Carrick & District Pool League sponsored by SKC Gaming NI Ltd witnessed some fantastic matches this week.

In Larne The Titans v  QClub was a rerun of last week’s cup match which was won 8-0 by Titans.

Jack Carson kick started the Titans into action again this week.. Mark Miller and Dean the destroyer McDonagh put the Titans 3-0 up. Q Club’s big gun, Rorie Mcallister was called into action to stop the rot. Rorie capitalised on a rare mistake by veteran of the game, Tyler McKee. The atmosphere was electric in the Q club.

Titans stepped up a few gears and took the next six frames via Ryan Mckillop, Mark Miller, Jack Carson and Tyler Mckee. QClub were not ready to throw in the towel just yet.  Jake Quinn and Marty Kane took the next two and Titans hit back with the last two frames via Jack Carson and Dean McDonagh, seeing the match out 11-3. Most valuable players were Jack Carson and Dean McDonagh 3/3. Titans remain top of the tree… for now.

Ballyclare’s Grange pool team arrived to Greenisland to take on the reigning champions, Galacticos with an extremely capable team expecting a result.

Aaron Rolston broke dry in the first but Jim Gilchrist was left very little to go at. Rolston got back in but left himself a tricky black and could not finish. Gilchrist played a string of safety shots to no avail until eventually getting the two shots he craved with every fibre of his being and set about an eight ball clearance himself, running short on his last yellow leaving Rolston a tap in black to give the Greenisland men the lead.

Next up Alastair Wilson broke dry and recent KOTH semi-finalist Ryan Scott was unable to take advantage, letting Wilson back in. However, he was unable to capitalise and NI's newest "big gun" duly equalised for the Ballyclare men.

Sensing an epic encounter unfolding the defending champions sent out the team's elder statesman Paul 'Old Man' Harris who kept his nerve in a nip and tuck frame against methane emission machine Stephen Herron with a crisp and pinpoint finish.

Galacticos went further ahead after Gee Crawley took out a sublime finish.

Roger Smyth gave the home side a 4-1 lead, after Gilchrist missed the black for a reverse dish, with a pinpoint eight ball finish.

Stephen Herron pulled one back for the visitors before Aaron Rolston swiftly took out a break and finish to give the Galacticos a 5-2 half time lead.

Jackie Murdock went in off the break and Smyth took out a lovely dish with his two visits before Gary Wallace secured a home point against former Galactico Johnny Mackay.

Ali Wilson secured the three points for the Galacticos with a precise finish before Mackay took out an excellent finish with an insane combination shot to shoot for the bonus point.

Ryan Scott continued the resurgence before Harris ended the hope of the bonus point with a finely constructed run out.

Crawley took the last frame with aplomb to give the home team a 10-4 win.

Galacticos remain in second, with a game in hand. If Galacticos win their game in hand, they could be top going into the New Year.

Third placed Times Bar Scorpions travelled to Whiteabbey Legion.

Davy Blair decisively took the first frame in his first visit with a scintillating and well thought out finish. Scorpions were buoyant as each of their players chipped in for a first half score line of 0-7. Rab Butler got the first frame of the night for Legion but Scorpions kept the sting in their frames and rampantly took the match 1-13 with hat tricks for Davy Blair remaining top of the player of the year statistics, Lee McIlreevy and Paul Kerr and a brace for Michael Wilson and Darren Whiteside.

The Whitehead Rangers Trojans welcomed the Greenisland Colts to the club last night. The Colts started very strong, with Glen Burns winning his 2 frames of night and Joe Patton winning his first frames of the night. Then Trojans Captain Girvan Fleming starts the comeback with a win. Trigger Whiteside followed this with a break and dish. The Trojans won all of the remaining frames in the first half to take a lead into the second half 4-3.

Joe Patton, Aaron Watters, and John McClean (Cujo) won the first three frames of the second half to give the Colts a great start to the second half. The next frame was won by Kenny English to get the Trojans back into the match. Colts captain Harry Warwick won the next frames to give the Colts a 7- 5 lead. Chris McCurry and Joe Patton to give the Colts the win 5 – 9, winning the last two frames.

The MVP goes to Colts’ Joe Patton, winning 3 out 3.

Times Bars Tigers took all three points against Carrickfergus Bowling Club in a tight match with a score line of 8-6. Tiger’s mvp’s were Scott Pettigrew & Brian Boyd on 2/2. Bowlers received a bonus point for reaching 6 frames in defeat thanks to their mvp’s Ryan James Ward & Jim Millar who also chipped in 2 from 2.

