Foyle Juniors finish 3rd

Oriel Zone again proved to be the zone with outstanding junior talent as they claimed the junior inter zone title at Ardboe. They were joined in the final stages by Western, Foyle and Larne. The standard of bowling was excellent throughout and was appreciated by a very enthusiastic attendance. It was a pleasure to see bowlers so enthusiastic and playing bowls in the way it should be played. They proved that the idea of drawing bowls rather than consistently playing heavy bowls can bring its rewards. It was also good to see so many parents coming along and supporting their team.

In the semi finals Oriel were drawn against Larne. Nial Hand's rink were always in control of their game against Stephen Witherspoon and helped keep Oriel in the driving seat. The other two games were much closer with Larne's Simon Beggs just pipping Calum Cummiskey and Jason Hand and Mark Pettigrew finishing all square.

In the other semi final, Western played Foyle.Daniel Wilson's 16 - 6 win over Andrew Austin proved decisive. It looked odds on a comfortable win for Western but in the final stages Foyle clawed their way back and a count of 6 by Jordan Anderson's rink against Jamie Beattie brought Foyle to within 2 shots of their opponents but they were just not able to make the final breakthrough despite Stuart Donnel's rink winning 11 - 7 against Russel Bell.

Oriel went into the final as favourites and proved too strong for Western with all three rinks winning. It was a game played with great determination by both teams but the greater experience of the Oriel side kept them in front throughout as they won by 14 shots. In the game for third place Foyle proved too strong for Larne winning by 21 shots. It was pleasing to see a small zone like Larne producing a junior team to reach this stage and hopefully this will bring its dividends in the future.

(Report taken from IIBA site)



Results and Rink Scores

Semi-finals

Western 33 : 27 Foyle

Russell Bell 7 v 11 Stuart Donnell

Jamie Beatty 10 v 11 Jordan Austin

Daniel Wilson 16 v 6 Andrew Austin



Oriel 27 v 20 Larne

Nial Hand 13 v 4 Stephen Witherspoon

Calum Cummiskey 7 v 9 Simon Beggs

Jason Hand 7 v 7 Mark Petticrew



Third-fourth place play-off

Foyle 41 v 20 Larne

Stuart Donnell 3 v 8 Simon Beggs

Jordan Austin 8 v 9 Mark Petticrew

Andrew Austin 30 v 3 Stephen Witherspoon



Final

Western 21 v 35 Oriel

Daniel Wilson 6 v 10 Calum Cummiskey

Russell Bell 7 v 14 Jason Hand

Jamie Beatty 8 v 11 Nial Hand