U25 singles

St Anthonys will be running their second under 25 singles tournament. The tournament proved popular in it's inaugural year filling a much need void for young bowlers.

Qualifying:  Thursday evening 5th April, Friday evening 6th of April with an afternoon session on Saturday 7th of April. 

Final: Saturday evening 7th April.

Eligibility: Players must be born on or after 8th April 1987.

Due to refurbishment work in St Anthony's hall the tournament will be held at Dunbarton Outdoor Bowling Club this season.
To enter contact: Sean: 07754925683 or email seantrainor26@gmail.com

Christina - 028 38361397

 

Defending Champion is William Boggs from Ardstraw who defeated Paddy Hanlon in the final

Election Decided

To those who thought that officer posts of the IIBA are decided at the AGM may be in for a surprise. The executive although not unanimously have drawn up their preferred candidates which will be ratified at the AGM.

The good news is that there is new blood however the fear is that he will be smothered and controlled. It is unlikely that he will be given the freedom to implement a new direction for the association.

Some people may have been under the misapprehension by being told directly or deliberately misled or information may have been misconstrued or relayed ambiguously that two officers would be stepping down from the executive.

That was never going to be reality.

It is a pity that true leadership has not been exercised. True leadership puts aside personal ambition and knows when to magnanimously let go of the reins. The true character of a person can be measured by whether a person puts the organisation first or clings to power at the expense of the organisation.

if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself

Inter-Zone Draws

The inter-zone draws eventually got drawn last night and while some might be in confusion as to which teams were drawn against each other the matches  are on the www.bowlsni.co.uk site.

Men's Shield

Favourites for the shield will be North West, Western and Armagh.

SandE Belfast, if they can get a team should be at home to West Down, Meath could be at home to North West or Limavady all sorts, the tie of the first round of the shield could be Mid Down at home to Western while Larne should make their annual appearance in the shield after they have obliged the Corkers with a rare away win.

Armagh are also likely to make the 2nd round of the shield as are South Tyrone, Monaghan who never disappoint in qualifying for the shield and North Down.

Men's Main

In the main competition there is potential for another Mid Ulster versus Oriel final. Donegal deadbeats if they leave their egos behind could entertain MUlsterians in the semi while Oriel should face Mid Antrim who have the equivalent of three byes through to the semis.

Female

The women's competitions as their participants are totally unpredictable.   

The only certainty in the female draw is defending champions Donegal will get beat in their first game while Armagh will be aiming for a century in their first game.

Musical Chairs

For those who missed the first rendition

Too often when the players in an orchestra move on; a game of musical chairs ensues.

It is time to change parts of the orchestra and get a new theme tune.

The conductor should remain or at least take an overview role to aid continuity.

However it is time to reduce the wind section which has too often in the past ruined the symphony by playing their own notes thereby destroying the harmony. There is little point in retaining the wind section in a quieter piece as the outcome would be a dilution of the new symphony, the new would be overpowered.

The new symphony needs it’s own beat and tempo and must not rely on the old rhythm.

Bring on the percussion and the strings, give them a leading role.

Doing Nothing

Doing nothing is wrong, it is taking the easy way out.

The IIBA executive not long ago decided that players entering tournaments should come from the same club.

Due to popular demand of the players this idea was scrapped. Common sense somehow prevailed.

However undoubtedly there is a problem with 'glory hunters' entering tournaments, i.e. rinks and triples and pairs being loaded with players from different zones. Why then have the executive decided to do nothing?

To be eligible for the Champion of Champions players in pairs, triples and fours should have to come from the same zone (the zone in which they enter the national championships).

This does not prevent friends from different zones playing with each other in tournaments. They can enter tournaments and if they win a tournament they will then have the option of bringing in a sub and be eligible for the CoC.

The rule of playing with players from the same zone would relate to the CoC, not to all tournaments.

A new rule that has helped in regard to the loaded sides is that substitutes can no longer be brought in as skip. Some disagreed with this rule but on the whole it has been good for the game.

Bringing in the above rule for the CoC would further help.

Doing nothing was wrong and is wrong.

 

McPeak makes his Mark

Congrats to Mark McPeak who is the new BIIBC singles champions or in layman's terms
the British Isles Stadium Singles Champion

Closed shop or Open election

Do you really think the following hypothetical events could take place?

The Secretary of the IIBA announces that one of the association’s officers is standing down.

He asks that those interested in the post let him know.

One person makes it known they would be interested

Another person is persuaded to stand

An officer’s meeting is called (no minutes or record held of such meeting)

The executive council is informed which candidate is the officers’ preferred choice

A vote is taken by the executive as to whom they would propose at the AGM

The officers’ preferred candidate already has a potential 5-0 head start.

The vote is close, the officers’ preferred candidate is chosen.

Someone then puts forward the idea that the council should be seen to be united therefore the narrowly defeated candidate should not challenge the candidate proposed by the council at the AGM.

Would there be a record of such discussions/events or would a selective few only be recorded?

Is it possible that one person out of thousands of members could manipulate a desired result without the members being aware that they have been manipulated?

Is it possible that zone conveners were unwittingly manipulated?

