletown Cannons 96 (3).

All of Sunday’s three teams had targets – fifth placed Louie’s Angels to close the gap to the two above to put the pressure on, seventh placed Govags to improve their average and move back up the table and Corkers to maintain the task of moving out of bottom position.

First up were Angels and Govags, but they both dropped vital points in a fixture that ended in a close victory for the western outfit, who next took on Corkers and dropped just eight in a clear victory.

The final contest of the session saw Angels defeat Corkers by just nine, but once again both dropped valuable chalks in their quests to improve their league places.

Results for Sunday, March 1: Louie’s Angels 105 (3), Govags 106 (3); Govags 118 (4), Castletown Corkers 79 (2); Castletown Corkers 98 (2), Louie’s Angels 109 (4).

With one weekend of re-arranged fixtures remaining the tasks for certain teams are this – Lakers need to score 36 points more than Outsiders; Angels need 165 points to finish above Parkers and not be caught by Govags, who themselves require 203 to pip Parkers to a top half finish.

Elsewhere Porters should be able to remain ahead of Bits n Bobs, whilst at the foot of the table, Corkers trail their stablemates Cannons by 79 – so still lots to play for team-wise between the seven involved.

The top two players, Matthew Keggen and Marg Tasker, both from Angels, vying for the Derek Killey memorial individual merit title won their contests, so going into the final games Matthew can reach of total of 444 and Marg 442, with Seven-Up’s Mark Kelly already finished on 440.

Four other teams also now know their merit winners and for Guns for Hire it is Dave Kelly; for Parkers, Mike Thomas; Bowl Rollers, Sylvia Kennaugh and Bits n Bobs, Franz ten Donkelaar.

Leaders for the remaining sides are Jenny Moore (Outsiders), Steve Parkers (Mooragh Lakers), Doug Allan (Govags), George Peach (Cannons), Dave Faragher (Corkers) and equal on points for Erin Porters are Caroline Whitehead and Bernard Thackrah.

Two big events still to come are the club championship on Saturday, March 14, entries for which are still being taken, and the prize presentation afternoon on Sunday, March 22 when the Best will play the Rest, raffle prizes for which would be very much appreciated.

A good entry of 32 enjoyed the midweek round robin, with the two group winners being Alan Phair, Rita Callister and Dave Faragher in the triples, and in the pairs it was Derek Allen and Kevin Firth.

Battles for places

The battle for places goes on behind the top two who have completed their programme in the Manx Petroleum sponsored Outdoor Winter Bowling League and Outsiders now look favourites to take third spot. 

They began the afternoon 16 points ahead of fourth placed Mooragh Lakers and extended that margin after two days of action, which was possible for the first time in three weekends due to storms Ciara and Dennis. 

Outgoing champions Outsiders kicked-off against Bowl Rollers and dropped just seven chalks before a heavy hail shower cleared players of the green for a short while. 

Govags then joined in the action and racked up a good total against Rollers as they tried to stay ahead of Parkers and perhaps challenge Louie’s Angels for fifth spot. 

Unfortunately, the westerners couldn’t keep that good form going and slumped to a heavy defeat to Outsiders, who themselves ended the session 251 points ahead of fourth placed Lakers, just one short of the total available 24 hours later. 

Results for Saturday, February 22: Outsiders 119 (5), Bowl Rollers 92 (1); Bowl Rollers 100 (2), Govags 116 (4); Govags 77 (1), Outsiders 116 (5). 

Sunday’s participants arrived to a much brighter afternoon, albeit still with a stiff breeze to add to their challenge and it was Parkers who enjoyed themselves most with two victories. 

They opened with a narrow four point success over Lakers, before sitting out whilst their opponents next took on Erin Porters; they later went back onto the green to defeat the southern outfit and score enough to jump up into sixth position. 

Results for Sunday, February 23: Parkers 105 (3), Mooragh Lakers 101 (3); Mooragh Lakers 115 (5), Erin Porters 84 (1); Erin Porters 91 (3), Parkers 106 (3). 

The top two couldn’t be caught ahead of this action, however this leaves Outsiders 35 points ahead of Lakers, both with two left to play and in fifth are Louie’s Angels a further 262 chalks adrift, but have four fixtures left. 

Next come Parkers who have finished their season and must wait to see if they have done enough to remain in the top half of the table. 

There were no changes in the leading three of the Derek Killey memorial individual merit as they were not in action, however Jenny Moore (Outsiders) and Mike Thomas (Parkers) both won twice to remain fourth and fifth. 

Behind them two Lakers players swopped places after Sue Gawne lost one and Steve Parker recorded two wins to move into a five point lead over his team-mate. 

Some players still have four fixtures remaining, some only two and of course some are finished; over the next two weekends the overall, ladies and junior merit winners will be decided. 

Unfortunately, the Wednesday charity round robin was rained off, but some players did take part in a last-minute event held 24 hours later. The pairing of Tricia Bull and Reg Temporaza won the group of eight which was separated by only seven chalks. 

The money raised will be topped up at a second fundraiser, either at the club championship on Saturday, March 14, entries for which are still being taken, or alternatively the prize presentation afternoon on Sunday, March 22 when the Best will play the Rest at what is normally the club’s final event. 

G4H wrap up title

Long-time leaders Guns for Hire finally wrapped up the title in the Manx Petroleum sponsored Outdoor Winter Bowling League, but lost their 100 per cent record by the closest of margins on a blustery afternoon.

