Isle of Man County Crown Green Bowling Association

South Ramsey hosted the Jim Kernan Cup on Saturday afternoon, in what is traditionally the first of the pre-festival opens with a superb entry of 72 beating the 2025 entry of 62. The visiting bowlers were treated to improved weather on a good playing surface. The competition was sponsored by CEF Electrical for a second successive year.

Due to the number entered some bowlers would need to win four games just to reach the quarter final stage. At this stage Adam Hawker (Fairfield) got the better of regular visitor Kevan Shaw (Carleton) 21-13, whilst Tom Boyd (Cylinders) held off Peel man Gary Smith 21-20, with the latter trailing 17-20, three singles saw the game go to a deciding end at 20-20 with Boyd scoring the all-important chalk to get over the line.

In the other half of the draw the locals found their way through to the latter stages of the competition with home greener John Kennish holding off Marown captain Paul Dunn 21-17. Keeping the theme of keenly contested quarter finals matches going Neil Withers (Marown) held off the 2025 winner Alan Moore (21-19).

Kennish was the first man to book his place in the final with a dominant display in the semi-finals as he beat Withers 21-8. The second semi-final between Hawker and Boyd almost went to the wire, with the latter doing enough to secure a 21-18 win to progress to the final.

In what could be an early warning for the upcoming Festival week, the final was another dominant display by Kennish, who raced into a 16-6 lead over Boyd, winning the first three ends with doubles, followed by five singles. Boyd managed to get in with a single, however Kennish ensured there was to be no comeback scoring a further two doubles, and a single to secure a superb 21-7 victory to pick up his 12th win in this competition and his first since 2017, along with securing the first prize of £250.

The presentation was made by South Ramsey competition secretary James Teare, who thanked the ladies for providing a superb range of refreshments throughout the day, Steve Moore for assisting with running the sheet, the club members who had helped with the running of the competition. Thanks were also given to the sponsors CEF Electrical for their continued support. In his speech Kennish noted how well the running of the competition had been handled despite the boat being delayed, also praised the condition of the green.