Q Club Titans go 4 points clear

League leaders, Titans came to Times Bar to face second placed Scorpions in the penultimate league match of the first half of the season sponsored by SKC Gaming NI.
The first half couldn’t have been tighter as the teams went frame for frame. At 3-3 the final frame of the first half went to Scorpions’ Stephen Johnston.
The Titans’ Ryan McKillop levelled again and Brian Crilly gave the visitors the lead for the first time in the match. Rhys McGlaughlin made it 4-6 and Dean McDonagh put the Titans on the hill. Stuart Kelly secured the 3 points and Brian Crilly made his hat trick, taking the score to 4-9 and preventing Scorpions from achieving a bonus point. Rhys McGlaughlin topped off a Titanic second half 0-7 win and an emphatic victory of 4-10 as the Larne men stretched their lead at the top, now 4 points clear ensuring the top spot, as they were last year, for Christmas.

Bowlers welcomed the Railway Blues.
The blues took a commanding lead and kept momentum going, at the break 6 -1 to the blues.
Second half bowlers brought a bit more fight but in the end was the blues that took the victory.
Blues 9. Bowlers 5
Gr8 team of lads and the banter was 💯.

Colt’s v Trojans
The Whitehead Trojans battled through storm Bram & traveled up to Greenisland to play the Colts was a Great atmosphere as both teams got into the Party Theme wearing their Christmas Jumpers along with the Pink Ladies who were also playing at home against Whiteabbey Legion food was put on by the two home teams the Colts & Pink Ladies as they were playing Whiteabbey Legion
Big thanks to Donna for putting the Spread on at short notice
The Trojans Cpt S Hamilton got them of to a flyer winning the first frame of the evening Colts hit back talking the next four with wins for J Patton, A Watters, D Harris & H Warwick
S Hamilton got his second off the evening & Trojans second frame A Mackay took the last frame before the break securing the Colts a 5-2 lead
The Trojans came out fighting in the second half winning the first two frames courtesy of M Thompson & C Hobson closing the gap to within one 5-4
The Colt’s rallied by Winning the Next three frames with wins for A Mackay, A Watters & Cpt H Warwick to secure all three points with two frames left & scores at 8-4 the Trojans still had something to play for with a bonus point still up for grabs but was quickly stubbed out when Colts Vice Cpt Beckinsale took the Next frame Trojans J McFadden won the last frame of the evening Final Score Colt’s 9-5 Trojans
Third placed Galacticos and Spartans were postponed due to adverse weather conditions.


Other Results:

Quarter finals of singles draw

The quarter finals of the singles are shaping up nicely. These will be a race to 4 on December 17th at 7:45 start.

In Whiteabbey Legion

Lewis Neill vs Richard Kitson

David Robert Blair vs Gary Neesan

In Carrick Bowling Club

Stephen Johnston vs Ryan Scott

Rhys Mclaughlin vs Lee Mcilreavy

In Times Bar

Aaron Watters vs DarrenW

Denise Esdale vs Stephen Herron

In Greenisland WWMC

Tom McGurk vs Jim Gilchrist

Paul Kerr vs Robert Hawkins

Doubles results

Doubles results
Ryan Scott and Jackie Murdock 4 Simpsy and Fulty 0 (pictured right)
Hatch & Penfold/Dirk & Rab PP
Gary Neesan &Richard Kitson 4 Paul & Davy 2
Chris Carson & Jack Carson 4 Cinto & Jim 2

CDPL SKC GAMING NI OPEN SINGLES 32>16

1. Ryan Scott 4vs2 Colin Beckinsale
2. Aaron Watters 4vs3 Harry Warwick

3. Hatchet 4vs2Chris Carson
4. Chris McCurry0 vs 4Tom McGurk

5. Paddy Graham 2vs 4Hawk
6. Aaron Leslie 3vs4 Cinto

7. Lewis Neill 4vs2 Thomas Fleming
8. Wayne Lewis 0vs4 Rhys Mclaughlin

9. Jim Gilchrist 4vs1 Joe Patton
10. Andy Quinn 0 vs 4 Stephen Herron

11. Kenny English 3vs4 Gary Neeson
12. Trevor Whiteside 0vs4 Davy Blair

13. Phoenix Martin 0vs4 Richard Kitson
14. Darren Whiteside pp Alan Johnston (to be played on Monday 8th December)

15. Paul Kerr 4vs 0Andy Mackey
16. Denise Esdale 4vs0 Dean McDonagh

Last 16 will be played on December 17th 2025

3 a sides down to last 4

The League's 3 a sides tournament began on Wednesday 26th November. Pictured below are the reigning champions, Aaron Leslie, Lee McIlreavey and Darren Whiteside

In Grange Ballyclare Steven Herron, Johnny Mackay and Wayne Lewis overcame Girvan Fleming, Stephen Hamilton and Christopher Hobson 5-3, to set up a derby clash in the next round against team mates, Jackie Murdoch, Ryan Scott and Thomas Fleming who had beaten Aaron Watters, Harry Warwick and Colin Beckonsale 5-1.In the next round Steven, Jonny and Wayne came from 3-0 down to win 5-3 against Jackie Ryan and Thomas to reach the last 4.

In Whitehead Rangers
In the match between Stephen Simpson, Sam Moore and Kye Robinson vs Wendy Denise & Kathy both teams failed to turn up.
In the All-Scorpion heat Darren Whiteside, David Blair, Stephen Johnston & Paul Kerr came from 3-1 down and 4-3 down to reach the next round winning 5-4 against, Aaron Leslie, Darren Haddock, Lee McIlreavey and Lewis Neill.
Darren, Paul, Stephen and Davy were awarded a walkover in the next round.

In Greenisland Workingmen’s Club
Uel Wallace, Richard Kitson & Gary Neesan were beat 5-0 by Scott Pettigrew, Tom McGurk & Stephen McWhirter.
Aaron Reid, Ian McMillan & Richard Topping went down 0-5 to Ryan Stewart, Robert Craig, Josh McIlroy& Gareth Curlett 0-5.
Scott, Tom and Steven were pipped at the post 4-5 by Ryan, Robert, Gareth and Josh

In the Times Bar Joe Patton, Andy Galloway, Alan Harris and Dee Harris romped to the next round with victory over Sarah-Lou, Donna Louise & Julie-Anne. 5-0.

Semi Finalists in 3 a sides are:

1 Grange’s Steven Herron, Johnny Mackay and Wayne Lewis
2 Scorpions’ Darren Whiteside, David Blair, Stephen Johnston & Paul Kerr
3 Railway Blues’ Ryan Stewart, Robert Craig, Josh McIlroy& Gareth Curlett
4 Colts’ Joe Patton, Andy Galloway, Alan Harris and Dee Harris

Titans and Galacticos Dig Deep

On the tenth league match of the 2025/26 season sponsored by SKC Gaming NI Ltd. the Blues welcomed the Spartans to Granges in Ballyclare.

The Railway started strong with wins from Ryan Stewart and Josh Mcilroy. However the next 4 frames went the Spartans way, all close frames but the Whitehead men were clinical when it mattered. 2 for Trigger, 1 for Billy Pawson and 1 for Kenny English. Rab Brown took the last frame of the session for the blues with an outstanding black.
The second session started well for the Spartans with Billy and Kenny both making it 2/2 for the evening so far. Ryan pulled a frame back for the Blues, leaving the score at 4-6. The Spartans dominated the end of the game winning the last 4 frames. Thomas Fleming getting a frame on the board and Trigger, Kenny and Billy all taking 3/3 for the evening! An enjoyable evening and a competitive game!

