Whitehead fall short in Senior League

A win would see them past rivals Bangor, and none of the pundits could remember when the Ballybean boys had last won at Whitehead; the omens were good.

Matthew Crawford underlined his development as a skip by leading his rink to an emphatic 22 - 15 victory. He is fortunate to enjoy the support of a third of the quality of James Burns, but his front-end of Browne and Montgomery responded manfully to the challenge also. They finished their season with a flourish, scoring five shots on their final end.

james Caldwell’s four banked their customary point, but by a narrow margin, 20 - 18. To be fair, they merited this success by dint of eleven fruitful ends. Caldwell’s lads have assumed the ‘top rink’ mantle this season, tasting league defeat on very rare occasions.

Barry Browne, so successful last year, has struggled to coax his cohorts to consistency. This game was no exception, despite the presence of Jason Tweedie at lead. A low-scoring confrontation ended tieds on 15 - 15, leaving the fourth game with a nine-shots buffer.

It was not enough! JR Wilson’s four struggled all afternoon, and won only nine ends. Their 11 - 22 defeat spelt defeat by two shots and the silver medals had eluded Whitehead’s grasp.

This has been Whitehead’s most disappointing season for some times. Their Senior trophy cabinet is bare. On the other hand, they have been team-building and any club in the NIBA will underestimate them at their peril next year!

Result: Whitehead (68) 2.5 points v Dundonald (70) 4.5 Points