Could some or all of these events been used in previous elections?

There is potential for some very cunning manipulation in election of officers.

They may be hypothetical, however you decide if there is a possibility that the above events could occur.

Surely being open, the correct procedure should be that all candidates should stand at the AGM. The council should not be directly or indirectly influencing elections by putting their weight behind one preferred candidate who is not the unanimous choice of that council. Any other procedure is not totally transparent.

No doubt this article could be used by an executive member to further manipulate conveners. It would not be the first time that an officer has been up in arms at this site.

Nat qualifying Shorts

(Photos at www.bowlsni.co.uk, click on photo album)
The McHugh twins born almost 7 yrs apart had a difficult passage through the the pairs final. They come from a shot down in the first game against Caroline Scott of Western to win the last two ends. In the last 16 against young gun Ryan Cavan L&C had to repeat the same winning formula claiming singles in the last two ends to win by a shot. It was also a fine a margin in the quarters against the silver fox Graham. L&C went into the last end 1 shot adrift but with one bowl to come an extra end was the least they expected. Calm Colum with the final delivery chopped and lay for two shots to progress.
Two of the Limavady all-stars, Harrison and O'Neill had a couple of eventful games to go through to the pairs final. They had a fright coming in the first game where the opposition skip just failed to take the game into a tie end with the final bowl of the game. However they pulled off a Houdini act in the semi final as they had to claim a count of three in the final end to snatch a draw against Eddie Campbell and go through courtesy of an extra end.
Is the Moen name already inscribed on the triples trophy?
First game Gerry's Moeners had to come from a five shot deficit after five ends including a count of three on the final end to win by a shot. Second game they overcame a three shots deficit after five ends eventually progressing after and extra end. In the semi they should have lost a count of five on the first end but were visibly lifted to only lose a single shot. This boost  helped them win the next four ends and assisted in opening a five shot advantage. They controlled the remainder of the game to go through to the final where they will meet the Stubbs triplets.
What a game they had in their opening match against 1994 triples champion Alan Laughlin. In a very tight game Laughlin never trailed but his maximum advantage was only three shots. RGR trailed by three with three ends remaining, two singles reduced the deficit and their third successive winning end ensured their passage into the next round and eventually the final beating the very capable triple skipped by Andy Leckey in the semi final.

Killyman Open Pairs Tournament

Killyman Open Pairs Tournament will be held in St Andrews Parish Hall, Killyman from:
Mon 26th March to Fri 30th March

Finals on Sat 31st March

Entry Fee £5.00 per pair

to enter contact either

Mrs Ida Eldon :- TEL: 028 87722713 or

Mr Dennis Simpson :- TEL: 028 87724363

St Mary's Desertmartin - Pairs

St Mary's Desertmartin are holding their annual Pairs tournament in St Marys Hall, Desertmartin

On Monday 26^th, Tuesday 27^th, Thursday 29^th, Friday 30^th March 2012

Finals on Monday 2^nd April 2012

Once again generous prizes for all qualifiers and entry fee is £5 per pair

Early entries appreciated numbers limited to 32 pair per night

Entries to Danny McStravock 028867 48123 or mobile 07709611910

St Saviour's Pairs

The annual St.Saviours (Dobbin) Portadown Pairs Tournament this year will be played from

Monday 26^th March to Friday 30^th March.

FINALS NIGHT: Saturday 31^st March.

To enter please contact Andrew Hughes on 07800573352 or 02838339391 ASAP as places fill up very quick for this very popular tournament.

Finalists

Former champions Lynn Hamilton and Elaine Hastings will slug it out for the ladies singles title.
Lynn defeated Carol Burnside in the semi final while Elaine defeated Emma Colgan in an extra end.

In the ladies triples reigning champions Rachel Cassells, May Cassells and Pauline Beattie will defend the title they have won for the past three years against Joyce Green, Yvonne Hall and Wilma Adair.

RGR Stubbs (Ron, Gordon, Ray)will contest the final of the national triples against Gerry's Moeners from Monaghan(D Wilson, J Sloan and Gerry Moen).

At the semi final stage of the national pairs the West Down duo Angela Kennaway and Eddie Campbell appeared on course for the final however a loss of three on the last end took their game against Leigh Harrison and R O'Neill into an extra end which the North West pair won.

They will meet Liam and Colum C McHugh after the Cookstown pair defeated J Marshall and Pyjamas Gallagher in the semi.

Committed Corkers

 Above the Kennelly triple that travelled from Cork. B Kennelly also played in the ladies singles.

The Conlon pair who travelled to play in the national pairs. M Conlon also participated in the ladies singles winning her second game with her last bowl of an extra end before falling to eventual semi-finalist Carol Burnside. She also travelled up for the qualifiers last week.

Having highlighted the absence of representatives from Cork in the national play-offs last year it was great to have the above bowlers travelling all the way from Cork. They must be commended for their commitment.
Their appearance made the draws run smoother for all.
It is an indictment on the IIBA that they forced Cork zone to travel the length of the land each year. Appeals to move the qualifiers to a more central location to make it fairer for the Corkers have fallen on deaf ears. Perhaps a more sympathetic attitude will prevail after the elections at the AGM

Success?

