‘Friday Pairs straight-win fest’?

Marilyn

In the Friday Afternoon Pairs there was some convincing wins by league lead Crown Greeners against Maxums; second place Celtic Thunder against Sunset Rollers, Dragons against KT Sunshine Band. Also winning both sets, GGs against Bowling Stones and Top dogs against Emanden.

A change at the top of the Monday Premier Pairs as Simple Minds took 3 points from their match against Dragons. Ayre Assassins move to second after taking all the points in their 2-set win over Aljays. Blues Brothers and Villans each pick up 2-points when their match was drawn, and Tee Pegs get their first point when they drew the first set against Villa Boy.

In the Tuesday Team League, full points for Ramsey Raiders after taking wins in all 3 games against Hillbillies, also Villans’ s match against Early Birds ended with 3 games to Villans. In their match, KSC Sunshine Band took the singles as their opponents Castletown Crofters took the triples and pairs. Team Triskelion won the singles; however, it was Bowling Stones who won the triples and pairs; and Morganites get their first points with a win in the singles against Maxums.

Third week in a row at the top of the 1st Division Pairs league for Enigma when they took both sets from 1-in-4 and a win for Douglas Old Boys, against Castletown Crofters, puts them in second. Full points for TOU took and GGs as they won both sets against their opponents and draw for CC & me against Atlas.

Villans moved to take the top spot in the Wednesday Teams League after their convincing win over New Avengers. Simple Minds took on Dragons. Minds led all the way to take the triples, but the singles game was much closer with Dragons taking the set 7-6. Minds came back to take the pairs 6-7.  A win in the triples and pairs for Saltire, but Crown Greeners singles player took the game 3-10. Possa Bowls won the triple and singles, then Birdies came back strongly to take the pairs. Morganites, still waiting for a win, took on Spectrum, who took all three games.

Three from three for Bowlistics in the Thursday evening Triples league.  In the match between Possa Bowls and Morganites, Possa Bowls took both sets, as did Castletown Crofters in their match against GG’s, moving into second place.  Oddbowls and New Avengers took a set each.

In the Friday Singles, and keeping her top spot, Paula Garrett took the points from Neil Dunwell.  A win for Muriel Cain against Mike Moyer moved her into second place, and Stuart Garrett took the win over Les Crellin.

In other news, the Isle of Man Indoor Bowls Association have been invited to send one male and one female representative to compete in the 2025 World Bowls Indoor Championships taking place in Aberdeen in April and on Sunday the first round of the ladies’ competition was held between Caroline Whitehead and Win Kewley. In a very close match, the first set went to Whitehead 6-4 and after a draw in the second set 4-4, Whitehead will go through to the next round.

Thank you to our sponsors The Copyshop

Latest League Results

Marilyn

Round two of the Copyshop sponsored leagues started with Monday Premier Pairs and last year’s champions Simple Minds took all the points on offer from their opponents Tee Pegs, meanwhile newcomers Ayre Assassins dropped a set and won a set against Blues Brothers. The match between Villa Boys and Aljays ended in a draw as did the match between Dragons and Villans.

In the Tuesday morning Team League Castletown Crofters triples got off to a good start against the Ramsey Raiders, the singles game ended in a draw and Raiders took the pairs, with the match ending in a draw. Bowling Stones took the triples, but Villans came back to take the singles and pairs.  KCS took the triples and pairs however Team Triskelion salvaged a point when their singles player held on to a win. A tight match between Maxums and Hillbillies. The triples and pairs both ended 6-7 to Hillbillies, Maxums took 2-points from the singles win.   A full house for Onchan Royals, as they won all their games against Morganites.

In the 1st Division Pairs, the Enigma pair are holding top spot as they took both sets again this week, this time from US2. In the rest of the fixtures, it was a close match between CC & me and GGs.  CC taking the points in the first set 8-6 and drawing the second 4-4. First points for Bandits when they took the second set from 1-in-4.  Castletown Crofters took the first set but Atlas were able to hold them to a draw in the second. Two points each for Douglas Old Boys and TOU as their match ended in a draw.

Wednesday Evening Team and Simple Minds won all 3 games against Birdies; as did Saltire against Morganites. Wins in the triples and singles for new team Possa Bowls against another newcomer New Avengers, who drew the pairs game for a point. Crown Greeners rescued a point from their encounter with Villans. Played 2, won 2 for the Dragons as they took all the points in their match against Spectrum.

In the Thursday evening Triples, Bowlistics secured another win by 2 sets against Morganites, keeping them in first place on chalk difference above GGs who also have won both their matches so far. Castletown Crofters taking both sets from Optimists whilst New Avengers and Possa Bowls took a set each.

Ending the week with the Friday Afternoon Pairs, and Crown Greeners are sitting at the top of table after another 2-set win. Other teams gaining full points were Maxums against Emanden and Dragons against GGs. In the match between KT Sunshine Band and Celtic Thunder won a set apiece. Top dogs won a set and drew a set against Bowling Stones.

Only 2 matches played in the Friday Singles league, Les Crellin taking the win from Mike Moyer and Paula Garrett taking the win over Shaun Seal.

Thank you to our sponsors The Copyshop

Copyshop sponsored Indoor Bowls Season at the NSC

Marilyn

The indoor bowls season started 30 September with Premier Pairs league on Monday evening. There were some new teams and some returning teams bidding for the league title.  Blues Brothers took on Villa Boys and drew the first set and narrowly won the second 5-4. Villans secured the first set with 21-2 over Aljays. However, the newcomers rallied to take the second set. In the match between Tee Pegs and Dragons, who returned to competition this season, Dragons won both sets to take maximum points. Last year’s champions Simple Minds will start their campaign to retain the title next week.

The ever-popular Tuesday Morning Team League saw Villans in action again, winning the triples and singles over last year’s league winners Onchan Royals. Royals secured 2-points by taking the singles. Early Birds took on newcomers Team Triskelion, Birds won the triples and pairs however, Triskelion managed to gain 2 points by winning the singles. In the Hillbillies and Castletown Crofters match, Crofters took the win in the triples and singles, and Hillbillies took the pairs 7-6. Ramsey Raiders got off to a good start by winning all three games in a convincing style against Morganites; KCS Sunshine Band also took the points available in their match against Maxums.

In the Tuesday evening 1st Division Pairs Enigma took both sets against newcomers Bandits. The game between TOU and CC & me ended in a draw, the first going to TOU and CC & me taking the second. There were also draws for Atlas against Douglas Old Boys; GGs against Castletown Crofters and US2 versus 1-in-4

Wednesday evening saw the return of the Teams league with 10 teams taking part. Maximum points awarded to Villans, in the game against newcomers Possa Bowls; Crown Greeners, against another new team New Avengers and Dragons against Morganites. New team Spectrum and Simple Minds both won 2 out of the 3 games against their opponents.

Nine teams entered the Thursday evening Triples in which there were 2-set wins and full points for Bowlistics, Oddbowls, GGs and Optimists.

In Friday afternoon Pairs 3 teams took both sets to gain full points: Celtic Thunder, Crown Greeners and Bowling Stones. The match between Dragons and Sunset Rollers ended in a draw and GGs won one set and drew the other against Maxums.

The final league competition of the week is Singles on Friday evening. Seven players will be fighting it out for the league singles title. Wins for Neil Dunwell, Paula Garrett and last year’s league winner Stuart Garrett.

There was an excellent turnout for the Saturday Round Robin with 32 members playing 2 bowl rinks. Members taking the opportunity to socialise and practice the indoor conditions after playing outside.

Thank you to our sponsors The Copyshop

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.