SKC GAMING NI Masters into semi finals

In the Carrick and District Pool League, sponsored by SKC Gaming NI we began our annual master’s pool championships on Tuesday night.

Four venues hosted the first rounds of heats. 

In Greenisland WWMC we had 4 preliminary matches. 

Harry Warwick put up a good battle but Mark Porter prevailed 4-2. Newly crowned Grand Master Joe Patton fell to an in form Jim Gilchrist 4-0. Darren Whiteside had a walk over from Michael Wilson 4-0. 

Jim Miller rolled back the years. He simply out potted Steven Hamilton for a 4-1 victory. 

Jim Gilchrist romped to a 4-0 victory in the first round against Mark Porter. 

In a tight match, Darren Whiteside broke and dished to go 2-1 and pushed on to a victory 4-1 over Jim Miller. 

The quarter finals saw Jim Gilchrist levelling the scores with a break and dish at 2-2 before Darren Whiteside dug deep to get over the line 4-2. 

Darren faces Kenny English, 2019 champion, who won his heat in Whitehead Glasgow Rangers Supporters Club. 

In the prelims Paul Kerr had a walkover 4-0 from Julie Anne. Stephen Johnston won 4-0 against Aaron Reid. David Blair won 4-0 against Iain McMillan and Kenny English won 4-0 against Booysen. 

Paul Kerr defeated Steven Johnston 4-1 in the first round. Kenny defeated David Blair 4-0. 

Kenny won 4-3 against the reigning champion, Paul Kerr in their quarter-finals. Kenny was 3-1 up when Paul broke and dished then reverse dished to bring it to the hill. Kenny eventually took advantage of a bit of misfortune and held his nerve to finish. 

In Times Bar Stephen Herron was flowing as he swiftly dispatched of Gary McClure 4-0. Gary Fitzimmons also won 4-0 against Girvan Fleming. Stephen won the decider 4-0 is the quickest heats of the night to reach the semi-finals. 

Steven will face Jason Vorhees. In the Q club, Jason won 4-1 against Marion King. Colin Beckinsale won 4-1 against Joaney. Jean McIlroy had a 4-0 w/o from Rab Brown and Marty Kane had a 4-0 w/o from John McClean. Jason kicked into gear and won 4-1 over Colin. Marty came through a tight match with Jean 4-3. Jason cruised to a 4-0 victory in the quarter-finals 4-0 over Marty Kane. Jason, who recently took the Larne Masters title, would love to add this masters double of south east Antrim pool leagues to his trophy cabinet in an outstanding season so far. The semi-finals will take place on 13th May (venue TBC) 19:30 start. Darren Whiteside v Kenny English Steven Herron V Jason Vorhees. 

We hope to stream this event live on Carrick Pool League Facebook channel too.

Net week is an international pool break and there are no matches. We are back on 15th April with the seniors individuals.

Match Reports/Results from last night Tuesday 25th March

● Greenisland Derby Match

Greenisland Working Men's Social Clubs Colts V Galactico's 

With both teams obviously wishing to put a strong first foot forward Colts Vice Captain Colin Beckinsale and Galactico Paul Harris were selected to get the proceedings underway 

Resulting in a close game eventually going the way of Harris

Galactico Rodger Smyth would capitalise on his team mates positive start soon making it two in favour of his side

Galactico Ali Wilson would follow suit completing the hatrick thus making it Three Nil

Derek Whiteside would perform well in the next to see his team four in front

Colt stalwart Joe Patton would temporarily stall the Galactico's progress in the evenings fifth frame however with a particularly well executed clearance

Galactico Wilson would soon see his side back on track in the sixth 

Followed by a victory by team mate Gary Wallace saw the scoreline entering the half time interval 7 frames - 1 frame giving the Galactico's a great lead at this juncture 

Both teams again selected their players to begin the second half and to no ones surprise this again would consist of Colt Vice Captain Beckinsale and Galactico Harris 

Once again although even closer than the evenings first frame as if it were possible the result would go the way of the Galactico's via an excellent finish by Harris

Galactico Smyth would improve on his first half defeat in some style it must be said by way of an impressive Break & Dish win

Colt Aaron Watters brought the Galactico's back to earth somewhat immediately after however with a courageous positional cannon on his final colour to develop and therefore pot his black ball

The next frame would also prove to go the way of the Colts with a win for Captain Harry Warwick by way of a slip of the mind rightly being deemed a deliberate foul by Galactico Wilson

Colt Patton would next make it a second half three in a row hatrick for his lads

However this was quickly undone by Galactico Wallace completing a delectable Break & Dish finish

The evenings final frame would also culminate with a Galactico win via best player on the night and infact only player winning three from three played being Paul Harris

A competitive but friendly and most enjoyable Carrick & District Pool League encounter as always was had between these stable mate teams And it would finally conclude with a winning scoreline for the Galactico's being 10 compared to the Colts 4

● The new girls, the Pink Ladies travelled to Times Bar to take on the Scorpions.

