Storm Kathleen was in full force on a blustery Saturday afternoon when 24 pairs braved the conditions to compete for the KNR Construction bowls trophy, with the rain holding off for the duration of the competition.
Losing out at the quarter-final stage were Lynda Cadamy and Glenn Boland to Marown clubmates Rebecca Teare and Paul Dunn 20-2.
South Ramsey’s James Teare and Jenny Moore were defeated 15-21 by Lyn Bolton and Peter Jones (Marown), while home greeners Katie Jacobs and Bob Callow led 19-14 against Elaine Moore and Glynn Hargraves (South Ramsey), before losing out 19-21.
Paula Garrett and Mark Kneen came through 21-16 against fellow home greeners Mel Smith and Keith Rise.
At the semi-final stage Moore and Hargraves took a comfortable 21-13 win over Garrett and Kneen to book their place in the final. In the other game Teare and Dunn led all game before losing out 20-21 to Bolton and Jones who trailed 17-20, only to finish with two doubles to win 21-20.
The final was a fantastic tussle that had high-scoring ends, with only 14 ends played. Moore and Hargraves claimed the first three on the second end, only to immediately concede a three.
On the next end Bolton and Jones were counting for one, with Moore playing out the counting bowl perfectly to score four as they went on to lead 14-10.
The Marown duo hit back superbly to score eight chalks over three ends to lead 18-14. The South Ramsey pair hit back once more, scoring a four themselves to level the game up at 18-18.
A two for Jones and Bolton on the next end had them within touching distance of the trophy, but a single for Moore and Hargraves saw the game finely poised at 19-20. A good lead from Hargraves and a great bowl from Moore were unbeaten to give Moore and Hargraves a 21-20 victory in a good final.
The trophies were presented by Neil Clarke of KNR Construction, with Hargraves thanking sponsor Douglas Bowling Club for hosting the event and the greenkeeper for a much-improved playing surface.
For the full report visit www.iombowls.com