Lurgan B are crowned Division 6 champions

LAST Wednesday evening Lurgan B played Rathfriland B at their green in what was their final match of the season. It was played on a greatly improved green but the ends had to be reduced to eighteen because of the cloudy conditions and the shortness of the evening.

The Lurgan team went into the game knowing that they only needed half a point to win the league but they finished in style by taking six points and triumphantly ending their league journey eight points ahead of Warrenpoint.

Going ahead by 17 shots after five ends, they maintained a shot margin of about fifteen shots throughout the rest of the game to finish well and take six points and the Division 6 championship.

On rink one skip David Millar and his team, Dick McClune, Jeffrey McCullough and Gerry Stewart, bowled well and were ahead 6-4 after six ends. The home rink scored double shots on a couple of ends while Millar’s rink responded with single shots which made the score all square at 8-8 at the midway point. After the twelfth end the score was still even at 9-9 but Millar’s rink rose to the occasion and took seven shots off the next three ends to lead 16-9 at a crucial stage. The home rink won the next two ends but Millar’s rink was undeterred and won the eighteenth to win the rink 18-12.

Melvyn Hamilton, Derek Henderson, Gordon Bell and Sam Neill, skip were on rink two and were ahead after seven ends with a lead of 7-1. However the home rink turned on the pressure, mostly from their skip who often took Lurgan’s lying bowl out succinctly. Green’s Rathfriland rink won 20-13.

Veteran bowler, Bobby Jones skipped well on rink three along with Ronnie McCullough, Rodney McCarthy and Dan Dempsey against G Blakely, Rathfriland. Jones’ rink took the home rink by storm and was 7-0 ahead after six ends, only dropping two shots at the seventh but then racing ahead again to go into a commanding lead of 10-2. The home rink made an effort in the second half and took five shots off four of the remaining ends. However Jone’s rink took another four shots to win the rink by a solid margin of 19-8.

On rink four Vincent Devlin, Charlie Maguire, Wilfie McCullough and Eamonn Quinn skip were in control from the start against a rink skipped by D Blakely, Rathfriland and emerged winners by 13-8.