Michelin bowlers wrap up league and cup ‘double’

THERE’S absolutely no disputing the ‘team of the season’ in the Ballymena and District Indoor Bowling League.
David Steele of Michelin Bowling team receives the League Cup from James McCloy. INBT14-235ACDavid Steele of Michelin Bowling team receives the League Cup from James McCloy. INBT14-235AC
David Steele of Michelin Bowling team receives the League Cup from James McCloy. INBT14-235AC

If any shred of doubt still existed following Michelin’s first league title success in six years the previous week, it was completely dispelled as the Woodside Road team completed a ‘double’ by winning the League Cup.

They overcame their closest rivals all season BUSC in the final, making it three competitions in which they had seen off the Slemish Drive side, pipping them to the league title and also eliminating Social Club at an earlier stage of the Glass Cup – a competition which Michelin are now in the final of, as they chase a remarkable four trophies.

BUSC find themselves in the unusual situation of ending a season empty-handed after they fell to a 10-shot defeat in the final, played at the Eaton Park clubrooms.

Six shots of that margin were amassed in the first half, where a ‘2’ on the final end was enough for Wesley Caldwell to pip Richard Fleming by a shot.

The other first half rink was a more one-sided affair. Already 6-1 up at the halfway stage, Grant Robinson’s quartet proceeded to rub salt in the wounds with a count of ‘6’ on the eighth end of their match against Jonathan Millar.

Although clearly beaten, Irish international Millar used his know-how of the importance of keeping any damage to a minimum and a 1,4 finish restored a modicum of respectability to the scoreboard but, more importantly, kept Social Club afloat in the contest as a whole.

It proved to be a mere stay of execution, however, as Graham Wilson pulled away in the closing stages of his meeting with Bryan Magrath to win by four shots and extend Michelin’s lead to 10 overall.

It was going to take something super-human for Andi Duncan’s rink to rescue the situation for BUSC but the best they could manage was a 7-7 tie with Matthew Boyd as Michelin comfortably held on to once again secure a trophy which has become almost their exclusive property – this was their fifth League Cup triumph in eight years.

BUSC 34, Michelin 44: R Fleming 9, W Caldwell 10; J Millar 9, G Robinson 14; B Magrath 9, G Wilson 13; A Duncan 7, M Boyd 7.

LEAGUE PLATE

The League Plate final produced a dramatic finale, with Golf Club beating Moneyglass by three shots in a game which looked to have slipped away from them at one stage in the second half.

It was perhaps no great surprise to see two of the league’s ‘form’ teams reach the final of the subsidiary competition – both sides’ performances in 2012 have far outweighed their exploits in the first half of their respective campaigns.

The Raceview side were giving their second division 10 shots on handicap but that had been eradicated by the interval, with Golf Club 11 shots to the good on the mats and consequently one shot ahead in reality as the rinks guided by David McCullough – who notched a ‘6’ on the fourth end – and Johnny Jamieson saw off the Moneyglass rinks led by Sean McNeilly and Kieran Teague.

It all looked rosy for the golfers at this stage but they were given a rude awakening as the second half Moneyglass rinks skipped by Tommy Magee and Brian Bigmore each led 6-2 at the halfway stage of their contests against Johnny Lynn and Sean McGarry respectively.

Indeed, worse was to follow for McGarry as Bigmore plundered a ‘4’ on the sixth end and with just three ends to play, the golfers were 11-2 adrift. However, McGarry’s quartet produced a 4,3,1 finish to lose by just a shot and it proved pivotal as on the other mat, Lynn’s rink scored nine shots over the closing five ends to win by three shots, in what eventually proved the final margin between the sides.

Over the course of the last four ends, both Golf Club rinks racked up 16 shots – a vital component in their success.

Moneyglass (+10) 40, Golf Club 43: S McNeilly 5, D McCullough 11; K Teague 6, J Jamieson 11; T Magee 8, J Lynn 11; B Bigmore 11, S McGarry 10.

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