Larne league poised for decider

THE Larne and District Pool League championship will be decided tomorrow (Thursday) night.

Action has been on ice for the past fortnight, but after a spell of cup competition the focus is very firmly on the table and much could change in the final round of fixtures in the Larne and District HPS-sponsored league.

Ibrox, whose 19-match unbeaten run was ended by their closest rivals, The Feathers, lead by a single point as they prepare to host No1 Club. The Feathers, meanwhile, travel to Larne FC.

Fixtures - Ibrox v No1 Club, Larne FC v The Feathers, No1 Blues v The Gers, Station Bar v Eagle Rockets, Thatch Bar v Larne FSC, Ulsterbus Eagles v St Comgall’s.

Thatch trio victorious

Bill McIlroy Jnr, Gerry McCorry and Bill McIlroy Snr were worthy winners of the Smyth and Hastings Mortgage Advisers three-a-side competition.

Having disposed of Eagle A in the first round, they saw off No1 A in the last eight and The Feathers in the semi-final.

Gers B trio Neil McKelvey, Darren Sterrett and Kenny Hylands had reached the final with victories over Ulsterbus B, Eagle B and Ibrox 93s, but succumbed to fantastic play by the Thatch men, who won 5-1.

Ed is new champion

Ibrox player Ed McDowell lost only five of 33 frames on his way to winning the SRM Services individual championship.

On Sunday, the 27-year-old emerged from a field of 33 to lift the cup for the first time at the end of two days’ competition in the Larne Glasgow Rangers social club.

Beaten finalist Alan Johnston had taken some big scalps before losing 6-2 to McDowell. The Feathers man, who won the individual trophy in 1987, only started playing competitively again two years ago and is regaining the form that made him one of the best players on the circuit.

Defending champion and favourite Neil McKelvey lost to Bill McIlroy Jnr in a great quarter-final tie.

No1 Club teenager William Irvine made it through to the last eight but was unfortunate to meet eventual winner McDowell, who was in devastating form.

Quarter-finals:

Darren Whiteside 5, Stephen Read 2

Bill McIlroy Jnr 5, Neil McKelvey 2

Alan Johnston 5, Kenny Hylands 4

Ed McDowell 5, William Irvine 0

Semi-finals:

Johnston 5, McIlroy 3

McDowell 5, Whiteside 2

Final:

McDowell 6, Johnston 2.