Champions make slight inroads into Michelin lead in District League

The pacesetters surprisingly dropped two points at bottom club BIBC in the last round of fixtures.

Defending champions Broughshane cut the gap by a point but - at a time of the season when every point is crucial - they, too, let a point slip from their grasp at home to JTI.

It was earned for the Lisnafillan side by Billy Lynn’s rink who beat William Morrison by two shots.

Elsewhere, Alan Cahoon, Andrew Morrison and David Morrison kept the champions’ challenge on course.

Michelin will be disappointed at dropping a brace of points at BIBC, whose own need for points is for an entirely different reason, with the threat of relegation still a very real possibility.

Wins from the father and son combination of Roy and David Torrington will help ‘BI’s cause but clear-cut wins for Wesley Caldwell and Graham Wilson ensured Michelin left the Old Ballymoney Road clubrooms with another victory under their belts.

The battle to avoid the drop is another intriguing sub-plot to this season’s first division campaign and Clough Rangers have dropped into the bottom two after being ‘whitewashed’ at home by Golf Club.

Johnny Lynn, Sean McGarry, David McCullough and Johnny Jamieson were the victors for the Raceview side, who seem guaranteed to finish in the top four and they will set their sights on third place in the closing weeks.

In the other game BIBC ‘A’ kept their title hopes alive by taking four points from their trip to Old Bleach.

BPFA ‘A’ 44 (4), JTI 22 (1): A Cahoon 12, B Russell 3; A Morrison 17, T Rock 3; D Morrison 8, G Maybin 7; W Morrison 7, B Lynn 9.

BIBC 29 (2), Michelin 39 (3): R Torrington 8, G Robinson 5; J Coulter 5, W Caldwell 13; D Torrington 8, G Maybin 7; W Morrison 7, B Lynn 9.

Clough Rangers 26 (0), Golf Club 46 (5): J Gilchrist 7, J Lynn 11; A Armstrong 7, S McGarry 9; W Patton 6, D McCullough 10; R Aitcheson 6, J Jamieson 16.

Old Bleach 17 (1), BIBC ‘A’ 35 (4): W Fullerton 2, A Bonnar 10; A Booth 9, A Hunter 8; M McDonald 4, B Magrath 6; W Scott 2, J Gaston 11.

DIVISION TWO

Services ‘A’ completed a league ‘double’ over their ‘B’ team club-mates to keep their promotion drive on course.

In recent seasons when the two sides have been in the same division, the ‘B’ team have often proved something of a thorn in the flesh of their colleagues but on this occasion, the ‘A’ team replicated the 4-1 winning margin of the sides’ previous meeting in October.

Just one point separated the sides at the interval after Bill Kitson’s win for the ‘A’ team cancelled out Sheila Smith’s victory for the ‘B’ team on the adjoining mat.

In the second half, however, it was more clear-cut, with Dessie McNeill and Joe Stevenson clinching victory for the ‘A’ team, who have won three of their four league games in 2014.

They remain five-and-a-half behind leaders Portglenone Community Centre who continue to close in on the title after an impressive 15-shot win at Moneyglass.

Gerry McLarnon, Jim Gaul and Eamon Cassley won for the Bannsiders, while Tommy Magee notched ‘MG’s only point.

BPFA ‘B’ resumed their promotion challenge after a week off while they hosted the club’s annual tournament and they returned with a one-shot win over Golf Seniors, whose exploits this season have surely surpassed any pre-season expectations they may have had.

Both sides earned a point apiece - Noel Graham and Drew Rea for Broughshane and George McCrea and Ian Lecky for the golfers - but it was Rea’s seven shot winning margin over Donald Smyth which enabled Broughshane to shade the verdict by a single shot.

Antrim IBC recorded only their win of the campaign when they beat Harryville Community Centre, who find themselves in the unusual position of propping up the division, although they do have games in hand.

Antrim’s wins came from Robert McCullough and John Logan, while Tom Evans shared the spoils in a 10-10 stalemate with Norman Worthington. Harryville’s other contribution came from Wilson Burgess.

BPFA ‘B’ 33 (3), Golf Seniors 32 (2): N Graham 10, S Surgenor 4; H McCullough 3, G McCrea 12; D Kernohan 9, I Lecky 12; D Rea 11, D Smyth 4.

Antrim Indoor Bowling Club 44 (3.5), Harryville Community Centre 32 (1.5): A Rainey 6, W Burgess 11; R McCullough 15, H Smyth 4; J Logan 13, S Wilson 7; T Evans 10, N Worthington 10.

Services ‘A’ 47 (4), Services ‘B’ 36 (1): M Shaw 10, S Smith 12; B Kitson 11, R Dickson 8; D McNeill 11, E Smyth 6; J Stevenson 15, G Coulter 10.

Moneyglass 35 (1), Portglenone CC 50 (4): S McNeilly 8, G Mclarnon 16; B McCusker 4, J Gaul 12; T Magee 13, J McErlean 5; H Graham 10, E Cassley 17.

DIVISION THREE

Eaton Park have withdrawn from the third division, citing the unavailability of a number of players over the closing weeks as the reason, with all their remaining opponents due to pick up five points in the week of their scheduled fixtures.

That could, in turn, have a bearing on the final table in a division which has been closely-fought all year.

Maine remain in top spot after a win at Round Tower in a game where, despite the visitors winning three of the four rinks, the sides finished level on 36 shots apiece!

Much of that was down to the rink skipped by Michael Teer - so often the most likely source of points for Round Tower - whose 14 shot win over Pat Reeves earned one-and-a-half points.

Brian Kerr, Pat O’Neill and Laurence McQuillan were all winners for Maine, who remain on target for an instant return to the second tier.

The placings below them continue to change by the week, with First Ballymena dropping from second to fourth after losing at Glenravel.

Martin O’Neill, John McKeegan and Mary McAuley - whose meeting with Roland Woods produced 10 singles from the 10 ends - scored the points for the home side, while ‘First’s sole point came from David McQuitty who overturned a six-shot deficit to beat Vera Bryson.

Round Tower 36 (1.5), Maine 36 (3.5): H Totten 7, B Kerr 8; G Campbell 6, P O’Neill 10; M Teer 19, P Reeves 5; J O’Neill 4, L McQuillan 13.

Glenravel 37 (4), First Ballymena 28 (1): V Bryson 11, D McQuitty 12; M O’Neill 13, L McQuitty 6; J McKeegan 7, J Lilley 6; M McAuley 6, R Woods 4.