Sport

Doherty and Rutledge are champions of Champions

DAVID DOHERTY and Norman Rutledge lifted the Champion of Champions pairs title in Belfast Indoor Bowls Club at the weekend.

However, the Sixmilecross duo had to battle all the way against the mother and son combination of Rosemary and David Beattie from Drumgor.

The scores were level on several occasions before the Beatties gained a two-shot advantage going into the concluding end. Despite staring defeat in the face, their opponents held their nerve to pick up a count of three and triumph by the narrowest of margins.

Doherty and Rutledge reached the decider with a 12-6 defeat of St Anthony's Seán and Martin Trainor, while the Beattie's got home by two shots against Trevor and Johnny Gray of All Saints, Tullylish.

Spa Golf tasted success in the triples when Derek McCann and Graham and Peter Christie had few anxious moments as they romped to a seven-shot win against Ulster Transport's Mark Devlin, Billy Johnston and Stephen McKinlay.

The Ballynahinch side had a much tougher examiation in their sem-final against the St Mark's, Portadown trio of Eddie Campbell, Andrew Leckey and Jal Richardson.,

In arguably the game of the day the golfers just got home by a single shot. McKinlay's triple booked their place in the final by also finishing one shot ahead of their opponents Sean Breen, Billy Johnston and Danny McDonald of St Anthony's.

The opening round of the IIBA men's inter zone competition gets underway on Saturday and the draw is: East Antrim v Mid Tyrone; Oriel v Western; Cork v N Down; Mid Antrim v Armagh; Foyle S Tyrone; N Eastern v Larne; North West v West Down.