Aqua Café sponsored Indoor Bowls Championship Result

Marilyn

On Friday night, two sets of 8 ends were the prospect for our Aqua Café Triples Championship finalists; Marcia Pearson, Muriel Cain and Clive McGreal facing Trevor Quayle, Glenn Boland and Wayne Roberts.  The match started with a bang in the first end when Boland trailed the jack to count 6 which McGreal could only reduce by 1. Another 5 chalks in the third end put the set out of reach despite heroic efforts from the opposition. After winning only 3 ends of the 8, the set finished 12-6 in favour of Quayle/Boland/Roberts.

The second set proved to be a much steadier affair but the gallery continued to admire some magnificent shots. It was nip and tuck with teams lying shot then being displaced, though Quayle/Boland/Roberts were always a shot or two ahead. End 7 brought drama when Pearson/Cain/McGreal were lying 4 and Roberts drove the jack off the rink to lie 6 after the re-spot; McGreal’s subsequent draw to sit on the jack gave the only consolation for his team. The set finished 8-4 and Quayle/Boland/Roberts lifted the trophy to take the double, having already won the Triples League.

Saturday afternoon’s entertainment began with the Men’s and Ladies’ Singles Finals being played alongside each other – Clive McGreal v Trevor Quayle and Muriel Cain v Paula Garrett.  The gallery looked like they were at a tennis match as their attention was drawn from one match to the other. Miracle shots and intense concentration were needed by the players in both matches as they set out to play 2 sets of 10 ends.

McGreal and Quayle alternated the honours over the first 4 ends to bring them level at 4 across, then McGreal began to pull away to reach 8-4. One more from Quayle, then another for McGreal left the set poised at 9-5 with 2 ends to play. Quayle managed 3 more chalks, tantalisingly close, but the set was McGreal’s.

Meanwhile, Cain set the standard in the ladies’ match with her first two bowls marked as touchers. Garrett came back with 3 shots on the third end to level the match at 3 across, then Cain knuckled down and put on one of her classic displays of accuracy to take the first set 10-4.

Back to the guys where Quayle took the first point in the second set only to be prevented from scoring for the next 5 ends. At 10-1 in McGreal’s favour after 6 ends, it looked all over, but Quayle dug deep and produced some terrific shots to lift his tally to 5. Two ends left to play, 10-5, and McGreal stepped up to draw shot and put the set out of Quayle’s reach.

On the next-door rink, the ladies were battling away with Garrett taking the first 5 ends to put her 6-0 up. Cain scored 2 on the sixth but Garrett had the bit between her teeth and allowed no more chalks against, winning the set 11-2. So, the dreaded one-end tiebreaker was all set for the ladies, with the audience on the edges of their seats. Cain put her first bowl within inches of the jack and, despite Garrett’s best efforts, it never moved and Cain took the win.

So, our Aqua Café Singles Champions are Clive McGreal and Muriel Cain.

A deep breath, and on to the Pairs final featuring James Teare and Jenny Moore v Dee Lewis and Eddie Carlyle playing 2 sets of 8 ends. Teare & Moore set up their campaign in the best possible way by scoring 5 on the first end, leaving an uphill battle for their opponents. However, Lewis & Carlyle put on a brave face and set to work, taking the next 5 ends to turn the match to 7-5 in their favour. Two for Teare & Moore levelled the scores at 7 across, but that was it for the northerners as Lewis & Carlyle took one off each of the final 2 ends to win the set 9-7.

The second set commenced with Lewis & Carlyle on a roll and benefitting from a couple of extremely close calls to sit 5-0 after 4 ends. Two for Teare & Moore was followed by one for Lewis & Carlyle; a pattern repeated over the final 2 ends to leave Lewis & Carlyle winning the set 9-4. Dee Lewis and Eddie Carlyle are our Aqua Café Pairs Champions.

