Morrison and Crawford claim victory in Pairs Tournament

THE BALLYMENA Bowling Club Short Mat tournament sponsored by Smallcost Carpets took place last week and it was the pair of Andrew Morrison and Matthew Crawford who came out on top in a high class final.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Feb 2012, 12:32 BST

There were four qualifying nights with two pairs from each night going forward to contest the final on Friday night. In excess of 90 pairs took part in the competition.

In the quarter finals Steven Shields and Andrew Armstrong (Clough Rangers) defeated Jonathan Millar and Graham Wilson (BUSC / Michelin), Andrew Morrison and Matthew Crawford (1st Ahoghill / Mossley) defeated Mary Higgins and Philip Hagan (St Mary’s Dessertmartin), Matt Boyd and Megan Wilson (Michelin) defeated Derek and Dorothy Shanks (Garvaghy) and Sean Quinn and Alan Paul (Cookstown) defeated William and David Morrison (1st Ahoghill).

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In the semi finals Morrison / Crawford got the better of Boyd / Wilson while Quinn / Paul reached the final at the expense of Shields / Armstrong.

The final was played over 10 ends and it was Quinn / Paul who settled down the quicker as they scored 2 single shots to take an early lead. The game changed on the next end when Morrison / Crawford picked up a ‘Full House’ of 4 shots and this was quickly followed by a count of 3 shots to open up a 5 shot lead. Quinn / Paul hit back on the next end when they scored 3 shots to reduce the deficit back to 2 shots. Three singles were scored over the next 3 ends as Morrison / Crawford extended their lead to 3 shots with only 2 ends remaining but Quinn / Paul scored 3 shots on the penultimate end to leave the scored tied at 9-9 with only 1 end remaining.

The final end was a tense affair and after 6 bowls had been delivered, Quinn lay the shot but Morrison had a toucher lying in the ditch. Each skip had only 1 bowl remaining and it was Quinn who faced a dilemma – should he draw for position or should he try to ditch the jack to claim the game. After some quite lengthy discussions with his lead, Quinn decided to try and ditch the jack however he pulled his drive slightly tight and sliced the jack beside the Morrison toucher to give Morrison / Crawford combination victory by 10 shots to 9.

This was an excellent conclusion to a high class final.

Michael Wilson (Tournament Organiser) thanked all who had helped make the tournament a great success including Robert McCullough who umpired the final. David Small (Smallcost Carpets) presented prizes to all the competitors.

Related topics:Michael Wilson