Away day defeat at Belfast for Junior Park outfit

On rink 1, Andy Hill, Jordan Millar, John McAnally and Billy Scullion took on S Scott and it was the home rink who took charge of the match right from the start when they scored a count of 5 shots on the first end.

The visitors could only manage to score two single shots during the first 15 ends by which time the Belfast rink had opened up a 22 shot lead. The Ballymena men won four of the remaining ends, but it could not stop the visitors from going down by 29 shots to 7.

On rink 2 it was quite a different story where Keith Burnett, Artie McAuley, Tommy Hill and Davy Balmer were drawn against H Johnston. It was the visitors who got off to a great start scoring two 2’s and two 4’s in the opening period to lead by 12 shots after only 4 ends.

The Belfast rink never really recovered from this start and the visitors were never in any danger of relinquishing their lead as they went on to score an excellent 26-14 victory.

There was a close affair on rink 3 as Tom Glass, Alan McCombe, Derek Greer and Arnold Kenny took on the Belfast rink skipped by K Brown.

Up until the tenth end the visitors had made steady progress and had built up a 5 shot lead, but then the Belfast men stunned the Ballymena four when they collected a maximum count of 8 shots to lead by 3.

Kenny’s rink however showed some character winning the next three ends to reclaim the lead, but it was the Belfast men who finished stronger to win by 22 shots to 20.

Robert Mark, Robert McCready, George Beattie and John Millar made a good start, opening up a nine shot lead against J Brennan after 5 ends.

Over the next 14 ends the Belfast men gradually pulled back the deficit and with only 2 ends remaining they only trailed by a single shot, however two singles over the last two ends saw the Ballymena rink hold on to record a 19-16 victory.

This Saturday, Ballymena Junior Park host Castle in the first round of the Irish Bowling Association Junior Cup and then on Tuesday they have another home match in the NIPGL Junior Division 1 when Hilden are the visitors.

PARK SENIORS

Ballymena Senior Park had no match last Saturday as their opposition, Nortel, could not field a team however this Saturday they entertain Hilden in the NIPGL Senior Division 2, having received a bye in the first round of the Irish Bowling Association Senior Cup.

MIDWEEK PARK

This Wednesday Ballymena Midweek Park begin their 2010 campaign when they host Cliftonville in the opening match of NIPGL Midweek League Division 1.