B team hold on to third place

HAVING comprehensively defeated 13th Old Boys at home the previous weekend Lurgan B continued their winning ways with another good 17 shot win away to Castle B at Ward Park last Saturday afternoon.

They secured their third place division six place and are now just half a point behind the 13th.

Bobby Jones (skip) was on rink one with Dan Dempsey, Rodney McCarthy and Ronnie McCullough. They faced a strong Castle B rink skipped by John Henderson but got off to a good start by taking the lead at 5-3 after the fifth end.

Having won the next three ends, the home rink had gone ahead 8-5 but Jones’ rink kept in touch and was just a shot adrift at the halfway point. However they dropped eight expensive shots over the next two ends which gave the Castle B rink a nine shot lead at 16-7.

The visitors kept in contention and responded well with a five shot win on the thirteenth end to reduce the deficit to four shots. Although the remaining end wins were divided equally, and Jones’ rink fought hard, the Castle B rink remained in control with a number of three shot wins and eventually won 25-18.

On rink two for Lurgan B were Gordon Bell (skip), Eric Dawson, Wilfie McCullough and Charlie Maguire against Tom Hoey’s Castle B rink.

In the early stages winning ends were divided evenly with the game being all square 4-4 after the fifth end. However Bell’s rink went through a difficult patch, going down by 13 shots over the next four ends, which included a five shot at the seventh end, followed by a three shot at the eighth and a four shot on the tenth to give the home rink a commanding lead of 17-4 at the halfway point.

The visitors tried valiantly to make a comeback by taking single shots off the next four ends but the Castle B rink continued to have the edge with the exception of the seventeenth and eighteenth ends when Bell’s rink collected four shots. Hoey’s rink remained in control to win 22-12.

David Millar on rink three inspired his rink, comprising Dick McClune, Declan McCabrey and Gerry Stewart, to beat Sam Newberry’s Castle B rink 18-10.

After the sixth end they were leading 5-1 and by the twelfth end they had extended their lead to 8-4. Having dropped a shot at the thirteenth end, Millar’s rink took control of the game by winning the next four ends, which included a four shot on the sixteenth, and collecting eight shots to lead 16-5.

Although they were unfortunate to lose the last end by four shots they still won the rink by eight shots which was a valuable match-winning contribution.

Sam Neill’s rink which included Derek Henderson, Eamonn Quinn and Melvyn Hamilton had a great run which produced a fantastic 33-7 rink win against George Martin’s Castle B rink.

The game was all square at 5-5 after the fifth end with the ends evenly divided. However Neill’s rink soon settled down on the tricky green and took a commanding lead of 15-5 by winning the next five ends, which included a four shot at the seventh.

His rink kept the upper hand and led by 17-7 after the fourteenth end. Martin’s rink never recovered and Neill’s rink piled on the pressure by winning all the remaining ends and collecting sixteen further shots, which included a six shot at the last end and so won the rink for Lurgan B.

Ward Park’s greens are not easy places to come away from with points so the win was a great achievement for the Lurgan team who are seeking league honours by the end of the season and are remaining in contention to do so.