Scorpions 13 Carrick Golf Club 1
League leaders, Carrick Golf Club travelled to second placed Scorpions in to the Times Bar. In the first frame Lee McIlreevy benefitted from a Paul Cowan juggled black to put the home side 1 up. Two for Paul Kerr, Darren Whiteside, Davy Blair, Michael Wilson and Stephen Johnston took the score to 7-0 at half time.
Michael Wilson chipped in with some crisp potting to secure the points in frame 8. Stephen Johnston broke and finely dished before Davy Blair made a complicated finish look easy for 10-0. In an epic tactical frame Raymond Hagan finally got on the scoreboard for the Golf Club. With the black over the pocket, Karl Crozier potted his penultimate ball but screwed the cue ball into the middle pocket. Michael Wilson gratefully accepted the gift for his hat trick.
Darren Whiteside took two more frames securing his hat trick and a solid 13-1 victory. Scorpions leapfrog the Golfers and reach the summit early. A few of the frames could have went either way but the experienced Scorpions took their chances more clinically than the Golf Club, who will improve over the season. Golf Club move down the table to 8th place following the result.
Q club 9 Railway Blues 5
Q Club opened their 24/25 home campaign with a tightly fought victory over the Railway Blues. Q Club had a number of debutants on show and the Blues were boosted themselves with the signing of former Galactico Neil McFaul.
Q Club got off to a fast start with a 4-1 lead although that probably flattered the hosts with the visitors missing a couple of good chances. A McFaul and Laughlin double brought the Blues back into it at half time, each with good finishes.
Q Club used the experience of Jason Voorhees to edge to a 5-3 lead, Tiger taking out a magnificent cut on his final ball to deny McFaul a hat trick.
This was enough for the hosts to take 3 of the next 4 to take the 3 points. Shout out to vice captain Rorie McAllister for his impressive clearance in frame 11.
Best on the night was Blues Craig Laughlin with a fine hat trick. For Q Club there were doubles for Jason Voorhees, Marty Kane, Ian McCalmont and Ciaran O’Toole.
Q Club move up to joint second place in the league table.
Grange Ballyclare 7 Whiteabbey Legion 7
The Grange welcomed Whiteabbey legion for their first home game of the season. The legion raced into a 4-0 lead with wins for Kevin Mullen, Mark Porter, Jessie McCullough and a fine reverse dish from Rab Butler.
The game then turned when Andy Arbuthnot inexplicably went in off after potting the black.
Further wins for Paul Shannon and Stephen Herron left the half time score 4-3 to the legion.
The second half started the same as the first with the legion taking the first 3 frames through Kevin Mullen, Mark Porter and Rab Butler.
The Grange boys dug deep and took the last 4 frames to salvage a draw with wins from Jim Gilchrist, a fine finish from Paul Shannon, Jackie Murdock and another fine finish from Ryan Scott in the final frame.
Doubles on the night for K Mullen, M Porter, R Butler, J Murdock and P Shannon.
The result leaves Whiteabbey Legion in fourth place and the Grange in sixth place in the table
Carrick Bowlers 4 Whitehead Trojans 10
The Carrick Bowlers hosted the Whitehead Trojans in a highly anticipated clash. The Bowlers got off to a strong start, but the Trojans quickly rallied with four consecutive wins that left the Bowlers reeling. By the break, the Trojans held a commanding 5-2 lead.
After the interval, the Trojans continued their momentum and the Bowlers pulled one or two back but ultimately the Trojans secured the victory. While the scoreline of 10-4 suggests a comfortable win, it doesn't fully reflect the close nature of many games in the second half. Some missed chances proved costly for the Bowlers, as the Trojans capitalized on every opportunity.
The match was played in great spirits by both teams. Special mention must go to Gary Fitzsimmons, whose shot of the match was an impressive black ball pot while in a tight snooker.
Trojans move to 5th place in the league, with Bowlers 10th.
Greenisland Galacticos 13 Times Tigers 1
Following their bye in week 1, Greenisland Galacticos started their title defence with a tricky tie at home to the Tigers. Honours were even after the first two with Roger Smyth opening for the hosts and Stephen Simpson equalising for the visitors.
The next two went the way of the home side as Gary Wallace and returning ace Aaron Rolston edged two tactical frames but after a nervy start the hosts didn't lose another frame.
Hat tricks for Rolston, Wallace and Marcus and a brace each for Smyth and Crawley gave the defending champions an ideal start to the season.
The result moves them into 7th place in the table, with the Tigers in 9th place.
Pink Ladies 1 Q club Titans 13
Tough start to the season for the Pink Ladies saw them lose 13 1 to Q Club Titans. Jean McIlroy was the only winner for the Ladies, while the dominant Titans standout players were Tyler McKee and Mark Millar with hat-tricks and Jack Carson, Rhys McLaughlin and Dean McDonagh with two wins each.
The result saw Titans move to third place on 5 points from 2 games, with the Ladies propping up the table in 13th place.
Early days though and plenty of matches for things to turn around.