WS retained
 
 

The stadium internation team return again with the wooden spoon. After a morale boosting performance against England the predictable inconsistency returned to ensure that the wooden spoon is retained.

Five rinks suffered defeat against wales with DSS McClure the only skip to win to gain his second rink win of the series.

Surprise surprise the usual culprits did not complete 21 ends.

Is it not time for BBS to introduce a shot clock for the 3rds and skips?

They entered 2 by 2

Qualifying for the national pairs final is on tomorrow. Donegal, Mid Ulster, Oriel and Western zones have already got representation in either the singles or fours, can any of these zones make it a double?

Last year’s champions are out as are the two times reigning CoC champions. The toughest quarter of the draw has veteran Westerner Gary Burke, the in-form and losing semi finalists in the singles PJ McCrossan from Mid Tyrone, former singles holder Rodney Kane from N Eastern, Pauline Beattie of Armagh the most successful lady title collector and the surprise package of the McHugh siblings from MUlster. Whoever gets through from this quarter to the last four will either be battle hardened or drained.

In the next quarter there will be no Moens if Mervyn beats Gerry. There will be Tyrone rivalry as the south take on the mid with the south’s hopes resting on Hetherington against Gerard Conroy who because of his all round ability is always include in the favourite category at this stage of the competitions no matter which discipline he is through in. If it goes to a late night then the pyjamas from Donegal may be well suited. PJ Gallagher has already proven his credentials reaching the 2010 final, a dark horse who has the propensity to become a nightmare for some.

The third quarter is also intriguing with the hard hitting put-it-in-the-ditch A Leckey flying the flag for Armagh. J Martin from Northern may not be accustomed to this format but he is anything but green. Mid Ulster’s ‘I’ll take anyone at third’ D McElroy is the surprising other representative from that zone but can he flourish having been abandoned by his former sidekick? One of the most interesting match-ups could be the encounter between the outdoor specialist Neil Booth and the young short mat master McMahon of Oriel. If Stephen brings out any canons early expect Boothy to bring out a larger bombardment. 

The easiest section appears to be the bottom quarter where leftie O'Neill will be overwhelming favourite to progress however his zone colleague Billy will hope to sweep his way to the last four for North West. Keep an eye out for the Todd, the Larne cutthroat, if young Nigel and his accomplice Darren get in their drawing groove they could kill off the hopes of their opposition.

Stadium on Course

The stadium international team will once again compete with Wales in their yearly battle for the wooden spoon.

Due to the immense prestige that goes with the WS the Ireland versus Wales game is always scheduled for the final day.

With the predictably inconsistent of the stadium team it is not possible to predict which side will be favourites for the coveted WS.

Ireland started this series off with a disastrous defeat by Scotland of humongous proportions – 58 shots. The Coleman rink who were the highlights of the 2011 series almost grabbed their fourth successive victory, they concedes 3 shots on both the 19^th and 21^st ends to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The only winning rink against Scotland was skipped by the dogged super slow McClure who yet again along with the Thompson rink failed to complete 21 ends in the allotted time.

There was a significant improvement in results against England with three rink wins. The Coleman rink returned to winning ways making it 4 wins out of 5. Andy Kyle claimed his first international win at skip with a count of 4 on the final end to win by two shots. The Thompson rink claimed the third rink win after nineteen ends.

Overall the team only lost by 11 shots which equals their best performance against England since 2006. Considering that they were beaten by 30 shots last year and that they were coming off a confidence draining large defeat against Scotland this performance must go down as one of the best in recent years.

Can they maintain this performance level against Wales or will the predictable inconsistency come back and assist them in retaining the coveted WS?

Trivia question

Out of 17 games at skip how many times has I McClure completed 21 ends?

Answers on a postcard to

nonein10possibly2008@evenBTcompleted21endsin2011.satirical

Recent Rare double

The significant achievement of winning an outdoor/shortmat and vice versa national title has recently been achieved by a different Wilson.
A long lost uncle of Mark, twice removed, colleague of a 2nd cousin four times over, DJ Wilson won the IBA fours in 2010 and the IIBA triples in 2011.

A tremendous achievement by an ageing Wilson from the fast declining Dunbarton club, the home of the Done Bar Noners.

Some have won successive outdoor and stadium national titles but the greater achievement has to be the outdoor and shortmat combo.

M Wilson & partner going for rare double

Two Cookstown Cronies are attempting a national double. Mark Wilson won the IBA national pairs title with his cookies colleague and now both are through to the IIBA fours final.
The other two Cookstown Cronies making up the four is Damien McElroy's former sidekick Glen Smith and the Portadown/Cookstown floater Dayne Jordan.
In the final they will face the Western Warriers skipped by Ally Graham who has ditched the elder and formed his own sect comprising P Noble, J Breaden and Ivor Armstrong.

It would be quite an achievement to win an outdoor national title then follow it up with a shortmat national title.
Has it ever happened before in successive seasons?
It is all ifs and buts at the moment but completing an outdoor and shortmat double would surely bring Mark and his CC into the debate of who is the best all round bowler in the country.

