Manx Short Mat Bowls Association

Ronaldsway Blockbusters start new season in style

The Ronaldsway Blockbusters got off to the perfect start in defense of their title last Sunday at the NSC, beating Ballaugh B 9-0.

It was a tough start for Ballaugh B, with Collin Holland beating Tony Quine 13-7 and Seamus Whelan winning 14-9 against Mike Buckeridge. Chris Holland had the biggest win with a 19-5 victory. The triples saw the Blockbusters complete the match with a comfortable 13-3 win.

Douglas Bay Pirates had a decent start with a 7-2 win over Colby. Michael Collister won his opening game 15-6 over Matt Quayle while Stephen Gale beat Ann Hollingworth 13-6. Sylvia Maddrell got Colby’s only win with a 14-10 victory against Eric Maddocks. The triples saw the Pirates survive a comeback from Colby to eventually run out 12-5 winners.

Erin Elite also made a strong start after beating Douglas Destroyers 7-2. James Teare won his singles game for the Douglas side beating Linsey Durcan 10-7 but Bernie Durcan beat Eddie Brew 14-5 and Steve Durcan won 23-6 against Harry Minor to put the Port Erin side in charge. The Durcan’s then ran out 12-1 winners in the triples to seal the win.

The closest game of the day saw Laxey Minors edge out Ballaugh 5-4. Archie Collister beat Richard Faragher in the opening game 12-7 and David Cottier beat Dave McTaggart 11-6 to put Laxey in charge but Ann Gale took her match 14-8 against Wyn Collister. Ballaugh then took the triples 5-4 but it wasn’t enough to claim the bonus point which went to the Laxey side by 3 shots.

Next week is the second round of matches in the Cherry Orchard League. Ronaldsway Blockbusters face Colby while Douglas Bay Pirates meet Ballagh. Laxey Minors come up against Douglas Destroyers and Erin Elite play Ballaugh B.