05/04/2026
So last week we brought our season to a close with this Cup Final defeat to the treble winners Spa Golf Club, it was just one of those nights were we just weren't at our best and didn't show what we were capable of and when you are playing against Spa GC you need to be at your best to have any chance, congratulations to Spa on a dominant display and their season were they won the the clean sweep in our league and for us although disappointment in this defeat we managed a runners up finish in the league and runners up in this cup so all in all we showed plenty of great performances through the season not least in our win away at Spa GC in the league which hasn't been done by a visiting team in many a year and some good performances in the Cup to get the final, so plenty of positives to take into next season and hopefully we can kick on and go one better when the season starts in September later this year. Well done and thankyou to the Lecale League and their committee for a brilliantly run league and Cup competitions again this season everything ran smoothly as usual. And to Phillip Woodside and Artie Rice for the reports every week on the Mid Down Zone page which keeps everyone informed of the results every week.
LECALE LEAGUE CUP FINAL BY PHILIP WOODSIDE
SPA GC 49 V 19 ST MARYS
This was a repeat of last seasons final which went to the last bowl of the match to get a winner and hopes were high of another close encounter but sadly the defending champs were in no mood for such a match when they came out all guns blazing, blowing the opposition away on the first run of games with St Mary’s lucky to even score the single shot they got from a total of 14 ends play when the players from Spa GC put in a great performance scoring 27 shots from the same 14 ends to put the match out of reach. A mixture of great play from Spa and a St Marys side that didn’t show up on the first run. On mat 1, at the neutral venue of Dunsford, Derek McCann, Colin Wilson, Paul McNamara and Alan Laughlin were relentless as they won all seven ends against Meghan McCabe, winning 15-0, it was going just as well on mat 2 for Davy Cavan, Artie Rice, Robin Horner and Adam Gilmour only losing their last end against Michael Trimby to finish 12-1 winners. This rink went straight back onto mat 1 were they were up against Neil Brown and although they only won three ends they reduced the opposition rink to single shots on the other four ends to secure a 7-4 win. It would be the same story on mat 2 when Meghan McCabe and her rink of Karen Woodside, Stephen Duggan and Tony Ward also won four ends with singles and would drop two shots on the last end to Peter Christie to finish in a 4-4 draw.
The final two games had Peter and his rink of Ivor Johnston, Cyril Cromie and Graham Christie up against the Trimby rink and would win five ends in their 8-2 victory, St Marys finally turned up in the final game when Philip Woodside, Terry Quinn, David Anderson and Neil Brown also won five ends in their 8-3 win over the Laughlin quartet for a wee bit of pride.
This result meant that Spa GC secured the treble this season, winning the league and both cups for a very successful season while St Mary’s end up as Runners-up in both league and cup. The presentation of the cup was made by Noel Holland, chairman of Dunsford Bowling Club, to Artie Rice winning Captain of Spa GC who went on to thank the host club for the use of the facilities.
