Thrilling Juvenile decider goes down to the wire
MEMBERS were treated to a fine spectacle of bowling in last Tuesday’s latest round of games at Greenhills, played over nine ends in a very sporting manner.
Ciara Floyd and Jane Whelan took on Sophie Thornberry and Tadg Reilly and after falling three behind in the early stages Ciara and Jane fought back to lead by one after six ends.
Sophie and Tadg responded by upping their game another gear to restore their three-shot advantage immediately, but Ciara and Jane were in no mood to lie down and in the remaining two ends they fought back to earn a superb draw and two valuable points which earned them a place in the final.
In the second match Megan Devin and Chloe Dykstra were pitted against Cain McKenna and Robert McCormack and the latter stamped there authority on the game from the start to go four up after three ends.
Megan and Chloe stayed patient and twice they got the deficit back to a single shot but just couldn’t get on level terms as Cain and Robert played excellent backhand draw shots to increase their lead to two, with one end remaining.
When it came to the crunch, though, Megan and Chloe showed great resilience and determination to battle back and grab victory by the minimum margin, taking the three points on offer but missing out on a final placing by one shot.
The final was the last match of the night as Ciara and Jane took on Oliver Clutterbuck and Catlin Floyd, with two sisters playing on opposite teams for the first time in the Greenhills club.
There was little difference between these two teams, with Ciara’s team going two up after three ends, only for Oliver and Caitlin to hit a purple patch to eke out a one-shot advantage.
However, Ciara and Jane reasserted themselves and established a lead of three, and although they lost the last end they won the ‘war’ by the narrowest of margins in a final that was keenly contested.
Captain Josephine Moran paid tribute to the juniors for performing at such a high standard and the tournament was a joy to watch over the last six weeks. She thanked Ronan Kelly from St Mary’s Parish Primary School for taking time out to present the prizes and thanked the juveniles for participating, umpires for officiating and the ladies for providing the refreshments.
Greenhills’ junior bowlers did their club and league proud when representing the Oriel Zone in a rinks tournament held in Shawsbridge Stadium, Belfast, recently.
In all, eight players from the Drogheda-based club took part, following a selection process for the Oriel Zone held in Lordship from which the squad of 16 was selected, and they went on to reach the semi-final stage.
Greenhills Juvenile Officer Tom Devin stated that the boys and girls enjoyed the experience of bowling at the highest level. He said it was great credit to the players and the mentors, with the club only established in the last four years.
Times of play this week: Tuesday - Juniors 7 to 8.15pm, Seniors 8.15 to 10.30pm; Thursday - Seniors 8.15 to 10.30pm.