Paddy is Winter League’s top scorer

THE first round of the Banbridge Hire Shop Winter League has been completed and the fancied teams all did well.

Team 1 (Trevor Woods), team 3 (Dougie Stevenson) and team 6 (Trevor Mulholland) all won their matches. The big surprise was the victory for team 7 (Merton McDowell) over team 8 (Garreth Moody). Remember I tipped Merton’s team to finish last. That’s not going to happen.

The four matches panned out as follows:

TEAM 1 VERSUS TEAM 2 - Eight scores in the 30’s gave team 1 a platform for victory. Their team total of 308 points was the second best score of the week. On the down side, they had 2 no-returns and one disqualification. That could cost them dearly if it continues.

The top ten players for team 1 were Ashton Clydesdale 35, Gerry Blevins 32,Cathal McNiff 32, Trevor Woods 32, Norman Doak 31, Kyle Buchanan 30,Neville Kerr 30, Robin Jardine 30, Alan Caughey 29 and Johnny McKinstrey 27.

That gave team 1 a total of 308 points.

The top ten players for team 2 were Philip Strong 37, Alex Clarke 32, John Canning 31, Philip Mallon 31, Graham Shannon 30, Eamon Galloway 29, Malcolm Hanna 28, Michael Robinson 28 and any two from Paul Cochrane 26, Brendan Magee 26 or Danny O’Boyle 26.

That gave team 2 a ten-card total of 298 points.

TEAM 3 VERSUS TEAM 4 - Paddy Malcolmson set the standard for team 3 with a best of the week score of 38 points. They had 4 other scores in the 30’s and passed the magical total of 300 points.

There were three disqualifications in this match, all for having no handicap on their card. Everyone should make sure their card is completed correctly before dropping it into the box.

The top ten players for team 3 were Paddy Malcolmson 38, Stephen Shaw 34, Dougie Stevenson 33, Kenny Baines 31, Bertie Shaw 30, Ian Boyce 28, Josh Lockhart 28, John Convery 27 and any two from Verdun Bond 26, Declan Dooher 26 or Tom Nelson 26.

That gave team 3 a total of 301 points.

The top ten players for team 4 were Laurence Bramall 35, Albert Morrison 31, Victor McNeill 30, Kenny Arlow 29, Patrick McAleenan 28, P.J. Johnston 28, Conor Mulholland 28, Matthew Mallon 28, Neil Cherry 28 and any one from John Hanna 27, Colin McKinney 27 or Mel Hamill 27.

That gave team 4 a total of 292 points.

TEAM 5 VERSUS TEAM 6 - Trevor Mulholland’s team 6 had nine scores, yes nine, in the 30’s. I wonder will any team manage ten out of ten before the league is over. Their team total of 320 was immense. That’s going to be hard to beat.

Team 5 had 4 no returns and one disqualification. That certainly put them on the back foot right away.

The top 10 players for team 5 were Sherwin Curran 34, Robert Canning 32, Nigel Bryson 31, Brian Boyd 30, Michael Allison 29, Ian Young 28, Joe Whiteside 28, John McDowell 28, Jim Minnis 27 and either Noel Cruikshanks 26 or Gordon Enderson 26.

That gave team 5 a grand total of 293 points.

The top 10 players for team 6 were Kenny Jones 37, Kieran McGreevey 34, Seamus McGrath 34, Trevor Mulholland 33, William McCandless 33, Cathal O’Neill 31, John Cowan 31, Jim Ledlie 30, John Poots 30 and Neil Comiskey 27.

That gave team 6 a fantastic total of 320 points, the best of round one.

TEAM 7 VERSUS TEAM 8 - This was the closest match of the first round. Merton McDowell’s team 7 won by only 6 points. That’s not a lot over ten cards.

Team 8 had three no-returns. No team can afford that.

The top 10 players for team 7 were Albert Porter 33, Luke Woods 32, Mervyn Waddell 31, Malcolm Russell 31, Eamon McAnarney 30, Brendan Berry 30, Joe McConville 29, Merton McDowell 29, Derek Hanna 29 and

Colin Kennedy 28,

That gave team 7 a total of 302 points.

The top 10 players for team 8 were Sam Wilkinson 37, John Redpath 34, Philip McCourt 32, Colin McDonald 29, John Parkes 29, Garreth Moody 28, Conrad Smyth 28, Sean McGreevey 27, Colin Dodds 27 and Mel Hylands 25.

That gave team 8 a total of 296 points.

THE INDIVIDUAL PRIZE WINNERS: There are four individual prizes up for grabs each round of the winter league, two in the low section (0-15) and two in the high section (16-28).

In round one, Paddy Malcolmson won the low section with the best score of the week, 38 points.

Laurence Bramall was the runner-up with 35 points.

It was a photo finish in the high section with three players scoring 37 points.

After countback, Kenny Jones was declared the winner and Philip Strong was runner-up. Sam Wilkinson went home empty-handed.

ROUND TWO: There is going to be fun and games in round two. The four teams on maximum points are drawn against each other. Team 1 plays team 3 and team 6 plays team 7. Whoever wins those matches will become favourites for the title.

There is still a lot of golf to be played and anything can happen.