Perhaps at last his CC has found his rightful position which brings the best out of him. If only he had stumbled upon leading from the front in his younger years then he might have got that elusive international outdoor cap. His good form in the inter-associations over the past 3/4 years has gone unnoticed by the international selectors who seem to have a blind spot when the big man bowls.
With time passing it is probably too late for that international call however with a former cookstown crony now on the selection panel he will at least be mentioned in dispatches

Donegal at the Double

Donegal zone are at an all-time high, with no thanks to their great ‘Title hopes’ the men.

First Donegal ladies showed the men how to win their main inter-zone title with a superb win over hottest ever favourites Armagh.

Now Donegal Junior zone have created an equally remarkable success story by winning the junior inter-zone title. Donegal have only recently entered the junior competition (this was only their second year) so to win it in such a short space of time against zones which have been developing for years and have established junior teams is a magnificent achievement.

While FAicken the Donegal Don is the overseer he is the first to acknowledge the time and hard work put in by David Crawford and Pyjamas Gallagher in running the team.

Donegal had the toughest draw in the semi final going up against hot favourites and defending champions Oriel who were attempting three-in-a-row. Having come through that encounter with tremendous credit the juniors, unlike their men’s team, did not let their success go to their heads and knuckled down in the final to beat Northern in a close encounter. The game was only decided over the nerve-jangling last few ends with the Donegal juniors, unlike their men, holding their nerve to defeat Northern and lift the title.

It will be a pleasant off-season for both the Donegal ladies and the juniors but a time of reflection for the Donegal deadbeats.

Vain glory is a terrible affliction but can the men recover from it? Donegal will be glad that the ladies and the juniors did not suffer from the same self affliction.

KC Deaf bowling club

Kinghan Church Deaf Bowling Club which has been active for over 50 years is creating awareness by running a non licensed singles tournament.
Qualifying nights: Monday 12th March, Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th
Finals night: Friday 16th
Entries are limited to 16 per night.
Entry fee £4

To enter contact James Newell via SMS text message on 07795362299 or email ni_drummer@hotmail.com
Club is based on Botanic Avenue, Belfast, any further queries James is very willing to answer

The tournament is open to all bowlers, if free get your name down for a bit of competitive craic 

Tearfund singles - qualifiers

The quality of the field makes this singles competition one of the toughest to win.

Qualifying for the final night is difficult with the quality of bowling being consistently high, a player has to play extremely well to get to the knock-out stages.

It may be for the tearfund charity but when you get this quality of players together the competitive spirit is immense and the motivating factor is to come out on top of a high class field.

This is one of the most eagerly awaited tournaments of the season despite being new last year.

The entertainment, excitement and pressure were again to the fore in the qualifying night and those players who survived the ordeal and now enter the knock-out stages of the competition tonight are

A Paul, B Davidson, B Kane, DJ Wilson, G Conroy, J Wilson, L Harrison, L McHugh
M Beattie, M O’Looney, P Duff, P Hanlon, PJ McCrossan, R Stubbs, S Quinn, T Johnston

Paddy Hanlon has come through the group stages and is eager to successfully defend the title, that would be some feat but there are 15 other quality bowlers willing to relieve him of the title. First up trying to depose him is 2006 national singles champion Mark O'Looney. 

Others to watch:

Leigh Harrison who on his day is one of the most complete all round bowlers in the country, he is long overdue a prestigious singles title.

PJ McCrossan one of the inform bowlers in the country this year

Liam McHugh a stalwart who has hit top form in recent weeks

If free all are welcome to go along to 1st Magherafelt Presbyterian and see top quality bowling and support Tearfund.

IIBA take note - it is time to get a ranking system in place for tournament players.

Stop being negative and knocking new ideas, if you are not prepared to move the game forward get out for the good of the game

MIZ rink scores

How the men's inter-zone final unfolded can be deduced from the score per end which is now on bowlsni.

Some interesting points:

Oriel win first and last ends on each of the first half mats

Wilson v Hanlon - only singles scored over first seven ends

McElroy wins 4 consecutive ends (5 thru 8) aggregating 7 shots which proves the foundation of his 1 shot victory

Oriel's three second half rinks all ahead by minimum of 3 shots after four ends

McCabe claims count of 5 on fourth end to seemingly take control of his game

Paul hits back winning all remaining ends (5) to claim the rink victory

Jordan recovers from a 3 shot deficit after four ends to score 14 shots over the next five ends

Conroy claims a count of 4 on the fourth end to start a run of four consecutive winning ends scoring 10 unanswered shots on his way to victory

Mid Ulster MIZ Champions

What a spectacle. Tremendous game played in a fabulous atmosphere in an excellent spirit. This was what bowls was all about what a game.

Neck and neck throughout the first half with only one count of four being won. All three rinks close with Mid Ulster only just edging ahead by three shots.

Mark Wilson 8 : Paddy Hanlon 5

Damien McElroy 8 : Paul Duff 7. Paul lay 6 shots on one end and how crucial was Damien's bowl that cut it down to only two shots. It made the difference in the outcome of the rink, Paul's rink can feel a disappointed, the win could so easily have been in their favour.

