It’s tight at the top in the First Division Pairs League

Norman
The Dragons, winners of the premier team league, pictured with IOMIBA President, Win Kewley
The Dragons, winners of the premier team league, pictured with IOMIBA President, Win Kewley

We start this week’s Indoor Bowls Report with the First Division Pairs League which promises an exciting battle for the top spot which could go down to the very last match on Tuesday 16th March. In the latest round of matches we saw leaders Points Make Prizes take a 4-0 win against OK while second placed TOU beat Super Hoops Terriers 3-1 and the third placed Officials won 4-0 against Enigma. Ramsey Wallys drew 2-2 with Spinners and Kencoe and 1 in 4 also drew 2-2. This sees Points Make Prizes hold on to first place with 41 points while TOU are second with 39 points and the Officials are third on 38 points.

In the Tuesday Morning League we saw leaders Bushwhackers beat Jacks on a Roll 5-1 and second placed Villans beat Cushags 4-2 while the third placed team Ramsey Raiders went down 4-2 to Early Birds. Maxums and Thru the Gap ended in a 3-3 draw and Onchan Royals beat Hillbillies 5-1. The end result of this is that Bushwhackers retain the lead on 74 points followed by Villans on 66 points and Ramsey Raiders on 64 points.

In the Friday afternoon Pairs League we saw the leaders Dragons take a 4-0 victory against Sunset Rollers and second placed High Jacks beat Powered by Prosecco also 4-0 while Celtic Thunder drew 2-2 with Low Rollers. In the remaining matches Cowley Cannonballs and OK drew 2-2 with Southpaws and Woodbourne Reds also playing out a 2-2 draw. Dragons now are clear at the top on 50 points followed by High Jacks on 38 points and Cowley Cannonballs on 32 points.

The Singles League saw Andy Foster beat Michelle Cowley 23–8 and Mike Moyer lose 23-3 to John Kewley while Rob Mathews beat Win Kewley 14-7 . In the remaining game of the night Mike Ashmole beat Gary Lenton 15-11 while Paul Cowley had a walkover because unfortunately Edward Carlyle is still out of action with a shoulder injury. This leaves Muriel Cain top on 27 points followed by Paul Cowley on 25 points and John Kewley on 24 points.

In the final night of the Premier Teams Competition we saw the Dragons Team who had already sealed the League win play Bay City Bowlers in a game that was won 4-2 by the latter team. Cheesemakers beat Ramsey Raiders 4-2 and Villans beat Saltire 5-1 while in the final game of the night DNA lost 5-1 to Birdies. The final league positions then are Dragons as Champions on 64 points followed by Bay City Bowlers on 58 points and Cheesemakers on 55 points.

This week also saw a preliminary round of the Island Indoor Bowling Pairs Championship and in that we saw reigning Champions Dee Lewis and David Quirk eliminated as they lost to Muriel Cain and Marcia Pearson, Pauline Cowley and Mary Manuja beat Jim and James Teare and the highly tipped pairing of Clive and Mark McGreal beat Colin Brown and Mike Ashmole.

Indoor Bowls Championships Conditions of Play

Admin

ISLE OF MAN INDOOR BOWLS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2025/26
CONDITIONS OF PLAY

  1. The Laws of the Sport, Crystal Mark Fourth Edition, will apply unless otherwise stated in these Conditions of Play.
    Number of bowls:
    • Singles: Four bowls per player
    • Pairs: Three bowls per player
    • Triples: Three bowls per player
    • Consolation Singles: Three bowls per player
  2. Prior to the start of a match, each player will be allowed two trial ends, each end being of two bowls per player.
  3. Players are not permitted to practice within 3 hours of the start of a match and any such practice must comply with the NSC booking regulations.
  4. Singles:
    Each match will consist of one set, 14 ends. The winner will be the player with the most shots at the completion of the 14th end. The match will be decided if, at any point, it becomes impossible for one player to draw or win the set given the number of ends left.

    If the shot scores are tied after the last end of the set, the set is drawn. If the match is tied, a match tie-breaker consisting of one end will be played to determine the winner. If the tie-breaker end is tied, a further tie-breaker end will be played.

    In all cases, a tied end will count as one of the 14 ends played.
  5. Consolation Singles:
    Each match will consist of one set, 10 ends. The winner will be the player with the most shots at the completion of the 10th end. The match will be decided if, at any point, it becomes impossible for one player to draw or win the set given the number of ends left.

