Scintillating Rathcoffey displays sends Coill Dubh tumbling in KWWIBA

Rathcoffey travelled the short journey to the picturesque village of Coill Dubh on the January 31 to take on Coill Dubh in the Division 2 Round 11 bowling league in the Coill Dubh Community Hall.

Coill Dubh who have been ‘firing on all cylinders’ from the start of the league would be very confident in this clash having home advantage. If they were to win all five points on offer it would propel them to the top of the league table.

Rathcoffey on the other hand need to muster something out of this game to move them away from the danger zone. They are a match for any side if they play to their full potential, but inconsistency at times is their big problem, and one is never sure which team will turn up.

All So Easy

On mat 1 the visitors started in great fashion with a score of two, but it was short lived as the home team wiped out that advantage very quickly with a score of three to lead by one.

On the third end Rathcoffey levelled up the game at 3/3. From hereon the game swung in favour of the visitors, as they were very much rampant, scoring at will time and time again.

This was a night when Coill Dubh seemingly could do nothing right, nobody would have predicted that it would be the tenth end before they registered their second score of the night making the score 16/4 in favour of Rathcoffey. Coill Dubh tried their best to get back somewhat into the game but there was no let-up by their opponents. It was one of those nights that the home team may just forget, as unbelievingly it was all so easy for Rathcoffey winning on a margin 24/7.

Coill Dubh: Mary Hogan, Albert Perris, Thomas Hogan, Jody Gordon and sub Henry Farrell.

Rathcoffey: Gerry McCann, Rita Campbell, John Tuite, Padraic Byrne and sub Bernie Barry.

                                                                            Sigh Of Relief

Rathcoffey couldn’t have asked for a better start on mat 2, after three ends they were seven scores to the good. Coill Dubh fought back and within two ends had narrowed the gap to leave two scores between the sides. The visitors increased that lead to three on the next end and were playing well.

But Rathcoffey as they are prone to do sometimes went into one of their ‘little slumbers’ and allowed their opponent right back into the game leaving the score 8/8.

The visitors took the initiative again and began to pull away to open up a substantial lead with the score standing at 16/10 with only two ends to play.

Once again Rathcoffey went into another lapse and allowed Coill Dubh to close the gap to three and give them a fighting chance on the last end.

What drama! Nail biting stuff as Coill Dubh threw every bit of knowhow to try and redeem the game. Coill Dubh holding four and with Myra Gavin the Rathcoffey skip with the last bowl of the match to play needed to at least reduce that situation to two scores to get her team over the line.

A magnificent shot especially under such pressure saw her bowl roll down close to the jack and give her side a score of one to see off the Coill Dubh challenge on a final score of 17/13.

There was a sigh of relief all round from the Rathcoffey contingent, but how they allowed the situation arise in the first place is anyone’s guess in a game that they looked to have wrapped up.

Perhaps lucky at the finish but certainly deserved the win.

Coill Dubh after this defeat drop to fourth spot, while Rathcoffey winning all five points move up to around mid-table.

Coill Dubh: Michael Hogan, Mossy Baker, John Moran and Joss Gordon.

Recent League Results (home team first)

Div.1: Rathmore 5, Brownstown 0; Castlemitchell 5, Kill CBC 0; Hollywood 5, Allen 0; Brownstown 0, Ardclough 5; Kildare 5, Caragh 0.

Div.2: Baltinglass/Kiltegan 5, Prosperous 0; Blessington 5, Rathangan 0; Balyna 5, Athy 0; Prosperous 2, St. Laurences 3; Coill Dubh 0, Rathcoffey 5; Rathmore 5, Baltinglass/Kiltegan 0.

Div.3: Caragh 2, Donard/Glen 3; Naas 5, Ryston 0; Ballymore 1, Straffan 4; Kilcullen 3, Caragh 2; Hollywood 1, Kildare 4; Donard/Glen 3, Allenwood 2; Straffan 0, Ryston 5. Kildare 2, Ballymore 3.

Div.4: Kilcullen 2, Clane/Staplestown 3; Donard/Glen 3, Ardclough2; Celbridge 3, Balyna 2; Balyna 5, Donard/Glen 0.

Div.5: Abbey Bowls 5, Clane/Staplestown 0; Balyna 4, Castlemitchell 1.