District League title decided in last-bowl drama

And with it, Matthew Boyd secured Michelin’s first championship success since 2006 - just when it looked as though the Woodside Road team were going to throw away a season’s worth of hard work.

In keeping with the rest of what has been a fascinating season, it was a remarkable final round of matches.

The week began with Michelin requiring two-and-a-half points from their final fixture of the season, at Golf Club, to secure the crown.

That was dependent upon their title rivals BUSC taking maximum points from their final fixture, at Broughshane Playing Fields ‘B’ - something which, in the end, they failed to do.

All had been going to plan for Social Club as they won the two first half points at the Knockan Road clubrooms, with wins for Richard Fleming and Nigel Robinson helping to establish an eight-shot lead at the break.

Then came the moment that BUSC’s title hopes were struck a critical blow, as Andrew Duncan’s quartet fell to a rare defeat at the hands of Noel Graham, in a low-scoring tussle which averaged just a shot per end.

Jonathan Millar’s foursome beat Joe Campbell by nine shots to secure four points overall for BUSC but as they completed their league campaign, they must have known they were now very much second favourites.

Michelin, by virtue of the fact that their final match was at Golf Club - who play their home games on a Thursday night - had the advantage of knowing exactly what they had to do as they embarked on their final game 24 hours later.

On paper, it didn’t look the most difficult of assignments - thanks to Social Club’s slip the previous night, just one-and-a-half points would be enough to take Michelin level on points, with the title going their way as a results of a better head-to-head record in matches between the two sides.

The reality, however, was very different!

As Matthew Boyd prepared to deliver the final delivery of the league campaign, Michelin were staring down the barrel of a defeat which would yield just one point, and the league trophy looked as though it would remain in the grip of defending champions Social Club.

Seconds later, as Boyd’s forceful delivery crashed into the head, it somehow managed to turn a situation where he was lying one shot down against David McCullough into a two-shot winning margin, leaving the scores all square on the night and Michelin as league champions.

The margin for error was so fine that had Boyd’s bowl missed its target, Golf Club would have won that rink AND taken the overall shots total point, leaving Michelin on just one point - half a point short of their target!

It could have been all over at the break, with Grant Robinson coasting an eight-shot win over Sean McGarry, while a count of four shots on the penultimate end had Wesley Caldwell on the verge of the title-clinching second point. However, a ‘2’ on the final end by his opponent Johnny Lynn gave the golfers a 10-9 victory and kept the champagne on ice for Michelin.

And as the game progressed, that situation intensified as Golf Club’s Johnny Jamieson inflicted a nine-shot defeat on Graham Wilson, while Michelin nails were chewed to the quick by the time Boyd’s last-bowl heroics secured the title.

It was another pleasing result for Golf Club, who had taken two points off BUSC, a couple of weeks ago. If the Raceview side can make a better start to the season - when they are traditionally under-strength due to players’ late-summer golfing commitments - next year, they undoubtedly possess the talent to challenge at the top end of the table.

They were certainly too strong for JTI in a re-arranged game last week, winning by 17 shots, with wins for rinks skipped by McCullough, Jamieson and Lynn, while Billy Lynn grabbed a consolation point for the Lisnafillan side.

Nevertheless, Golf Club still had to settle for a fifth place finish, with BPFA ‘A’s four point haul from their final game against relegated Clough enough to pip the golfers by half a point.

Dennis McClurkin steered his Clough rink to a one-shot win over Doran Turtle, but thereafter, Broughshane took command with wins from Alan Cahoon, William Morrison and David Morrison.

In the other game, Old Bleach beat Portglenone Community Centre, the Bannsiders’ two points not enough to prevent them from finishing in the bottom two.