Indoor Leagues resumed after Championship Break

Norman

After a three week break for the Isle of Man Championships we got back to normal with the Premier Pairs on the 4th February. In this league we saw leading team Dragons take a 4-0 win against Spinners with an easy win in the first set but the Spinners fought back in the second set and the result at one point looked as if it was slipping away from Dragons but they just ran out winners in the end. Young Guns lost 4-0 to Radical Heads, Villans beat Likely Lads 4-0 and Northern Nomads had a 4-0 win over Cheesemakers. The final result of the night was Jazz beating Tee Pegs 3-1 which left Dragons leading the League with 44 points followed by Cheesemakers on 33 and Villans on 32.

In the Tuesday morning league we saw leaders Villans lose 4-2 to Ramsey Raiders and second placed Maxums missed their opportunity to close on the leaders as they also lost 4-2 to EllanVannin. Hillbillies beat Cushags 4-2, Castletown Crofters beat Early Birds 6-0 and Onchan Royals lost 4-2 to Thru the Gap. This left Villans still in the lead with 76 points followed by Maxums on 67 and Ellan Vannin on 61 points.

In the First Division Pairs leaders Orange Peelers won 3-1 against PAL while second placed Terriers drew 2-2 with Enigma, Castletown Crofters had a good 4-0 win over Odds and Bobs and Bowledly Going Nowhere beat Huff n Puff 3-1. The League positions after this were Orange Peelers leading with 36 points, Terriers second on 34 points and Castletown Crofters third on 32 points.

The Premier League on Wednesday saw Dragons who were missing both Clive and Mark McGreal  beaten 6-0 by Ramsey Raiders, Villans beat TBC 4-2, Saltire beat Spinners 4-2 and Birdies beat QPR 4-2 leaving Dragons still leading the league with 58 points followed by QPR on 50 points and Villans on 47 points.

The First Division Teams League saw leaders Maxums draw 3-3 with Smugglers, Odds and Bobs beat Flat Mats 4-2, Mann Utd lost 4-2 to Castletown Crofters and Odd Balls beat Bowledly Going Nowhere 4-2. The League Table now is Maxums leading on 47 points followed by Odd Balls on 43 points and then DNA and Castletown Crofters both on 37 points.

To bring the week to an end we had the Second Division Pairs and here the leaders Odds and Bobs 2 were held to a draw by Outcasts, Flat Mats lost 4-0 to Reckless Rollers, Ramsey Raiders and Questionaires drew 2-2 and Woodbourne Reds beat Corrins Folly 4-0 which leaves Odds and Bobs 2 leading with 44 points followed by Reckless Rollers with  36 points and Outcasts with 33 points.

A Champion day at the NSC Indoor Bowls Hall

Norman

Saturday 2nd February saw the culmination of three weeks qualifying and a few anxious moments as we came to the Finals Day of the Isle of Man Indoor Bowling Association Championships at the NSC Bowls Hall.

The afternoon started with the Triples Final between Wayne Roberts, Edward Carlyle and Ann Gale who were taking on father and son Tony and Ben Dugdale and Steve Cook. This game saw some great bowls from all players  but with both Tony and Ben Dugdale playing exceptional bowls when required and being ably assisted by Steve Cook it was Tony, Ben and Steve who ran out the winners.

This was followed by the Pairs which saw the Commonwealth Games pairing of Clive and Mark McGreal play Tony Epifani and Eric Stanley. The latter pair started strongly but the experience of Clive and Mark McGreal saw them come through and despite good bowls from their opposition it was the McGreals who became 2019 Pairs Champions.

We then came to the Ladies and Men’s Singles Finals which were run alongside one another and the good number of bowls followers who gathered were treated to a great display of bowling from all those competing.

 

In the Ladies Final we saw great consistency from Paula Garrett showing just how much she has improved over the last couple of years although when she got the chance her opponent Win Collister tested her at times at a longer length. It was not to be for Win however in a game that was played in a friendly and sporting manner and Paula’s consistency saw her become the 2019 Isle of Man Bowling Association Ladies Champion.

The Men’s Final saw the experienced Clive McGreal take on a relative newcomer in Dave McCabe and Clive took the first set comfortably showing all the skill and experience that he has. In the second set however we saw Dave fight back with some great bowls and he really tested Clive at times. At the end however it was Clive McGreal who took both sets and became 2019 Isle of Man Indoor Bowls Champion but Dave McCabe has to get a mention for the way that he has practiced and improved through the season.

So after a great afternoons bowling the 2019 Isle of Man Indoor Bowling Champions are;

Men’s Singles          Clive McGreal

Ladies Singles          Paula Garrett

Pairs                           Clive and Mark McGreal

Triples                       Tony and Ben Dugdale and Steve Cook.

 

With the Championships concluded we now get back to a full League programme and I have included a quick recap of the leaders in each League.

