Dunbarton quartet lift Private Greens Fours title

Facing the Larne rink skipped by Irish international David McRandall, the Gilford men showed their class throughout at Ulster Transport Bowling Club to cruise to a facile 23-10 success with two ends remaining. Right from the start the locals looked determined and in truth there only ever looked like being one winner. On the very first end two superb take outs by third DJ left the Gilford rink lying five shots with just one bowl remaining. Although the Larne skip did cut the number of shots down to just one, this was a sign of things to come as the Dunbarton men dominated throughout. The loss of a single on end four saw the Larne four move into a 2-3 lead but that was as close as the game got. A superb fifth end by all four local bowlers resulted in a treble and this was quickly followed by nine more unanswered shots and a very healthy 14-3 advantage after 11 ends – this included a brilliant drawing shot by skip Myles on end ten when he drew the shot with five shots against him. On end 12 the Larne rink finally stopped the rot and scored a double followed by a single on the following end, but another superb Greenfield weight shot took out the lying Larne bowl for another treble. By end 16, the locals were ahead 19-9 and any thoughts of a Larne comeback were extinguished by a further treble and a single for a fourteen shot advantage with three ends remaining. To their credit, McRandall's quartet did not give up and with one bowl remaining on end 19, they lay five shots. However, during both the semi final five days earlier and the final itself, Myles had showed a masterclass on how to play pressure bowls and sure enough another magnificent bowl ensured the loss of a solitary shot and their rivals shook hands. This was a very professional performance by the Gilford men. Buoyed by their dramatic win against Jim Baker's Ballymena quartet the previous Monday, there was a steely determination about the Dunbarton foursome. They knew that the title was there for the taking and they took it in style. Skip Myles showed yet again what a top quality player he is and backed up by his very solid front three, this was a fully deserved title. This is the third time Myles has lifted the Private Greens Fours title and his fifth PG title in total. DJ lifted the Fours title in 2006 and this was also his fifth PG title. Michael was also on the rink that won the fours in 2006 while this is only Andrew's second year in the Private Greens and already he has a PG title. Next up for the Fours Champions is an Irish semi final against the rink skipped by Alan Paul (Ballymoney) on Friday September 3 at the Old Bleach club in Randalstown. This will be a tough game for the locals but they should enter this game full of confidence. In the meantime, there is the small matter of a league title and Private Greens Cup to play for with their clubmates at Dunbarton.