The Scorpions sit in third place within touching distance of the leaders and know that any slip ups now would be the end of their hopes of league glory.

Davy Blair got the ball rolling with a solid performance followed by wins for Lee McIlreavy, Paul Kerr, Aaron Leslie and Michael Wilson to race to a 5-0 lead. Paul Kerr added his second win as did Davy Blair to make it 7-0 at the interval.

Scorpions kept their sting fully charged as Aaron Leslie secured all three points with a sublime break and dish in frame 8. Scorpions marched on with further wins for Davy Blair, Michael Wilson, Lee McIlreavy and Aaron Leslie to make it 12-0. Billie Joe McClure and Sarah Lou Graham had chances and put pressure on their opponents in the final two frames, alas the Scorpions’ Paul Kerr and Michael Wilson breathed a sigh of relief and secured a 14-0 score line.

● Q Club 6-8 Grange Ballyclare

Q Club welcomed down old team mate Ryan Scott as he, and Jackie Murdock, brought down their Grange team from Ballyclare. A close match was anticipated and this looked to be the case as the first 6 frames were evenly shared for a 3-3 scoreline. Highlights from this session were pinpoint finishes from Jim Gilchrist and William Irvine for both teams as the other 4 frames went down the scrappy route.

The Grange however would take a remarkable 5 frame burst to claim the 3 points aided by the arrival of the experienced Wayne Lewis who scored a classy hat trick in frames 7,9 and 11. Credit to the Larne boys who fought for a bonus point and got it thanks to Marty Kane in the last frame. 

For the home team there were braces for Marty Kane and birthday boy Kyzler Todd. For the visitors the aforementioned Wayne Lewis and Jim Gilchrist bagged hat tricks.

Titans move to the top of the league

In the Carrick & District Pool League, sponsored by SKC Gaming NI,  Galacticos had no match and the trailing pack had an opportunity to catch up.

Trojans travelled to the Q Club for a clash with the second placed, Titans.
Trojans pulled the trigger first with a win from a veteran of the game, Trev Whiteside. Up stepped the Ryan the king slayer Mackillop for the Titans to take out a clinical finish. Killer Millar stepped up and done what Millar does and grinded his opponent and to submission, taking to the Titans into an early lead 2-1. Trojans ‘never say die’ attitude quickly bounced them back with a win from Chris Hobson. The crafty pensioner, Alan Corrigan was up next to break and dish his opponent in a record time of 35mins. The Titans took the next four in a row with three more break and dishes. Trev Whiteside stopped the momentum and give his side hope of getting something from the game. He took out with a great finish to take the score to 7-3. Mark Millar and Andy Quinn took the match to 9-3. Stevie Hamilton for capitalized and took out a great finish making the game 9-4 with the final game of the night was two titans of the sport Ryan the king slayer Mackillop and king Kenny English it was Kenny to win the leg and tell Ryan “That’s a proper lag.” Kenny went on to dry break giving Mackillop cherries to finish the clash off 10-4 these three points were enough to move to the top of the league.

Grange Pool Team in Ballyclare hosted third placed Times Bar Scorpions. The first frame went to Scorpions captain, Lee McIlreavey and Grange’s captain Jackie Murdoch hit straight back. Scorpions Paul Kerr took the next and Granges hit back through Richard Kitson. Scorpions took the next two frames via a break and dish for Aaron Leslie and another for win for Paul Kerr. Stephen Herron had a fine break and dish to secure a half time score line of 3-4. Scorpions rallied and raced to ‘the hill’ with three on the bounce for Lee McIlreavy, Aaron Leslie and Davy Blair. Jackie Murdoch took out a superb finish to reduce the arrears to 4-7 before Davy Adair secured the points. Darren Whiteside and Lee McIlreavy took the final two frames to give the Scorpions a flattering score line of 4-10 against a very good side. Man of the match was Scorpions captain Lee McIlreavy with a solid hat trick of wins.