Sean Quinn 6 John Murnaghan 7

The second period took a different route with counts being won periodically. 

The McHugh and Conroy head-to-head lived up to it's top billing with both skips changing the heads seemingly with almost every bowl however it was Kevin and his cohorts who exerted the early pressure to race into an 11-2 lead. A count of four mid way through for Kevin gave Oriel an overall lead by 6 shots, the momentum was with Oriel.

Colum's rink then staged a comeback and along with the other two mid ulster rinks scored 20 unanswered shots.

The inconsistent Paul rink turn the form tables on their head to defeat the McCabe rink which has been the mainstay for Oriel this season.

Previously 100 percenters, Quinn, Duff, McCabe and unbeaten McHugh all lost but not Dayne Jordan's rink. Another excellent 10 shot victory this time against Stephen McMahon's foursome entrenches Jordan's rink as not only the top Mid ulster rink but the top rink of this year's competition.

Special mention to J Hand and C Cummiskey who revelled in the pressure at third and showed that not only are they players of the future they are players for the present.

A Paul 12 : G McCabe 8

D Jordan 16 : S McMahon 6

C McHugh 10 : K Conroy 11

The mixture of the old and the young is now paying dividends for Mid Ulster who claim their second title in three years.

MIZ increase their record to 10 MIZ title, three more than the next best

Advantage to which team?

Which zone will be more excited by the rink draws?
Over the last three games
Duff has played 3 won 3 for the Oriel O's including a double digit victory in the semi-final, one of only 2 winning rinks out of 6 for Oriel in the semi.
McElroy since his rink was revamped is unbeaten in two games.
Wilson and Hanlon are both coming in having lost under the pressure of the semi final. Hanlon has one win out of three but it was a huge win while Wilson has two wins out of the last three games.
Murnaghan has lost two while Quinn is has chalked up 3 wins at an average of an 8 shot win. If Murnaghan's foursome win this one the pressure will be on Mid Ulster for the second half.
McCabe's rink is the other rock in Oriel with 3 wins out of 3. Oriel will be expecting a win against Paul's rink which has been inconsistent and rattled with only 1 win in 3.
Jordan has considerable expectation resting on his shoulders being the most successful and devastating skip for Mid Ulster winning 3 out of 3 with an aggregate shot difference of 28.
McMahon quartet come into the final on the back of 2 defeats, their only win coming a long time ago in their first game.
Conroy's four are also coming off 2 losses, not the ideal confidence boost entering the biggest game of the year.
McHugh is unbeaten and would have a perfect 3 from 3 record only for his sportmanship in taking a draw against Donegal when the game was already won.

History does not win games.
This is sport, tomorrow is a new day. Trends may have a psychological effect but all can change by performing on the day.

MIZ Final - rink draws

There are some interesting head-to-heads for the men’s inter-zone final. Intriguing within a team game there will be many one-on-one battles. There are the rink match-ups, front-end match-ups and the individual head-to heads.

So much potential excitement it will be hard to keep track. No matter which rink a spectator chooses to focus on their will plenty to keep them riveted and entertained.

Wilson's rink is split into the young and the old and takes takes on the young and the one old that is the Hanlon rink. There could be an overkill of animation on this rink.
Can the old (Sean) keep pace with the young (Philip Mackin) in the engine room. Will it be neck and neck or can one steam ahead?
TT is relatively new at this level and has the power to give his rink a boost when necessary but his opposition who is highly regarded and a stalwart can also go through the gears as both race to the finish line.
Can Wilson make his mark of will Paddy be the man of steel?

Jim Fox the CoC singles champion will be a target for his opposite number Anthony Bradley. Being against the CoC champion every direct opposition player tries to raise their game, Jim is well aware of the pressure and more than capable of calmly meeting the challenge head-on.

Another enthralling contest in the first period will be Danny McStravock versus Michael Hand. Michael has been in tremendous form for the last few years but Danny has seen it all before and will be calling on all his experience to try and come out on top. This battle at third could be pivotal in this rink match-up.

The same could be argued for the McElroy versus Duff encounter. Two veterans and neither prepared to give an inch. This confrontation could boil down to a battle of the wits with slow play possibly being used as much as the bowls.
The quick witted McElroy while calm and considered on the mat is able to play the verbal game. Will Paul be Hand-ing out another Duffing?
After that draining yet enthralling first half the spectators will be only too glad to take a short interval and replenish their energy for an appetising second half.
Mid Ulsterians will know the importance of the front ends so will send out a two pronged Damien attack at the start of the second period with McAllister leading from the front and Grimes in the second wave of attack.
Oriel will be trying to repel the Mid Ulsterians by sending in their big guns of Billy Taaffe, Jason Hand and Fran Dillon but could the brave young Glen be the MUlsterians secret weapon?
McShoe laced up the opposition in the semi-final and brought them to heel, he is rolling back the years and could play the starring role of the smiling assassin. Oriel O's know that Jason has the weapons to keep Liam in Hand.
One of the most eagerly awaited one-on-ones will be between Gerry McCabe and Alan Paul. Both have recently won the prestigious national singles title in addition to having skipped their way to a recent CoC title. Both therefore have proved themselves at the highest level and if their were rankings on recent major successes these two could well be one and two on the list. This could be a spectacular personal duel within a team game.
Two of the most heralded players in the country are Colum McHugh and Kevin Conroy. If there was one bowl left to win the title these two men would be the choice of their respective zones. They are pure class and to have them skip against each other in the best team bowls competition should pull in the crowds. Just watching these two with their excellent temperament will be a huge experience and worth the journey.

