Fountain double on the cards?

In Division One, Aces maintained their unbeaten league record although they were held to a 2-2 draw by Dunloy Galaxy.

Bobby Darragh got Galaxy on the board with a final frame win against Aidan Bradley but Leonard Clewer restored parity with a 2-0 win over Miceal Murphy.

Liam Kelly put Aces ahead with a 2-0 win over Michael McPoland but the Dunloy youngsters returned home with a share of the points thanks to Paul McQuillan's 2-0 win over Nigel Clewer.

Minnesota A remain in contention to hold on to the title but they will be disappointed to have let a 2-0 lead over their Strikers clubmates turn into a 2-2 draw.

David McClintock put the A team in front with a 2-0 win over Rodney Dunlop and when Brian Hannaway saw off Hugh Larkin by the same score, the match was going as most people would have predicted.

Dean Greer is having a good season for Strikers, though, and he brought his team back into contention by edging a couple of close frames with Gary Clarke. Strikers captain Trevor Alexander then secured an unlikely draw for his side by defeating an out-of-sorts Rodney McFall 2-0

The next round of matches in the league see Fountain Aces having a bye week so the opportunity is there for Minnesota A to close the six point gap and set up a possible league decider when the teams meet in Antrim in the last match of the season. Rafters Runners and Minnesota B are still in contention for the league but will need several results to go their way to attain the league title.

The race to win Division Two remains as tight as ever following the 2-2 draw between leaders Fountain Jokers and second placed Rafters Potters in the Rafters clubrooms.

Mark Heggarty defeated Nathan Curtis 2-0 to give the Ballymoney men an early advantage but Jokers' best performer this season, Calvin Brammeld, evened up the scoreline with a 2-0 success over Paddy McCook.

Jokers captain Joe Bingham made sure the leaders were leaving with at least a draw as he edged past Ryan O' Doherty in a tense third frame. Lee Gibson then defeated Darrell Brammeld 2-0 to ensure Potters stay on Jokers' tail going into the final two games.

Parochial Hawks hauled themselves into league contention with a comprehensive 4-0 success over Rafters Aces.

Niall McElroy fired a 50 break on his way to a 2-0 success over Aces captain Uel Wylie. Pat McNally continuing his good form this season then defeated Peter Hunter by a 2-0 scoreline and Danny McGarry and Paul Casey achieved similar results against Jimmy Davidson and Billy Moore respectively to allow the Ballymena side to maintain third spot in the table.

In Dunloy the host Cowboys' chances of league success were virtually ended with a loss against Rafters Hotshots.

John Joe O’Neill had put the Dunloy men ahead but wins for Paddy Hargin, Ryan Maxwell and Andrew McAlonan secured a good win for the Hotshots.

In Randalstown, 147 Rockets were held to their eighth draw in the league campaign by visiting Parochial Lions. Richard Hayes and Robert Hamilton were victorious for the home side with Billy Goodall and Rodney McAleese who scraped home on the black in a decider victorious for Ronnie McCart's side.

STANDINGS

Division One: Fountain Aces, played 11, points 28; Minnesota A 10-22; Rafters Runners 10-22; Minnesota B 10-21; Minnesota Strikers 10-18; Dunloy Galaxy 10-18; Dunloy United 9-11.

Division Two: Fountain Jokers 12-30; Rafters Potters 12-29; Parochial Hawks 12-28; Dunloy Cowboys; Rafters Hotshots 12-23; 147 Rockets 12-22; Rafters Aces 12-19; Parochial Lions 12-16.