On Sunday the juniors were in action competing for the Acqua Cafe Junior Championship. The final was between Myles Taylor and William Corris who had both previously won their 1st round. There was some great bowling and sportsmanship from the juniors, and it was William who pulled ahead to take the match and the trophy.

Thank you to our sponsors the Aqua Café.

Muriel Cain and Clive McGreal with their trophies.
Muriel Cain and Clive McGreal
Wayne Roberts, Glenn Boland and Trevor Quayle with the triples trophy.
ltor Wayne Roberts, Glenn Boland, Trevor Quayle
Eddie Carlyle and Dee Lewis with the pairs trophy.
Edward Carlyle and Dee Lewis
William Corris being presented with his prize money and trophy by a representative of the Aqua Cafe.
William Corris

Ladies Singles Results

Marilyn

On Monday evening the ladies were in action in the quarterfinals of the Aqua Café singles championships when Dee Lewis prevailed against Caroline Corlett, Muriel Cain beat Anne Bannan and Paula Garrett succeeded against Marilyn Ellison.

A good crowd offered support at Friday’s semi-finals when Lewis met Cain and Garrett took on Win Kewley in matches consisting of two sets of 10 ends.

Cain was 5-2 up after four ends and increased her advantage to 9-2 by the sixth. Lewis won the next two ends but, when Cain won the ninth, Lewis conceded the set 10-4. Cain’s accuracy continued into the second set and Lewis was unable to score a point until the sixth end when the score was 7-1 in favour of Cain. Another 2 points followed for Lewis, but the game was beyond reach and she conceded; 9-3 after nine ends.

In the second semi, Garrett had a 4-1 lead by the third end. However, Kewley managed to pull back 2 chalks on the next but Garrett chipped away to reach 10 chalks and Kewley conceded the set. In the second set, it wasn’t until the fifth end that Kewley won 2 chalks; by this point Garrett had amassed 9. Two more ends saw the score 14-2 for Garrett and the match was conceded.

So, our Ladies’ Finalists on Saturday 23rd March are Muriel Cain and Paula Garrett.

Final games of the Copyshop Indoor Bowls League

Marilyn

First Division Pairs champions, J&S, started their final game with a draw in the first set against Douglas Old Boys; however, it was a different story in the second with the champs winning 17 chalks to 4. Second-placed 1-in-4 ended their season with a 2-set win over TinJo. A 2-set win by Castletown Crofters over TOU helped them secure third in the table, and Enigma moved up a place when they recorded a win over GGs. Fighting to stay off the bottom of the table, The Newby’s needed to win both sets from The Two Amigos but the game ended with a draw, and that was enough to kept Amigos in tenth place.

A set win and a draw against Saltire was enough for Simple Minds to be declared Premier Triples league champions. A 2-set win for Ramsey Wally over Crown Greeners ensured second place for Wallys and, despite a 2-set loss to Birdies, Villans finish the season in third.

Optimists needed to win both sets in their final game to leapfrog over Bowlistics into second place. But their opponents were Triples league champions, Morganites. The first set ended with 14 chalks to 1 in favour of Optimists. In the second set, Morganites were leading 6-1 with 2 ends to play. Optimists managed to steal 7 chalks and took the lead by 1. In the last end, Morganites held a set-winning 3 shots, but their last bowl cleared a path to the jack. If only Optimists’ skip could find the miracle bowl: she did. The second set was won, and second place secured. In the other game played, IBS drew the first set against Fab Fogies and won the second.

Thank you to our League sponsors The Copyshop

The Aqua Café Championships get off to an exciting start

Marilyn

The week started with the knockout stages to get to the men’s semi-finals, played on Friday at the NSC, when the audience were treated to some wonderful bowling.  Last year’s runner-up Glenn Boland met Clive McGreal, who took the first set convincingly, but Glenn rallied to produce some terrific shots, winning the second set and forcing a one-end shoot out. The short story is that McGreal was holding shot, Boland drove taking the jack out of the rink, but it was McGreal who managed to draw closest to the re-spot to win the match.

