Finals day brings curtain down on club bowling season

JUNIOR SINGLES

This final was between Leslie Barr and Allen Stewart and after 6 ends the scores were level at 4-4. Barr scored 2 singles on the next 2 ends however Stewart gained the initiative when he picked up a total of 7 shots which included a maximum count of 4 shots on the 9th end.

Four ends later Barr was back in the game and he had reduced the deficit to a single shot but 3 shots on the 16th end gave Stewart some more breathing space. Two more shots gave Stewart a 6 shot lead with the scoreboard reading 17-11.

Four ends later Stewart led by 20 shots to 14 and a single on the 22nd end gave him a well deserved 21-14 victory.

INVITATION PAIRS

There was a cracking game as father and son combination of Jackie and Nigel Robinson took on John Coulter and Graham Wilson.

The Robinsons opened up a 4 shot lead with only 3 ends remaining. On the next end Coulter went to the head with 2 shots against him but he played an excellent final bowl to trail the jack for 2 shots and reduce the arrears to 2 shots.

Coulter/Wilson levelled the game on the 20th end to set up a final end shoot out and victory eventually went to the Robinson pair when the claimed a single to win 15-14.

SENIOR CITIZEN SINGLES

Allen Stewart played his second final of the day when he took on John McAnally in the final of the Senior Citizen Singles.

Stewart took the game by the scruff of the neck to lead 17-2 and he appeared to be cruising to victory but McAnally stormed back to cut the deficit to only 2 shots.

Unfortunately McAnally’s comeback came to an abrupt end when Stewart collected a maximum count of 4 shots on the 23rd end to claim his second title of the day with a 21-15 victory.

SENIOR SINGLES

Club President, Nigel Robinson also took part in his second final on Saturday when he took on James Gaston in the final of the Senior Singles.

The game was closely contested with the score board reading 17-14 in Gaston’s favour after 18 ends.

Each player scored a single over the next 2 ends but Gaston finished strongly and two 2’s on the 21st and 22nd ends gave him victory by 22 shots to 15.

MIXED PAIRS

Husband and wife pairing of Danny and Linda McCullough took on George Graham and Jean Rainey and after 11 ends the game was level at 7-7.

The complexion of the game appeared to change over the next 4 ends when the McCullough’s outscored Graham/Rainey by 6 shots to 1 but two ends later the game was level again with the score 13-13.

Two more 2’s put the McCullough’s back in charge and a single on the final end gave them claim victory by 18 shots to 14.

TRIPLES

The Triples final took place between Graham Wilson, Michael Wilson and John Coulter against James Gaston, Danny McCullough and Andrew Morrison and the Coulter trio made a good start when they scored 6 shots over the first 2 ends.

The Morrison triple then reduced the deficit to 2 shots, however the Coulter triple scored 5 singles and a ‘2’ to record a fine 17-8 victory.

HANDICAP PAIRS

Allen Stewart and George Graham played Artie McAuley and Nigel Robinson in the final of the Handicap Pairs.

Both of the pairs opened with a single, however from then on it was McAuley/Robinson who dominated proceedings, racing in to a 13-3 lead and they continued to have the upper hand, winning the game by 20 shots to 4.

SENIORS CLAIM LEAGUE TITLE

The race for the NIPGL Senior League Division 1 title came to its conclusion last week - and it was a successful one for Ballymena.

The Old Ballymoney Road men had completed their league programme, meaning that title rivals Belmont had to claim a maximum of 14 points from their two outstanding fixtures to pip Ballymena to the title.

In the first of those, Belmont travelled to Dunbarton but the teams were unable to finish the game due to bad weather however at this stage of the game all 4 of the Dunbarton rinks were up and they led by 30 shots after 13-14 ends.

The Ballymena club has since learned that due to the unlikelihood that Belmont would get the seven points that they would need to have any chance of winning the league, they conceded the game which means that Ballymena Seniors have retained the NIPGL Senior League Division 1 title for the third year in a row.