 
Times Tigers hosted Times Scorpions in the north Belfast derby in the Christmassy Times Bar.

The match got off to the worst possible start for the Tigers with the Scorpions sprinting off to a 7-0 lead at half time, with 2 wins for Davy Blair and Paul Kerr, and one win each for Darren Haddock, Darren Whiteside and skipper Hatchet!

Could the Tigers at least avoid the embarrassment of a whitewash in the second half??
The answer was looking like a big fat "no", when Scorpions won the first 3 games of the second half to go 10 nil up and secure the points. Davy Blair securing his hat trick of wins and Darren Whiteside and Hatchet winning their second frames on the night!

However a consolation frame for the Tigers Stephen McWhirter arrived in the 11th frame, some good pots and a little bit of fortune giving him the win over Paul Kerr and ruining the big man’s evening!

Normal service resumed though in the next frame as Hatchet also completed his hat trick of wins for the night.
Another consolation win for the Tigers saw Johnny Eccles beat Darren Haddock but the last frame of the evening saw Darren Whiteside complete his own hat trick of the night to leave the final score 12-2 to the Scorpions.

The score line sees the Tigers drop a couple of places in the league table and the Scorpions continue in their title chase!

 
Great banter and craic on the shore road as always but a bit of a hammering handed out in pool terms!!

Whiteabbey Legion went down 3-11 to Grange.
Greenisland Galacticos held of the Q Club Larne, scraping an 8-6 victory.

Titans from Larne held of Greenisland Colts also with an 8-6 win.

Stadium also held on for an 8-6 victory over an improving Bay City Bowlers.

Pink Ladies feel to an 11-3 defeat at the hands of Whitehead Trojans.

Titans go Top after a Titanic Performance

In the ninth league match of the season sponsored by SKC GAMING NI QClub Titans soared to the top of the league with an 11-3 win over Pink Ladies..

Bay City Bowlers travelled to face The Spartans at Whitehead Rangers Club. The Bowlers started strongly, with Ian McMillan calmly taking the first frame. An in-form Robert Hawkins won the next, but the Bowlers took the lead again through Darren Clifford. Trevor Whiteside levelled the match at 2-2 and this was to be the last time the Bowlers would be in a point scoring position. Wins from Billy Pawson, Robert Hawkins and Kenny English put the hosts 5-2 ahead at the break. The second session started the same as the first with Ian McMillan securing the opening frame and bringing the score back to 5-3. The Spartans took the next 6 frames with wins from Billy Pawson, Robert Hawkins, Kenny English (x2), Trevor Whiteside and Paddy Graham. A solid win for The Spartans who had to be clinical due to the noticeable improvement in The Bowlers.

Final Score Spartans 11 Bowlers 3.

Other match results

Grange 11 Trojans 3

Q Club 12 Blues 2

The Whiteabbey Royal British Legion welcomed the Shankill’s Stadium Bar. Andrew Arbuthnot got the Legion off to a good start. Phillip Watson levelled before Gareth Robison, Rab Butler, Mark Porter, Dessie McCullough and Stevie Cambell won the next 5 to put the legion 6/1 up at the interval. Brain Elwood won the next for the Stadium. Rab Butler put the legion on the hill. Phillip Watson and Chris McCurry won the next 2. Frankie McDonald got the important frame to take the win for the Legion before the Stadium won the last two frames with wins for Phillip Watson and Chris McCurry to give the Stadium a well deserved point. Final Score Legion 8 Stadium 6.

Times Bar Scorpions (who were one point clear of second placed Titans) welcomed Galacticos (who were 3 points off the top).

Galacticos knew they needed to take points from this match to stay in contention for retaining the league title. The Greenisland men stormed to a 0-3 lead before Paul Kerr put a frame on the board for Scorpions, who had went for early finishes unsuccessfully. Galacticos didn’t take their foot off the gas and romped to a 1-6 lead at half time. with 2 for Ali Wilson, 2 for Chris Carson, one for Gary Wallace and one for Gee Crawley.

Scorpions regrouped and took four of the next five frames with wins for Lee McIlreevy, Paul Kerr, Davy Blair and Darren Whiteside. Jack Carson put Galacticos on 7 with a great last ball and equally good long black. Chris Carson secured the win with a sublime double on the black. Scorpions Lee McIlreevy took out a vital reverse dish to secure the bonus point for Scorpions for reaching 6 frames.

Final score Scorpions 6 Galacticos 8 moving Galacticos to just one point behind the Scorpions.

Scorpions drop to second and Titans go top.

Colts v Tigers 

The visitors took an early lead with a great double on the black from S McWhirter. Colt’s pair A Watters with a Break & Dish & J Patton both winning the next two games. The two game pattern continued with S Simpson & S Pettigrew for the Tigers & C Beckinsale & H Warwick giving the Colts a 4-3 lead at half time. 

This pattern continued with S McWhirter & S Simpson for the Tigers the next two games were shared between both teams J Patton & T McGurk with the score 5-6 & at least a bonus point in the bag for the Tigers. Colt’s H Warwick & D Harris took the next two frames. Score sat at 7-6 and it looked like it was going to end in a 7-7 draw as Tigers S Sloan had total control with both bottom pockets covered but gave away two shots after long deliberation. It was all worth the wait as Colts A Watters delivered a wonder shot, clearing both pockets & went on to win the game and match for the Colt’s. This Match was played in a great spirit and fantastic atmosphere in Greenisland Workingmens Club.

 

Final Score Colt’s 8-6 Tiger’s

Scorpions Find The Gap

In the eighth league match of the season all teams paid respects to two former players who sadly passed away this week. Doagh Dragons' Tyler McConnell aged 37 and Bay City Bowlers' Tommy Hutton aged 91 were remembered in a minutes silence before the matches. 

Whitehead Rangers Trojans vs Whiteabbey Legion 

The Legion got of to a great start with Andrew Buff winning a great tactical match between him and Stephen Hamilton. Darren O'Neil then won the next frame for Legion. The Trojans then won next frame with a grain finish from Christopher Hobson.  The next 3 frames were won by the Legion which give them a great lead 5 frames to 1. Gordon McKinty then won the last frame of the first half 5- 2 to the Legion.  The second half got of to another great start with Andrew Buff and Rab Butler winning their frames. The Trojans start the fight back with Christopher Hobson winning a tight frame against John Rainey. Then Trojans Stephen Hamilton, captain  Girvan Fleming and Matthew Thompson winning the next 3 frames made it 7- 6 to the Legion.  Then the  Trojans  come back was  stop by Legion Rad Butler winning the last frame of the night final score was 8 - 6 to the Legion seeing legion move up to 7th in the league.

Stadium vs Spartans

Spartans got off to a good start with Robert Hawkins punishing Lewis Neill when he failed to complete what was turning out to be a great clearance, 1-0 Spartans, next up Stadium Vice Captain John English was able to make the most of his opportunities and get the game back to an even 1-1, Bryan Elwood was up next against Alan Johnston, the latter of the 2 is the one that would come out on top after Bryan rattled the black and left just enough space for Alan’s last red to pass into the same pocket, 2-1 Spartans, Mark Millar Jnr stepped up next for stadium, very fortunate to get a shot as Thomas Fleming was on fine form and potting them off lampshades, Thomas the player who came away with the win as Mark not able to make the most of his chances, 3-1 Spartans, up stepped Stadium Captain Christopher McCurry next hoping to stopped the rot, unfortunately unable to do so as Kenny English showed his experience to see out the win in what was a back and forth game, Spartans 4-1, still hoping to find some form and a few wins Stadiums William McCullough was next at the table against the very experienced Trevor Whiteside, Trevor able to use that experience to punish William on his missed chances, Spartans 5-1, James Robertson was up last for Stadium in the first half, bit of misfortune at times but ultimately outplayed by Alan, 1st half finishes 6-1 Spartans in a much closer game than what the score line shows.