Pink Ladies hosted stablemates, Colts in Greenisland WWMC derby. Glen Burns got the Colts off to a great start and each Colts team member followed suit resulting in the score line being an impressive seven nil upon entering the half time interval.

Burns would also get his team over the winning line in the first frame of the second half followed my fellow John (Cujo) McClean making the result at this stage strongly in the Colts favour with a score line of nine nil.

The Pink Ladies hit back in the next two with a most impressive win containing at least four-highlight reel shots by Tracie Cooke and a strong performance by Jean McIlroy. Final score Pink Ladies 2 Colts 12.

Bowlers vs Q Club.

The Bowlers welcomed Q Club to Carrickfergus for a competitive match. The visitors got off to a flying start, capitalizing on some early errors from the Bowlers to secure three quick wins. However, the home side fought back strongly, levelling the score at 3-3. Young Matthew Booysen had the chance to complete the comeback, but fellow youngster Joel Quinn held his nerve to secure his second win of the night. 

After the break, Q Club took the first game, but the Bowlers responded well, winning the next two to make it 5-5.

In the closing stages, Q Club’s greater experience proved decisive as they claimed the final four games, sealing a well-earned 9-5 victory. Despite the loss, the Bowlers continue to improve, though eliminating costly mistakes and refining shot selection will be key to their progress.

A special mention goes to William Irvin for a well-executed break and dish, while Ian McMillan was undoubtedly the Bowlers’ standout player, winning all three of his matches.

 

In what seemed to be an epic match Times Bar Tigers had a 7-7 draw with Railway Blues.

Whiteabbey Legion had no match.

 

Ladies pool singles tournament

The event was help on two tables in The Greenisland Working Men and Women’s Club.

There were two strong groups of highly talented female pool players.

After a gruelling night of pool the top two frame scorers from each group reached the semi-finals.

‘Group one’ had former ladies Champion and possibly the most experienced pool player Jean McIlroy topping the group with an impressive 12 wins. Second place in that group was the youngest player in the ladies section, Billie Jo McClure with 10.

In ‘group two’ Marion King topped the group winning 9 frames and Sarah Lou Graham coming in second with 7.

The semi and finals will see Jean McIlroy taking on Sarah Lou Graham and Billie Jo McClure taking on Marion King. Races to 4 in semis and race to 5 in final.

A big thank you to Greenisland Club for hosting the event.

To be decided when and where Semi-final/finals night will take place

CDPL Make the league a safer space for our players' mental health

Carrick and District Pool League sponsored by SKC Gaming NI are endeavouring to make their league a safe space to talk about mental health and lessen the likelihood of members dying by suicide.

The committee successfully applied for funding and brought in Jim Weir from Fresh Minds Education to train proactive players in Connections Link Life suicide prevention Programme.

The funding gratefully came from Carrick Community Forum. We were warmly hosted by Lisa, Jess and Aimee at the Greenisland Jubilee Centre.

Twelve participants representing some of Carrick District Pool League teams and also had a representative from Northern Ireland Pool Association undertook the training.

The dedication of those who gave up their Wednesday nights for this training was appreciated. Participants now have the skills to recognise the signs and have the confidence to talk about the elephant in the room.

Team mates will know that talking about mental health is not a taboo subject and now have a safety net in their friends in Carrick and District Pool League.

If you would like this training please contact a committee member.

In the SKC Gaming NI Carrick and District Pool League this week we had our annual Grandmaster’s Competition. This event is open to all players of 60 years and over.

The first semi final saw Carrickfergus’ Joe Patton take on Whitehead’s Stevie Hamilton.

It looked like J Patton was going to have a comfortable path to the final. He raced into a 3-0 lead (in the race to 4), A missed opportunity in the fourth frame enabled Hamilton to take full advantage and pull one back. Hamilton won the next to go within one 3-2 down. Patton came through to win the match 4-2 and secure his place in the final.4

The Second semi final was between Carrickfergus’ Gary McClure and Greenisland’s Harry Warwick. McClure struck first and soon doubled his lead. Warwick hit back taking the next 3 to lead 2-3. Harry had a great chance to win the match 2-4, with the black ball sitting beside the bottom pocket. Harry went for a cross on his last ball but didn’t hit it hard enough.  Gary finished to draw level and won the final frame to book his place in the final. 

