Services back in promotion fray

The Trostan Avenue side, warming up for their eagerly-awaited League Cup semi-final clash with their ‘B’ team club-mates this week, took their chance to catapult themselves into the promotion frame with a four point haul against Harryville, in a match switched to Services after the two clubs had reversed their meeting in the first half of the season.

Services won by nine shots overall, six of them coming in the first half where Mark Shaw and George Beattie overcame Harold Smyth and Jimmy Patterson respectively.

Billy Scullion extended that advantage by beating Stewart Wilson and only a ‘2’ on the final end for Wilson Burgess - to give his rink a 9-8 win over Pauline Wilson - prevented Services from taking the fifth point, which would have put them outright second in the table.

In the only other game played, Enkalon claimed only their second win of the season when they beat neighbours Maine by six shots in Antrim.

The winning margins of the two successful rinks - skipped by Basil Johnston and Brian Mackle, against Matt O’Neill and Pat Reeves - were enough to overcome the Maine successes of Laurence McQuillan and Brian Kerr, who overcame Chris Murray and Robin Kennedy.

BPFA ‘B’ scheduled match against Golf Seniors was called off as the Broughshane side instead played an outstanding League Plate match, while the Clough Rangers v Portglenone CC match was postponed at Clough’s request due to a bereavement.