Galacticos vs Colts was 9-5 keeping Galacticos within touching distance of the leaders.

The second half had unfortunately more of the same from Stadium's perspective as Billy Pawson was able to come out on top after a long gruelling frame filled with many snookers, Spartans 7-1. Lewis Neill was able to get one back for Stadium with a quality performance against the NIPA over 60’s Champion Robert Hawkins, Spartans 7-2, Christopher hoping to be able get on the back of that momentum next however after losing the lag was broke and dished by the top quality Thomas Fleming, Spartans 8-2 and the win now confirmed, with the chances of a bonus point looking slim for Stadium that soon become impossible with Big Kenny winning the next for Spartans and getting them to 9-2, a great battle in the next game between Mark Jnr and Trevor with the latter coming out on top in the end, Spartans 10-2, Alan able to claim the next in a long back and forth frame, Spartans 11-2, Robert able to take out a nice finish and finish off the night well for Spartans. Stadium 2 Spartans 12 in a second half that was very much one sided.

Titans vs Grange was 7-7 seeing the Larne men rescue a vital 2 points to stay within touching distance of the league leaders.

Tigers vs Pink Ladies saw the Tigers move up to eighth in the league with a convincing 12-2 home win.

Bay City Bowlers vs Q Club Larne was a 4-10 away win moving the Larne men into the top half of the table.

Railway Blues vs Times Bar Scorpions. Lee McIlreavy put the Tigers Bay men ahead with some confident potting. Darren Whiteside made it two and Davy Blair soon made it 3. Josh McIlroy stopped the rot with a great finish for Blues. Stephen Johnston soon made it 1-4 before a vintage display from Gareth Curlett as he broke and dished to reduce the arrears to 2-4. Paul Kerr made it 2-5 in favour of the boys from Times Bar at half time. Josh McIlroy took out another fine finish for Railway Blues but Paul Kerr, Stephen Johnston and Darren Haddock got Scorpions over the line and secured all three points. Darren Whiteside took out a well worked out break and dish, cutting a tricky black but inadvertently potted the cue ball too, giving Gareth Curlett and early Christmas present and technically his second break and dish win of the night. Davy Blair soon made it 4-9 and captain fantastic, Lee McIlreavy took out the finish of the night to make it 4-10. This result sees the Times Bar Scorpions finally put a bit of distance between their rivals going into the international break.

 

Carrick & District Pool League sponsored by SKC Gaming NI would like to wish all of our players, officials, carers and managers the best of luck as they head off to foreign lands to represent Northern Ireland in the European Championships next week.

Halloween Massacre for Bowlers

In week 7 of the Carrick & District Pool League sponsored by SKC Gaming NI the Times Bar Scorpions hosted Bay City Bowlers. 

Davy Blair confidently took the first frame, swiftly followed by wins for Lee McIlreavy, Paul Kerr, Darren Whiteside and Stephen Johnston. The Scorpions clinically took their chances and ended the first half 7-0. Davy Blair sealed all three points in frame 8 and the Scorpions continued their dominance on the affairs of the evening and soon it was 13-0. 

In the final frame Bowlers Ryan Ward took out a sublime 8 ball finish to save the whitewash. 

In all fairness some of the frames could have went either way but Scorpions will be delighted to stretch their lead at the top of the league. Davy Blair, Paul Kerr and Stephen Johnston had hat tricks and Darren Whiteside had 2/2.

Colts hosted the Railway Blues as it was Halloween, The Colts dressed accordingly. 

The first four frames were shared, with wins for G Burns & H Warwick for the he side & R Craig & R Brown for the visitors. J Patton won the fifth frame before the Blues hit back taking the next two frames, courtesy of R Kerr & R Stewart, giving the visitors a halftime lead 3-4.

H Warwick won his second frame of the night to level up the match. The  the next four frames where shared, two from Josh McIlroy for the Railway & JP & A Watters in-between. With the score at 6-6 it was all in the balance giving both teams at least a Bonus Point but wins for the Colt’s pair A Watters & J Patton (his third of the night) secured the win for the Colts with an 8-6 victory. 

All three Greenisland Teams were at home so we had a Halloween party with halftime food & refreshments. Many thanks go to Julie-Anne for taking the time to make food and put on a great spread. 

The Whitehead Rangers' Trojans hosted the newest team in the league, Stadium. The young team got of to a great start with two great finishes from Bryan Elwood and Lewis Neill. 

The next frame was another great game with both players showing some great skills with Stephen Hamilton potting the black to give the Trojans the frame. 

The next 3 frames were won by the Stadium with some great finishing from Chris  McCurry and William  McCullough. The last frame of the first half was won by Trojans man of the match Stephen Hamilton. 

The beginning of the second half Lewis Neill won his second frame of the night. Gary Fitzsimmons won the next frame to give the Trojans their 3rd frame of the night. The next 3 frames were won by the Stadium taking them to 9 frames with 2 frames left which were won by the Trojans . Making the final score 5- 9 the the Stadium. Some great finishing from the Stadium

The Pink Ladies had a home derby against stablemates, The Galacticos.

The Pink Ladies also in party mode got off to a great start, winning the first two frames with wins for Tracey Cook & Kathleen Wilson. Tracey’s win came after P Harris unintentionally sunk the black ball mid frame. Kathleen doubled the lead with a great finish.

Galacticos soon kicked into gear and took the next eight frames in a row with  2 wins each for P Harris & J Carson 3 for G Wallace & 1 from Dk Whiteside.

Marion King was gifted a third frame for the pink ladies as Derek went in off after potting the black. Kathleen took her second of the night getting the ladies their fourth frame. With two frames left and a chance of their first bonus points pink ladies dreams were quickly stubbed out when Jack Carson won his third frame of the night and Chris Carson took the last frame to complete a 4-10 Victory for the Galacticos to keep them writhing touching distance of the top two teams.

In other matches

Grange 8 Tigers 6

Q Club 6 Spartans 8

Legion 4 Titans 10

Week six round up

In the Carrick District Pool League sponsored by SKC Gaming NI Ltd we had some great matches in the sixth league match of the season.

Carrick Bowlers hosted Greenisland Colts. 