K.O Cup Matches

 Monday 2nd December K.O Cup

All matches start 8pm

● Prelim 1 - Carrickfergus Golf Club vs Greenisland Colts - Venue - Carrickfergus Golf Club 

● Prelim 2 - Times Scorpions vs Greenisland Galacticos - Times Bar

● Prelim 3 - Q Club vs Greenisland Pink Ladies - Q Club Larne 

● Prelim 4 - The Grange vs Whitehead Trojans - Venue - The Grange Ballyclare

● Prelim 5 - Railway Blues vs Times Tigers - Venue - McConnell's Of Doagh 

Tuesday 3rd December K.O Cup

● Prelim 1 winning plays Prelim 2 winner 

● Prelim 3 winner plays Q Club Titans 

● Prelim 4 winner plays Bay City Bowlers 

● Prelim 5 winner plays Whiteabbey Legion

A few write ups/results from Tuesday night

● The Whiteabbey Legion team travelled to Greenisland Working Men's Club to play the Colts who it must be said in recent weeks have been on somewhat of a roll 

The Legion took the first frame via Andy Arbuthnot

Colt Joe Patton would soon even things up however in the next game

Legion player Porter took the following game but Colt Captain Harry Warwick would take the next against the well respected Legion stalwart Rab Butler

Colts Christopher McCurry and Aarron Watters would win the following two before Legion player Butler would take the final frame of the first half

Following the interval once again The Legion began on a positive note with another win for Arbuthnott

However once again Colt Captain Warwick would pull rank with another winning perforformance spurring his team on which would lead to his Boy's taking the next three in a row with Colts Patton, Watters and McCurry all performing well to secure another Colts league vIctory

Legion team member Butler received an early Christmas present from Colt Vice Captain Colin Beckinsale however Beckinsale's usual killer instinct by this stage had subsided somewhat knowing his team where safe as houses and had already secured victory on this particular evening the same can be said of Colt Patton who relinquished the final frame to Legion player Porter

Some may perhaps consider this a shock win for the Colts against a team further up the league table but this is not the first time and I have a feeling it certainly won't be the last that we'll hear take the Colts for granted and write them off at your peril

This fixture was indeed

testament to our exciting, friendly yet competitive and unpredictable Carrick & District Pool League

Final Result Colts 8

Whiteabbey Legion 6

● Q Club 9-5 Times Tigers

After 2 defeats on the road, Q Club were looking to get back to winning ways against the Times Tigers of North Belfast. Both teams weren’t short of numbers, 9 Q Club players and 7 Tigers, great to see that commitment on a cold Winters night halfway through the season.

Q Club got off to a strong start winning 3 of the first 4 which included a fine Jason Voorhees clearance in frame 2. The Tigers have fighting spirit though and through Tom McGurk they got it back to a frame difference at the interval, Tom winning a titanic tussle between Q Club Vice Captain Rorie McAllister.

Over the last few weeks the leagues most unluckiest player has maybe been Ian McCalmont. From potting the black half way through a frame twice to being broke and dished twice ,last week by Gary Wallace, Ian got back to winning ways getting an important 8th frame to go 5-3 up. The Tigers showed no sign of quit and despite Jason Voorhees making it 6-3, Stephen Simpson and Steven McWhirter took frames 10 and 11 to leave a tense finish. 

Tense they certainly were with chances aplenty on both sides however Marty Kane and Ciaran O’Toole scraped over the line to give the Larne men 3 points and another home win. Tom McGurk could still get the visitors a bonus point in the last frame but was very unfortunate on his last ball and VC Rorie McAllister took out a nice finish for a final scoreline of 9-5.

● Match Report: The Bowlers vs. Greenisland Galacticos

Venue: Carrickfergus

The Bowlers faced a formidable challenge as league leaders Greenisland Galacticos arrived at Carrickfergus, and it didn’t take long for the visitors to assert their dominance. Chris Carson set the tone early with a clinical break and dish, giving the Galacticos a dream start.

Throughout the first half, the Galacticos showcased their quality, capitalizing on any single error from the Bowlers to maintain their momentum. By the break, the scoreboard reflected a commanding 7-0 lead, a testament to the visitors' ruthless efficiency.

In the second half, the Bowlers struggled to find their footing as further mistakes proved costly. The Galacticos, relentless and composed, continued to exploit these errors with ease, extending their lead. The match ultimately became a one-sided affair, with the Galacticos demonstrating why they sit top the league.

Despite the result, the match was played in good spirits, with both teams showing respect and sportsmanship. Congratulations to Greenisland Galacticos on a well-earned 13 - 1 victory, and best of luck to them for the rest of the season.

