Page 6 - Summer 2012

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6
IRISH NATIONAL
IRISH NATIONAL

CHAMPIONSHIPS
CHAMPIONSHIPS

Eleven zones were represented in a thrilling day of bowling

at the Richhill Recreation Centre.
QUINN TAKES SINGLES
The National Singles crown is still the blue
riband of the competition and John Quinn of Bal-
lylennon completed another great day for the
Donegal Zone lifting the most prestigious title in
Irish bowls - the national singles title.
John dominated the early exchanges on a
difficult mat and led 9 - 4 after 8 ends against
Paul Duff of Louth in the Oriel Zone. The next
two ends saw both players pick up a 3 to leave
Quinn 12 - 7 up after 10. Paul began to get bet-
ter control of the mat and picked up singles on
the next 2 ends before just failing to get a 4 on
the 14th.
Quinn now led by a single shot going into the last end and was in some difficulty by losing
his first two bowls with Paul on or close to the jack with his opening two. Unfortunately Paul's last
two bowls were not of the same quality and he left Quinn the opportunity with his last bowl to push
Duff’s out, claim the shot and with it the national singles title.
Quinn won the Champion of Champions Singles title in 2007 but lost his only National Singles
final in 2005 and succeeded in going one better this time, although Duff, himself an established
international, pushed him all the way.
HARRISON & O’NEILL SNATCH PAIRS TITLE

The National pairs final promised to be a titanic battle with the McHugh brothers of Cookstown
locking horns with North West duo Leigh Harrison and Ryan O’Neill from Limavady. The McHugh
pairing have three pairs titles to their credit, the last in 2005, whilst their opponents have tasted
National success in triples and fours.
Harrison & O’Neil made the better start to lead 4 - 0 after 3 ends but the McHugh's squared
the game at 5 - 5 after 7 ends, before they began to get the upper hand picking up shots on ends
10 to 13 and led by 5 with 2 ends remaining.
This end was to prove crucial. With O'Neill and Harrison lying 4 Colum McHugh played a dif-
ficult forehand attempting to rest on Ryan's
final delivery and so reduce the count to two
which would have left them in prime position
going into the last end.
Unfortunately for the Cookstown broth-
ers he just failed to make proper contact
leaving just 1 shot the difference between
the teams. It the appeared that advantage
lay with the McHugh’s, who lay game until
an excellent delivery from O'Neill tied the
scores.