Robert goes it alone to win doubles game
GREENHILLS Bowls Club had a full house for the start of the round robin Junior Championship Doubles last Tuesday night, and all games were closely contested and produced some excellent bowls.
Matches were played over nine ends and in the first of them Caitlin Floyd and Leo Mc Donnell were pitted against Robert Mc Cormack whose partner did not show up. They were all square after four ends, but Robert got into his rhythm in the next and went two up.
Caitlin and Leo needed to show a bit of character and they did just that, taking the next two ends on the bounce to go three up with two ends to play.
Robert, though, slowly but surely turned the screw, causing his opponents endless problems to go one up with one to play. He lived dangerously in the last end but got the rub of the green, getting a wick of his opponent’s bowl to hold onto the lead and seal victory by two shots all on his own.
Next, Chloe Dykstra and Diarmuid Loughman were pitted against Megan Devin and Lauren Dykstra, and with the latter appearing nervous at the start and finding it hard to get the line of the rink, Chloe and Diarmuid were three up after three ends.
Lauren and Megan kept plugging away and eventually sprung into action, reducing the deficit to one in the fifth end, but Chloe and Diarmuid soon regained their grip on the game to go three up with three ends to play.
Just when it was looking good for Chloe and Diarmuid, Megan and Lauren showed great character to cut the deficit to one and in the last end they showed another sample of their immense drawing ability when needed to take the spoils by four shots.
The final match was Ciara Floyd and Thomas Devin Healy against Tadg Reilly and Noel Mc Donnell and the latter looked very uneasy and struggled to adapt to the fast rink.
Not surprisingly Ciara and Thomas took the initiative in the first three ends to take the lead three up. Tadg and Noel had an uphill battle at this stage but responded well, settling down in the fifth end to cut the gap to one.
Tadg and Noel’s bowling improved dramatically from the earlier ends and they went into the lead, two up, but Ciara and Thomas showed a steely resolve at a crucial stage, making a great recovery in the seventh end to go three up with a couple of ends to play.
Tadg and Noel did create opportunities in the final two ends but did not avail of them and Ciara and Thomas stepped it up another gear, firing into the head at every chance to clinch victory by five shots in an entertaining game.
In the Greenhills senior charity Doubles tournament played on Thursday last the winners were as follows: Peter Woods and Tommy Mc Guinness, Claire Woods and Aileen Fitzgerald, Gertie Griffin and Anna Farrell, and John Sheridan and Sean Donnelly. There was a draw match between John Connelly and Bridie Maguire and John Hurley and Paddy Griffin.
On the Oriel Zone League scene, Greenhills travelled to Redeemer Bowls Club last Tuesday for their First Division away match and the players gave it their best shot but came home empty-handed after a tough encounter.
Times of play this week: Tuesday - Juniors 7 to 8.15pm, Seniors 8.15 to 10.30pm; Thursday - Seniors 8 to 10.30pm.