Michelin rack up staggering 75 shots in win over JTI

The league champions overwhelmed the Lisnafillan side by a staggering 75 shots to 10 as they continued their unbeaten start to the campaign.

It was a chastening introduction for JTI, who had no game in the opening week, as the Woodside Road side won 32 of the 40 ends played across the four rinks.

Timothy Rock’s rink contributed six of their team’s total of 10 shots but he was still well beaten by Wesley Caldwell, while the other Michelin rinks skipped by Grant Robinson, Matt Boyd and Graham Wilson all passed the 20-shot mark on their way to comprehensive victories.

After an opening week postponement, BPFA ‘A’ opened their campaign by taking four points from their home fixtures against Portglenone Community Centre.

Alan Cahoon, Andrew Morrison and David Morrison skipped winning rinks for the 2013 champions, while Joe McErlean’s rink ensured the Bannsiders didn’t return home empty-handed.

BPFA’s ‘B’ team club-mates hosted Old Bleach in the first encounter for both teams in the new season and it was the Randalstown side who emerged victorious, claiming four points.

Neil Booth and Bryan Magrath put Bleach in control at the break, and although Noel Grahm’s rink brought Broughshane back into the game, Jonathan Millar’s last end win over James Wasson tied the game up in the visitors’ favour.

DIVISION TWO

Even despite being short on numbers of players - with the subsequent deduction of shots - Clough Rangers still managed to take four points from their trip to newly-promoted Glenravel thanks to wins from James Gregg, Gregory Kirk and Raymond Aitcheson. John McKeegan replied with the home side’s lone point.

The other team to come down from Division One, BIBC, claimed their first win at Golf Seniors.

In a classic ‘game of two halves’ ‘BI’ looked well set for victory after opening up a 16-shot interval lead through Stephen Shields and Tommy Hill.

In the second half, the golfers produced some heroics in the closing ends to earn narrow wins from John Nichols and Donald Smyth but they still came up 12 shots adrift of the overall shots total.

Harryville claimed their first win on their own mats against Moneyglass.

New skips Michael Allen and Willard Reid won for the Wakehurst-based side, while Joe Patterson’s rink shared a point with B Marron.

Brendan McCusker skipped the only winning rink for the visitors.

DIVISION THREE

Antrim Indoor Bowling Club endured a miserable campaign last season but they recorded their second successive win in the Antrim ‘derby’ at Round Tower.

Robert McCullough, Tom Evans and John Logan steered their rinks to victory while Gilmore Campbell replied for Round Tower.

First Ballymena claimed their first win by taking three-and-a-half points from their home win against Eaton Park.

David McQuitty and Matt McPeake skipped winning rinks for ‘First’, while Roland Woods and George Reid’s foursomes battled out a 9-9 stalemate. Bonar Hill’s rink claimed Eaton Park’s other point.

Services ‘B’, after an opening week defeat, got their campaign up and running with victory over West Church.

The visitors were actually ahead at the interval by five shots thanks to Roberta Wilson’s win by a greater margin than Roy Dickson’s reply but the second half belonged to Services, with wins from Eric Smyth and Sheila Smith.