Ahoghill bowling family prove they’re best of British

Now the Morrison family, from Ahoghill, have added yet another accolade to their glittering bowling CV.

And this one arguably trumps anything that father Tom and sons Andrew, David and William have managed as a foursome previously.

The family unit were recently crowned British Isles fours champions at the British Isles Short Mat Championships in Perth, Scotland.

“We’re obviously delighted,” David, who skipped the side to victory, told Times Sport.

“It’s probably especially nice to win it, being from the same family.

“As far as titles that we can win go, we probably can’t get much higher than this so it was a nice feeling to win it.

“William, Andrew and myself won the British Isles triples title five years ago but it’s nice for the three of us that our father is also involved in this one.”

The formidable Morrison unit sees Tom use his experience in playing lead, with William at second, Andrew at third and David playing the pivotal role at skip.

The Morrisons’ road to British glory began back in the local surroundings of the Mid-Antrim Zone qualifiers last year, where they came through four matches.

Having negotiated that hurdle, they then won the national qualifiers at Richhill, Co Armagh, which meant they would represent Ireland in the British Isles finals.

They began their campaign in Perth with a comfortable victory over the Isle of Man before losing by three shots to England.

That proved to be their last defeat, however, with further wins over Scotland and Wales enough to see the local bowlers win the crown on shots difference from the Welsh.

The Morrisons’ performance proved to be the high spot in an otherwise disappointing series overall for the Irish team, who produced their worst overall performance in the competition’s 25-year history.