The other semi between Trevor Quayle and Wayne Roberts saw Quayle take the first set, but the second set was poised with level scores and one end to go. With almost the last bowl, Quayle managed to draw in for the shot and the win, setting up an exciting final between Clive McGreal and Trevor Quayle on Saturday 23rd March.

The Women’s Singles are taking place as we go press.

Thank you to our sponsors The Aqua Café.

Morganites Declared First Division Triples Champions

Marilyn

Three leagues continue with their final matches and First Division Pairs Champions, J&S took their foot of the gas on Tuesday as Castletown Crofters took both sets from them: J&S recording their first loss on the season. 1-in-4 took both sets from The Newbys, confirming their second place as third-placed Douglas Old Boys took a set and a draw from The Two Amigos. TOU and GGs shared the points as did US2 and Enigma.

Premier Triples League leaders, Simple Minds, took both sets from Ramsey Raiders, and, with one match to play Ramsey Wallys are just 4 points behind them. Villans won both sets against Saltire and move up into third. Crown Greeners took both sets from Birdies, securing fourth place and Raiders cannot improve their fifth position, as their games are complete.

On Thursday, Morganites drew the first set and won the second in their game against IBS and have been declared First Division Triples Champions. Bowlistics are in second place, for now, completing all their matches by taking both sets from Oddballs. However, third-placed Optimists are only 3 points behind with one game to play, though it is against the champions and a win for Castletown Crofters against Fab Fogies puts them in a strong position to overtake into third as they are just 2 points behind Optimists.

J&S declared Champions in the Copyshop First Division pairs

Marilyn

In the First Division pairs, J&S have been declared League Champions after taking both sets from TOU. A magnificent achievement of 15 wins, 3 draws and no games lost over the season.  Second-placed 1-in-4 took both sets from US2 and can be sure of retaining the runners-up spot. Castletown Crofters took all 4-points from GGs bringing them to within 2 points of third-placed Douglas Old Boys and setting up an exciting finish to the season as both face the champions over the final two weeks. Enigma and the Two Amigos both recorded two-set wins over their opponents The Newbys and TinJo respectively.

It’s another close call in the Premier Triples as Ramsey Wallys took both sets from Birdies and now have the same points as Simple Minds, who had a bye. Despite this, Minds keep top place on chalk difference and Wallys have a bye this week. All to play for and with only 2 more matches to play, one of these teams will be League Champions. Third place is also yet to be decided, after Villans took both sets from Ramsey Raiders and moved above them by 3 points. Crown Greeners took both sets from Saltire to move within 2 points of Raiders, so three teams still have a mathematical chance of securing third over the final two matches.

No changes in the First Division Triples as all three matches ended in 2 points apiece, league leaders, Morganites, were held to a draw by Castletown Crofters. Optimists lost the first set and won the second against IBS, and Bowlistics also lost the first set and won the second against Fab Fogies.  With two sessions to go, which include crucial byes, this leaves Morganites 5 points clear at the top with Bowlistics in third, only 1 point adrift of second-placed Optimists, and Crofters snapping at their heels.

Thank you to our league sponsors, The Copyshop.

Meanwhile, the Aqua Café Championships are currently underway with the Finals on Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd March.

Top Dogs win Copyshop Friday Afternoon Pairs league

Marilyn

In the last session of the Friday Afternoon Pairs, only 2-points separated first and second place at the start of the matches. For second-placed Rejects to take top spot, they would need to win both sets but, crucially, league leaders Top Dogs would have to lose a set. First step accomplished as Rejects won both sets from US. In their game against Bowling Stones, Top Dogs took the first set, giving away only 2 chalks, then, in the second set, both teams were on 6 chalks apiece with one end to play. In a tight and tense last end, a superb bowl secured the win and the league title for Top Dogs. Crown Greeners take third place, after a 2-set win over Watties overtaking Maxums who only managed to take one set from CC&me.  GGs took the first set and drew the second against Tinker & Bell.