A fixture that both teams always look forward to once again delivered in a nip-and-tuck battle that went all the way to frame 14.
Frame 1 set the tone for the night, with a frame filled with drama right to the end, but it was eventually won for Bowler David Craig after Colt Colin Beckinsale rattled a black. Frame 2 followed suit, but this time Bowler Ian McMillan would jaw a black in the middle to leave a tap-in black for Colt Alan Harris to level it at 1-1. The Colts then went on to win the next three frames, with wins for Joe Patton, Andy Mackey, and John McClean, to lead 4-1. The Bowlers stopped the rot in Frame 6, with Ryan Ward stepping up and sinking a fine long black to seal his victory (2-4). The last frame of the first half was a tense affair, but Ian McMillan would seal the win with a brilliant black down the rail to make it 3-4 at the break. The second half began with a repeat of Frame 1, with Bowler David Craig securing a win over Beckinsale again. This time, Craig pounced on an error to take out a superb clearance that ended with a good cut black into the middle.
At 4-4, it was all to play for, and Bowler Darren Clifford was in no mood to be denied, with a fantastic penultimate doubled red to make it 5-4 to the hosts.
The Colts weren't done yet, but in what was quickly becoming a topsy-turvy match of consecutive frames won on the bounce, the Colts stepped up to take the next three frames in determined fashion. Wins by Joe Patton, Alan Harris, and Dee Harris put them on the hill at 7-5. However, this game wasn't done yet, and Bowler captain Richard Topping stepped up for the Bowlers after a highly unfortunate in-off in his first frame to shake that off and secure the Bowlers at least a bonus point with one frame remaining.
Frame 14 would decide it all, and it saw the reliable and ultimately Player of the Match, Joe Patton, take on Bowler Ryan Ward to decide the outcome of a competitive match. In a frame where both had their chances, Patton's experience shone through, and he would deny the Bowlers a draw and secure the Colts a hard-fought victory.
The Bowlers would like to thank Captain Harry Warwick and all of his team for making this fixture go ahead after a delayed start and wish them every success going forward.

Stadium hosted Q Club and the Shankill men got off to a good start with a great performance for Lewis Neill for his first win of the night, Q club would fight back in the next making it 1-1, Jason Vorhees punishing Mark Millar Jnr after he missed his black for a B&D, Q club would then go ahead 2-1 with William Irvine taking out a lovely B&D not allowing Bryan Elwood to the table, Stadium captain Chris McCurry stepped up next and put his team back on an even playing field 2-2, a back and forth battle happened next between William McCullough and Ciaran O’Toole unfortunately for William his last shot to get onto the black left him with only a nasty bank shot to try and pot the black, Ciaran then punished him when he missed, Q Club back in the lead 3-2, Adam Crossett would then keep the stadiums hopes alive getting them back to level again 3-3, neck and neck going into the last game of the first half both teams both teams wanting to be the one going into the second half with the lead, it would be the Q club that achieved this with Jason stepping up and winning his second of the night in what was quite a long and technical frame, an inexperienced James Robertson failing to call full ball and fouling as a result give his opponent 2 shots and the advantage he needed to make a clearance and take the frame, Q club go into the break 4-3 ahead.
Back for the second half and Lewis would yet again get stadium back level with his 2nd win of the night, before Q club yet again firing back and retaking the lead, Mark Abram would win the next to extend Q clubs lead to 6-4 and claim at least a point, Mark Millar Jnr stepped up next taking out a nice finish to get Stadium back within 1, Chris up next got off to a flyer with what should’ve been a reverse clearance but unfortunately fouled on his last ball, with a lot of work for Marty Kane to do he chose the sensible option to snooker his opponent however Chris tried a ballsy shot and got probably the fluke of the century (sorry Marty!) getting his team back level and also making sure of a point 6-6, Bryan would step up next and put Stadium in the lead for the first time since frame 1 and securing at least the draw, with the everything to play for Lewis stepped up next for Stadium and looking like he was going to B&D to finish off a great quality come back and win for league new comers Stadium he unfortunately left himself horrible on his last ball and trying to pot it ended up potting the black instead ending the night 7-7, a well contended match and one that could’ve went either way ended up in a well deserved draw between the teams
Players of mention: Chris McCurry 2/2 and Lewis Neill with 2/3 for Stadium. Jason Voorhees with 3/3 and William Irvine with 2/3 for Q Club.

Times Tigers v Whiteabbey Legion
Legion started off like a house on fire, racing to a 6 nil lead with wins for Andy Arbuthnot, Tristan Scott-Heyes, Gareth Robinson, Rab Butler, Darren ONeill and Dessie Robinson. Sam Sloan won the last frame of the first half to give the Tigers a little bit of hope! Andy Arbuthnot soon quenched those hopes winning against John Fulton to put the legion 7-1 up. A little bit of Tigers fight back continued with fine wind for Stephen Simpson and Johnny Eccles, before man of the match Rab Butler won his second of the night to secure the win for the Legion. Score at this stage 8-3. Wins for Tom McGurk and John Fulton have the Tigers hope of a losing bonus point bringing the score to 8-5 but that man again Rab Butler won the last, his third of the night, to leave the score 9-5 to the legion.
A great night, a great performance from the Legion and especially that hallion Butler! He was already in great form given Man Utd’s win on Sunday, tonight’s hat trick might just put him on the beer again for another few days!!

Times Bar Scorpions travelled down to Whitehead Glasgow Rangers Club to face the Spartans hoping for a win to keep their title challenge on track. They did just that, comfortably winning both sessions 5-2 for a 10-4 victory.

Lee McIlreavy set the tone breaking and dishing against Robert Hawkins followed by wins for David Blair, Paul Kerr and Stephen Johnston (another break and dish) as Scorpions raced into a 4-0 lead. Thomas Fleming and Kenny English steadied the ship for the hosts but Paul Kerr won the last frame in the first session for the visitors. David Blair took out a reverse dish against the unfortunate Billy Pawson who only got one shot (break shot) in his two racks played. Spartans won two more frames courtesy of the experienced yet fortunate Alan Johnston and Robert Hawkins, but wins by Darren Whiteside, Paul Kerr, Aaron Leslie and Stephen Johnston with another break n dish kept Scorpions top of the League table on frame difference from Andy Quinn's Q.Club Titans.

Titans v Trojans

First up to the table was Aaron Wright for the titans with a great battle against Chris Hobson which some would say was tighter than a star table's pockets which seen Aaron first on the black only to miss and leave chris a great opportunity to take the frame only to play a great cut on the black and run the white into the corner pocket making the score line 1-0 Titans quickly followed was wins from current top of stats Stuart kelly and northern ireland seniors champion brian crilly /riley patterson and dean mcdonagh making score line 5-0 but it was the crafty pensioner stephen hamilton that would kick the Trojans off with their first frame with a win over Alan Corrigan, 5-1 with the Seniors champion (Crilly) take the next in fine fashion also stuart/riley and dean making score 9-1 but yet again stephen hamilton pulled out the stop sign with a strong performance and win over Aaron wright 9-2 again wins for stuart kelly and riley patterson 11-2 with last frame still to play seen gary fitzsimmons take the last of the night making score line 11-3 Titans.


Galacticos hosted Granges and it was the Ballyclare men who took first blood with Gary Neeson edging out a scrappy frame but Gary Wallace equalised for the home team with a pinpoint clearance.
Gee Crawley put the Galacticos 2-1 up with a nice clearance before Jackie Murdock levelled after another tactical frame.
Jack Carson regained the lead for the Greenisland men, capitalising on a hung black but Uel Wallace equalised again for the Ballyclare men but Gary Wallace gave the home team a 4-3 half time advantage with a patient frame.
Paul Harris put the defending champions two frames ahead with a delectable positional shot on the black before Chris Carson put the Galacticos 6-3 up.
Jack Carson and Wallace guaranteed the three points for the Greenisland men with the next two frames.
Paul Harris furnished us with finish of the week next ripping out a magnificent reverse dish.
The Carsons rounded off an 11-3 win with a couple of crispy finishes.


Railway Blues had a convincing 13-1 over Pink Ladies.

