Champion ladies aim for perfect league record in final game

Ballymena Ladies took to the green in their penultimate game safe in the knowledge that they had already claimed the PTWBA title.
Ballymena and Dunluce bowlers try to keep dry during their match. INBT35-207ACBallymena and Dunluce bowlers try to keep dry during their match. INBT35-207AC
Ballymena and Dunluce bowlers try to keep dry during their match. INBT35-207AC

The ladies had no match the previous week however with other results going their way they could not be caught and so the title returned to the Old Ballymoney Road club rooms.

Dunluce were the visitors last Wednesday and although the overall game was close the Braid ladies chalked up their 15th successive league win and although the title has been won the ladies will hope to remain unbeaten for the whole campaign when they travel to Limavady next week.

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Eva Gage, Andrea McKeown, Jennifer Dowds and Donna NcCloy took on the Dunluce rink skipped by A Elliott. Both of the rinks won 5 of the opening 10 ends and both of rinks scored 7 shots to leave the game level with 8 ends remaining.

Ballymena bowler Jenny McCready in action against Dunluce. INBT35-209ACBallymena bowler Jenny McCready in action against Dunluce. INBT35-209AC
Ballymena bowler Jenny McCready in action against Dunluce. INBT35-209AC

Five ends later the scores were still level with the score board reading 11-11 but the Ballymena ladies had kept something in reserve and a single on the 16th end was followed by a brace of 3’s to leave the final score 18-11 to the home rink.

Barbara Burnett, Gladys Power, Erin Smith and Sarah Jane Curran were drawn against A McClelland and the visitors had slightly the better of the opening exchanges as they won 4 of the first 5 ends however a count of 5 shots on the 3rd end ensured that the Braid ladies would go in to the remainder of the game with the scores level at 5-5.

The Ballymena rink upped their game over the next 5 ends and 9 unanswered shots appeared to give them a healthy advantage going in to the second period of the game.

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The visitors however had other ideas and over the next 6 ends they outscored the Braid rink by 11 shots to 2 to level the game again at 16-16. Curran’s ladies dug deep and a single on the penultimate end and 2 shots on the final end gave them a hard fought 19-16 win.

Jeannie McCready, Maree Houston, Pat Allen and Barbara Cameron made a decent start against J Sharpe.

The Ballymena ladies picked up two 2’s over the opening ends but the visitors were not there just to make up the numbers and they replied with a single and three 2’s over the next 4 ends to lead by 3 shots.

At the half way stage of the contest the Dunluce rink had increased their advantage slightly to 4 shots but Cameron’s rink fought back with 4 singles over the next 4 ends to level the game at 10-10. Unfortunately the Ballymena ladies ran out of steam and the visitors won 3 of the remaining 4 ends to claim victory by 15 shots to 11.

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