Premier Pairs                       Dragons

Morning League                 Villans

First Division Pairs              Orange Peelers

Premier Teams                   Dragons

First Division Teams          Maxums

Second Division Pairs        Odds and Bobs 2.

Championship Finals Saturday 2 February

Admin

championship trophies

The finals of the Club Championships take place tomorrow, Saturday 2nd February.

The action kicks off at 12.30pm with the Triples’ final, followed by the Pairs’ final at 2.30pm. The Men’s and Ladies’ finals will both start at 4.30pm.

Timings for the pairs and singles are approximate, as it will depend on how long the previous matches take.

Triples Final

Ben and Tony Dugdale, and Steve Cook v Wayne Roberts, Edward Carlyle, and Ann Gale.

Pairs Final

Clive and Mark McGreal v Tony Epifani and Eric Stanley.

Ladies’ Singles

Win Collister v Paula Garrett.

Men’s Final

Clive McGreal v Dave McCabe.

Here’s hoping for a good turn out and quality bowling.

The Isle of Man Indoor Bowling Championships 2019

Norman

With the Singles Championship Finalists already being known the Championships continued last week with the Pairs Competition which saw some very keenly contested games.

After the early stages we saw the Semi Finals take place on Thursday 24th January between two Father and Son pairings with Tony and Ben Dugdale taking on Clive and Mark McGreal with the latter pair winning a place in the Final.

The other match saw Tony Epifani and Eric Stanley get the better of Mike Ashmole and Peter Greenlees to make a date with the McGreals on 2nd February for the Final.

The Triples Competition started on Monday 28th January and at the time of going to press the Semi Finals were still to be played, these being Phil Smith, Win and Archie Collister v Wayne Roberts, Trevor Quayle and Eddie Carlyle with the second semi being David Quirk, Mike Ashmole and Peter Greenlees v Steve Cook and Tony and Ben Dugdale.

Finals Day is this Saturday 2nd February and starts with the Triples at 12-30pm with the winners of the two matches above playing each other.

The timings for the next two Finals may be subject to change should the Triples take longer than expected to complete but are provisionally scheduled to start as follows;

The Pairs between Clive and Mark McGreal and Tony Epifani and Eric Stanley at 2-30pm.

The Ladies and Men’s Singles which will be played at the same time are scheduled for 4-30pm with the Ladies being between Win Collister and Paula Garrett and the Men’s Final is between Clive McGreal and Dave McCabe.

It is hoped that a there will be a good turnout of bowlers to support all Finalists in what I expect to be a great afternoons bowling.

Tuesday Morning League Report

Norman

With the Night Leagues having a break while the Championships are being played the only League Competition taking place is the Tuesday Morning League which continues to be enthusiastically supported and produces some great bowling.

Tuesday 22nd January saw leaders Villans take a 6-0 win from Early Birds while second placed Maxums also beat Thru the Gap 6-0.

Cushags beat Ramsey Raiders 4-2, Onchan Royals beat Hillbillies 4-2 and Ellan Vannin beat Castletown Crofters 4-2.

Following on from this on Tuesday January 29th the leaders Villans once more marched on with a 4-2 win over Ellan Vannin while second placed Maxums were beaten 4-2 by Castletown Crofters.

A strong performance from Onchan Royals saw them defeat Ramsey Raiders 6-0, Thru the Gap beat Cushags 6-0 and Early Birds took a 4-2 win over Hillbillies.

The end result of this is that Villans still lead with 74 points while second placed Maxums have 65 points.

Manx Bowler Competes in Disability Sports Competition

Norman

Mike Ashmole receiving his IOMIBA club shirt

On the weekend of 19th and 20th of January popular local Bowler Mike Ashmole travelled to Nottingham to compete in the Ann Trotman Disability Bowls Singles at Gedling IBC. The reason Mike entered this was to gain off Island Competition and also to be assessed and become registered with his disability so that he can become classified and enter competitions within his own classification group.

In the competition Mike represented the Island well and in his first game beat Dave Fisher a Commonwealth Games Bronze Medallist. He then went on to more success before coming up against two very good bowlers, one of which was Paul Hawkes – an experienced visually impaired England International – who has invited Mike to team up with him in a Triples Team later in the year.

During the competition, Mike who has Spina Bifida, was classified as a B6 which means that he can now compete in the same class as Wheelchair Bowlers and all at the Isle of Man Indoor Bowling Association wish him success with his intention of competing in future off Island Competitions.

Isle of Man Indoor Bowling Championship starts with some shocks

Norman

The Ladies and Men’s Championship started on Monday 14th January at the NSC and ran through until Friday 18th January when it was played down to the last two of both Ladies and Men  with the Final taking place on Saturday 2nd February when they will be held alongside the  Triples and Pairs Finals.

The opening round of the Men’s saw a couple of shocks as newcomer Brian Lindsay beat the experienced Jimmy Sansom on a sudden death one end play off after being level at the end of the match. The other shock of the night was James Teare beating the experienced Tony Epifani.