SKC Open Singles down to last 32

One of our most prestigious singles tournaments began this week. The SKC GAMING NI open championship had a record number of entrants (59). 

On Wednesday they were reduced to 32 with some great fixtures being played across virtually all of the venues in our league.

The last 32 of the SKC Gaming NI Ltd open singles will take place on 2nd December at 8pm.

Greenisland table 2
1. Ryan Scott vs Colin Beckinsale
2. Aaron Watters vs Harry Warwick

Whitehead 1
3. Hatchet vs Chris Carson
4. Chris McCurry vs Tom McGurk

Legion 
5. Paddy Graham vs Hawk
6. Aaron Leslie vs Cinto

Whitehead 2

7. Lewis Neill vs Thomas Fleming
8. Wayne Lewis vs Rhys Mclaughlin 

Times Bar
9. Jim Gilchrist vs Joe Patton
10. Andy Quinn vs Stephen Herron

Grange 1
11. Kenny English vs Gary Neeson
12. Trevor Whiteside vs Davy Blair

Grange2
13. Phoenix Martin vs Richard Kitson
14. Darren Whiteside vs Alan Jonston

Greenisland 1
15. Paul Kerr vs Andy Mackey
16. Denise Esdale vs Dean McDonagh

Titans close the gap on Scorpions at the top of the league

Times Bar Scorpions welcomed the Q Club. Captain Lee McIlreavy led from the front with a lovely finish.Aaron Leslie’s pool brain doubled the Scorpions lead and Stephen Johnston made it 3. The next four frames were shared. Jason Voorhees and Ciaran OToole chipping in for Q Club and David Blair and another from Stephen Johnston gave the Scorpions a commanding lead at half time. Two captains met in the 8th frame and what looked like a blistering break and dish from Lee McIlreavey before the white dropped in the pocket after the black to give William Irvine the frame. Jason Vorhees took his second of the night as did David Blair. Mark Abram brought the arrears to 6-5 before, man of the match, Stephen Johnston put the Scorpions on the hill with his hat trick. Lee McIlreavy ensured the points before Paul Kerr finished the night with a cool break and dish. Times Bar Scorpions 9 -5 This result sees the Scorpions remain at the top of the league for another week.

Titans had a massive win of 13-1 v Stadium and reduced their frame difference with Scorpions at the top.

Galacticos had a hard fought victory against legion and are still within touching distance of the top two.

Spartans won 9-5 over Colts.

Grange and Railway Blues had an epic 7-7 draw.

Bay City Bowlers took the points with an 11-3 win over pink ladies.

Tigers had 11-3 win over Trojans

Acorn Blinds NI Ltd. KO Cup Prelims

One of our biggest and most prestigious cup competitions began on Wednesday 1st October. The Acorn Blinds NI Ltd. had some fabulous preliminary matches.

The reigning champions, Railway Blues were up against Whiteabbey Legion.

Blues captain, Ryan Stewart won the first frame after Andy Arbuthnot left his last ball in the jaws. Rab Butler and Darren O'Neil won the next two for the legion. Robert Craig and Ryan Stewart took the next two for the Blues giving them a slender lead at half time. Second half was also close with the legion winning it 4/3 to the legion to take it to a decider.  Captain, Mark Porter eventually won it for the legion to secure safe passage for his team into the next round. This was a great advertisement for the fun and competitive league that we have.

Legion will play Grange Bar, who defeated Greenisland Colts 8-4.

Scorpions hosted Stadium in the prelims of the Acorn Blinds Knock Out Cup. Brian Elwood potted a great doubled black to give Stadium the lead. The Times Bar Scorpions reeled of five frames on the trot before Lewis Neill had a great reverse dish to keep the Stadium in the match. 5-2 at the interval. Scorpions came out with all guns blazing as Stephen Johnston secured made it 6 and Darren Whiteside had a well taken break and dish to put the Times Bar Scorpions on the hill. Stephen Johnston secured safe passage to the next round with his second hat trick in two days. Final score Times Bar Scorpions 8 Stadium 2.

Scorpions will play Bay City Bowlers next week after an 8-2 victory over Pink Ladies.

Q Club Larne won 8-3 at Trojans and will face Greenisland Galacticos who defeated Times Tigers 8-2.

Quarter Finals:

Times Bar Scorpions progressed with a convincing victory at Bowling Club of 8-2 to reach the semis.

Scorpions meet Grange, who came from behind and won a play off frame 8-7 over Legion.

Q Club Larne beat Galacticos by 8-7 in a playoff frame and will meet their stablemates Titans. They disposed of Spartans in rapid fashion.

Semi Finals

Q Club vs Titans

Scorpions vs Granges

League week 4 sees no change at the top

In week 4 of the Carrick & District Pool League, Sponsored by SKC Gaming NI, The Reigning champions, Galacticos were wanting to avenge last week's defeat against the Trojans. They got off to a great start with a swift reverse dish from Aaron Rolston. Jack Carson put the hosts 2-0 ahead with a pinpoint clearance after a short tactical exchange before Rolston capitalised on two visits to make it 3-0.
Derek Whiteside and Gee Crawley took the next two to give the hosts a healthy 5-0 lead.
Stevie Hamilton and Jared McFadden pulled two back before half time to give the visitors hope at 5-2.
But the Galacticos were in no mood for another gripping finish and ran out the second session 7-0 with Crawley, Jack and Chris Carson scoring doubles and Whiteside scoring one. Final score Galacticos 12 - 2 Trojans

Bay City Bowlers hosted Grange Bar
Kyle Robertson took the bad look off the scoreline with a well taken finish before Darren Whiteside wrapped up a 3-11 win for the Times bar Scorpions. MVP’s Scorpions’ Paul Kerr with 3/3 (including a fine dish) Stephen Johnston with a hat trick and Aaron Leslie 2/2.Match Report: The Grange 10 – 4 Bowlers

A tightly contested opening frame saw captain Ricky lead the Bowlers into battle, but it was Johnny Mackay who held his nerve with a classy cut on the black to give The Grange the early lead. Frame 2 was more straightforward as Gary Neeson capitalised on a dry break to produce a slick reverse dish, doubling the advantage.

Ryan Ward stopped the early slide for the Bowlers in Frame 3 with solid potting and a superb doubled black. However, Richard Kitson edged a scrappy fourth to restore The Grange’s cushion, before an unfortunate in-off on the black from Stephen Herron in Frame 5 handed the Bowlers another lifeline.

A tactical masterclass in Frame 6 saw Jackie Murdock outlast Robert Loughlin, and Mackay returned in Frame 7 to claim a vital black-ball decider, giving The Grange a strong 5–2 lead at the break.

The second half began with David Craig missing a crucial black, gifting Neeson his second win. Lightning struck twice in Frame 9 as Herron suffered another in-off on the black, allowing the Bowlers to claw one back. But The Grange weren’t to be denied – Kitson and Herron (finally getting his reward) closed out Frames 10 and 11 to all but seal the result.

Aaron Reid’s long-potting brilliance gave the Bowlers a consolation in Frame 12, but The Grange finished strong: Mackay completed a superb 3-from-3 night and Murdock edged the final frame to round off a dominant 10–4 away win moving the Ballyclare men up to 5th

The current league leaders, Times Bar Scorpions travelled to Stadium Bar. Darren Haddock got the visitors in front with a pin point finish. Paul Kerr doubled the lead and Stephen Johnston made it 0-3. William McCullough stopped the rot with a great finish before Aaron Leslie played the positional shot of the evening landing plumb on the black through 7 yellows. Stand in captain, John English held his nerve to take a great long black and Paul Kerr got a bit fortunate to take the seventh frame. 2-5 at the interval. Stephen Johnston and Aaron Leslie put Times bar on the hill and Stephen Johnston reeled off another fabulous finish to reach the magic 8. Paul Kerr Broke and dished the next and David Blair chipped in to make it a flattering 2-10 score line to secure top spot for at least a fortnight as the Acorn Blinds NI Knock Out Cup is occurring next week.