Rink draw on bowlsni.co.uk site.

U21 singles - Cancelled

The u21 singles scheduled to be played in Lordship is cancelled.

MIZ Final

The best team bowls competition comes to a climax when Oriel take on Mid Ulster in Dromore Cathedral halls.

Teams have been released. Oriel remain unchanged however the Mid Ulsterians have had to make one switch. The wily veteran Brendan Kyne had a prior engagement and has been replaced with Tommy McAleavey. The pressure will be on Tommy who will be playing out of position.

Brendan will be missed as he brings a relaxed calm approach to whatever situation arises. He formed a formidably experienced (in lay man's terms - old) front end partnership with Sean Davidson.

The Oriel Os have everything to gain and Mid Ulster everything to lose. Oriel know that if Mid Ulster gain an advantage they need not panic as MUlster have been known to squander significant leads in a final. Mid Ulster will never feel safe not matter how large a lead they build up as they are aware that when the pressure is on the second half rinks can creak.

One good end across the mats at any stage of the game could secure victory for either side. A high level of concentration is essential for the duration of the game, there will be an onus on the skips to maintain the concentration of their rink and keep them focused and encouraged. Which skips can deal with keeping their players in the right frame of mind and also produce the big bowl under pressure? Will their skipping duties detract from their performance level?

This is also a test for the umpires as it is the best team game of bowls in the world. Will they be to the fore or be anonymous by their quiet efficiency.

Can Oriel put their name on the coveted trophy for only their second time or will the O's be going whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooops?

Will the MUlsterians get rattled?

Will someone be the hero in the final end having been a zero for nine ends?

Front-ends or back-end for a starring role?

If the game is close which team will avail of the most toilet breaks, which players will need their shoes tied most often, which combinations will stall for time and study straight forward shots.

The gamesmanship could be every bit as interesting as the game.

Winners - Omagh county PTA pairs

Prelim Round:
M.Wilson (Cookstown HS) bt G.Crothers (Armagh GC) 10-9
S.McSorley (Ardstraw) bt H.Trainor (Tullysaran) 8-7
A.Morrison (1st Ahoghill) bt M.White (Ramelton) 10-0
T.Patton (Strabane CC) bt B.Duncan (Cathedral Raphoe) 10-5

Quarter Finals:
M.Wilson bt A.Morrison 8-6
R.Cunningham (Mayne) bt J.Carson (St. Josephs Donaghmore) 7-2
A.Corrigan (Drumgor) bt G.Conroy (Beragh) 6-5
T.Patton bt S.McSorley 8-7

Semi Finals:
M.Wilson bt R.Cunningham 7-2
T.Patton bt A.Corrigan 7-5

Final:
M.Wilson & Glen Smith bt T.Patton & M.Beattie 8-5

Thanks to all who supported our tournament. Thanks to sponsors and all who helped in any way. £1600 raised to go to the school from the PTA and £150 sent to Belfast Hospital MRI Scanner Appeal.
Neville Hagan

Donegal LADIES Deliver

Donegal Ladies caused a huge shock in the ladies inter-zone competition not only with a superb win but also by the margin of victory

Donegal ladies have again shown their men how to do it.

The ladies always play the game in a tremendous spirit and were the 'almost' ladies zone having suffered disappointment in ladies finals on several occasions in recent years.

This was a repeat of last year's final but the Donegal Damsels demonstrated their determination winning by a margin of more than 30 shots. 

Armagh ladies have set the standard in ladies bowls in recent years and will be disappointed to have lost but they will acknowledge the character and spirit of the Donegal ladies who on the day performed as a unit and to their ability.

Donegal are one of the unheralded zones who simply love playing the game and play it in the right spirit, winning while welcome is secondary to playing. It is good for ladies bowls and an incentive for other zones like Donegal who have knocked on the door several times and who now have knocked the door down and took their place at the top of the table.

Donegal 67 : Armagh 36

D Montgomery, R Graham, M McClintock, M Montgomery 04 : 13 E Hunter, E Lavery, R Cassells, E Smyth

P Lyttle, K Duggan, L Finlay, V Patterson 17 : 02 A Crozier, L Milligan, H Agnew, D Marshall

S Bell, L O’Kane, P Friel, A Gilfillan 10 : 09 M Wright, M Hobson, D Agnew, M Cassells

S Alexander, A McClintock, P Bustard, R Crawford 13 : 03 S Corrigan, E McDonald, I Doone, C McMillan

T Jacob, S Finlay, I Duncan, R McDonnell 18 : 03 A Crozier, S Whittle, L Straine, F McNally

M Beattie, R Hamilton, J Buchanan, E Doherty 05 : 06 S Garvey, S Minish, S White, P Beattie

