IRISH NEWS by Trevor Robinson
18 BOWLS INTERNATIONAL November 2017 http://www.bowlsinternational.comTHE Irish selectors have named
a very strong team to defend the
short mat Home International
series in Belfast next month.
Belfast Indoor Stadium will host
what is always a very noisy affair
as the cream of England, Scotland
and Wales make another attempt
to loosen the grip Ireland currently
have at British Isles level.
Blessed with an abundance of
talent at short mat bowls, the
selectors always have a difficult job
as to who gets the nod for a green
shirt and this year is no exception.
There is huge experience in this
Ireland team and they will be well
aware of what is expected from
them. The team in full is:S McMahon, R Stubbs, A Morrison,
Raymond Stubbs,J Beattie, M
Wilson, T Crawford, A Paul
C McHugh, D McElroy, W Morrison,
B Rankin,S Hand, S McSorley, G
McCabe, J Quinn.
There are also some big names
taking part in the British Isles
Championships, none more so
than Andrew Leckey who will have
his sights set on singles glory.
The pairs will see S&K Conroy
start as one of the title favourites
to bring more honours to the host
country.
PJ McCrossan, M Beattie and G
Moore will represent Ireland in the
triples and the Emerald Isle will be
pinning their hopes on G Conroyand his teammates, G McNabb, J
Teague and M McClenaghan in the
fours.
Ireland will also be looking to
secure more silverware in the A
series, both in the team event
and the championships. This
competition runs alongside the
senior event making it a true
festival of bowls.
If it's peace and quiet you are
looking for then Belfast Indoor
Bowls Club on November 17 and
18 is most definitely not the place
to be. If, however, you want to
witness firsthand the noise, colour
and atmosphere of a short mat
international series then get there
early and enjoy the experience.T
HE interclub championship kicked off recently
and Ballybrakes sent out a very clear declaration
of intent with an impressive win over County
Antrim. It was a much-anticipated championship
opener, as practically every player on show has
represented Ireland at international level.
County Antrim travelled to the Ballymoney venue,
knowing full well that a stern test awaited them.
In recent years the Baker boys have tasted success
at this level and would have gone into the game with
confidence. That confidence, however, took a bit of a
dent as the Ballybrakes men soon got into their stride
and eased to a 21-shot victory, grabbing six out of the
seven points on offer in the process.
Leading the charge for Ballybrakes was Aaron
Tennant, Tommy Smith, Simon Colvin and Gary Kelly.
They powered their way to a 30-13 win over Graham
McKee. Willie McCaw secured another point with
a 19-14 victory over Andy Duncan. Barry Kane had
a tough battle with Allister Coleman, eventually
emerging victorious with a 26-23 win. The whitewash
was prevented by Stephen Coleman who took County
Antrim’s solitary point with a 21-17 win over Ian
McClure.
Ballybrakes will look to build on this very solid start
and if this performance is anything to go by, they will
be battling it out with Belfast for the title.
The Belfast club have two teams in this year’s
championships and they locked horns in the firstround of games. Belfast 1 and Belfast 2 met each
other head on, and it was the Belfast 1 boys who
struck first blood and claimed the bragging rights,
along with six points.
Paul McEwan, Mike Merritt and Neil Mulholland all
stormed to big wins while Roy Battersby claimed the
only point for Belfast 2. Overall this was a satisfactory
start for Belfast 1. There will be tough games ahead
but six points and a 40 shot win leaves them joint top
with Ballybrakes.
The next round of matches will see these two
early pacesetters clash in a game that could go a long
way to deciding the destination of the trophy this
season.DEATH OF
RICHMOND
MCKAY
IRISH bowls has lost a
legend of the game with the
passing of Richmond McKay.
Richmond joined Larne
BC in 1959 and his bowling
ability earned him selection
for the Private Greens
senior inter-association
team for the first time in
1964, although it was in
the indoor stadium form
of the game where he
enjoyed more conspicuous
success as a member of the
international team between
1975 and 1978.
He acted as president of
Larne BC in both 1963 and
1965, subsequently being
nominated as NIPGBL
president in 1966. A capable
and effective administrator,
he served as honorary
treasurer of the IBA
between 1969 and 1985.
He was appointed
President of the British
Isles Bowls Council in 1976
and enjoyed two periods
in office as BIBC honorary
secretary, firstly from 1981
to 1985 and then between
1988 and 1992.
Although he had
previously been president
of the Irish Bowling
Association in 1980, he was
re-elected as its president in
2004, the year in which the
association celebrated its
centenary.
Richmond’s appointment
for that special occasion was
universally welcomed and
approved as he epitomises
the values that the IBA has
sought to promote over the
course of its history – an
enthusiasm for the sport,
a willingness to make a full
contribution to the life of
his club, a preparedness to
accept office and to carry
out duties with integrity
and distinction. In short,
Richmond has been an
ambassador for Irish bowls
over many years.
He will be sadly missed.Strong start for Ballybrakes
Barry Kane guided his rink to success in the inter-club
championshipIT was an exciting finish to
Northern Ireland's Private Greens
Senior League campaign.
Belfast club Belmont were chasing
a hat trick of league titles, Dunbarton
were looking to regain the trophy
they last won in 2014 and Ballymena
were right in the mix.Indeed, many observers thought
that Ballymena were best placed
to recapture the silverware until a
couple of poor results during the
run-in saw them finish the season
in third place.
It was Dunbarton who held their
nerve to lift the title on 98.5 points.Belmont, despite a late surge, had
to settle for second spot on this
occasion, only two points behind.
Larne, despite a tough start to
the season, showed their fighting
spirit to climb the league table
and end the summer in fourth
place.PRIVATE GREENS LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
Irish team bid to retain title
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