In other matches:

Tigers 5 Titans 9.

Q Club 9 Colts 5.

Spartans 12 Pink Ladies 2.

Titanic Victories for Larne Men and Greenisland teams falter

In the third week of the Carrick and District Pool League, sponsored by SKC Gaming NI  Greenisland Colts hosted Times Bar Scorpions.

Colts had chances in the opening couple of frames however Davy Blair put the visitors 0-1 up. Colt’s John McClean was on a reverse dish to level the match at 1-1 taking out all seven reds only to see the final black hang in the jaws of the pocket and let his opponent in. The Scorpions’ Darren Haddock rose to the challenge and potted all seven yellows and a tap in black that was over the corner pocket.

L McIlreavy and P Kerr extended the lead before Colt’s A Watters pulled one back to 1-4. Scorpions won the last two frames of the first half giving them a 1-6 lead at the break. Once again missed chances from the Colts in the next two frames saw the Scorpions increase their lead 1-8 to secure all three points, 

J McClean got the Colt’s Second frame 2/8 beating Scorpions Paul Kerr. The eleventh frame went to Darren Haddock, his third of the evening. Joe Patton got the Colts third frame of the night. Scorpions won the last two frames of the evening to complete a convincing 3-11 victory.

Best on the night were D Haddock & D Blair both with hat tricks of wins. Times Bar Scorpions remain top of the table.

Q Club Titans hosted Greenisland Galcaticos in a battle for second place in this week's table

The new world masters champion, Rhys McLaughlin, faced Aaron Rolston. It was Rolston who kept his cool and took the first frame of the night for the visitors. Brian Crilly showed his class and levelled up for the Titans. Riley Patterson and Dean McDonagh added to the home side’s scores.  Aaron Rolston stopped the rot with a clinical break and dish in the sixth frame giving hope of getting some momentum back for the champions. Stuart Kelly, Brian Crilly and Ryan McKillopp took the score to 7-2. Ryan Marcus took the next frame with a great finish and a superb long red. Crilly and Harris had a great tactical battle in the 11th frame for Crilly to pull out the finish of the year to take the match and frame 8-3. Kelly, with a clinical break and dish, saw the match reach 9-3 before Ryan Marcus and Chris Carson took the last two frames.

Players of the night: Crilly 3/3 Kelly 2/2. This home victory moves Titans to second place in the league table.

Times Tigers vs Stadium

The Tigers welcomed league new boys, Stadium to the Times Bar. Lewis Neill got the visitors off to the perfect start with a win over Stephen McWhirter, but wins for Tigers’ Johnny Eccles, Scotty Pettigrew and Kye Robinson put the hosts 3-1 up. The Stadium responded with wins for Blain Jordan, Willy McCullough and John English to leave the score 4-3 at halftime.

The second half started just like the first! Lewis Neill got his second victory over McWhirter and Kye Robinson got his second win of the night for the Tigers. Score at this stage 5-4 to the Stadium. Captain for the evening John English then hit his second win to extend the Stadium lead before Scotty Pettigrew once more beat Bryan Joseph to reduce the deficit, and leave the Stadium winning 6-5 with 3 frames to go. Tom McGurk edged a win to get the sides level. Both sides hoping for a win or at least a draw at this stage but knowing at least a bonus point was secure! Frame 13 saw 2 unbeaten players on the night go head to head, with Kye Robinson and John English meeting, both having won 2 out of 2.  A great finish from John put the Stadium on the hill. Last frame between Scotty Pettigrew and Kyle Robertson was an edgy affair with both players having chances on the black. Ultimately Kyle held his nerve and came out on top to secure the win for Stadium moving them into the top half of the table. Final Score Tigers 6 Stadium 8

Players of note, John English with 3/3, Lewis Neill with 2/2 for the Stadium.

Trojans vs Railway Blues 

The Trojans welcomed the Railway Blues to Whitehead with both teams looking for their first win of the season with the Trojans drawing their first 2 league games and Blues losing their first two games. The Blues got off to great start with Ryan Stewart winning the first of the night.  The next frame was won by Trojans’ Stephen Hamilton with a great 8 ball clearance and frame 3 was also won by the Trojans Gordan McKinty. Railway Blues then kick into gear and took the next 3 frames via Josh McIlroy, Matthew Hagan and Rab Brown. Last frame of the first half was won by Matt Thompson of the Trojans to make it 3- 4 to Blues at half time. 

The second half started with the Blues taking the first two frames  (Ryan Stewart,  Wes Smith) to take a commanding lead 3 - 6 but the Trojans were not prepared to lay down and won next two frames (Stephen Hamilton, Maroof Balogun). The 12 frame was a very close game with Blues Robert Craig winning it for the Blues taking them one frame away from their first win of the season. Game 13 was one of the quickest games of the night with Rab Brown put the black ball into the middle pocket far too early and losing the match. So the Trojans need to win the last frame for another draw and the Blues for their first win of the season. After some great pool by both players (Trojans’ Gordon McKinty and Blues Gareth Curlett) Gordon took out a great finish to win and give the Trojans another draw. Top players for Trojans Stephen Hamilton 2/2 and Gordan McKinty 2/2. Top player for Blues Ryan Stewart 2/2.

In other matches, where home team captains chose not to send in reports...

The Pink Ladies remain at the foot of the table after a 1-13 tanking from Q Club Larne.

Grange continue their rise up the table with a 9-5 victory of a decent Spartans team.

 

Times Bar Scorpions Are Top Of The Table

In the second league match of the Carrick & District pool league, sponsored by SKC Gaming NI Ltd. Times Bar Scorpions faced off the Pink Ladies, with a 7 man team. Captain Lee McIlreavy drew first blood followed by David Blair, Darren Haddock, Paul Kerr, Darren Whiteside, Stephen Johnston with an intricate finish and Aaron Leslie. 7-0 to the Times Bar Scorpions. The second half went the in the same fashion. The final score was 14-0 although a few frames could have went in favour of the ladies had they taken their chances. The Tigers Bay men leapfrog Colts to the summit of the league table this week.

Railway Blues had their pants pulled down and the arse skelped clean off them for the second week in a row! This week it was by the formidable Q Club Titans. Final Score 12-2 who move up to second spot.

Galacticos entertained the Tigers this week and Jack Carson drew first blood for the hosts, laying a great snooker and taking out a pinpoint clearance with the resultant two visits.
Paul Harris took the next after his opponent missed his last ball, leaving a routine black.
Gee Crawley played with patience to get himself into a winning position before taking out a lovely clearance. 3-0.
Chris Carson stretched the lead taking out a nice clearance when presented with it before Gary Wallace made it 5-0 grinding patiently to get the win.
Jack Carson capitalised on an in off from the break to mop up the table with pinpoint precision before Sam Sloan stopped the rot in the last of the session giving the visitors a glimmer of hope.
Stephen McWhirter ensured a bright start to the second half for the Tigers taking the first before John Fulton took out a sublime break and finish to shorten the deficit to 6-3.
Chris Carson guaranteed two points for the hosts with a nice clearance before son Jack got to the magic eight, capitalising on two visits.
Tom McGurk took out a majestic 8 ball clearance in the next as the Tigers pushed for the bonus point but Gary Wallace took out a lightning quick finish after a tip tap game before Chris Carson finished the match with another accurate clearance.
Final score Galacticos 10 - 4 Tigers and puts the reigning champions Galacticos up to third.

