Mulholland is champion

IBA President, Erroll Whitten, hands over the Cup to the new Irish Open Singles Champion Neil Mulholland (Lisnagarvey).

He beat Ian McClure 21-12 in a convincing final performance and what a season the Lisnagarvey captain has etched out.

It all started when he won a bronze medal in the triples at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland and at that stage he had reached the NIBA singles semi-finals. He went on to win the NIBA title, which set up a place at the Irish finals.

Mulholland won through to the final with a 21-17 win over A. Morrison, Ballymena. just having that bit to spare throughout.

The Garvey skip had not been playing too well since the Glasgow success, but he again came good at the right time.

It was bitter disappointment for the Lisnagarvey rink of Scott Jess, Martin Nelson, Philip Cromie and Noel Graham when they lost by a shot in the semi-final.

They were leading by three shots with an end left against Myles Greenfield’s Dunbarton rink, but missed out at the final bowl.

It was a great year for Garvey who won the George Richardson Bowl as the best club at the NIBA Championships, being represented in four finals, including an all-Garvey rinks final.

There was also disappointment for Steven Kirkwood, who now plays at Old Bleach, when he lost 21-17 to J. Moffett, Rathfriland, thus surrendering the youth singles he won last year.

There was even more dismay for Kirkwood when he lost 21-5 to D.O’Kane, Letterkenny in the junior singles semi-final.