Harryville aim to make most of encouraging start

The Wakehurst-based team has developed a reputation in recent seasons for racing out of the starting blocks in the early weeks only to falter in the closing weeks of the season, with the ‘carrot’ of promotion dangling within their reach.

Harryville have certainly made another breezy start to this campaign and a whitewash win over West Church took them to top spot last week.

It didn’t look like being such a clear-cut outcome at the halfway mark, by which stage Harryville led by just three shots, thanks to two and one-shot victories respectively for Harold Smyth and Wilson Burgess against Joe Harris and Jim Rainey.

Harryville stepped on the gas after the break, however, with Stewart Wilson and Bertie McBride each scoring 14 shots in victories over Maurice Livingstone and Tommy Wilson.

But while Harryville and flying high at the right end of the table, it’s contrasting fortunes for West Church, who are marooned at the foot of the table with just one point from their opening three fixtures.

Even allowing for the loss of the Wilson family to Michelin, it was felt that the amalgamation of West Church’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ sides would strengthen their resources but they will want to hit form quickly in order not to be cut adrift in the lower reaches.

Clough Rangers maintained their 100 per cent record with their fourth successive win, although they have dropped points in each of those.

Clough banked four more points with a comfortable 14-shot win over Services ‘A’.

It was a point apiece at the interval with Andy Armstrong helping Clough to a seven shot lead at the break after Billy Scullion had secured a point for Services with a 10-8 win over Denis McClurkin.

Raymond Aitcheson pushed Clough further ahead after the break by shading a 12-11 win over Bill Kitson, while the father v son match-up between David Shaw and Mark Shaw went the way of the parent, with a 12-6 scoreline.

The two sides relegated from Division One last season are both handily placed for an instant return and they both recorded wins last week.

JTI had a 47-28 win over Dunclug PTA who, after a promising start to the season, have found their progress stunted somewhat in recent weeks.

It looked as though Dunclug’s fortunes might improve as Noel Clarke’s foursome took a point from their match-up with Timothy Rock, but JTI were back on level terms by the break thanks to Bob McCombe’s 12-6 win over George Davidson.

Billy Lynn put JTI in the driving seat with a 20-6 win over Bertie Dunlop - a hugely experienced campaigner in CHurches League circles - and Brian Russell completed a good night for the Lisnafillan side by edging out John Houston by eight shots to six.

Moneyglass have also adapted quickly to life outside the top-flight and they claimed maximum points from a 17-point win at Services ‘B’.

Brendan McCusker got Moneyglass off to a solid start with a nine-shot win over Sheila Smith and Kieran Teague’s two-shot win over Roy Dickson had MG in the box seat by the teabreak.

Things continued to go Moneyglass’ way in the second half as first Tommy Magee and then Henry Marron recorded victories over the Services rinks skipped by Greta Coulter and John Smith respectively.

The second division is already shaping into a hugely competitive league and it would take a brave person to predict who might fill the two promotion places come April.