Mid Antrim too strong in Shield

Mid Antrim beat last year's men's inter-zone winners Northern in the men's shield.
After a tight first half Mid Antrim had a 2 shots lead. Their second half rinks came out firing and increased the lead to 16 shots enabling them to control the final ends and lift the trophy.
G Lithco 9 : C Jones 6
W Caldwell 7 : B McAlary 8
R Fleming 10 : I Ross 10
D Morrison 10 : A Steele 6
A Morrison 9 : E Irwin 3
A Duncan 15 : J Calvin 5

Duncan's rink come from 0-5 down to win in style
Mid Antrim will be delighted to have won a trophy but they and others will wonder 'what if' they had selected these formations at the start of the season.
Mid Ants when in a collective spirit have the talent to challenge for the main competition. Watch out for them next year.

Ladies latest
Monaghan ladies win their first silverware
Donegal Damsels show their men how to win major trophy

NEW - Donaghadee Triples

It is good to see bowlers making a big effort to start a new tournament at a time when bowls tournies are finding it difficult.

One such competition is being run by Donaghadee Community, being it's first year it deserves support.

It is a triples competition and the organisers are starting on the right note by restricting the entries to 16 per night in order to finish at a reasonable time.

Nights of play: Monday 27th Feb, Wednesday 29th February, Friday 2nd March, Saturday 3rd March.

Finals night: Saturday 10th March 2012
Entry Fee: £9 per triple (to include light supper)

To enter contact: Erick Kennedy, 02891275727/07545861148, email ERICKKENNEDY@SKY.COM or Simon Cavan 07792740698

St Swithin's Pairs

Qualifying Nights: tues 28^th wed 29^th Feb thurs 1^st march fri 2^nd march
finals night: Tuesday 6^th March
to enter contact Sammy Evans 02879632912

STST or MMM which will be first?

Monaghan’s Merry Maidens take on the South Tyrone Scintillating Terrors in the ladies plate final.

STST are hot favourites having won this title on five previous occasions and despite it being a final they are at home. STST last won the trophy in 2007 and up to this season had decided to stay in the main competition in the intervening years. Effectively they are going for two in two. When it comes to the shield STST are one of the most consistent successful entrants.

Monaghan’s Merry Maidens may marvel in the final. This competition is all about zones like Monaghan giving them an opportunity to taste success and possibly win a trophy. It is always a very satisfying feeling to win your first silverware and that is what the MMM will be trying to achieve. If they do so they will have created a little history for their zone (no pressure then). MMM have the capabilities to win if they all have a merry day and relax, they played in a semi final of the main competition only last year so they have maidens who can marvel. MMM have mopped up their section of the draw with some magnificent wins and will be mighty hard to beat majestically winning their first round and semi final games by more than 30 shots.
The Merry Maiden’s caused mayhem on behalf of Monaghan in the first half of the semi final win with Angela’s Angels and Bernie’s Brigade particularly magnificent, they will be hoping for a similar performance. In the second period Stewart’s Stewards will be aiming to marshal in the win while Linda C will be singing the praise of her rink if they reach the high notes.

STST or MMM hard to call

Is bowls the only sport where a cup final can be played on home mats?

Mid Ulster Tournaments

Christ Church Castledawson Pairs 14 - 17 February
Finals changed from Sat 18 due to Zone final and will be on Tuesday 21st

Upcoming
Kildress Charity Pairs 20 - 25 Feb
St Swithin's Pairs 28 Feb - 4 March

Shared Responsibility - Tournaments

The recent IIBA proposal that a player must enter tournaments with club colleagues has received widespread discussion; the majority of which has not been favourable.

However the reason why the proposal was put forward must also be considered. The reason that this idea seems to have been proposed is ‘glory hunting’ entries i.e. some triples or rinks being made up of top bowlers from 3 or even 4 different zones.

The players who do this are equally to blame for the introduction of this proposal.

Going to a tournament and being constantly drawn against a pair, triple or rink from 2, 3 or 4 different zones will be off-putting for the club bowler who has entered the tournament for fun and the love of playing bowls.

There is a theory that many club bowlers have given up tournament play due to ‘glory hunting’ entrants. There are no facts or research to back up this theory and it is highly unlikely that this proposal will bring club bowlers flooding back to tournaments.

As has been stated before on this blog there is not one singular but a myriad of reasons why tournament entries are on the decline and it is the responsibility of the IIBA, organisers and players to do their bit to stop the decline instead of some sticking their heads in the sand and blaming others.

Tournaments need both the hardened competition bowler and the ordinary club bowler.

The competitive players who travel the length and breadth of the country to play are keeping some tournaments alive and should not be singled out as the main contributory factor for the decline in tournaments. The proposal as it stands seems to point the finger.

There are already competitions that have the criteria that entrants must come from the same club, they are called the National Championships. Entries for these have also been on the decline so introducing this proposal is likely to reduce tournament numbers further.

The idea of the executive should be to find a compromise, not further exclude/alienate players.

There is no doubt that decline in tournament numbers needs to be addressed however the executive are years behind in dealing with the issue. An executive and its hierarchy should be pro-active not re-active.

