Isle of Man County Crown Green Bowling Association

In the ladies’ main event, 17-year-old Mooragh Park bowler Lacey McMullan swept aside the field, securing the Isle of Man September Festival title and picking up her biggest win to date. She claimed a resounding victory over South Ramsey’s Jenny Moore, making history in the process as the youngest winner.

Winning the first end would have helped settle any early nerves in what was Lacey’s first festival final appearance. Moore would undoubtedly have started as the huge favourite among most around the green; however, what followed from the Mooragh Park junior bowler was a performance that displayed calmness and maturity beyond her years.

Despite the setback of conceding a double on the second end, Lacey beat a superb lead from Jenny on the third. From there, McMullan took control of the jack, leading superbly while keeping the game simple with her tricolour-striped bowls (red, white and blue) and playing good second bowls when required. This helped her build a commanding 10-chalk lead at 13-3 after eight ends.

Moore will have recovered from bigger deficits over the years; Lacey will have known this and kept her composure as Jenny won three of the next four ends to make the score 14-7.

Lacey responded with three good ends, scoring two doubles either side of a single to move within touching distance of victory at 19-7.

The following end saw Jenny respond with two good bowls to score a single, with Lacey just missing out on picking up the jack for game with her second bowl. With Moore now in double figures (10-19) and counting for two, McMullan played a superb second bowl to move one step closer to victory at 20-10.

The next end proved decisive, with Lacey playing a good lead just over 18 inches away before improving on her first bowl with an unbeaten second to seal a superb 21-10 victory. There can be no argument about the win, as the handicaps (+5 and +1) never came into play, with McMullan taking a deserved victory to etch her name into the history books as the youngest ladies’ winner.

Lacey is a product of the 2017 Manx Youth Games, following in the footsteps of her older sisters, Shannon and Madison. Her younger sister, Bailey, also plays the game, with all four sisters enjoying success locally. This win is undoubtedly a reward for the hours of graft and dedication she has put in on the green over the years, while Lacey will often stay until the end of competitions to support her clubmates. Lacey has also qualified for the Champion of Champions at Owley Wood, Cheshire later this month.

McMullan reached the final with a 21-16 win over Sharon Rigden (Bretherton), who made a good start to lead 11-6. McMullan fought back to lead 12-11 after 10 ends and lost only four ends from there to book her spot in the final. Moore booked her place in the final with a solid 21-13 win over fellow local Jayne Smith (Marown).

Lacey started her day with a superb 21-9 win over Elaine Moore (South Ramsey). Rigden booked her place in the semi-finals with a 21-14 win over Janet Monk (Mooragh Park), helped by a nine-end winning streak. In the other half of the draw, Jenny beat Jo Smith (Noble’s) 21-17, scoring nine doubles along the way, while Jayne Smith navigated her way past Ann Bank (Benllech) 21-17.

Ladies Tourism

The Ladies Tourism was also played to a conclusion on Thursday morning on Noble’s No. 2 green. The final featured both local and visiting interest, with Jenny Moore (South Ramsey) picking up her first September Tourism victory following a resounding 21-9 win over Caroline Bushell (Lindal BC). Moore made a strong start to lead 10-5, before Bushell responded by taking three successive ends to reduce the deficit to one chalk at 9-10. From there, the South Ramsey favourite won nine consecutive ends to secure the title.

Moore had a battle on her hands in the semi-final against fellow local and Ramsey player Janet Monk (Mooragh Park). Both players went on mini-runs as the lead changed hands seven times, with Jenny’s final flourish seeing her over the line 21-19. Bushell’s path to the final was more straightforward, with a 21-16 win over Sian Ollerton (Rhos Park).

In the quarter-finals, Moore had another battle on her hands against Sarah Weaver (Wrockwardine Wood), eventually securing a 21-18 win. Monk progressed to the next round with a 21-19 win over Gill Simm (Lune Road). In the other half of the draw, Bushell ended the hopes of Lacey McMullan (Mooragh Park) 21-13, while Ollerton managed to get over the line 21-19 against Helen Clee (Wrockwardine Wood).