The Final was a Race to 5

In the first 3 frames Patton’s safety was too strong for McClure and eased to a 3-0 lead. Gary McClure won the fourth frame 3-1. Patton went on to win the next two frames to secure the match 5-1 & Title of SKC Gaming NI Carrick Pool League Grandmaster 2025.

Grandmasters and Ladies compete this evening

In the SKC GAMING NI Carrick and District Pool League

The Grand Masters Competition for over sixties is one of two highlights -

Venue - Whitehead Rangers Supporters Club
Time - 7pm
Format prelim race to 4
Semis race to 4
Final race to 5.

Reigning Champion is Robert Hawkins pictured right

Ladies Competition

Venue - Greenisland Working Men's Social Club  

 Time - 6pm

Format - Round Robin (two groups - top two in each group go into semis).

Race to 4 In semis

Race to 5 in final

Pictured left are some of the favourites to win the ladies competition this evening including former champion Jean McIlroy.

Best of luck to all.

Match Report/Results from Tuesday 4th March

3rd placed Scorpions welcomed Bay City Bowlers to the Times Bar.

Davy Blair set the standard with a sublime break and dish but Bowlers hit straight back with Jim Miller rolling back the years with a pinpoint finish. Scorpions reeled off the next 3 via Paul Kerr Aaron Leslie and Darren Whiteside before Gareth McIlwrath kept the Bowlers in it. The final frame of the first half went to Scorpions captain Lee McIlreevy with possibly the best finish of the night.

Scorpions kicked on and cruised to Davy Blair and Darren Whiteside chipped in to put Scorpions on the hill at 7-2. Bowlers captain Benny Booysen put up a great fight but Paul Kerr secured all 3 points. Aaron Leslie chipped in his second and Paul Kerr earned his hat trick at 10-2. Ryan Ward took the next frame for the Bowlers with a great positional shot to open up his last ball for the finish. Darren Whiteside wrapped things up with a great positional shot to make the black potable and secure a hat trick of his own. Final score Times Bar Scorpions 11-3 Bay City Bowlers.

Tuesday 4th March League Fixture Greenisisland Colts at Home versus The Grange away

The Ballyclare men got underway in quite convincing fashion via Johnny MacKay winning against Colt Joe Patton

This would be repeated in the second frame with a similarly convincing victory for Grange player Ryan Scott playing against Colt Captain Harry Warwick

This theme continued in the third with Grange player Gary Cowan making it a hatrick for the away side

The Ballyclare team would race away further still with Robin Blair performing well playing against a quite unlucky to go in off it must be said Colts Vice Captain Colin Beckinsale

Finally in the fifth the away sides runaway success would cease via Greenisland man Christopher McCurry performing well whilst playing Wayne Webster

This it would appear seemed to spur on fellow team member John (Cujo) McClean who would victor in the following frame

However The Grange Bar side would enter the interval strongly by way of another win by MacKay making the half time scoreline 5 - 2 in his teams favour

The second half would proceed with a second win of the evening for Ballyclare man Cowan

Followed Closely by a further victory and second win of the evening win for away side member Ryan Scott 

Next success in the second half would come slightly sooner than in the first half by way of Colt Captain Warwick denying MacKay his third win from three played

The Greenisland come back however would be Halted in the next by way of Ballyclare man Webster improving upon his first half defeat

The Colts would take the twelth frame of the evening however with a second win of the evening for (Cujo) McClean

Ballyclare man Murdock would win the next improving on his first half loss

And the evening would finish with away team player Scott being best player on the night being the only player to achieve 3 wins from 3 played

A most enjoyable evening of Carrick & District Leaugue pool was had by one and all 

Final Score Greenisland Colts 4 - Ballyclare's Grange Bar 10

Part 1 of the Connections Link Life 2 night Programme was a great success.

 

This suicide prevention course was funded by Carrick Community Forum and warmly hosted by Lisa and Jess at the Greenisland Jubilee Centre. The refreshments and nibbles were ideal.

We had 12 participants representing some of Carrick District Pool League teams and also had a representative from Northern Ireland Pool Association undertaking the training. 

Their sharing and participation brought the training to life. 

The dedication of those who gave up their Wednesday nights is appreciated by all at Carrick and District Pool League.

Yes, they are being trained up and will each be receiving their certificates next week but more importantly the people in their lives and of course their pool team mates will be suicide safer.

A big thanks goes to the facilitator Jim Weir too who facilitated in his professional and down to earth style to keep us all interested.