A possible solution would be to bring in the criteria that entry to the champion of champions pairs, triples and fours has to be by players from within the same zone.

This does not preclude players from different zones entering competitions. If a pair from different zones wins a competition one of them would still be eligible to enter the CoC  with a sub who must be from their own zone. This also applies to triples and fours provided only one sub is used. This would not preclude players entering with friends/family from other zones which the present proposal seems to prevent.

County Antrim Pairs - NEW Tournament

County Antrim Indoor Bowling Club, in conjunction with Antrim Lawn Bowling Club, is pleased to announce our inaugural licensed Short Mat Tournament, the County Antrim Open Pairs.
The competition will be held at the Jim Baker Stadium from Wednesday 22nd February to Saturday 25th February 2012.
The competition will see a prize fund exceeding £500
Qualifying nights will be held at 7.30pm sharp (16 mats in play to get games played quickly) on Wednesday 22nd, Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th February with a further two morning/afternoon qualifying sessions on Saturday 25th February.
Finals will then be held on the evening of Saturday 25th February at 7pm.
The cost of entry is £5 per pair.
To enter contact the stadium

Upcoming tournies
NEW: Donaghadee Community triples - 27th, 29th February, 2nd + 3rd March. Finals 10th March
St Swithin's Pairs - 28th, 29th February, 1st, 2nd March. Finals 6th March

TV Coverage Comment

The following was received as a comment, any edits are in italics:

With the world bowls coming up in March and having known for quite a while that the event was taking part some tv coverage could have been arranged. Saying at the agm that its a minority sport and the bbc/utv wont be interested. If they were even approached i would be surprised. If you had the committee working on this from the day they knew the world bowls was being held here it was very achievable to obtain some tv coverage and sponsorship for the event. Don't spit the minority sport quote as that's nonsense. Motorbike racing,cricket,hurling,darts,snooker,pool ,are all sports that lag behind the mainstream ones. Look at snooker and darts which was nothing more than a pub game and now people are paying to watch it on tv.  You have to start somewhere and not when the first hurdle is put in your way simply roll over. With persistence it was very achievable to have had this televised. I discussed this with a fellow bowler who a few years ago pulled of television coverage for another pastime which maybe even less people participate in and with his direction and persistence he got the BBC to do 2 30 minute programs and the BBC sponsored the entire lighting for the event which if you had been paying for it would have been 20K plus. It can be done and needs to be done but with the current ambivalent climate within the organisation to change into the modern era the game will die unless a dynamic youthful committee with people outside of the executive being eligible to hold these posts is set up with the sole purpose of making our game have a better image and higher profile in sports. I am sorry to say having played the game for quite a few years when people heard you played bowls when you were 18 or 19 people laughed at you and told you to wise up. Its this dinosaur image that has kept the game stagnant for the past 25 years. When something becomes stagnant say water for instance what happens it? It stinks and bowls is slowly dying a slow painful death, for the people passionate about the game its a painful death but for those making decisions who don't even play the game anymore its not painful for them as they aint been at a tournament in years. 

Tearfund Invitational singles

1st Magherafelt Presbyterian bowling club is once again holding its' prestigious short mat bowling competition with the aim of raising awareness of the work of the charity Tearfund. It is hoped to increase awareness by creating a unique singles competition by inviting 32 of the top bowlers in the country.

The quality of the entrants is possibly the best ever assembled for a singles competition. Defending champion Paddy Hanlon from Cooley will be back to defend his title and last years runner up Ryan O,Neill will be back to see if he can go one further. Last years final was a classic and ended up in the nerve testing shoot out and because it was the final it was best of three.  

There will be 8 groups of 4 with the top two going through to the finals night. The 16 finalists will then compete on a knock-out basis for the first prize. The winners prize will be secondary for the players, the prestige of coming out on top of this quality field will have immense appeal to the competitive nature of those involved.

Dates of play are Tuesday 21st February, Thursday 23rd February with the knock-out stages on Friday 24th.

Entrants include a myriad of champions including 5 recent national singles champions, 6 recent champion of champions singles champions, current internationals and added to the mix will be some wildcards.

All are welcome to come along and support Tearfund and see top quality bowling.

Drumragh Triples Winners

Andrew Duncan, Matthew Crawford and Andrew Morrison won the Drumragh triples beating Linda Carleton, George Berry and Stanley Carleton in the final.

Semi finals
A Morrison beat P Beattie in a tie end (7-6)
S Carlton beat M Wilson who was the defending champion, in another close game 7-5

Quarter finals
P Beattie beat R Hosseini
A Morrison beat C Shortt

S Carlton beat J Marshall

M Wilson beat J Morris

Prelims
C Shortt beat N Rutledge
M Wilson beat R Graham

The organiser who is also the IIBA Chairman thanks all who took part

The chairman set an example for other organisers and kept to a limit of 20 triples per evening. Some unfortunately had to be refused entry due to the quota being reached. 

It is good to hear that more and more tournaments are limiting the numbers each evening even on the nights when they are over-subscribed. The organisers are doing their part to improve tournaments players also have their part to play by entering early.