    If the shot scores are tied after the last end of the set, the set is drawn. If the match is tied, a match tie-breaker consisting of one end will be played to determine the winner. If the tie-breaker end is tied, a further tie-breaker end will be played.

    In all cases, a tied end will count as one of the 10 ends played.
  6. Pairs and Triples:
    Each match will consist of two sets, each set being played over 7 ends. The winner of each set will be the player with the most shots at the completion of the seventh end. The winner of the match being the best of two sets. A set will be decided if, at any point, it becomes impossible for one player to draw or win the set given the number of ends left.

    If the shot scores are tied after the last end of a set, the set is drawn.

    If the match is tied after the two sets have been completed (two drawn sets or one set each), a match tie-breaker consisting of three ends will be played to determine the winner. This will be the winner of each end and NOT the total number of shots won in the 3 ends.

    In all cases, a tied end will count as one of the 7 ends played.
  7. First to Play-Law 56.4
    At the start of the match, the opponents should toss a coin, and the winner of the toss has the option to either: place the mat and then deliver the jack and the first bowl; or tell the opposing player/team to place the mat and deliver the jack and the first bowl (the opposing player/ team cannot refuse). At the start of the second set (where applicable), the winner of the first set has the option to either: place the mat and then deliver the jack and the first bowl; or tell the opposing player/team to place the mat and deliver the jack and the first bowl (the opposing player/ team cannot refuse). If the first set is a draw, the winner of the last scoring end in that set has the option to either: place the mat and then deliver the jack and the first bowl; or tell the opposing player/team to place the mat and deliver the jack and the first bowl (the opposing player/ team cannot refuse).

    First and any further ends of a tie-breaker: the opponents should toss a coin and the winner of the toss has the options as described in i)Play in all other ends:
    In all ends after the first, but apart from an extra end, the winner(s) of the previous scoring end should place the mat and then deliver the jack and the first bowl.
  8. Re-spotting the jack
    If a jack in motion passes completely outside the boundaries of the rink of play, or rebounds to a distance of less than 20 metres from the mat line, the end should not be declared dead. Instead, the jack should be placed with the nearest point of the jack to the mat line at the appropriate spot described as follows, and play should continue.

    If the jack passes outside the side boundary on the right of the rink, it should be placed with the nearest point of the jack to the mat line at a spot on the rink which is 2 metres from the front ditch and 1.5 metres to the right of the centre line.

    If the jack passes outside the side boundary on the left of the rink, it should be placed with the nearest point of the jack to the mat line at a spot on the rink which is 2 metres from the front ditch and 1.5 metres to the left of the centre line.

    If the jack passes above the face of the bank that is within the side boundaries of the rink of play, it should be placed with the nearest point of the jack to the mat line at a spot on the rink which is 2 metres from the front ditch and on the centre line.

    If the appropriate spot is partly or completely covered by a bowl, the jack should be placed as close as possible to the covered spot, in line with that spot and the corresponding spot at the opposite end of the rink, without touching a bowl.
  9. Visiting the head
    Players in Singles matches may only visit the head after delivery of their third bowl. In exceptional circumstances, however, a player may seek permission from the Marker to visit the head before they deliver their third bowl.

    The lead in the Pairs may not visit the head. The skip may visit the head after their second bowl.

    The lead and second in the Triples may not visit the head. The skip may visit the head after their second bowl.
  10. Seeding
    Seeding WILL NOT be used during the draw process for any competition.
  11. All touchers should be marked with spray chalk.
  12. Substitutions will be permitted for Pairs and Triples, but only in exceptional circumstances and with the prior approval of the Committee. N.B. Substitutes are not permitted to play Skip.
  13. Players should be at the venue at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of their match in order to be present for the draw for rinks and so that trial ends can take place. Any player not ready to play at their official start time for any match shall forego their right to play trial ends, and then, if they are not ready to play within 15 minutes after the official start time of their match, shall forfeit the match to their opponent(s).
  14. In accordance with Clause 45.3 of Laws of the Sport of Bowls – Crystal Mark Fourth Edition governing the role of spectators, those not directly taking part in a game shall not disturb or advise players in any way.

