The final of the Canada Life International-sponsored Mixed Team Championship took place at Noble’s Park on Thursday evening. 

The championship final saw South Ramsey A take on Marown A and the floodlights were required in perfect conditions for a bowls final. 

In the first half of the match South were quickest out of the blocks, with Peter Collister recovering from a slow start against Debbie Leece when trailing 3-7 as he went on to win 21-11.

Peter Jones, having arrived back in the island late afternoon, was in fine fettle as he beat Bob Clark 21-16. With the former having led 12-4, the South Ramsey man fought back to claw back some chalks. 

A gap opened up as Jordan Cain was in fine form as he beat Rebecca Teare 21-4, playing a falling mark along the edge of the green. Having trailed 1-3, Cain scored five twos on the bounce, with eight in total as South Ramsey took a 22-chalk lead.  

Marown’s Neil Withers clawed six chalks back as he beat South Ramsey captain Kim Hargraves 21-15. With Withers 7-0 up, Hargraves went on to match her opponent blow for blow from there. 

The next two games off helped build a 34-chalk lead for South Ramsey. Jenny Moore, having led 17-4, put an end to a mini-comeback from Paul Kelly with a 21-12 win. 

James Teare was next off as he led 19-8 against Lyn Bolton, with the Marown player scoring four more chalks before Teare finished the game off with a solid 21-12 win. 

The ever-reliable Gill Dixon put in a superb performance against the in-form Paul Dunn. Despite getting beat, Dixon’s 16-21 defeat ensured only five chalks were recovered by Marown. 

With enough points on the board in the final two games, it soon became apparent the championship title was heading back to South Ramsey but this didn’t stop the players from trying to win their individual games as Clare Cooper led Glynn Hargraves 12-8. Hargraves found another gear though, going on to finish the game with a 21-16 win.  

The last game on the green in the Mixed Championship final was between Glenn Boland and Fiona Kennish, as the former raced into a 15-4 lead. Kennish responded to claw the score back to 13-19, but Boland secured the win with a double to win 21-13.  

The final match score was a win for South Ramsey by 26 chalks, with the northerners also winning 5-4 on games and their cause being helped by some good performances by their women who were up against Marown’s top men’s bowlers.  

South Ramsey have now claimed the Mixed Team Championship 13 times since the competition was first held in 2005, have also won the title for five consecutive years. 

Association competition secretary Matthew Keggen thanked Noble’s for the use of the green, for providing the refreshments and measurers on the night.  

South Ramsey captain Kim Hargraves congratulated her team for their performance on the night, while offering commiserations to Marown. 

GLYNN HARGRAVES