LBIOM

Whoever said it would be an Indian summer in Jersey at the end of September didn’t quite get the forecast right. Despite a few good fine days the tournament was beset by a number of heavy showers and persistent rain which even led to a curtailment of play in the early stages of the event. Having a tough schedule and a total of 21 matches over the 6 days with the Men and Ladies playing 14 matches each the standard of competition at the event was particularly high quality even amongst the developing nations making their debut at the championships.

Each of the disciplines proved a challenge for the Manx squad playing on the outdoor synthetic surface which proved to very tricky in parts. Whilst our players managed a few wins in the Mixed Fours event they under performed in other matches. Similarly the Ladies Pairs struggled to find a consistency of form to mount any real challenge, they did however, notch up a victory over Switzerland and a draw with Israel before playing their best bowls of the tournament against the strong Irish pair making them produce a super performance in their quest for a silver medal. The Men’s pairs event started poorly for Mark and Clive with losses against the defending Gold Medallists, Guernsey followed by a rain interrupted defeat at the hands of the Netherlands. After the early set back the Manx pair followed up with 3 draws against Spain, Wales and England before finishing in style with wins over France and Switzerland to end the series with a 50% record and positive shots advantage to finish in 11th place in a very competitive league in which just 4 points separated 8 nations. A consolation being the Manx pair finished above the host nation, Jersey. Overall the Manx team finished in 12th position (out of 16), so whilst disappointed with their own performance it was another step in the development of Lawn Bowls IOM.