● League leaders, Q Club Titans travelled to Times Bar to face the Scorpions. ‘Mr consistent’, Davy Blair put the Scorpions 1 up with some crispy potting. Dean McDonagh attempted a pot to the left middle only to hit both knuckles of the pocket and fluke it into the opposite middle pocket, landing plumb on the black to level at 1-1. Lee McIlreavey took the next soon followed by Paul Kerr. Ryan McKillop brought it back to 3-2. Aaron Leslie ripped out a delightful finish before Dean McDonagh methodically kept his team in it at 4-3 at the interval.

Ryan McKillop levelled for the Larne men before Aaron Leslie put the Scorpions ahead once more. Paul Kerr made it 6-4 and Ryan McKillop chipped in his hat trick to reduce the arrears. Tyler McKee ripped out a lovely break and dish to draw level at 6-6. This match was always going to go all the way. With the points on a knife-edge, Darren Whiteside ripped out the finish of the night. It came after laying a tactical snooker to create the opportunity for a cross double followed by banana combination to free up a controlled pocket, another couple of pots and another skill shot to land perfect on the black. Scorpions were on the hill at 7-6. Andy Quinn looked like securing the draw as be broke beautifully and the finish was on but he broke down and Captain Fantastic, Lee McIlreavey calmly cleared his 8 balls and secured all 3 points for the Scorpions. The Tigers Bay men go joint top of the league… for now. There are couple of games in hand to be played by their closest rivals though. MVP on the night was Ryan McKillop with 3/3.

A few write ups/Photos & results from Tuesday night

● Q Club 12-2 Pink Ladies

Q Club welcomed the Pink Ladies down to Larne in what was their first trip to Q Club in their inaugural season in the SKC Carrick and District pool League. 

Q Club started strong with the International trio of Kyzler Todd, Joel Quinn and Jason Voorhees winning the first three frames in quick succession. A Rorie McAllister double and Andrew Ferguson win saw the hosts take a 6-0 however the Pink Ladies have their own International talent and the experienced Jean McIlroy clawed a frame back before the interval. 

Q Club quickly sealed the 3 points in the second half with the in form Vice Captain Rorie McAllister completing his hat trick in frame 9. Jean McIroy would also complete her own double in frame 10 much to the delight of the crowd, taking out a good finish after her opponent snookered himself on the black. Q Club would take the next 4 frames to complete a 12-2 win. 

Best for the hosts - Rorie McAllister 3/3, Andrew Ferguson 2/2, Jason Voorhees 2/2, Kyzler Todd 2/2

For the Pink ladies - Jean McIlroy 2/2

● Always a particularly friendly affair when these two teams meet 

So with absolutely everyone on both sides looking forward to and fully expecting an enjoyable evening the Times Tigers from York Road Belfast's Times Bar travelled to challenge The Greenisland Working Men's Social Clubs Colts

The Greenisland Colts got off to a great home match start with team members Glen Burns and Joe Patton taking the first two

Tigers Johnny Eccles and Steven McWhirter would bring it back to level pegging by Swiftly taking the next two

Colts Captain Harry Warwick would however put his team in front winning the fifth

The next two were tit for tat being one for each team with John McClean (Cujo) taking the seventh  making the first half score 4 - 3 in favour of the Colts

After the interval The Greenisland men started the second half in a similar fashion to the start of the evening 

Once again taking the first two frames

 This time however The Tigers simply could not manage to halt the Colts progress as Greenisland Colts Vice Captain and team stalwart Colin (Fizz Bomb) Beckinsale would secure at the very least a draw for his squad with a riveting pivotal tenth frame win in his usual enthralling Maverick style  putting his team on the hill and relieving all pressure from his team mate Captain Warwick who would play next enabling him to successfully secure the win and all three points for his team with a it must be said fairly tasty eight ball clearance

Afterwards the Colts would go on to extend their well earned lead with wins for Christopher McCurry and McClean 

The best player at this point of the evening Greenisland Colt McClean would soon be joined by the only other cueist to execute three wins from three played being Colt Patton who won the final frame which indeed made the second half result a clean seven from seven sweep in favour of the Colts which saw them achieve an impressive 11 - 3 Victory on this particular occasion

With the heaviest of hearts sadly we have learned that after a long illness Gordon McCormick (Gordy) has passed away this morning at The N.I Hospice. A much liked and valued member of our Carrick & District Pool League (A most popular Whitehead Trjoan's team member) Gordon will be greatly missed by us all and by his many friends and loved one's Our thoughts and sincerest condolences are with his family 💔😪

 

Greenisland Working Men's Social Club's pool Section"s Fundraising Pool Tournament has been featured in Club Review Magazine (The Official Voice Of The N.I.Federation Of Clubs) 😁🎱

 

If you would like to attend this event get in touch details below

 

Week 6 Reports/Scores

 Carrick & District Pool league sponsored by SKC Gaming NI, Week 5 Tuesday 8th Octber 2024

Bay City Bowlers 2 v 12 Times Bar Scorpions

The Bay City Bowlers welcomed the Tines Bar Scorpions to Carrickfergus Bowling Club. The first game was closely contested, with Lee McIllreevy narrowly defeating debutant Dean Arnold, setting the stage for the Scorpions' momentum. From that point on, the Scorpions displayed their skill with impressive shots, even mixing in some reverse dishes for good measure. By halftime, they had earned a commanding 7-0 lead.