Bowlers vs. Whitehead Trojans – A Thriller Ends All Square
It was Matchday 2, and the Bowlers hosted the Whitehead Trojans in their first home game of the season. Both sides came into the clash hungry for their first win — and it showed right from the off.
Captain Ricky Topping got the Bowlers off to a dream start, producing a slick 3-ball finish to take the opening frame and make it 1-0. The Trojans hit back in a cagey second frame, with Jared McFadden holding his nerve to level the scores at 1-1.
What followed was a dominant spell for the Bowlers, who took control of the match by rattling off three consecutive frame wins courtesy of Darren Clifford, David Craig, and Darren Glass. At 4-1, the hosts looked to be cruising.
But the Trojans weren’t done yet. With their backs to the wall, they showed real grit. Matthew Thompson stopped the rot with a tidy clearance before captain Girvan Fleming added another to narrow the gap to 4-3 at halftime — game on.
Trojans’ momentum carried into the second half as Gary Fitzsimmons coolly cleaned up to tie things at 4-4. The next four frames were shared evenly: David Craig claimed his second win of the night for the Bowlers, and Robert Loughlin picked up his first league victory. Meanwhile, Gordy McKinty and Stephen Hamilton responded for the Trojans, taking their frames to level it once again at 6-6.
With just two frames left, up stepped Matthew Thompson. Already in fine form, he produced another composed finish to put the Trojans ahead for the first time in the match — and secured his own personal 2/2 on the night.
The final frame was set for a captain's showdown: Ricky Topping vs. Girvan Fleming. Tension filled the room in a nip-and-tuck battle, but it was Topping who rose to the occasion once again, sealing the frame with a superb shot on the black to snatch a 7-7 draw and cap off a brilliant night of action.
Special mentions to Bowlers captain Ricky Topping, David Craig, and Trojans’ Matthew Thompson — all of whom finished the night with perfect 2/2 records.
The game was played in fantastic spirit, with top-quality finishes, momentum swings, and captain heroics — and definitely a big improvement on the Bowlers’ dodgy first attempt at a live stream!

In other results

Grange had a convincing 4-10 victory over Q Club Larne.

Spartans 7-7 Whiteabbey Legion

Stadium had their first victory knocking Colts off top spot with a 9-5 win

World Suicide Prevention Event held by Carrick & District Pool League

On World Suicide Prevention Day the Carrick & District Pool League were honoured to have Graeme Anderson from Ulster Motivational facilitating a bespoke workshop focussing on the mental health of pool players. 

The main themes were 'Speak, Ask and Listen'.

If we are concerned for any of our team mate's mental health we need to ask "Are You OK?"

ASK TWICE. Because our default setting is to respond with "100% or I'm sweet or Dead on.

We don't have to have all the answers we just need to actively listen.

The league would like to thank Graeme for an informative session, Laura from Impact Network NI for funding the event, Jess from Greenisland Community Council for her hospitality and the players who selflessly gave up their time in the hope that they might be able to be there for a team mate in distress.

The league will be developing a short video from the session and we will share it across all teams for the people who could not attend.

The Greenisland Men Mean Business

Welcome to our 2025/26 season sponsored by SKC Gaming NI. 

The Q Club Titans welcomed and the Bay City Bowlers.

The Bowlers got out of the gates first with a first frame win from Richard Topping. Titans' new signing Stuart killer Kelly quickly drew level with a great clearance. Bowlers again dug deep to win a tactical exchange with already a veteran of the game and current Larne league player of the year, Dean the dark destroyer McDonagh taking the Bowlers 2-1 up. Titans then showed their class winning the next 9 frames via Ryan Mckillop, Riley Patterson, Alan Corrigan, Dean and Stuart. leading 10-2. Bowlers' Ryan Ward took the 13th and Stuart Kelly made it 11-3 on the night. Players of the Night Stuart Kelly 3/3, Ryan McKillop 3/3. A great night was had by all 🎱🎱🎱

Q Club Larne is a hotbed of pool. Q Club A Team pulled out all the stops to whip The Legion 3-11.

Stadium Bar, making their debut in the league, got a baptism of fire away to defending champions Galacticos. The champions took the first with an emphatic 8 ball clearance from Ryan Marcus after a dry break wasn't capitalised on. The visitors drew level with a nice long black from Lewis Neill.
Galacticos elder statesman Paul 'OMH' Harris steadied the ship with a swift whitewash to put the home team 2-1 up. New signing Jack Carson put the Galacticos further ahead with a pinpoint clearance before Ryan Marcus took out his second of the evening to put the hosts in a comfortable lead.
Gary Wallace took out a patient frame to give the hosts a 6-1 half time lead after Gee Crawley had added to the lead. Paul Harris took out an impressive finish incorporating a stunning double in the next and Gary Wallace patiently eked out another frame to ensure the champions started the season with three points.
Phillip Watson got another on the board for the visitors with a composed finish and Bryan Elwood added to the visitors total with a sublime run out.
Any hopes the visitors had for a bonus point ended in the next with another patient performance from the ever impressive Wallace.
Jack Carson got the hosts to double figures before Kyle Robinson finished the night off with an exemplary finish for the visitors.
Final score Galacticos 10 - 4 Stadium

The Greenisland Derby between The Pink Ladies and The Colts


Colts raced to a 0-7 whitewash. The second half went the same way all seven frames going to the Colts to complete a 0-14 whitewash to take the Colts to the Top of The Table for at least one week.

Wins for the Colt’s 3 Frames A Harris & J Patton & 2 Frames Each for G Burns, A Watters, D Harris & A MacKay. The Result Flattered the Colts as some of the Pink Ladies were unlucky not to take a few frames in each half . Best for the Pink Ladies was Tracey Cook and Wendy Long who both came close to winning their frames but came up short in the end. Final Score Pink Ladies 0 - 14 Colts


The Times Bar teams started well too. The Tigers romped to a 12-2 victory over the Knockout cup champions, Railway Blues.

A fixture both sides always look forward to with great friendships and bonds established between the players. On this occasion though the Tigers seemed determined to get off to a fast and winning start, wins for Stephen Simpson, John Fulton, Scott Pettigrew, Kye Robinson and Stephen McWhirter had the Tigers 5-0

up. The last 2 frames were shared with Rab Brown getting the Blues off the mark and Stephen Simpson taking his second win of the night to leave half time score 6-1!!

Stephen McWhirter got the second half off to a winning start for the Tigers before a nice clearance from Wes Smith reduced the deficit to 7-2. That was as good as it got for the Blues though!! Wins for John Fulton (with a notable 8 ball clearance), Scott Pettigrew, Johnny Eccles, Tom McGurk and Kye Robinson taking the last five frames!!

Final score

Tigers 12 Blues 2

Notable performances from Stephen Simpson, John Fulton, Stephen McWhirter, Scott Pettigrew and Kye Robinson each with 2 wins from 2 games. 

