Bowlers bring curtain down on outdoor season at finals day

Ballymena Bowling Club brought the curtain down on the outdoor bowling season when it hosted its club finals on Saturday.
George Graham Ballymena Bowling Club President joins Senior Citzens Singles final were Liam Lynass, winner, and runner-up Joe McKeown.  INBT 39-911HGeorge Graham Ballymena Bowling Club President joins Senior Citzens Singles final were Liam Lynass, winner, and runner-up Joe McKeown.  INBT 39-911H
George Graham Ballymena Bowling Club President joins Senior Citzens Singles final were Liam Lynass, winner, and runner-up Joe McKeown. INBT 39-911H

The competitions in the various disciplines reached their conclusion in a fitting finale to the campaign.

MIXED PAIRS

The final of the Mixed Pairs was a family affair with Liam Lyness and his grand-daughter Erin Smith taking on Graham Wilson and his daughter Megan.

Steven Sheilds, winner of the Ballymena Bowling Club open singles with Graham Wilson, runner-up and George Graham, Club President. INBT 39-910HSteven Sheilds, winner of the Ballymena Bowling Club open singles with Graham Wilson, runner-up and George Graham, Club President. INBT 39-910H
Steven Sheilds, winner of the Ballymena Bowling Club open singles with Graham Wilson, runner-up and George Graham, Club President. INBT 39-910H

The Wilsons took an early 4-2 lead but the complexion of the game changed over the next 6 ends when the Lyness / Smith combination scored 10 shots without reply to turn a 2 shot deficit in to an 8 shot lead.

The Wilsons fought back and over the next 8 ends they managed to reduce the arrears to only 2 shots. Singles were exchanged over the next 2 ends but it was the Lyness/Smith who picked up another single on the final end to win 18-15.

HANDICAP PAIRS (MEN)

Stewart McCarthy and Joe McKeown made the slightly better start against Neal Garrett and John Elliott and with 6 ends played, led 5-4. McCarthy/McKeown picked up a count of 5 shots on the next end to extend their lead to 6 shots and from then on they never looked back.

Erin Smith and Liam Lyness winners of the Ballymena Bowling Club Mixed Pairs final. INBT 39-909HErin Smith and Liam Lyness winners of the Ballymena Bowling Club Mixed Pairs final. INBT 39-909H
Erin Smith and Liam Lyness winners of the Ballymena Bowling Club Mixed Pairs final. INBT 39-909H

To their credit Elliott/Garrett never gave up and with 12 ends played they had reduced the gap to only 3 shots but McCarthy/McKeown were in fine form and they won all but 2 of the remaining ends to claim a 22-12 victory.

HOLDEN CUP

Barbara Cameron was involved in all 3 of the ladies singles competitions and in the Holden Cup she took on Linda McCullough. Cameron scored 2 shots on the first end but McCullough won the next 5 ends to open up a 5 shots advantage. Singles were exchanged over the next 2 ends but counts of 4 on the 9th end and 3 on the 10th end saw Cameron regain the lead.

The momentum was now with Cameron and over the next 7 ends she outscored McCullough to extend her lead to 8 shots. A brace of 2’s over the next 3 ends gave McCullough a glimmer of hope but 2 ends later it was all over with the final score 21-14.

SENIOR SINGLES (MEN)

Both Graham Wilson and Steven Shields won 2 of the opening 4 ends in the final of the Senior Singles with Shields holding a slender 1 shot lead.

Seven shots over the next 4 ends saw Shields take control of the game however over the next 6 ends Wilson managed to close the gap to only 2 shots and so with 16 ends completed Shields lead by 14 shots to 12. That was as good as it got for Wilson as Shields picked up 4 singles and a count of 3 over the next 5 ends to run out 21-12 winner.

TWO BOWL (MEN)

The final of the 2 Bowl was a close affair between Michael Wilson and Roy Torrington and it was Torrington who made the early running to lead by 5 shots to 1 after 4 ends. Nine ends later Wilson had fought back to level the game and 2 singles on the 13th and 14th ends put him in front for the first time. Torrington picked up 2 shots on the next end to regain the lead which was short lived as another 2 singles saw Wilson back in front.

Torrington levelled the game on the next end and another single on the 19th end gave him a 1 shot lead but Wilson replied with 2 shots on the penultimate end to lead by 1 shot going in to the final end. The final end was a tense affair but victory went to Wilson when he claimed a single to win 15-13.

LORIMER CUP

Barbara Cameron played her second singles final of the afternoon when she took on Grace Henry in the final of the Lorimer Cup.

The tone for the game was set on the 1st end when Cameron picked up a maximum 4 shots on the first end. Four singles were scored over the next 4 ends and during this period of play Henry outscored Cameron by 3 shots to 1 to cut the deficit to 2 shots. Cameron took control of the game when she picked up two 3’s and three 2’s to lead 17-3. Henry stopped the rot when she picked up 2 shots on the 11th end but Cameron completed the job when she scored 4 shots over the next 3 ends to claim a 21-5 victory.

SENIOR CITIZEN SINGLES

Joe McKeown and Liam Lyness were involved in a very close game. McKeown took an early lead and with 5 ends played he lead by 5 shots to 3. Over the next 7 ends Lyness outscored McKeown by 8 shots to 3 to open up a 3 shot advantage and he continued his good form when he won the next 4 ends to increase his advantage to 6 shots.

McKeown didn’t go down without a fight and 2 shots on the 18th end and a maximum count of 4 shots on the next end saw him level the game at 16-16. Unfortunately McKeown was unable to push on and 4 ends later it was all over with Lyness winning 21-18.

McKEOWN CUP

Jean Rainey and Maree Houston played Jennie McCready and Linda McCullough in the final of the McKeown Cup and over the first 5 ends there was nothing to separate the 2 pairs. The McCullough/McCready combination picked up a single on the 6th end but 9 shots over the next 5 ends put Rainey / Houston in a commanding position.

McCready/McCullough stunned their opponents when the picked up a count of 5 shots on the 12th end and 3 more shots on the 13th end to level the game at 13-13 but they were unable to finish the job as Rainey / Houston picked up 2 singles over the final ends to win 15-13.

JOHNSON CUP

Barbara Cameron took to the green against Grace Henry looking to make it a hat-trick of victories and she started off in confident mood to lead by 3 shots with 6 ends played. Two ends later Henry was back on level terms with the score board reading 5-5 but a single on the 9th end put Cameron back in front. Three shots over the next 2 ends saw Henry lead by 2 but Cameron was in determined mood and she won the next 5 ends to open up a 4 shot advantage. Henry stopped the rot with a single on the 17th end but a brace of 2’s gave Cameron a 16-9 win.

KANE CUP

Megan Wilson and Jennie McCready played Maree Houston and Jean Rainey in a very close game with only 10 shots scored over the first 9 ends. The game changed on the 10th end when Wilson/McCready picked up a count of 5 shots to increase their advantage to 5 shots but 3 shots over the next 2 ends brought Houston / Rainey back in to the game but it was too little too late as Wilson/McCready ran out 12-8 winners.

MURPHY CUP

The final game of the day was the ladies triples where Jean Rainey, Barbara Burnett and Megan Wilson took on Jennie McCready, Maree Houston and Linda McCullough. The fifth end turned out to be a game changer when Wilson’s ladies picked up a count of 6 shots.

McCullough’s triple claimed the final shot of the day when they picked up a single on the last day to eventually go down by 14 shots to 8.

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