Notes:
All competitors and officials are expected to be aware of and abide by World Bowls Regulations including those relating to the Code of Conduct / Ethics and disciplinary issues. Full details are available on the World Bowls website www.worldbowls.com

Dragons take second League Title

Norman

In this week’s Premier Team Competition we saw Dragons seal their second League win of the season as they beat Cheesemakers 4-2. Bay City Bowlers beat Birdies 6-0, Villans lost 4-2 to Ramsey Raiders and Saltire and DNA drew 3-3. So with one week left to go in this league, we see Dragons now with an unassailable lead on 62 points followed by Bay City Bowlers on 54 points and Cheesemakers on 51 points.

The First Division Teams League saw Ramsey Wallys march on at the top by defeating Maxums 6-0 while Spinners also had a 6-0 win against Smugglers and in a close fought match OK just managed to take a 4-2 win against Optimists. The remaining match of the night saw Cowley Cannonballs beat Caos 4-2 and at the end of the night it was Ramsey Wallys who still held top spot on 60 points with Spinners in second place on 45 points and in third place we now have Optimists on 35 points.

In one of this seasons, new competitions the Friday Afternoon Pairs we had leaders Dragons digging deep to come through in the final stages of each game to beat OK 4-0 second placed High Jacks winning 4-0 against South Paws and Low Rollers and Cowley Cannonballs drew 2-2. The remaining two matches saw Celtic Thunder beat Woodbourne Reds 4-0 and Powered by Prosecco and Sunset Rollers drew 2-2. This leaves Dragons at the top with 46 points followed by High Jacks on 34 points and Sunset Rollers with 31 points.

Friday’s Singles League saw Muriel Cain retain her lead as she beat Andy Foster 16 -12, Paul Cowley beat Rob Mathews 13 – 7 and Win Kewley beat Pauline Cowley 20 – 11. Unfortunately, as Edward Carlyle has sustained an injury his opponent Mike Moyer received a walkover and in the remaining match we saw Mike Ashmole beat Michelle Cowley 13 – 9. This leaves Muriel Cain in first place with 27 points while we now have a new second placed player in Paul Cowley on 22 points with John Kewley third on 21 points.

In the Tuesday Morning League, the leaders Bushwhackers were beaten 6-0 by Ramsey Raiders while second placed Villans closed the gap between them by beating Earlybirds 6-0. In the remaining matches Cushags beat Hillbillies 4-2, Jacks on a Roll beat Thru the Gap 4-2 and Maxums lost 4-2 to Onchan Royals. The outcome of this is that Bushwhackers still lead on 69 points, Villans are second on 62 points followed by Ramsey Raiders also on 62 points.

The First Division Pairs saw leaders Points Make Prizes draw 2-2 with Spinners while unfortunately Ramsey Wallys were unable to field a team and conceded their match to TOU. Enigma took a 4-0 win against OK, Superhoops Terriers lost 4-0 to Kencoe and the Officials had a 4-0 win against 1 in 4. In the lead we still have Points Make Prizes on 37 points with TOU now second on 36 points followed by Ramsey Wallys and the Officials both on 34 points.

Dragons on course for a triple win

Norman

Dragon pairing of Clive and Mark McGreal, with the IOMIBA president and the Pairs trophy
Premier Pairs winners Clive and Mark McGreal with President Win Kewley

After the lay off for lockdown Dragons who have already sealed the Premier Pairs title are on target to take the Premier Team and Friday Afternoon Pairs wins also. In the Premier Team Competition played on Wednesday 3rd February Dragons took a 5-1 win from Saltire while Cheesemakers also beat DNA by the same 5-1 scoreline. In the remaining games, Villans beat Birdies 6-0 and Bay City Bowlers lost 4-2 to Ramsey Raiders. This means that Dragons lead with 42 points followed by Cheesemakers who are second on 37 points with Villans third on 31 points.

With the Thursday night, First Division Team League being postponed due to a Flood Warning leading to the closure of the NSC the next matches were in the Friday Afternoon League where Dragons held on to their top place by drawing 2-2 with High Jacks. Sunset Rollers lost 4-0 to Low Rollers, Celtic Thunder and Southpaws drew 2-2 and Powered by Prosecco lost 4-0 to Cowley Cannonballs. In the remaining match, Woodbourne Reds were unable to fulfil the fixture so OK had a 4-0 walkover meaning that Dragons lead on 42 points followed by High Jacks on 30 points and Sunset Rollers and OK both on 29 points.