The second half mirrored the first, and the Scorpions quickly extended their lead to 9-0. However, Ryan Ward, making his season debut, managed to secure a win and score a point for the Bowlers. Despite Ward's efforts, in the following game Davy Blair of the Scorpions responded with a reverse dish leaving Arnold in awe. The Bowlers had opportunities to narrow the gap but were unable to capitalize on key moments. That said, Gareth McIlwrath on black ball delivered one of the best shots of the evening, earning another point for the Bowlers.

In the end, the Bowlers were outclassed by a Scorpions team that is clearly poised to challenge for the title. The match was played in good spirits, and the Bowlers extend their best wishes to the Scorpions for the rest of the season.

The result leaves the Scorpions in 4th place in the League table, 1 point off the leaders. Bowlers remain in 12th place.

Times Tigers 8 v 6 Whitehead Trojans

Tigers welcomed the Trojans to the Times Bar. Trojans got off to the best possible start when John Fulton went in-off the black against John Kane, and then Chris Hobson beat Scott Pettigrew in another black ball fight. 2 - 0 to the Trojans.

Stephen Simpson got the Tigers off the mark with an excellent clearance only for John Kane to restore the 2 frame advantage. Sam Sloan and Johnny Eccles then brought the scores level at 3-3.

In the final frame of the first half Thomas Fleming beat Kye Robinson to ensure the Trojans led at the break 4-3

The first two frames of the second half were shared, with wins for Stephen Simpson and Thomas Fleming and then second wins for Johnny Eccles and Sam Sloan put the Tigers ahead for the first time. Score at this stage 6-5 to the Tigers. In the next frame Stevie Hamilton restored parity after laying a great snooker.

However the last two frames would belong to the Tigers! Scott Pettigrew beat Chris Hobson and Tom Mcgurk beat Girvan Fleming to give the Tigers their second win of the season.

The result leaves both teams on 8 points with the Trojans in 8th place ahead of the Tigers in 9th place!

Q Club Titans 12 v 2 Whiteabbey Legion

Titans hosted the legion at home in the Q club; the Titans knew this would be a tight affair but they had a job to do after a few disappointing results in previous weeks.

The Titans kickstarted the match off with a win by Mark Millar, grinding the frame out to go 1-0 up; then stepped up young Jack Carson for a B&D only to miss the black and give the legion an opportunity to level the match, but it was not to be as Jack got back to the table to take frame 2. 

A win from Tyler McKee gave the Titans a 3-0 lead. Next up the Legion had the veteran of the game step up, Rab Butler, to pull one back for the travelling team. 3-1 though kicked the Titans into gear, rolling off the next 4 in a row, making it 7-1 only for Rab to get back to the table on frame 9 to give the visitors another frame on the board.

With the score now 7-2 the Titans got the run of the balls to take the next five in a row seeing the match out 12-2 and help take the Titans back to the top of the league table.

With this result the Legion are in 7th place in the league.

Other results from this week

Grange Ballyclare 6 v 8 Greenisland Colts 

Greenisland Galacticos 13 v 1 Railway Blues 

Pink Ladies 1 v 13 Carrickfergus Golf Club

Week 5 Reports/Scores

 SKC Gaming NI are jostling for higher league positions

With an odd number of teams in the league, this year one team has no match each week. This week is was the turn of the league leaders, Titans. 

Second placed Scorpions welcomed Q Club to the Times Bar, hoping to go back to the top of the league.

Jason Vorhees was first on the scoresheet, capitalising after Lee McIlreevy snookered himself on the black. Davy Blair levelled before Ian McCalmont put the Q Club back in front. Darren Whiteside was hoping to level with a break and dish but went in off a finely cut last ball and Joel Quinn took full advantage with a tidy finish. Aaron Leslie ripped out a nice reverse dish for Scorpions before Marty Kane and Kyzler Todd stretched the lead for the Q Club. 2-5 at the interval. In a cagey eighth frame, Darren Whiteside took the win after fortunately leaving his opponent snookered on the black then finishing in his next visit. Jason Vorhees ripped out a well-controlled reverse dish. Paul Kerr expertly broke and dished in the next. Ian McCalmont held his nerve and put the Q Club on the hill at 4-7. Davy Blair took out a nice finish to keep Scorpions’ hopes of a draw alive. Michael Wilson snookered himself on the last ball and Jason Vorhees mopped up for the 3 points. At 5-8, Scorpions were hoping to salvage a bonus point but Kyzler Todd was having none of it and took the final frame of the evening. Final score Scorpions 5 Q Club 9. MVP Jason Vorhees on 3/3, Ian McCalmont and Davy Blair 2/2. This win brings the Q Club up to 2nd position in the league.