Great night as usual and I’m sure the Blues will hope to revenge the result when the sides meet again later in the season

Last years Players Memorial Champions, Times Bar Scorpions also had a convincing 2-12 win away to a strong Granges side in Grange Ballyclare (1) Facebook

Our first live streamed match of the season was selected because on paper it was to be an epic and very close encounter. Unfortunately Granges had a few of their first team players out.

The first four frames were shared before Paul Kerr Kick started the Scorpions into gear with a sublime break and dish in frame 5. Times Bar Scorpions went on to win the next 9 frames on the trot. 3/3 for Paul Kerr and Lee McIlreevy. 2/2 for Darren Whiteside and Stephen Johnston.

In the Whitehead Derby the Trojans hosted the Spartans. The Trojans, with 3, very welcome, new signings got off to a flyer, quickly going 4-0 up with wins from Gary Fitzsimmons, Gordon McKinty, Stevie Hamilton and Chris Hobson. The Spartans fired back with 5 frames on the bounce, with wins from Paddy Graham, Kenny English, Alan Johnston, Mark Millar and Alan Johnston again, before the Trojans stopped the rot and levelled at 5-5. The final 4 frames were hard fought affairs and were shared between the 2 teams, for a fair result on the night of 7-7. Best for Trojans were Stevie Hamilton and Chris Hobson with 2/2. Best for Spartans were Kenny English with 2/2 and Alan Johnston and Mark Millar both with 2/3.

Galacticos start off the season with silverware

In the SKC GAMING NI LTD league opener, the Charity Shield it was the Railway Blues vs Galacticos. In an upset last season in the knockout cup final the Galacticos may have taken the Blues a little bit lightly along with some fine play by the underdogs as the Blues lifted the trophy.

Last night the league champions seemed to have learned from that encounter and punished mistakes while creating chances to run out 8-3 winners. 

A big thanks to Greenisland Workingmens club for hosting this event. Congratulations Galacticos and commiserations Railway Blues.

Next week we start the league proper with a full set of fixtures. Best of luck everyone.

SPEAK, ASK, LISTEN

At the start of our 2025/26 season we are hoping all teams will send at least one member to this event.
Graeme, a motivational speaker from Ulster Motivational will be facilitating an evening focussing on positive mental health. 
He will share tips and strategies to not only look after our own mental health but how best to look out for our team mates.
It starts at 7pm in Greenisland Jubilee Hall. 
Please share this event with your team and encourage a team mental health champion to attend.

AcornBlinds NI Knock Out Cup Draw

Carrick & District Pool League Knock-Out Cup 25/26 

Prelims Take Place Wednesday 1st October

 

Sponsored By Acorn Blinds NI Ltd 

Prelim 1 Pink Ladies vs Bay City Bowlers - Venue - Greenisland Working Men's Social Club 

Prelim 2 Times Scorpions vs Stadium Bar - Venue - Times Bar 

Prelim 3 Whiteabbey Legion vs Railway Blues - Venue - Whiteabbey Royal British Legion 

Prelim 4 The Grange vs Greenisland Colts - Venue - The Grange Ballyclare 

Prelim 5 Q Club vs Whitehead Trojans - Venue - Q Club Larne Prelim 

Prelim 6 Times Tigers vs Greenisland Galacticos - Venue - Greenisland Working Men's Social Club 

Quarter Finals Tuesday 7th October 

QF1/   Prelim 1 winners play winners of Prelim 2 

QF 2/  Prelim 3 winners play winners of Prelim 4  

QF 3/   Prelim 5 winners play winners of Prelim 6 

QF 4/  Q Club Titans vs Spartans - Venue - Q Club

We are back with 14 teams and raring to go

The Carrick & District Pool League, sponsored by SKC Gaming NI will commence on 2nd September as the League Champions, Greenisland Galacticos take on the Knock Out Cup Champions, Railway Blues in Greenisland Workingmens Club. 

The last time these two met it was the Railway Blues who came out victorious in an epic final. This Charity Shield opener for the league will showcase what we are all about. Fun and friendly competition. 

Our Charity of the year is Macmillan Cancer and we hope to raise some funds on the night so please make an effort to join the teams in person and donate your spare change on the night. 

The first full league fixture of the new season will be on 9th September. 

This year we welcome a new team from Belfast's Shankill Road, Stadium Bar. 

The amount of pool trophies around the cabinets in this venue tells us that they will mean business from day one.

Best of luck to all teams this year and we hope you have fun.

'POOL TOGETHER' END OF SEASON CELEBRATIONS

Our End Of Season Celebration "POOL TOGETHER" took place on Friday 27th June in Greenisland WWMC.

Carrick Pool League sponsored by SKC Gaming NI provides a spirit of belonging, acceptance, a safe space where we can talk without fear of judgement. There is friendly, competitive spirit and players can gain a sense of mastery, praise and recognition.

In the Pool Together celebrations we brought our members and supporters together to celebrate our players. Not just the winners but all who took part, and their loved ones.

In this thirtieth year of our pool league we had entertainment, trophies, food and more importantly built new connections and strengthened old ones.

Mental health was mentioned a number of times this year and we organised bespoke training for our players to look out for their team mates and make the league a safer environment.

We were successful in a bid to continue with supporting and encouraging better mental health and were awarded a grant for funding towards some of the costs for live streaming equipment and trophies.

Trophies were presentated by Councillor Bobby Hadden. 

The KnockOut Cup went to The Railway Blues. The final was an epic that went to a decider. Ryan Stuart ripped out a sublime finish to give the Blues glory against Galacticos on a super Saturday.

The Players’ Memorial Shield was won by Galacticos, defeating Greenisland Colts.

The Amber Castle Harbour Cup was won by Whitehead Trojans, defeating Times Tigers.

The Knockagh Cup was won by Q Club Larne, defeating Whiteabbey Legion.

Doubles was won by Titan’s Dean McDonagh & Shawn McAllister beating Grange’s Jim Gilchrist and Johnny Mackay.

Three a sides was won by Darren Whiteside. Lee McIlreevy and Aaron Leslie beating Kenny English, Trevor Whiteside and Tommy Fleming.

Seniors was won by Scorpions’ Stephen Johnston against teammate, Aaron Leslie.

Masters was won by Trojans’ Kenny English in a fabulous final against Grange’s Steven Herron.

Grandmasters was won by Colts’ Joe Patton, defeating Bowlers’ Gary McClure

Ladies was won by Jean McIlroy, defeating Billie Jo McClure.

The Player of the year went to Legion’s Rab Butler winning an impressive 49 of 61 frames played.

The Q Club Larne Open Singles was won by Titan’s Rhys McGlaughlin beating Q Club’s Ryan McKillop

The Wooden Spoon went to Pink Ladies.

League Champions were crowned in the final match of the league season. Greenisland Galacticos held off late challenges from Times Scorpions and Q Club Titans to win back to back titles. League app live was invaluable for live updates and frame differences etc.

We would like to thank SKC Gaming for their continued support of our league. Amber Castle entertainment for sponsoring the Harbour Cup and Q Club Larne for sponsoring our Open Singles event. We would like to thank Impact Network for their grant towards supporting the mental health of our players and Greenisland Club for hosting the Pool Together event.


If any teams want to join us next season, please get in touch via email at carrickpool@gmail.com or on any of our social media accounts: www.carrickpool.blogspot.com; www.facebook.com/carrickpoolleague; youtube.com/@carrickdistrictpoolleague3794

Our AGM and registration is on Tuesday 5th August in Greenisland club at 19:30 for the upcoming season.