In the Singles League, we saw leader Muriel Cain beat Mike Ashmole 18 -3, Gary Lenton take a 14 – 12 win against John Kewley and Win Kewley beat Andy Foster 14 – 11, Paul Cowley beat Pauline Cowley 30 – 3 and Rob Mathews took the points from Edward Carlyle. This leaves Muriel Cain top on 24 points followed by John Kewley on 21 points and Paul Cowley on 19 points.

Monday of this week saw the last night of the Premier Pairs League and top team the Dragons were held to a 2-2 draw by GLS while Villans lost 3-1 to Cheesemakers and Young Guns beat Tee Pegs 4-0. In the remaining match of the night, we saw Villa Boys go down 4 – 0 to Radical Heads which left the final League positions as Dragons being Premier Pairs League Champions with 44 points followed by Cheesemakers on 40 points and Villans in third place on 32 points.

In the Tuesday Morning League, the leaders Bushwhackers beat Hillbillies 4-2 and second-placed Villans drew 3-3 with Maxums and Early Birds beat Jacks on a Roll 4-2. In the remaining matches, Ramsey Raiders took a 4-2 win against Thru the Gap and Cushags and Onchan Royals drew 3-3 with all this meaning that Bushwhackers maintain their lead on 69 points with Villans second on 56 points and Ramsey Raiders third but also on 56 points.

The First Division Pairs saw leaders Points Make Prizes draw 2 – 2  with second-placed Ramsey Wallys while third-placed Spinners also drew with the Officials and OK lost 4-0 to TOU. A close match between Super Hoops Terriers and 1 in 4 ended in a 2-2 draw while in the remaining match of the night we saw the Enigma pairing of Win Kewley and Pam Makin put on a strong performance to beat Kencoe 4-0. The end result of all this is that Points Make Prizes still lead on 35 points with Ramsey Wallys second on 34 points and Spinners are third on 31 points.

Finally, may I remind everyone that the Championship entries must be in by Saturday the 13th of February.

Top Teams slip up in First Division Pairs

Norman

In this weeks report we will start with the First Division Pairs as that was the League that provided some shock results with two of the top teams suffering ‘post lockdown blues’ as they suffered defeats. The long time leaders Ramsey Wallys were beaten 3-1 by seventh placed Kencoe while third placed  Officials suffered a 4-0 defeat to sixth placed TOU. There were no slip ups however by second placed Points Make Prizes as they defeated Enigma 4-0 while Super Hoops Terriers beat OK 4-0 and 1 IN 4 lost 3-1 to Spinners. The outcome of this is that Points Make Prizes now move into the lead on 33 points followed by Ramsey Wallys on 32 points and Spinners move into third place on 29 points. This leaves us looking forward to some great bowls next week when Points Make Prizes meet Ramsey Wallys in a match that could again see changes in the leading positions.

In the Premier Pairs we saw the leaders Dragons held to a 2-2 draw by Villans while the second placed Cheesemakers pairing of Trevor Quayle and Wayne Roberts beat Villa Boys 3-1. A close match between Tee Pegs and Radical Heads ended in a 2-2 draw while in the remaining match of the night we saw GLS and Young Guns also play out a 2-2 draw. This means that Dragons still hold the lead on 42 points followed by Cheesemakers on 37 points and in third place are Villans on 31 points. This means then that with only one more round of matches left in this competition that Dragons have won the League as they cannot now be caught by the second placed team and congratulations must go to the father and son Dragons pairing of Clive and Mark McGreal for a job well done.

The only other League to have been played post lock down at the time of writing this report is the very popular Tuesday Morning Teams competition and in this we saw leaders Bushwhackers maintain their lead as they beat Earlybirds 6-0 while second placed Villans ran out 4-2 winners in a close match with Onchan Royals and third placed Ramsey Raiders beat Jacks on a Roll 6-0. In the two remaining games Maxums beat Hillbillies 6-0 and Thru the Gap had a 6-0 walkover as Cushags were unable to field a team. Bushwhackers then retain their lead and are now looking favourites for the League win as they have 65 points followed by Villans on 53 points and Ramsey Raiders on 52 points.

Finally for this week may I just remind all players the 2021 Championships are due to start at the beginning of March so please get your names on the Entry Lists in the Bowls Hall should you wish to compete in these.