Thrills and spills as Junior Singles begins

GREAT excitement marked the start of this year’s Junior Round Robin Singles Championship at Greenhills BC last week.

In the first match Ciara Floyd gave her opponent Robert Mc Cormack a three-shot handicap start over nine ends and the latter player took the first two ends on the bounce to go five up.

Ciara wasn’t playing at her brilliant best but pegged back her opponent in the fourth end, reducing the deficit to two shots before levelling the match after six ends.

Robert then produced two superb back hand draw shots to the head to edge back in front by two, putting his opponent on the back foot, but Ciara battled hard under considerable pressure and regained control of the match, showing her superb drawing ability to win out by three shots.

In the second match Saoirse Allen (handicap four shots) was pitted against in-form Sophie Thornberry who duly went two up after two ends.

Saoirse grew into the game, playing a combination of backhand and forehand shots into the head to turn it around and lead by one.

However, Sophie dug deep and took the next two ends on the spin to go two up after six ends.

This was a real rollercoaster of a game and Saoirse went on the attack in the next end, firing into the head to take three shots and edge one up with two ends remaining.

Both players drew some lovely shots to the jack in the latter stages, but it was Sophie who upped the tempo and eventually secured victory by four shots.

The next game was Tadg Reilly v Caitlin Floyd and this pair remained all square after three ends, before Tadg made the breakthrough go three up.

Caitlin wasn’t throwing in the towel and she trimmed the gap down to one shot, but in the next end Tadg put in blockers to protect his lead and was rewarded as he increased his lead to three up going into the last end.

There was to be one final twist, though, as Caitlin staged a late rally with the help of two excellent draw shots to a short jack. It was enough for her to claim victory in a very tense finish by one shot.

The final match of the night proved to be a cagey affair between Noel Mc Donnell and Diarmuid in the fifth end to Loughman. The latter called a short jack in the first two ends and went two up.

Noel seemed very nervous but got into his rhythm in the fourth end to level the match. His progress was checked immediately, though, by Diarmuid who duly edged three up. The gap was back down to one after the next end, but despite Noel’s best efforts he came up short by two shots in what proved to be a tough encounter for both players.

Times of play this week are juveniles Tuesday 7 to 8.15pm and seniors Tuesday and Thursday from 8.15 to 10.30pm. Junior golf IRELAND’S top junior golfers will converge on Seapoint later this month to contest the 2018 ILGU Junior Medal competition.

Fixtures: Sixty players are eligible for the tournament, comprising the top 50 (+ ties) returning the lowest aggregate of three nett scores for any stroke or stableford rounds recorded on Golfnet (one per month in June, July and August) - plus the top 10 junior girls who have reduced their handicap by the most shots between March and August.

Duleek darts THE Duleek & District League 2018/19 schedule begins this Friday with a full round of matches in Division 2 and 3, with teams in the top two tiers not due to kick off until next week.

Fixtures: Fosters Div 2: Alverno v Morning Star B, Sally Inn B v Black/White Thatch, Lynchs v Nolans, Foxs v Valley Inn. Fosters Div 3: Mariner B v Maguires B, Admirals v Railway Bar, Coast Tavern v Thatch B, Thatch D v Barney Macs.

Results: John Speedy Heavey Cup preliminary rd: Railway Bar 9 Coast Tavern 4, Foxs 7 Nolans 6.

Duleek lotto NUMBERS drawn in last week’s Duleek AFC/SBG FC lotto were 7, 10, 11, 16 and the six €20 winners were P Rock, P Cunningham, J Fitzpatrick, K Kelly, E Crosby and C Kennedy.

The draw takes place every Thursday at 8.30pm in the Duleek AFC clubhouse, tickets are available from committee members and the jackpot prize remains at €8,000.

For details on renting the club’s all-weather pitch or meeting room, please phone 086-1662018.

Rings results LAST week’s results from the Meath Rings League: Lobinstown B 2 Muldoons 2, Keogans 0 Sally 4, Fays 2 Lobinstown 2, Gormalough 3 Woodtown 1.This Friday’s fixtures: Gormalough v Keogans, Muldoons v Fays, Lobinstown v Woodtown, Sally v Lobinstown B.

€25 winners NUMBERS drawn in last week’s Seneschalstown GAA Club lotto for a jackpot of €2,000 were 2, 18, 19, 27 and the five €25 prizes went to John Battersby, Noelle Lynch, Sonny Carter, Anthony Mulvaney and The Coffee Club.