Page 18 - SMI Winter 2016 - 2017

Page 18:Layout 1 19-Dec-16 10:20 AM Page 1

IRISH MASTERS
18 IRISH MASTERS
The season was officially launched with the
staging of the IIBA Masters Pairs. This event
began last season and despite the disap-
pointing entry it was continued this season.
Entry qualification was changed so that
the pairs had to be from the same club as
opposed to last season when there was no
restriction on who you could play with.
Entries, whilst not at the level hoped for
were up on last time. The competition was
Masters Pairs winners played on a round robin basis with the top 2
Masters Pairs winners
Don & Paul McNamara with in each group going into the knock out
Don & Paul McNamara with
IIBA Chairman Harold Massey stage.
IIBA Chairman Harold Massey
The open draw saw Cookstown
Parochial have 3 pair in the first 4 places drawn out so that pairs met in the first 2 rounds of the
knockout. The last 8 saw M Cunningham
defeating C. Dillon, J Beattie beating M Mc-
Nicholl, N Haire defeating M Wilson and D
McNamara proving too good for P Reid.
The semi finals saw wins for M Cun-
ningham over J Beattie and D McNamara
over N Haire. Up to the final the Cookstown
High combination of Malcolm Cunningham
& Dayne Jordan had played exceptionally
well but in the final against Spa’s Don and
Paul McNamara they did not reach the
same level with the McNamara’s adapting
Masters Pairs Runners-up
much better to the mat and controlling the Masters Pairs Runners-up
Malcolm Cunningham & Dayne Jordan
game throughout, though the Cookstown Malcolm Cunningham & Dayne Jordan
with IIBA Chairman Harold Massey
pair did make a late rally to cut the deficit to with IIBA Chairman Harold Massey
12 – 7.
CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS
CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS
This season the Champion of Champions
competition reverted back to the old format
with tournament winners permitted to enter
one category rather than the two of last sea-
son with play on one day rather than two.
In the rinks competition, the semi final-
ists were Colum McHugh Cookstown
Parochial, Andy Leckey St Mark’s, David
Morrison 1st Ahoghill and Charlie Mearns
Largy.
The McHugh rink proved too strong for
Rinks Champions Liam McHugh, Lecky’s winning 14-6. In the other semi the
Rinks Champions Liam McHugh,
Keith McCulloch, Colum McHugh
Keith McCulloch, Colum McHugh Morrison rink comfortably won 12-1. The
and Michael Trimby with final was keenly contested right up to the
and Michael Trimby with
IIBA Chairman Harold Massey final bowl with Colum McHugh, Keith McCul-
IIBA Chairman Harold Massey
loch, Michael Trimby & Liam McHugh winning 8-7. In the triples, the semi finalists were Eldon,
Shaw and McIvor from South Tyrone, Rankin, McNicholl and McSorley North West, Graham, Mc-
Cahon and Workman Western and McCabe, Mackin and Murnahan Oriel.