The defending champions, Galacticos rolled into Whitehead to take on the Trojans. They got off to a great start. In the first 15 minutes of the match, they had taken a 4 frame lead with a reverse dish, break and dish, and two more swift frames The first half finished 2 - 5 to the Galacticos. In the second half, the Galacticos showed their true class winning 6 out of 7 frames. To take the win 3- 11 to begin their slow and steady rise back up the table from 8th to 5th.

Bay City Bowlers faced Colts in Greenisland Working Men's Social Club. The Colts got off to a great start with wins for John McClean, Glen Burns and Joe Patton.

The away side battled back to close the gap before the half time interval with wins for Jim Millar, Aaron Reid and Benny Booysen. A winning streak disrupted by Colt Aaron Waters making the half time score 4-3 in favour of the Colts. Burns took the 8th frame. Bowler Reid won the longest and most tactical frame. Watters secured the next with a precision pinpoint position finish. Joe Patton, it must be said, used every ounce of his experience to win the next. Aaron Watters to give himself an impressive 3/3 whilst securing victory for his team. Chris McCurry increased the score line while potting his penultimate colour from a full ball snooker with perfect black ball position. Colt Joe Patton took the last frame making his evening a perfect 3 from 3 and the final score a 10 - 4 victory for the Colts and leapfrogging their opponents into 11th position in the league.

Railway Blues welcomed the 13th placed Pink Ladies to Mcconnells in Doagh. Blues started strong with wins from Neil McFaul, Stewart, Duff and McIlroy. The ladies pulled back a frame with a good finish from Singleton. Blues won the last two frames of the first session via Laughlin and Kerr. On a side note, the Pink Ladies won all 7 lags in the first session, credit where it's due.

The second session was much more even with three wins for the Pink Ladies from Furgrove-Crawley, Graham and McIlroy, but the Blues got over the line eventually with wins for Stewart, McFaul, Laughlin and McI lroy, moving them up to 8th position in the league. Final score Blues 10 Ladies 4

Whiteabbey Royal British Legion welcomed the Times Tigers in the league. Andrew Arbuthnot kick-started the match with a break and finish. The legion men were inspired and ran out the first half 7-0 with wins for Mark Porter, Lewis Chapman, Rab Butler, Kevin Mullen, John Rainey and Darren McFarland. Tigers regrouped at the interval and got themselves back in the match with wins for Scott Pettigrew, Steven McWhirter, Steven Simpson and John Fulton. Rab Butler mercilessly stopped the Tigers to secure the 3 points. Rab Brown won the next game for the Tigers before Darren McFarlane wrapped it up for the legion. Darren McFarlane and Rab Butler won 2/2.  Final score 9/5 to the Legion, who move from 6th to 3rd position in the league.

5th placed Grange took on 3rd placed Carrick Golf Club. The Ballyclare men raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to Jim Gilchrist and Robin Blair only for Raymond Hagan and Graeme Arthur to tie it up for the golf club Pool Team.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got for the golfers with the visitors rattling off the next three frames to lead 5-2 at the break (Jim Gilchrist, Stephen Herron and Robin Blair).

Raymond Hagan won his second frame of the night to narrow the gap but the Grange won the last six for a thoroughly deserved 11-3 victory. There were hat tricks for Jim Gilchrist, Robin Blair and Stephen Herron as the visitors proved too strong on the night. This win amazingly moved the Ballyclare men from 5th place to the top of the table. In only five weeks, we have had four league leaders. It is going to be an exciting season. 

Week 4 Carrick & District Pool league sponsored by SKC Gaming NI, Week 4 Tuesday 24th September 2024

Times Tigers 7 v 7 Q Club Titans

The Tigers welcomed 2nd placed Q Club Titans to the Times bar. Titans Mark Millar got his side off to a perfect start beating John Fulton, however excellent clearances from Stephen Simpson and Steven McWhirter put the Tigers 2-1 ahead.

Rhys McLaughlin and Dean McDonagh won the next two for the Titans only for the seesaw pattern of the match to continue with wins for Tom McGurk and Davey Montgomery. Score at half time was 4-3 to the Tigers.

