A’s get second half of the season off to a winning start

They beat them by 17 shots and collected six points in the progress. It was a closely contested game and with this they reversed their defeat from the opening game of the season.

After five ends it appeared that Bann were going to win the game easily as they had led by 23 shots, 34-11.

Rink 1 began with a flourish, leading by 10 shots after six ends. The honours were shared over the next four ends but by the 15th end Bann’s lead was reduced to three shots, 15-12. Bann won by two shots, 19-17 and showed once again that you can’t take anything for granted.

Rink 2 had a hard fought game and were never in front after the second end and after five ends Bann were a shot behind at 4-5. It was the same difference after 10 ends and after 14 ends the score was 14-15. There was no further change after 18 ends but in the end Bann lost by four shots, 19-23.

Rink 3 saw Dan Buchanan’s rink of S Byrne, M Bingham and D Hamilton, like Rink 1, start off well by leading by nine shots at the fifth end. This was increased on the following five ends and so by 10 ends they led 18-4. They struggled at the three-quarter stageof the game and by end 15 they led by seven shots, 19-12. The visitors didn’t make much headway and at the end Bann won by six shots, 24-18.

Rink 4 began well and always had the upper hand. At the fifth end they led 10-3 and by the 10th that lead was six shots, 14-8. The following five ends made a big difference as Aaron O’Keefe’s rink won them all to lead 22-8. In the end they won 29-16.

The Banbridge club members congratulate Aaron on being selected for the Junior Inter-Association to be held on July 20-21 team.

- Had Bann’s game against Balmoral finished after 15 ends they would have won by four points to three but it was not to be.

Over the final quarter of the game Bann lost their way between the 13th and 19th end when they won only 10 shots to Balmoral’s 31.

Rink 1 were behind after five ends and things didn’t improve after the 10th as they were behind 9-11. By the 13th end Bann had taken a two shot lead, 14-12 and Bann failed to score during the following four ends and were five shots adrift after 17 ends. Bann won the next three ends to lead by one shot and after the 20th end led 20-19. They lost three shots on the final end to lose by two shots, 20-22.

Rink 2 got off to a flyer by scoring a six followed by a five. They then led 17-0 at the fifth end and were 19 in front by the 10th - 23-4. In the end they went on to win 29-18.

Rink 3 had a close game over the first 10 ends. After five ends Bann were behind by a shot, 5-6. It was all square by the 13th end at 13-13. Bann just recorded a single shot over the last eight ends and finished down by 11 shots, 14-25.

Rink 4 struggled all through the game and only won six ends from the 21 played. After the fifth end Bann were three shots down and this trend continued - they had won just one end from the five played. At the 12th Bann trailed by 10 shots, scoring four on the 15th. The defecit was reduced to seven and they collected a single on the following end. By the end of play they were well beaten, 11-26.

- Banbridge B played Whitehead in the semi-final of the NIBA Junior Cup at Gilnahirk Green in Belfast.

It was an even contest until the 17th end when there were only 10 shots but they were Whitehead’s favour.

The same four teams that reached the semi finals last year had done it again this time round, with Portadown beating Balmoral in the other semi-final.

At the second end Bann led by six shots, 9-3 and after four they trailed by one, 13-14. At the next Whitehead scored eight shots to Bann’s two and in the following end Bann scored eight to Whitehead’s two.

After 11 ends Whitehead held a 16 shot advantage, 32-48. The difference between the teams stayed the same until the 15th when Whitehead increased their lead to 20 shots. In the end Banbridge were beaten by 18 shots, 73-91.

This was a good game of bowls played on a green that nobody could play a bowl on with confidence. This was due to runs in the green and a bowl on course for the jack didn’t always finish true to the draw. Whitehead play Portadown in the final on July 6.