Victory lifts Lurgan off the bottom

A winless Lurgan Bowling Club Senior team took on defending league champions Balmoral in a rearranged NIBA 1st division clash on Tuesday 14th May and showed some great bowling to take 6 points from the game.

They had built up a 7 shot lead after 5 ends 17-10, however over the next 5 ends Lurgan applied the pressure and had built up a 21 shot lead as they led 43-22 at the halfway stage. Lurgan managed to maintain this gap over the second half of the match leading 60-37 at the three quarter distance and didn’t let up in the closing ends winning 81-59. This result lifts Lurgan off the bottom of the table and should give the team a boost for the tough league campaign ahead.

On Rink 1, Bobby Jones, Richard McClune, Ivor Mitchell and skip Harry Cosgrove got off to a good start against Balmoral’s rink skipped by A Harrison. Leading 5-2 after 5 ends in a game that ebbed and flowed over the whole match Balmoral lead 9-7 at half distance. Despite trailing the Lurgan four never gave up and actually won 12 of the 21 ends and the rink was level at 14 each after the 16th end, however 5 shots in the remaining 5 ends was enough to win the point for Balmoral winning 19-16.

On Rink 2, Stephen Poots, Reece Millar, Bobby Ruddell and skip Mansell Montgomery held a slender one shot advantage at the half way stage against experienced Balmoral skip C Craig as they lead 6-5. The Lurgan four showed grit and determination to increase this lead to 4 shots 11-7 with only five ends to go. Over these last ends both rinks scored 6 shots, meaning in a tight contest the Lurgan rink would secure Lurgans first point on the night winning 17-13.

On rink 3 for Lurgan Melvyn Hamilton, Gareth Bunting, John Gilliland and Alan Roberts started strongly against the Balmoral rink skipped by M Reid as they raced into a 7-2 lead in the first 5 ends. The Lurgan rink would continue to apply pressure to an experienced Balmoral rink winning the next 5 ends to build up an 18-2 lead. With the other three rinks involved in tight games the Lurgan four new they mustn’t let the lead slip which they didn’t as they led 24-6 at three quarter distance and finally winning by an impressive score line of 28-10.

On Rink 4, Bobby Boness, Davy Millar, Pete McGrail and skip Alan Briggs trailed 4-2 after the opening five ends. They exploded into life over the next 5 ends picking up 10 shots to lead 12-6. Balmoral skip J Stevenson steadied his colleagues and fought back against the Lurgan four over the next 5 ends as Lurgan only scored a single shot though the home rink still lead 13-10. In a high scoring ending to the game there were 14 shots scored in the final 6 ends with both rinks recording 7 shots each as Lurgan recorded a third rink victory on the night 20-17.