Next week is the conclusion of the course and certificates will be handed out. We might even take a few photos so don't forget the hair and make up :-)

Match Report/Results Tuesday 25th February

Q Club 6-8 Scorpions

Scorpions continued their title bid on Tuesday night with a hard fought away win down in Larne against Q Club. Nothing separated the sides in the first 4 frames as the score set 2 a piece. Highlights being a reverse dish from Q Clubs Jason Voorhees in frame 2. The Shore Road men would up it a gear to go in 5-2 at the break taking advantage of missed chances from the home team. 

Paul Kerr continued the winning streak in frame 8 to put Scorpions on the cusp of victory however the Larne men would stage a mini comeback to get back to 6-4. A classy Jason Voorhees break and dish and a tactical masterclass from Rorie McAllister. The Scorps dug in and kept their title challenge on track via the experienced duo of Darren Whiteside and Davy Blair. Q Club would take a deserved bonus point with Ian McCalmont winning the last frame.

Star performers on both sides undoubtedly Blair and Voorhees. Blair with a well earned hat trick and Voorhees with a faultless double.

Bowlers vs Colt’s 

The Greenisland Men Traveled up the road to Carrickfergus Bowling Club they raced into a two frame lead with Wins for Burns & Galloway only to be pegged back by the Carrickfergus Men I McMillan & M Booysen the next two frames were shared Warwick & McMillan 3-3 Colts took the seventh frame before the Break & Second win on off the Night 

As in the first half the Colts won the opening two games to lead 3-6 with wins for Patton & Galloway the Bowlers however fought back too within One Frame courtesy of McMillan & Topping Colts Vice Cpt Beckinsale securing at least a Draw for his team with a Sublime Reverse Dish Up Next was Colt’s Cpt H Warwick got out of a Snooker by hitting the side Cushion to pot his final Red & Landing plum on the Blackball Nudged it off his Opponents Ball & Into the Pocket & all 3 points on the Night 5-8 

The Bowlers still had a Chance of a Bonus Point with one game left however Colts Patton denied them by Winning the last frame off the Evening 

Bowlers I McMillan 3/3

Colts G Galloway 3/3 

Colt’s Vice Cpt Reverse Dish 

Bowlers 5-9 Colts

Scores from last nights Scotch Doubles

● The Grange Bar

Girvan and Thomas vs Stevie and Dessie - 4-2

Fish and Joe vs Trigger and Kenny - 4-0

● Final - Joe & Fish 4- 0 Girvan & Thomas

● McConnells Bar

Tyler and Ciaran vs Michael and Raff - 4-2

Johnny and Jim vs scott and Tom - 4-1

● Final - Johnny and Jim vs Tyler and Ciaran - 4-2

● Times Bar

Julie Ann and Joanie vs Cinto and Boomer - (by Winners Cinto and Boomer)

Rhys and Gerard vs Jim Millar and Darren (by Winners Jim Millar and Darren)

● Final - Cinto and Boomer vs Jim Millar and Darren - 4-0

● Whiteabbey Royal British Legion Club

Paul Kerr and Davy Blair vs Lewis and Darren - 4-0

Aaron and Buff vs Benny and Matt (by Winners Benny and Matt)

● Final - Paul Kerr and Davy Blair vs Benny and Matt - 4-0

● Greenisland Working Men's Social Club 

Prelims

Stevie H and Matt vs Billie-Jo and Tracie - 4-1

Jack and Chris vs Derek and Neil - 4-1

Hatchet and Penfold vs Stevie H and Matt - 4-0

Jack and Chris vs Rayn and Rab - 4-0

● Final - Jack and Chris vs Hatchet and Penfold - 4-2

● Carrickfergus Bowling Club

Dean and Shaun vs Jean and John - 4-3 

Ryan and Gareth vs Sarah Louise and Lori - 4-0

● Final - Dean and Shaun vs Ryan and Gareth - 4-1

● Whitehead Rangers Supporters Club 

Prelims

Sammy and Robin Aaron and Ricky - 4-0

Gary and Paul vs Marty and Joel - 4-2

Fulty and Simpsy vs Sammy and Robin - 4-0

Gary and Paul vs Andy and Alan - 4-1

● Final - Gary and Paul vs Fulty and Simpsy - 4-0

● Q Club Snooker/Pool Hall

Prelim

Tristan and Butler vs Mark and Graham - 4-0

Kitson and Jackie vs Tristan and Butler - 4-1

Harry and Colin vs Ciara and Marion - 4-1

● Final - Kitson and Jackie vs Harry and Colin - 4-0

● Into next Round

Joe & Fish

Johnny and Jim

Cinto and Boomer

Paul Kerr and Davy Blair

Jack and Chris Carson

Dean and Shaun

Kitson and Jackie

Gary and Paul

A few Write Ups, Reports & Results from Tuesday night. And we have a wee video clip from the Scorpions vs Railway Blues (Paul Kerr vs Neil McFaul).

