Manx Short Mat Bowls Association

Erin Elite move top of the Cherry Orchard League

Erin Elite top the Cherry Orchard League table for the first time after beating Colby 7-2 with Douglas Bay Pirates hot on their heels in second place with Ronaldsway Blockbusters dropping down to third.

Erin Elite got off to a low start with Matt Quayle beating Linsey Durcan 13-9 but then STeven Durcan hot back with a 13-2 victory over Sylvia Maddrell and Bernie Durcan taking a 17-1 victory over Ann Hollingworth. The triples went the way of the side from Port Erin, taking it  13-7 to top the table.

Douglas Bay Pirates moved up to second, with only shot difference keeping them off the top after beating Laxey Minors 7-2. Michael Collister beat Archie Collister 16-5 for the Pirates but David Cottier levelled things up for the Minors after a 12-5 win over Eric Maddocks. Stephen Gale then put the Pirates back in control with a 21-4 victory over Wyn Collister. The Pirates went on to take the triples with a convincing 14-3 win.

Ronaldsway Blockbusters drop to third after losing 7-2 to Douglas Destroyers. Eddie Brew got the Douglas side rolling with a 11-7 win over Collin Holland before Seamus Whelan hot back for the reigning champions, beating Harry Minor 13-7. Jayne Smith then beat Chris Holland 16-10 before going on to skip the triples and guide the Douglas Destoyers to a 10-3 win.

The biggest winners of the day were Ballaugh, who beat their local rivals Ballaugh B 9-0. Richard Faragher started with a 13-5 win over Stephen Bradley before Dave McTaggart beat Pat Mason 19-4 and Ann Gale then added her singles with a 9-6 victory over Mike Buckeridge. The A side then took the triples with a comprehensive 19-5 win to complete the 9-0 victory which moves them up to fourth.