Scott Pettigrew won the first frame after the break with a great win over Mark Millar, and then Dean McDonagh won his second of the night to reduce the lead to one frame once more. Up stepped the flying Scotsman Pettigrew with his second win over Ricky Moulds to put the Tigers up 6-4.

Rab Brown then beat Alan Corrigan to make it 7-4. Could an unlikely win be on the way for the Tigers? or could the Titans maintain their good start to the league and make a comeback?

Holding their nerve the Titans took the next three frames with wins for Andy Quinn, Mark Millar and Jack Carson to clinch the draw.

Player of the night for the Tigers was Scott Pettigrew with 2 wins from 2, while Mark Millar and Dean McDonagh both won 2 out of 3 for the Titans.

The draw moves the Titans to the top of the table with the Tigers in 10th place.

Q Club 10 v 4 Greenisland Colts

Q Club got back to winning ways with a solid 10-4 win over the Colts. It would be the Colts though who got into an early 2-1 lead, aided along the way with an Aaron Watters break and dish in frame 2. Q Club would take the next 4 to go into a commanding 5-2 half time lead, highlight being a very good 6 ball clearance from Joel Quinn in frame 7.

Q Club stayed strong at the start of the second half with the experienced Jason Voorhees and in form Quinn and this paid off as both won their frames to guarantee the home side a point. Aaron Watters kept up the fight for the Greenisland men winning frame 10 however it was left to Marty Kane to get Q Club the 3 points taking out an impressive clearance in the next frame. 

Man of the match was undoubtably Joel Quinn with a superb hat trick, best for the visitors was Aaron Watters 2/3.

The result means that Q Club move into 4th place in the league table with Colts languishing in 12th place ad still searching for their first point of the season

Bay City Bowlers 4 v 10 Carrick Golf Club

The Bay City Bowlers hosted Carrickfergus Golf Club in the first local derby of the season on Tuesday night. The Golfers made an impressive start, landing three early blows. Gary McClure from the Bowlers stepped up to try and halt their momentum, and while he had some success, the Golfers pressed on, going into the break with a commanding 5-2 lead.

The Golfers continued their strong performance in the second half, with Paul Cowan accidentally shanking the white ball off the table, prompting a chorus of "Four" from his teammates. Despite the best efforts of Darren Clifford and Gareth McIlwrath, the relentless Golfers extended their lead. In the end, the Golfers were deserved winners, sealing a 10-4 victory.

A special mention goes to Graeme McArthur, who secured three wins out of three and was undoubtedly the Man of the Match. Congratulations to the Golfers, and with this form, they’ll surely be strong contenders for the title this season. Best of luck to them!

The result pushes Golf Club into 3rd place in the league table with the Bowlers in 11th place

The other results from this week:

Greenisland Galacticos 13 v 1 Whiteabbey Legion

Grange Ballyclare 7 v 7 Railway Blues

Pink Ladies 2 v 12 Whitehead Trojans

Week 3 Reports/Scores

 Carrick & District Pool league sponsored by SKC Gaming NI, Week 3 Tuesday 17th September 2024

Greenisland Colts 4-10 Scorpions

Home team report

Let's face it the Greenisland Colts we're fully aware it was going to be a tough shift against the rightly well regarded and respected Times Bar Scorpions. The league leading Scorpions side took the first half of the evening a comfortable 5 – 2, however a couple of frames as usual cudda shudda went the other way! Greenisland Vice Captain Colin Beckinsale missed a black that he would have usually potted (one of those that would wake you up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat thinking about it) the same can be said though of Scorpion Colin Rafferty going in-off on a potted black ball! 

The second half was the same 5 - 2 score line with the only Colt wins being that of Chris McCurry and Colt Captain Harry Warwick. Both teams being friendly yet obviously competitive as always made for an enjoyable night of CDPL pool.

Away team report

In a game of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ it was the league leaders, the Scorpions who prevailed in Greenisland. Colts had their chances in some frames and the score line could have been closer. Glen Burns was first to the black, but it was Lee McIlreevey, who converted, to give Scorpions the opener. Stephen Johnston made it 2 and a reverse dish from Darren Whiteside made it 3. 

Vice-captain, Colin Beckinsale missed a black 2 inches from the pocket and Michael Wilson was relieved to mop up to make it 0-4. Joe Patton used all of his experience to overcome Aaron Leslie with a fine finish to get the Colts on the scoreboard. Like London buses, Glen Burns swiftly followed for Colt’s second after Colin Rafferty went in off the black. Davy Blair finished off the final frame of the first half with a pinpoint double to middle with screw and running side to land plumb on the black. 

