St Anthony’s 39(5) Mullavilly 31 (2)

Report by Sean Trainor

St Anthony’s began the defence of their title with a laboured victory over newly promoted Mullavilly. The Craigavon side almost fell victim to squad rotation and a definite complacency surrounding the fixture, and were relieved to escape with 5 points when 1 seemed the likely outcome for most of the game. Mullavilly were good value for their 2 points and may feel aggrieved they could not see out the victory as they lead the Craigavon side until the completion of the 8^th end, however if they can reproduce this form on a consistent basis their division 1 status will be assured.

On Rink 1; Mullavilly stormed into a 0-6, 3-10 lead against the St Anthony’s rink of Sean Conroy (snr) with some excellent bowling from the backend. Unfortunately that was as good as it got for the Mullavilly quartet as Conroy found his form to reverse 3-10 into a 11-10 victory and a crucial league point.

On 2 Marty Trainor’s rink proved to be St Anthony’s trump card once again recording a sizeable 17-3 victory that ensured St Anthony’s stayed within 5 shots of Mullavilly in the early exchanges. M.Catney, P.Corvan, & M.Trainor were in sparkling form and got on top of game from the start leaving the Mullavilly skip with the thankless task of reducing shots every end. The trio gelled well and could form a formidable partnership as the season progresses.

On 3 McDonald’s rink never got out of the starting blocks as Mullavilly adapted superbly to the fast mat, continually building tight heads forcing Conroy & McDonald to drive on almost every occasion. Several unfortunate breaks meant the McDonald ‘nod’ was ever present, but there was no doubt Mullavilly deserved the 5-11 victory.

Rink 4 proved to be a titanic struggle. Missed chances added to the excitement as the lead changed hands on 4 occasions leaving the scores at 6-6 (9 ends). Mullavilly responded with the character needed if they are going to survive the drop, adding 2 shots for a 6-8 win.

St Anthony’s will have to improve if they want to retain their title, and with Armagh Golf Club & St Marks next up the improvement must be immediate. Mullavilly will be pleased with their performance and the 2 points gained but really is should have been much more.