All the news and happenings in local sport

OSMOND A START ON

a winning note

Osmond A started the season with a derby match against local rivals Coleraine Foxes. The final result was a dominant 9-1 win for the Ballymoney team. Ballymoney ended last season in runner up spot in Div 1 whilst the Foxes were newly promoted from Div 2 and are still finding their feet in the higher league.

Brian Orr started against Anselm Brankin and won 13-11 11-5 11-9. Anselm had a game point in the first set but having let this slip allowed Brian to take control and close out the match. Anselm later followed up with a 3-1 win over Ballymoney Captain Gary McClelland and just failed in the match of the night against Francis Shirley 3-2. Anselm has started extremely well and will embrace the challenge at the higher level and will improve as the season progresses.

Brian Bonner, Coleraine number 2, lost out in his 3 matches but put up stern defence against both Francis and Gary taking sets off both and letting slip a 10-4 lead in the 3rd set against Francis which proved to be crucial.

Brian Lockhart was stepping up from Div 2 for the Foxes and although fought hard couldn’t live with his opponents. The final match was the doubles which went to the deciding fifth set with Ballymoney just squeezing through 11-7 to make the score line a flattering 9-1 to Ballymoney.

Osmond B continue in an upward curve. Following on from an excellent 6-4 win against AS Rockets Paul McGuiggan’s team clinched another 6-4 against Coleraine Jaguars. Young Adam Wallace was the strongest player on show displaying tremendous skill and composure to take all 3 singles. Paul McGuiggan followed up with 2 wins and combined with Adam to take the doubles and the all important win.

Ballymoney’s Richard Webb missed out narrowly on his first win but continues to knock on the door and it is only a matter of time before he breaks his duck

Osmond C travelled to Ballymena travelled to Ballymena and secured a 5 all draw. Brendan McLernon continues to show good form and brings his experience to the table. David Barnes, Laura McClelland and Philip Montgomery provide the back up with the Ballymoney stepping up a Division this year.

The Ballymoney Open sponsored by The Lodge Hotel and run by the Osmond club will take place at Ballymena Academy at 9.30 on Saturday 30th November 2013. It is hoped that a good turn out of local players will support the event. It is also an opportunity for the general public to view the top Ulster players in action during the final stages starting at 3pm.

BIRDS

ANNUAL SHOW IN

BALLYMONEY

Ballymoney Ornithological Association held their Annual Open Show in St. James’s Church Hall on Saturday 9 November with just over 1,000 exhibits of all varieties of cage birds on display.(see pictures right).

The awards were placed by a panel of judges from England, Scotland, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Many of the exhibitors travelled long distances some as far away as Galway to exhibit.

This year’s Show was a tribute to the late Mr Hubert Pollock who passed away just a few weeks after last year’s Show. Hubert joined the Association as a young boy and remained a faithful member and also President until his passing last year.

Hubert was well-know within the Budgerigar fraternity being a breeder, exhibitor and judge of budgerigars for a lifetime. Mrs H Pollock presented a silver tray to the Association to be awarded for the Best Budgerigar in Show in memory of her late husband Hubert and this was won by Mr D Boyd from Belfast.

The Association were delighted to welcome some new faces to the Show and especially in the Budgerigar Section.