Aaron Leslie started the second half with a beautiful reverse dish. Stephen Johnston put Scorpions on the hill and Paul Kerr secured the points with a nice finish. Darren Whiteside extended the lead with another reverse dish before Chris McCurry took advantage of Colin Rafferty’s nappy leakage. Lee McIlreavey ripped out another for the Scorpions before Harry Harwick took the last frame of the night to restore some pride for his team. Final score Colts 4 Scorpions 10. This cements Scorpions’ spot at the top of the league before their bye next week when we expect to see a new league leader.

The Colts, having played a game less are in 12th place.

Q Club Titans 9-5 Galacticos

What an incredible night of pool at the Q club between the Titans and Galacticos. This one really was a clash of two titans which did not disappoint many of the onlooking spectators.

Reigning champions Galacticos travelled down to the Qclub not knowing what to expect from this newly formed team.

Up stepped Mark Millar for the Titans vs Galactico Aaron Rolston, with Aaron winning the lag only to break dry with Mark clearing the table for a reverse dish.

Next up was young Jack Carson vs Gary Wallace with Jack winning the lag then took out a fast but beautiful break & dish to leave the Titans leading 2-0. 

But the Galacticos had other ideas with a great break & dish from Roger Smyth and Aaron Rolston levelling the score at 2-2.

With the Titans and Galacticos playing at such a high standard it was a just a matter of time before one slipped up; it was then the Titans really took advantage and rolled off the next 5 in a row making it 7-2 Titans, but the Galacticos were not going down without a fight and really showed a bit of class winning the next 3 with wins from Aaron, Chris and Gary score now 7-5!

With a potential come back on the cards the Galacticos had a little twinkle in their eye, maybe it was excitement, maybe it was ‘now we have a chance’. Only for Ryan Mckillop to end their hopes and dreams for the visitors. 

And to finish a great night of pool off Rhys McLaughin reverse-dished Gary Wallace with Gary having an unfortunate in-off on the break! 

The final score Titans 9-5 Galacticos lifts the Titans into second place in the league table with 8 points from their 3 matches, Galacticos are in 8th place but have only played 2 matches

Whitehead Trojans 5-9 The Grange

The Grange arrived in Whitehead with a very strong team. Whitehead Trojans won the first frame, then Grange won the next 5 frames including a Paul Shannon break and dish in frame 4. 

Ryan Scott nearly had his own break and dish but missed his last red. This was the longest game of the night. Both players missed balls to win the frame, but Ryan came out the winner in the end. First half finished 5- 2 to Grange.

The second half started with another break and dish from Richard Kitson. The next frames were close frames, each team winning frames. The 10th frame Ryan had another go at a break and dish, but again missing his last red but still went on to win the frame. The final score was 5 - 9 to the Grange. Two players won 3/3 Trojans Gary Fitzsimmons and the Grange Jim Gilchrist and Ryan Scott 2/2

The result lifts the Grange up to 4th place in the table with 7 points from 3 games, while the Trojans are in 7th place

Golf Club 10-4 Q Club

The Golf Club earned their second victory of the season with a hard-fought win over the Q Club. The match was much tighter than the 10-4 scoreline suggests with several frames that could have gone either way.

A tight first frame went the way of the home team before Paul Cowan made it 2-0 with a fine break and dish. Rorie McAllister pulled one back after a great safety shot paved the way for an easy black. The home team extended to 4-1 before great finishes from Q club’s Jason Voorhees and Karl Crozier for the golf club left the score at 5-2 at half time.

Jason got very unlucky in frame 8 leaving a touching ball on his last yellow which led to an in-off. Alan Lunn finished to make it 6-2. Ciaran O’Toole made some great pots on his way to a comfortable victory over Freddie Williams. Paul Cowan came out on top in a cagey 10th frame that could have gone either way. Raymond Haggan doubled the black to edge frame 11 and Alan Lunn completed his hat-trick to make it 9-3. Another excellent finish from Ciaran O’Toole made it 9-4 before Paul Cowan won a tight final frame to also complete his hat-trick.

Final score 10-4 to the Golf Club, a result which moves them up to 5th place in the league, just above Q Club in 6th place.

Whiteabbey Legion 14-0 Pink Ladies

The other result of the night saw the Pink Ladies travel to Whiteabbey Legion in search of their first point of the season, however a 14-0 victory for the Legion left them rooted to the bottom of the table and lifted the Legion up to third with 8 points from their 3 games!

Week 2 Reports/Scores

 Scorpions 13 Carrick Golf Club 1

League leaders, Carrick Golf Club travelled to second placed Scorpions in to the Times Bar. In the first frame Lee McIlreevy benefitted from a Paul Cowan juggled black to put the home side 1 up. Two for Paul Kerr, Darren Whiteside, Davy Blair, Michael Wilson and Stephen Johnston took the score to 7-0 at half time. 