In final week of the Monday Premier Pairs league, with first and second places decided, which team would take third? Simple Minds top and LIV Bowls second. Dumb & Dumber were unable to gain any points from Villans, but, since fourth-placed Northern Lights could only manage a draw from their game against Blues Brothers, Dumb & Dumber retain third place. The draw for Blues Brothers helped them move above Tee Pegs, who could only take one point from their game against Officials.

In the Tuesday Morning League, Villans, secure in their second place before their game against Early Birds, took maximum points and finished only 5-points behind league winners Onchan Royals. Bowling Stones move above Early Birds after taking 4 points from their game against Royals. The rest of the teams retain their positions, as Ramsey Raiders took all the points from their game against Maxums, and it was a full house for Castletown Crofters in their game against Morganites. Hillbillies started well taking the triples, however, KCS Sunshine Band went on to take both singles and pairs.

First Division Pairs league leaders, with an impressive record of no games lost, J&S are ten points clear of the rest. Their nearest rival, 1-in-4 lost one set and drew the other against GGs. Third placed Douglas Old Boys were unable to close the gap on 1-in-4 as Enigma won both sets. US2 keep ahead of Castletown Crofters after their game ended with a set each, as did the game between TinJo and The Newbys.

Simple Minds extended their lead at the top of the Premier Triples with a 2-set win over Crown Greeners. Second-placed Ramsey Wallys could not improve their points total as fourth placed Villans took both sets. Third placed Ramsey Raiders took both sets from Saltire and are now one point clear of Villans.

Morganites stretched their lead in the First Division Triples after taking both sets from Oddballs. Moving up to second are Optimists who took both sets from Fab Fogies. Long time league leaders Bowlistics dropped to third as they only took 1-point from their game against Castletown Crofters.

Another win for Singles league champion Stuart Garrett against Shirley Corrin, as Muriel Cain takes second place after her win against Win Kewley and Paula Garrett takes third after a win against Mike Ashmole. Mike Moyer taking the points from his game against John Kewley.

With only the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening leagues playing into March, the IOM Indoor Bowls Championship, generously sponsored by Aqua Café, starts on Monday evening (4th March) with the first round of the Men’s Singles.

Titles secure for Premier Pairs, Tuesday Morning Teams and Singles Leagues

Marilyn

LIV Bowls, league leaders for much of the season, took on Simple Minds, who had knocked them off their top spot in the Premier Pairs. Both teams needed the win to keep their hopes of taking the title alive, but the game ended with Minds taking full points and going eight points clear; enough for Minds to claim the league title. Dumb & Dumber drew their game against Tee Pegs and retain third place. A draw for Northern Lights against Villans was enough for Lights to retain fourth, with Villa Boys, just one point behind after a win and draw against Officials.

In the Tuesday Morning League, second-placed Villans took all the points from their games against Maxums, However, this will not be enough to stop Onchan Royals from claiming the title, as they only dropped 2-points, against KCS Sunshine Band, giving the a 9-point lead with one more game to play. Four points for Ramsey Raiders, gained from their game against Morganites, is enough to secure third. The rest of the table remains the same as Castletown Crofters won the triples and singles, Hillbillies taking the pairs. Same story for Bowling Stones against Early Birds.

In the First Division Pairs, league leaders J&S were held to a draw by US2; meanwhile second-placed 1-in-4 took all the points from their game against The Two Amigos. J&S still seven points clear. Third-placed Douglas Old Boys drew their game against TOU, and Castletown Crofters move ahead of GGs as they took both sets from The Newbys. Enigma moved ahead of TinJo when they won both sets.

There’s a change at the top of the Premier Triples as first and second-placed teams battle it out for top spot. League leaders, Ramsey Wallys, were unable to stop second-placed Simple Minds from taking all the points from their game. Both teams now have the same points, but with a better chalk difference, Minds take top spot. Crown Greeners closed the gap on third-placed Ramsey Raiders and fourth-placed Villains, as Greeners took all the points from their game against Raiders. At the other end of the table, Saltire moves clear of Birdies after taking both sets.

