Larne and Kilwaughter boost their points tally

They fought out a draw against mid-table St Cedma’s, sharing the rink wins to secure a good three-and-a-half points.

Cairncastle took full advantage of their home tie against Islandmagee winning on all rinks. Vincent Petticrew and son Mark skipped their rinks to eight- and one-shot wins to set up the victory. Super-sub Norman McKee guided his rink to a 10-shot win, while Mervyn McConkey won by four.

Ballynure bounced back from a five-shot half-time deficit to beat Gardenmore at home. Derek Mooney won by 12 for the visitors, but Sam Moore won by seven to keep the home team in touch. Wilbert Crawford and S Wylie battled all the way to win by five and six shots respectively and claim six points for Ballynure.

LB&LTC made the short trip to near neighbours Rangers. Simon Bell had to battle all the way for his 10-9 win against Fergie Houston, who just dropped short with his final bowl.

Eddie Wilson’s rink continued their good form with an eight-shot success, giving the visitors a nine-shot lead. The Bowling Club controlled the second half with Gavin Johnston and David McRandal winning by seven and eight shots, to wrap up a maximum seven points for the league leaders.

Zone Pairs and Triples

The final qualifiers for the Irish Championships took place at Gardenmore on Saturday, with the pairs played through the morning, quickly followed by the triples in the afternoon.

It turned out to be a great day for two of Cairncastle’s young stars - Barry and Mark Petticrew. The brothers were untouchable as they wrapped up the pairs and then joined their father Vincent to win the triples. On this form, the boys might just spring a surprise when they represent Larne in the nationals.