Quarter-finals go down to the wire

THERE was a great turnout of Greenhills members for the most sought-after trophy on the calendar - the Championship Singles - which produced four keenly contested matches played over nine ends last Thursday night.

First up, Josephine Moran took on Tom Devin and the inform Josephine duly took the first two ends on the spin to go two up. However, Tom wiped out the deficit to draw level in the third end.

Josephine came again in the next two ends and restored her two-shot lead, but despite not being at his brilliant best Tom pegged back his opponent and eventually edged one up with two ends to play.

Once more Josephine responded with some excellent draw shots and she had a twoshot advantage going into the final end. Ultimately that lead proved just enough to take her place in the last four of the competition as Tom fired a brilliant back-hand draw shot to open the head but lost out on a measure.

In the second match Marie Maher went two up after three ends against John Hurley, and with the latter taking a few wrong options he found himself four adrift after four ends. John stayed positive and picked up a shot in each of the next two ends before squaring the match in the seventh.

Marie kept her composure and showed a bit of steel with some super back-hand draw shots to jack high, taking a one-shot lead into the final end.

John was under pressure but seemed to produce the goods when holding three shots in the head. However, that was until Marie fired her last bowl into the head to snatch victory by two shots in a nail-biting finish and take her place in the semi-finals.

Match three featured two experienced stalwarts in Tony Lacken and Sean Donnelly and this one swung one way and then the other as Tony went two up after three ends, only for Sean to benefit from the rub of the green to go three ahead after the fifth end.

Tony fought gamely and reduced the deficit to one shot, before sustained pressure saw him moved two clear going into the last end.

Time was running out for Sean, but he certainly wasn’t giving up hope and he went on to make a great recovery and secure his place in the semi-finals by a single shot.

In the last match of the night there was no quarter asked or given between two competitive ladies in Claire Woods and Michelle Dykstra and it was honours even until the third end when Claire got her nose in front, one up. Michelle took the next end to level the score once more, and then it was Claire’s turn to edge two ahead after six.

Michelle got her act together again and took a grip on proceedings in the next two ends to square the match, but Claire produced the goods when it really mattered and clinched victory by a couple of shots courtesy of her best performance for some time.

Michelle can consider herself extremely unfortunate, but it’s Claire who eased into the last four of the tournament.

All members are asked to put their names forward for the Turkey Doubles competition, which is starting soon.

Times of play - Juveniles on Tuesdays from 7 to 8pm, Seniors from 8 to 10.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.