Michael Wilson chipped in with some crisp potting to secure the points in frame 8. Stephen Johnston broke and finely dished before Davy Blair made a complicated finish look easy for 10-0. In an epic tactical frame Raymond Hagan finally got on the scoreboard for the Golf Club. With the black over the pocket, Karl Crozier potted his penultimate ball but screwed the cue ball into the middle pocket. Michael Wilson gratefully accepted the gift for his hat trick. 

Darren Whiteside took two more frames securing his hat trick and a solid 13-1 victory. Scorpions leapfrog the Golfers and reach the summit early. A few of the frames could have went either way but the experienced Scorpions took their chances more clinically than the Golf Club, who will improve over the season. Golf Club move down the table to 8th place following the result.

Q club 9 Railway Blues 5

Q Club opened their 24/25 home campaign with a tightly fought victory over the Railway Blues. Q Club had a number of debutants on show and the Blues were boosted themselves with the signing of former Galactico Neil McFaul.

Q Club got off to a fast start with a 4-1 lead although that probably flattered the hosts with the visitors missing a couple of good chances. A McFaul and Laughlin double brought the Blues back into it at half time, each with good finishes. 

Q Club used the experience of Jason Voorhees to edge to a 5-3 lead, Tiger taking out a magnificent cut on his final ball to deny McFaul a hat trick. 

This was enough for the hosts to take 3 of the next 4 to take the 3 points. Shout out to vice captain Rorie McAllister for his impressive clearance in frame 11.

Best on the night was Blues Craig Laughlin with a fine hat trick. For Q Club there were doubles for Jason Voorhees, Marty Kane, Ian McCalmont and Ciaran O’Toole.

Q Club move up to joint second place in the league table.

Grange Ballyclare 7 Whiteabbey Legion 7

The Grange welcomed Whiteabbey legion for their first home game of the season. The legion raced into a 4-0 lead with wins for Kevin Mullen, Mark Porter, Jessie McCullough and a fine reverse dish from Rab Butler.

The game then turned when Andy Arbuthnot inexplicably went in off after potting the black.

Further wins for Paul Shannon and Stephen Herron left the half time score 4-3 to the legion.

The second half started the same as the first with the legion taking the first 3 frames through Kevin Mullen, Mark Porter and Rab Butler.

The Grange boys dug deep and took the last 4 frames to salvage a draw with wins from Jim Gilchrist, a fine finish from Paul Shannon, Jackie Murdock and another fine finish from Ryan Scott in the final frame.

Doubles on the night for K Mullen, M Porter, R Butler, J Murdock and P Shannon.

The result leaves Whiteabbey Legion in fourth place and the Grange in sixth place in the table

Carrick Bowlers 4 Whitehead Trojans 10

The Carrick Bowlers hosted the Whitehead Trojans in a highly anticipated clash. The Bowlers got off to a strong start, but the Trojans quickly rallied with four consecutive wins that left the Bowlers reeling. By the break, the Trojans held a commanding 5-2 lead.

After the interval, the Trojans continued their momentum and the Bowlers pulled one or two back but ultimately the Trojans secured the victory. While the scoreline of 10-4 suggests a comfortable win, it doesn't fully reflect the close nature of many games in the second half. Some missed chances proved costly for the Bowlers, as the Trojans capitalized on every opportunity.

The match was played in great spirits by both teams. Special mention must go to Gary Fitzsimmons, whose shot of the match was an impressive black ball pot while in a tight snooker.

Trojans move to 5th place in the league, with Bowlers 10th.

Greenisland Galacticos 13 Times Tigers 1

Following their bye in week 1, Greenisland Galacticos started their title defence with a tricky tie at home to the Tigers. Honours were even after the first two with Roger Smyth opening for the hosts and Stephen Simpson equalising for the visitors.

The next two went the way of the home side as Gary Wallace and returning ace Aaron Rolston edged two tactical frames but after a nervy start the hosts didn't lose another frame.

Hat tricks for Rolston, Wallace and Marcus and a brace each for Smyth and Crawley gave the defending champions an ideal start to the season.

The result moves them into 7th place in the table, with the Tigers in 9th place.

Pink Ladies 1 Q club Titans 13

Tough start to the season for the Pink Ladies saw them lose 13 1 to Q Club Titans. Jean McIlroy was the only winner for the Ladies, while the dominant Titans standout players were Tyler McKee and Mark Millar with hat-tricks and Jack Carson, Rhys McLaughlin and Dean McDonagh with two wins each.

The result saw Titans move to third place on 5 points from 2 games, with the Ladies propping up the table in 13th place.

Early days though and plenty of matches for things to turn around.