Just 24 hours earlier Saturday’s fixtures fell foul of the stormy weather, however the drier conditions on Sunday allowed three of the four teams competing finish their campaigns, albeit in far from ideal conditions and a week later than planned. 

After three games of the green from the Bits n Bobs and Parkers clash and the same from the battle between the top two – Parkers were well in control of their situation, whilst second-placed Seven-Up held an advantage of three chalks over G4H. 

Parkers went on to complete their outing with a good points total victory to close the gap on sixth placed Govags and a chance of a finish in the top half of the table. 

Seven-Up meanwhile had a 29-point deficit to claw back if they were to overtake Guns for Hire. 

Even though they won the contest and ended their opponents unbeaten run, the one chalk winning margin was not quite enough to pose a challenge in the later games. 

The contenders still each had a fixture left to play and two questions to be answered – could G4H hold their nerve and would Seven-Up record the maximum score expected and required to maybe cause a last ditch upset. 

Neither of the opposing sides allowed the title challenging pair have an easy passage in the encounters, with BnB taking seven points from Seven-Up and Parkers winning two early games in a 110 to 120 defeat to the ‘new’ champions. 

Both questions were answered with there being no change in the points margin – a difference reflected in the two worst scores for the pair, G4H having a total of 213 from 108 and 105, whilst Seven-Up had an 81 and 103 to make 184 – that gap of 29. 

Results for Sunday, February 16: Bits n Bobs 89 (1), Parkers 117 (5); Guns for Hire 115 (3), Seven-Up 116 (3); Parkers 110 (2), Guns for Hire 120 (4); Seven-Up 119 (5), Bits n Bobs 80 (1). 

This triumph is the tenth success over 13 years for a team that has changed its name on no less than 11 occasions – their first victory came as Generation Gap back in 2008; they won again as Hot Shots and Chancers, but missed out in 2011 – again called Chancers. 

Five more successful seasons followed with the names New Avengers, High Flyers, Incredabowls, Rule Breakers and Mean Machine; they missed out as Unstopabowls in 2017, but bounced back as Jacks Off; before having a poor year, by their standards, to finish fourth – this time called A-Team. 

With five new members in their squad for 2019-20 they took the total number of players over that 13-year period to 35, with Alan Moore being the only player to feature in each team, therefore winning his tenth league title success. 

In comparison runners-up Seven-Up finished fifth back in 2008 and in the 12 pursuing years have not been out of the top four, finishing in that second spot on no less than five occasions. 

Saturday’s postponed games involving Mooragh Lakers, Louie’s Angels, Erin Porters and Castletown Corkers have been re-arranged for Sunday, March 8 and the day before will see a set of fixtures moved from the previous weekend and will feature Castletown Cannons, Outsiders and Govags. 

The latest midweek round robin had an entry of 26 split into two sets of doubles, which were won by Philippa Taylor and Mark Kelly, and Kevin Firth paired with Lil Smith. 

Storm halts fixtures

Just like a number of other events, storm Ciara put paid to any action over the weekend in the Manx Petroleum sponsored Outdoor Winter Bowling League forcing the club into their first postponements of the campaign. 

Saturday’s games have been re-scheduled to a date of the end of the list and will now be played on March 7; whilst Sunday’s programme has been moved just one week to February 16. 

This means that a number of teams have had their season extended a little and this includes table toppers Guns for Hire who have had to wait an extra week for their showdown with second-placed Seven-Up. 

In last week’s report I took a look at the leading nine players in the individual merit battle for the Derek Killey memorial trophy and with the Isle of Man bowls website now back online I can confirm that was list was correct. 

At present 115 different members have competed for one team or another and sitting in tenth position in the standings is Dave Kelly (G4H) with a perfect 18 wins from 18 played, however as he has missed two games, his average from those played by his team shows him on 18.9. 

Bowl Rollers occupy the next two spots, with Jamie Joughin and Lil Smith locked on the same total, with Jamie ahead because his against is lower; these two are being chased very closely for their team merit by Sylvia Kennaugh who is only one chalk behind in 14th overall. 

Another player who has missed games, sits amongst the Rollers trio and that is former double merit winner Kevin Quirk (Seven-Up) who triumphed in 2003 and 2010; completing the top 15 is Bernard Thackrah (Erin Porters), whose team have six fixtures left to play. 

There could be another sting in the tail of this battle with the rumour of players being missing this weekend, then as I pen this there could possibly be storm Dennis to contend with… 

Entries are still open for the club championship, which will take place on Saturday, March 14 and following this on Sunday, March 22 the best versus rest event will take place along with the prize presentations. 

Prior to that, on Wednesday, February 19 a charity round robin will take place, all proceeds from the afternoon will go to Cancer Research UK, Relay for Life IoM, Team Elf. This will start at 1pm and there will be cakes on sale, along with a raffle. 

An entry of 34 enjoyed the midweek session held last Wednesday, with the winners in the triples section being Maureen Hamilton, Doug Allan and Mark Kelly, in second were Rosie Winckle, Tricia Bull and Caroline Corlett, with third spot going to Bernard Thackrah, Peter Kelly and Andy Sykes. 

Doubles was the order of the day in the other group and sneaking home by just one chalk were Philippa Taylor and Bernie McPhee, ahead of Gill Jopson and Sue Gawne; with third position being taken by Steve Parker and Marg Tasker.