The week progressed with some great bowls and Thursday night was Quarter Final night and in the Ladies we saw Paula Garrett beat newcomer Ina Scott and another newcomer to the indoor sport Dee Lewis beat the experienced Bernice McGreal. Win Collister beat Win Kewley and defending Champion Muriel Cain got through without playing as her opponent unavoidably had to withdraw from the competition.

In the Men’s Quarter Finals we saw Shaun Seal beat Phil Smith and Clive McGreal again playing great bowls beat his son Mark. Dave McCabe beat David Quirk and Peter Wilcox lost to Ben Dugdale.

The Semi Finals were played on Friday with one of our most senior players Win Collister  playing reigning Champion Muriel Cain and it was the ageless Win who played some great bowls to beat Muriel. Dee Lewis took on Paula Garrett and despite a valiant effort from Dee it was Paula who took the win.

The Men’s Semi Finals saw a close encounter between Ben Dugdale and the very experienced Clive McGreal and in the first set Clive was three down at the start of the last end but managed to score three and draw the game. Clive then went on to win the second game and qualify for the Final. The other ‘Semi’ saw an excellent match between Dave McCabe and Shaun Seal which ended with Dave winning by edging a dramatic sudden death one end playoff.

This then means that on Saturday 2nd February that the Isle of Man Indoor Bowling Association Singles Finals will be, in the Ladies Win Collister v Paula Garrett and the Men’s Clive McGreal v Dave McCabe.

Dragons tested by Cheesemakers in epic match

Norman

ian moore and eddie phillips 11th jan 2019

The Indoor Bowling resumed for the New Year with the Premier Pairs League Matches on January 7th with the seemingly invincible Dragon’s Team being severely tested by the Cheesemakers.

For those not familiar with Indoor Bowls, the Pairs matches consist of two games of seven ends with two points awarded for each game and in the match between League Leaders Dragons and Cheesemakers it was the latter team that drew ‘first blood’ by winning the first game 7-4. The Dragons however fought back in an epic match to reverse matters by beating Cheesemakers 7-4 making the overall result a hard fought draw.

Likely Lads drew with Spinners, Young Guns lost to Tee Pegs and Northern Nomads defeated Villans. The remaining match was a tough battle between Radical Heads and Jazz which ended in the third draw off the night.

This all meant that the evening finished with no change in League positions with Dragons remaining top on 40 points followed by Cheesemakers on 33 and Young Guns third on 29 points. Villans stayed fourth with 28 points with Likely Lads fifth with 27 points making the battle for third place a really tight one.

In the First Division Pairs there were some great battles with top team Terriers being held to a draw by PAL while second placed Orange Peelers played out a great battle to beat Enigma 4-0 in a match that saw some great bowls with both teams deserving praise for the quality of their bowling. Third placed Castletown Crofters lost 3-1 to Huff n Puff while Odds and Bob’s had their first win off the season with their defeat of Bowledly Going Nowhere.

This means that Orange Peelers take top spot with 33 points followed by Terriers on 32 points and Castletown Crofters third on 28 points.

The Tuesday Morning League saw leaders Villans held to a draw by Onchan Royals with second placed Maxums gaining ground by beating Cushags 5-1. Third placed Ellan Vannin defeated Ramsey Raiders 4-2 while Hillbillies also beat Castletown Crofters 4-2 and Thru the Gap lost to Early Birds with a similar 4-2 score line.

The League positions then after this is Villans top with 59 points, Maxums second with 56 points and Ellan Vannin third with 48 points.

The Premier Teams saw leaders Dragons inflict a heavy defeat on Saltire while Villans with a strong performance defeated QPR 5-1. TBC beat Birdies 4-2 and Ramsey Raiders also beat Spinners 4-2. This then leaves Dragons leading with 58 points, QPR second on 48 points followed by TBC and Villans both on 43 points.

Thursday night saw the First Division Teams compete in their League and leaders Maxums took a 4-2 win from Castletown Crofters while with the result of the night Flat Mats beat second placed DNA 6-0 which meant that Odd Balls 6-0 win over Smugglers saw the Flat Mats take overtake DNA and slot into the second spot. The final result on Thursday saw Bowledly Going Nowhere beat Mann Utd 4-2.

The Second Division Pairs saw leaders Odds and Bobs 2 march on with a 4-0 victory over Questionaires while second placed Reckless Rollers could only manage a 2-2 draw with Corrin’s Folly. Ramsey Raiders lost 4-0 to Outcasts and Flat Mats and Woodbourne Reds played out a 2-2 draw. This meant that Odds and Bob’s 2 still lead on 42 points with Reckless Rollers second on 32 points followed by Outcasts on 31.

The Isle of Man Indoor Bowling Association Championships begin on Monday 14th January and run for three weeks so there will be no League Matches with the exception of the Tuesday Morning League which will continue.

We will however be reporting on the Championships during the League break.