Only one point separated First Division Triples league leaders Bowlistics and second-placed Morganites at the start of their game, but it was Morganites who took the honours by winning both sets to claim a three-point lead. Third-placed Optimists closed the gap on second place as they took full points from their game against Oddballs, while Castletown Crofters consolidated fourth after a win against IBS.

Top Dogs and Rejects, both needed wins to secure first place in the Friday Afternoon Pairs, and chalk difference may prove be decisive. Both teams matched each other in their first sets, winning with eleven chalks apiece against their opponents. It was Top Dogs who kept up their form taking the second set against Tinker & Bell whilst CC&me rallied to take set two from Rejects. With one game to play, Top Dogs are two points clear. Maxums only managed one point from their game against Watties, however, it was enough to keep them in third. Crown Greeners moved up as they took full points from GGs, and Bowling Stones drew against US.

With one more game to play in the Singles, Stuart Garrett has enough points clear to take the league win. Second place is still to be decided, as one point separates Muriel Cain in second and Paula Garrett in third. There is no change in the rest of the table.

Thank you to our sponsors The Copyshop

Top Dogs no longer ‘top dogs’

Marilyn

Building on their lead, Simple Minds move 4 points clear in the Copyshop sponsored Premier Pairs after their 2-set win against Tee Pegs as second placed LIV bowls could only manage a draw against Dumb & Dumber. Northern Lights, high from their win last week, took both sets from Villa Boys; Lights leaping up the table to fourth place. At the other end of the table, Blues Brothers move above Tee Pegs after taking both sets from Officials.

Onchan Royals increased their points lead in the Tuesday Morning League, taking the win in the triples and singles, but losing the pairs by 1 chalk to The Morganites. Still in the chase are Villans and Ramsey Raiders.  In their match against Hillbillies, Villans added 4 points to their total, meanwhile Raiders were unable to gain a point from their game against KCS Sunshine Band. In the match between Castletown Crofters and Early Birds, Crofters won the triples and pairs, but a win in the singles was enough for Birds to keep ahead of Crofters in the table. Bowling Stones move up a place after wins against Maxums in triples, singles, and then drawing the pairs.

Could 1-in-4 close the gap as they took on First Division Pairs league leaders J&S? Unfortunately for them, the answer is no as J&S continue their winning form, taking both sets and extending their lead to an emphatic 9 points clear. In other games, there were wins for Douglas Old Boys, TOU and Castletown Crofters, with a draw for Enigma against Two Amigos.

Premier Triples league leaders, Ramsey Wallys, were unable to achieve full points from their game, as Saltire held on to draw one set. Meanwhile, Simple Minds closed the gap on the league leaders when they got maximum points against the Villans. Ramsey Raiders moved to third when they took both set from Birdies.

First Division Triples league leaders, Bowlistics, were held to a draw by IBS, and now only have a one-point cushion between them and second-placed Morganites. Fab Fogies managed their first win of the season, taking both sets from Oddballs. Third-placed Optimists and fourth-placed Castletown Crofters shared the points, Optimists keeping the 5-points gap between themselves and Crofters.

Friday afternoon pairs long time league leaders, Top Dogs dropped to second, when they were held to a draw by third-placed Maxums, as Rejects took full points from Crown Greeners. Now with equal points, chalk difference has come into play and Rejects are now top. There were wins for CC&me against GGs, and US against Tinker & Bell. Bowling Stones and Watties drew their game.

Singles league leader, Stuart Garrett, continued his winning streak and is 7 points clear of the rest. Throughout the season Muriel Cain and Paula Garrett have shared second and third place; this week Cain is second, after both won their games. The positions in the rest of the table remains the same as, Shirley Corrin took the win from Mike Moyer

Thank you to our sponsors The Copyshop