Balyna keep pace with leaders in KWWIBA after great escape

Balyna’s Great Escape

Rathcoffey travelled across country to Balyna’s heartland to take on the home team in the Cadamstown Community Hall in this Ned Byrne Shield (Section 1) tie on Tuesday November 15.

Both team needed some points to keep themselves up around the mid-way table and keep pace with the leaders.

Incredible Recovery Not Enough

On mat 1 the home team started off brightly and were first to score, and again on the next two ends, although it was only one score on each occasion it didn’t seem a big concern for Rathcoffey at this early stage. But when the trend continued end after end and the visitors continued to be held scoreless it didn’t bode well at all.

With two thirds of the game completed we had the very unusual situation of a team that failed to register a score for that length of time in a game. Balyna were leading at this stage by twelve scores to zero. In fairness Rathcoffey were a bit unlucky at times, if it weren’t for the fact that they didn’t concede big scores to their opponents the scoreboard would have looked very ugly indeed.

With only five ends to go and Balyna looking like they were home and dry they decided to introduce a sub, Rathcoffey decided at the same time to introduce a sub also.

Surprise, surprise, in the next four ends it looked like a completely different Rathcoffey team, as they came storming back and had the home team really rattled and on the back foot. Within those astonishing four ends they had incredibly pulled themselves out of the mire and right back into the game.

Were we dreaming or were we really looking at a scoreboard that now read Balyna 14 Rathcoffey 12. This was one of the greatest recoveries in such a short span without doubt.

Last end to play, the pressure was now on the home team, after looking so comfortable for so long they needed to calm the nerves to see out the game. They duly obliged and will be thankful to survive such a late onslaught from such courageous opponents.

Final score: Balyna 18 Rathcoffey 12.

Balyna: Rita Kinsella, Margaret Colgan, Maureen Watters, Noel Kinsella and sub Derek Mooney.

Rathcoffey: Sheila Kenny, Bernie Barry, John Tuite, Mick Seery and sub Olive Fitzpatrick.

Rathcoffey Take Two

Mat 2: This mat was a completely different game of bowls altogether than mat 1. Although Balyna were also first of the mark in this game by a score of one, it was Rathcoffey on the second end with a score of one. The home team edged ahead by the minimum on the third, but again their opponents levelled up the game on the fourth for the second time.

On the next couple of ends the visitors had moved ahead by six scores but within a few ends the home team had reduced the gap back to two.