LIST OF SPECIAL PRIZE WINNERS

Best Exbibit in Show – Mr A Shiels, Portglenone

Best Novice Canary in Show – Mr N McDaid, Strabane

NORWICH SECTION

Best Norwich Canary in Show – Dr R Wilson, Templepatrick

Best Novice Norwich Canary in Show – Mr B O’Neill, Ardboe

GLOSTER SECTION

Best Gloster Canary in Show – J & C Hill, Ballymoney

Best Novice Gloster Canary in Show – Mr C Owens, Ballymoney

YORKSHIRE SECTION

Best Yorkshire Canary in Show – Mr S Nicholl, Armoy

Best Novice Yorkshire Canary in Show – Mr A McFarlane, Ballyclare

BORDER SECTION

Best Border Canary in Show – Mr W Beggs, Ballyclare

Best Novice Border Canary in Show – Mr C Brogan, Dunloy

BRITISH BIRD SECTION

Best British Bird in Show – Mr S Stewart, Ramelton

Best Mule/Hybrid in Show – Mr S Stewart, Ramelton

Best Novice British Bird in Show – Mr K Moore, Ballymena

Best Novice Mule/Hybrid in Show – Mr K Moore, Ballymena

BUDGERIGAR SECTION

Best Budgerigar in Show – Mr D Boyd, Belfast

Best Beginner Adult Budgerigar in Show – Mr M Dickson, Limavady

Best Breeder Beginner Budgerigar in Show – Mr J Smallwoods, Newtownabbey

FOREIGN BIRD SECTION

Best Foreign Bird in Show – Mr & Mrs I Mercer, Lisburn

Best Large Foreign Bird in Show – Newton & Young, Ballymoney

Best Small Foreign Bird in Show – Mr & Mrs I Mercer, Lisburn

ZEBRA FINCH SECTION

Best Zebra Finch in Show – Mr A Shiels, Portglenone

Best Novice Zebra Finch in Show – Miss A Lewis, Ballymena

BENGALESE SECTION

Best Bengalese in Show – Mr G McLean, Ballybogey

2nd Best Bengalese in Show – Mr & Mrs I Mercer, Lisburn

COLOUR CANARY SECTION

Best Colour Canary in Show – Mr D Gillan, Ballymena

Best Novice Colour Canary in Show – Doyle & O’Kane, Magherafelt

IRISH FANCY SECTION

Best Irish Fancy Canary in Show – Mr P Brogan, Donegal

Best Novice Irish Fancy Canary in Show – Mr J McConomy, Donegal

FIFE FANCY SECTION

Best Fife Fancy Canary in Show – Mr S Barkley, Ballymoney

Best Novice Fife Fancy Canary in Show – Mr N McDaid, Strabane

SCOTCH FANCY SECTION

Best Scots Fancy Canary in Show – Dr R Wilson, Templepatrick.

The awards were presented by Mrs I Barkley, wife of the Association’s President. Miss Katy Donnell presented Mrs Barkley with a gift in appreciation.

The Association wishes to thank Ballymoney Borough Council for their financial assistance and St. James’s Church for the use of their Hall.

SNOOKER

DRONES WIN CUP

THE final of the Sam Walker Knockout League Cup was played in the Potters Club, Coleraine.

And what a final it turned out to be in front in front of a large crowd of spectators, it was real nail-biting stuff.

It was Drones player Paul Simpson who took the first frame, but his opponent Lee Hull hit back claiming the second frame easily to level the score.

This continued in the second game as David Baker took on Curtis Boreland. So with only two frames to play it really was down to a toss of a coin as to who would win the first silverware of the season - Potters Elite or Drones.

Gregory Cooke won the first frame, but it looked like it would be a draw as took a 40 point lead. Cooke though fought back with a clearance to win the cup for Drones. (see picture top right).

sailinG

CUSHENDUN MAN WINS TITLE

Cushendun’s man of the sea Barry McCartin has won the final Fireball sailing title of the year with a race to spare (see picture right).

The last event of the sailing season in the Irish Fireball class was held at the epicentre of Irish sailing in Dun Laoghaire. All the major players in Ireland were able to be there for this event, as many of them had been away during the summer when the National championships are held.

Barry McCartin from Cushendun had himself been away in Australia, doing a year’s work experience following his graduation last year from UCD as a Mechanical Engineer, so he wasn’t able to compete this year for the national title he’d won in 2011, which he had followed up by winning this Leinster title in 2012.

Barry and his crewman Conor Kinsella from Dublin had been having problems with their rigging and were just try to get back into the swing of racing together again, and had come 2nd in the Munster championships a couple of weeks previously, followed the next week by a 6th in the UK Inland Nationals. In the Leinsters, though, in addition to 3 outright race wins, they never scored worse than 3rd until after they had the event won.

They were so cheeky that he & Conor even swapped roles in the boat just for the craic when going out for the last race…as they knew they already had the title sewn up by a point, so no one was going to be able to catch them. They came last in the last race!