Vets clinch derby spoils

Portadown 1 18 (0)

Veterans Lurgan 1 team overcame Portadown 1 in their derby last Monday, winning by a wide margin of 30 shots.

Billy Martin, skip, Declan McCabrey, Brian Brown and Melvyn Hamilton on Rink 1 stormed into a 11–1 lead but the Portadown rink had the upper hand for the remainder of the game to win 24-6.

Harry Cosgrove, skip, Ivor Mitchell, Brendan Beattie and Vincent Devlin were met with stiff opposition during the early stages and were just a shot ahead at 5–4 after 7 ends; but their lead was enhanced with a brilliant 5-shot win at the eighth end to extend their lead 10–4. Cosgrove’s rink kept their cool and emerged winners 22-12.

Portadown 2 31 (6)

Lurgan 2 26 (4)

Things were different for Lurgan 2 when they lost by a slender five shots at Portadown 2; but they won on one rink to bring home four points to maintain their top of the league position.

Bobby Ruddell, skip, Bobby Jones, Gerry Stewart and Ronnie McCullough led 6-3 after 6 ends but trailed 12-6 after 11 ends. The visitors took the next two ends but a 5-shot loss on the fifteenth end blighted their prospect of winning the rink and eventually they lost 20-12.

On Rink 2 for Lurgan 2 were Alan Briggs, Peter McGrail, Derek Henderson and Roy Poots led 5–2 after six ends but an excellent run by the Portadown rink resulted in them taking the next five ends with the score at 9–5 in their favour. A triple-shot win for Stephens’ rink at the twelfth narrowed Briggs’ lead to 9–8 but a similar response at the 14th restored the lead to 13–8. Single-shots wins on the next three ends reduced the lead to 13–11 going into the last end but they gained a shot to win 14-11.