Dunclug are the big movers in third division

DUNCLUG PTA were the big winners in this week's Division Three programme.

The Doury Road side notched eight-and-a-half points from a possible 10 from two games to install themselves as the new favourites for the title.

A five-point haul from their scheduled fixture against All Saints was bolstered by a return of three-and-a-half from a rearranged trip to Eaton Park, postponed from a couple of weeks ago.

The five points against All Saints perhaps flattered Dunclug slightly, as they won by just nine shots overall, with three of the rinks in particular very closely contested.

Noel Clarke was a two-shot winner against Eugene Walsh, while Bertie Logan added to Dunclug’s first half advantage by beating Eugene McReynolds.

All Saints will feel aggrieved that their second half efforts didn’t yield more tangible reward, with Paddy Martin and Jock McKay both suffering one-shot defeats by Alan Heron and Robert Neeson.

In their game at Eaton Park, Dunclug came away with the lion’s share of the spoils, thanks largely to the efforts of Robert Neeson’s rink, who restricted John Carruthers to just one scoring end - a ‘4’ on the final end to avoid a whitewash defeat - in a 15-4 win.

The other first half game had ended deadlocked at 12-12 between Bonar Hill and Noel Clarke, with a ‘7’ on the fifth end for the Eaton Park rink the most notable score.

George Reid’s rink claimed a point for Eaton Park by beating Bertie Logan 8-6 but Alan Heron’s one-shot win over Gary Shaw helped Dunclug to victory.

Eaton Park’s other venture onto the mats this week proved more profitable as they recorded an excellent win over erstwhile league leaders St Mary’s, in Portglenone.

In an otherwise tight game, Bonar Hill’s 20-3 eclipse of Charlie Graham - thanks to a 5,1,5 burst - was pivotal in sending the overall shots point back to the rugby club.

It was a point apiece at the break, with Gary Shaw’s win over Patsy Boyd negated by a win for James McCann over George Reid.

Hill’s rink turned the match in Eaton’s favour, while Sean McGarry and John Carruthers couldn’t be separated in an 8-8 tie.

Services ‘B’ remain in the promotion hunt after taking three-and-a-half points from their trip to West Church ‘B’.

Services were two shots to the good at the interval, thanks to Sheila Smith’s win over Edwin Donaghy, while Sheila’s husband John battled out a 10-10 draw with David Aicken.

Roy Dickson’s 15-3 win over George Arthur gave Services some breathing space but JOe Harris earned the church side a point by edging out Greta Coulter 7-6.

In a basement battle, Glenravel took four points from their trip to First Ballymena - a result which leaves the church side with an uphill battle to avoid the ‘wooden spoon’ of finishing bottom.

Jimmy Shields earned their only point, in a 9-5 win over Niall Sands, but the villagers earned the win with narrow wins from Gerry Sands, Seamus McKeown and Daniel Higgins.

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