Armagh v Mid Down

The ultimate team bowling event for ladies comes to a conclusion this Saturday, 21 February 2009. It is the culmination of a season long campaign for the ladies to establish which zone team can be regarded as the best. Armagh and Mid Down are the contenders in the final of the Ladies Inter-Zone competition to be played at Dromore Cathedral Church Hall commencing at 2pm. Spectators will need to get there early for a seat as the hall will be packed and once the game starts the volume level will hit the end of the scale as each set of spectators attempts to give their team the lift and encouragement required. The atmosphere will not be for the faint hearted, some will relish the challenge others will let it be detrimental to their performance. It is up to the players to ignore the outside influences and concentrate solely on their game otherwise it will not be the enjoyment they crave.  

Who has the temperament to deal with the undoubted nerves that will hit all the participants at some stage of the game? It could be the very beginning or it could be near the end when a player is asked to ditch the jack in a straight forward looking shot or it could be the final bowl of the day, an all or nothing situation. This is not another game nor is it run of the mill it is a final with a trophy and more important kudos at stake. All zones want to be hailed as champions and in a team event the camaraderie is essential and can be the decisive factor.  

Both teams have played excellent bowls to get the final and after a season of striving one side will walk away elated and the other rather dejected and thinking of what might have been. Losing is never easy to take and is even more distasteful in a final.  

Armagh will be striving for their five title which would put them equal second in the table of most wins. Mid Down have only ever won the trophy once and co-incidentally it was against Armagh in 1989. Armagh did return the following season to claim the trophy for the first of their four wins. Recent history would make Armagh favourites but then again Mid Down have been outsiders throughout their campaign and can go into the match knowing that they defeated last year’s winners Western in the quarter final. Western have been the top ladies team over the past few seasons and were regarded as a team capable of retaining the trophy. To have such a scalp must give the Mid Down ladies quiet confidence. They will have to be wary of the vociferousness of the opposition and must not be intimidated by noise or tactics of Armagh who are more excitable and show more enthusiasm than the majority of ladies zones. More of the Armagh players will be well versed with the atmosphere but it is up to Mid Down to use the atmosphere as a positive to produce a first class performance. The atmosphere generated by the Armagh contingent should be compulsory for all zone games, it raises the game to a new level.  

Neither side have stuck by the exact team that won their respective semi-finals which is a very brave move but whoever plays will remember that the success of both teams has been down to a squad of players, not only the twenty four per side participating in this game.  

It will be interesting to observe if either team adopt different tactics regarding who plays in the first half and who they want to hold in reserve for the second period should it be a tight ending. The likelihood is that May Cassells will be employed as the stabilising influence of the first period for Armagh as she has a wealth of experience and will generally maximise any opportunities that come her way. Mid Down will need to match this rink and ensure that in the early stages they are not over-awed by the occasion on any of the mats. If Mid Down are within touching distance at half time it will be a massive boost for their remaining three rinks as they have proved that they have the character to see through victories in very tight games. Armagh will have to be aware of the fighting spirit of Mid Down and cannot underestimate them in any way as the ladies have a fierce bite if let off the leash to roam as they wish.  

Mid Down shocked Western in the quarter-final then went on to beat South Down in a close finish coming from behind in the semi-final. It is a tough task ahead but they will be hoping that history repeats their 1989 victory. There are five members of that winning side still playing for Mid Down, Anne McCreanor, Geraldine Morgan, Peggy Rice, Kathleen Doyle and Robin Gibson.  

The Mid Down selectors have re-called two players who were unavailable due to illness for the semi-final and in a bold move have tinkered with the team and made a few positional changes

Mid-Down Team:

Rink 1: M Burgess, N Russell, T Bell & E McKinley

Rink 2: T Connor, A Taggart, A McCreanor & C Tumelty

Rink 3: I Meharry, G Crockard, M Wylie & L Lusty

Rink 4: F McCann, M Woodside, K Doyle & R Gibson

Rink 5: E Kennedy, G Morgan, J Copes & P Rice

Rink 6: M Ward, B Bassett, A McElnea & K Woodside

Reserves (in alphabetical order): June Davies, Mary Massey, Betty McKeating, Marguerite Toman

Armagh were ruthless and destructive in the first two rounds of this competition which sent a signal out to the other challengers that Armagh were highly competitive and focused for this campaign and not as sweet as the apples that come from the orchard county. They have been among the favourites for the title since the turn of the century winning the trophy in 2001 and 2003. It is somewhat of a surprise that they have not won the championship during the last five seasons as they have had the resources available to dominate the competition over that period of time. R Cassells has been in very good form since moving up to skip from third and it is a compliment to how well she and her rink are playing that she maintains that spot despite the return of the classy Catherine McMillen who will be playing third to Flo McNally. Flo led in the final of 1989 and is one of the few survivors from that experience which is now twenty years ago.  

The team has evolved from their opening round win and one significant change has been made by the selectors who have attempted to strengthen F McNally’s rink by bringing back C McMillen after she missed the semi-final win.  

Armagh Team

Rink 1: B Wilson, V Leckey, S White & P Beattie

Rink 2: Y Hayes, S Garvey, E McDonald & B Malone

Rink 3: L Milligan, E Lavery, H Agnew & R Cassells

Rink 4: A Crozier, J Hawthorne, C McMillen & F McNally

Rink 5: A Crozier, S Whittle, A Patton & D Marshall

Rink 6: M Wright, M Hobson, D Agnew & M Cassells

Reserves (in alphabetical order): G Garvey, E Hunter, D Pearson, J Thompson

It will be attesting time for all the players but yet an enjoyable experience and if both teams play to their potential then the final could be a classic.