●Scorpions welcomed The Railway Blues to the Times Bar. Davy Blair and Darren Whiteside took out pressured finishes to put the Scorpions 2 frames up. Former Scorpion Wes Smyth rolled back the years and pulled one back for the Blues. Paul Kerr had a break and sublime dish and Colin Rafferty chipped in with a well-executed finish to take the lead to 4-1. Robert Craig pulled another back for Blues before Paul Kerr chipped his second of the evening with a half time score of 5-2 in favour of the Scorpions. The next four frames were shared. Davy Blair and Darren Whiteside chipped in again for Scorpions. Wes Smyth and Craig Laughlin for Blues. The Scorpions were on the hill and Colin Rafferty eventually secured all three points. Michael Wilson and Davy Blair took the final two frames, preventing the Blues from getting a bonus point. Scorpions mvp was Davy Blair with a hat trick and Blues mvp was Wes Smyth with 2 form 2. Final score Scorpions 10 Railway Blues 4. With Galacticos having no match the Scorpions moved to second place in the league and Blues drop to 11th.

●Q Club 7-7 Whitehead Trojans.The second half of the SKC Carrick and District pool league commenced on Tuesday night and an eventual draw was played out in the Q Club Larne.The hosts took a quick 2-0 lead through Joel Quinn and Jason Voorhees however the visitors fought back with 4 frames in a row to guarantee the lead at the break. Highlights being Trevor Whiteside’s reverse dish. Marty Kane would win frame 7 to keep the gap at 1 frame.The Trojans would start the second half strong though and win the first 2 frames to secure a bonus point through Gary Fitzsimons and Stevie Hamilton. With work to do Q Club would get back in it with Joel Quinn and William Irvine taking out a pair of fine finishes to again cut the gap to 1. League stalwart Trevor Whiteside would get the Trojans a guaranteed point though, perhaps playing shot of the night against Marty Kane to leave Marty in a tough snooker and get control of the frame.The points would be shared though as Jake Quinn stepped up in frame 13 with a composed finish and Ian McCalmont kept his nerve against Girvan Fleming to pot the black, Girvan being very unfortunate to go in off his last colour through a 7 ball clearance. Overall a result the hosts will take and Trojans perhaps a bit unfortunate not to get the full points.Joel Quinn 2/2, Trevor Whiteside 2/2 and Stevie Hamilton 2/2

●The Bowlers hosted the Legion in what was hyped as a nail-biter of a showdown. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. Early on, the Bowlers’ strategy seemed to revolve around poor judgment and questionable shot selection, handing the Legion a golden opportunity to seize control.The momentum really swung in the third game when Andrew Abuffnot of the Legion unleashed an audacious Reverse Dish, leaving the crowd (and possibly himself) in awe. It was the kind of move that made you wonder if he practices or just winged it.Next came Ricky “Pocket Rocket” Rocket, squaring off against Rab Butler, the league's top dog. What followed was a chess match with pool cues, culminating in a black-ball showdown. Ricky edged it with a pocket so lucky you’d think he rubbed a rabbit’s foot before the match. As they say, "You can beat skill, but you can’t beat sheer dumb luck."Despite the occasional flashes of competitiveness, the Legion steamrolled their way to a 6-1 halftime lead. The second half was essentially a replay of the first: the Legion staying solid and the Bowlers staying… well, creative in their errors. Ian M did snag a victory for the Bowlers in a game where he looked doomed for most of it, proving that even a stopped clock is right twice a day.The grand finale saw Bowlers’ newbie Matthew Booysen with a chance to salvage some pride. Alas, nerves got the better of him, and a missed black that was easier than clubbing seals.The evening wrapped up with the Legion celebrating a commanding 12-2 victory. Kudos to them for a well-earned win. As for the Bowlers, improvement is happening, but at a pace slower than a snail with a hangover. Patience, folks. Rome wasn’t built in a day—though it probably had better shot selection.

Please find fixtures scheduled for 2025 *Please Note* The following may be subject to change if necessary due to the possibility of unforeseen circumstances arising

 

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.