Engraver's Shield final win for battling Gardenmore

Gardenmore, winners of the Engraver's Shield. INLT 11-918-CON

The first half belonged to Gardenmore as they started well on both rinks and raced into a sizeable early lead. Father-and-son Ken and Alan McCord skipped their rinks to convincing 13-8 and 18-9 wins to put Gardenmore firmly in the driving seat.

The second half began with a bang when Duncan Gallagher’s quartet scored a count of seven on the opening end, and First Larne had wiped out their 14-shot deficit in just two ends. The game was anybody’s from that point and every end offered both sides chances in a hugely entertaining finale. Gallagher went on to record an excellent 18-5 victory. However, a strong finish by Tom Bodles’ rink saw them snatch a 10-9 win and ultimately gave Gardenmore a nerve-racking two-shot win.

Cairndhu travelled to All Saints in a rehearsal for next week’s Wilson Cup finale. The Saints needed a big result to keep the pressure on at the top, with just two games remaining. It was the golfers who came out on top in a competitive first half when Darren Taylor and Raymond Withers won 13-9 and 8-4 respectively.

The second half was similarly tight but again it was the golfers who wrapped up a shock 7-0 win. Brian Houston and Derek Taylor gained 11-9 and 10-6 victories to send out a clear message ahead of their big match.

There were a number of league games played last week as the unpredictable nature of the season continued. L&K produced a strong second-half display to beat St Cedma’s 6-1 and Blue Circle beat Islandmagee 6.5-0.5 away.

Ballynure edged a tight battle 4.5-2.5 at home to Fist Larne and Cairncastle beat Blue Circle 6-1 at Gardenmore. St Cedma’s defeated Cairncastle 6-1 at home and Kilwaughter won a last-end battle 5-2 at Gardenmore. All Saints had beaten Craigyhill 6-1 away before coming unstuck at home.

The big game is now All Saints v Kilwaughter at Linn Road, but the Saints will need a full house if they are to retain their title.

Fixtures: Wed. 16: Cairndhu v I’magee, Snoddy Singles finals’ Night at Raloo. Thurs. 17: All Saints v Kilwaughter; Monday 21: Wilson Cup final at Craigyhill, Whitehead v Gardenmore. Tues 22: Blue Circle v Whitehead, Kilwaughter v I’magee, John Logan final.