Quarter Final Preview

The ladies once again set the tone for bowling in the new year with the Quarter Finals of the Inter-Zone championship.

Expectations are now raised as there are only eight teams remaining in the competition and three good performances could see even those teams considered as outsiders in with the possibility of lifting the trophy.

The quarter finals stage has thrown up three mouth watering ties each one difficult to call while the other tie presents the opportunity of a major upset especially as the home zone will be on home mats against the defending champions which makes this tie just as interesting. It is always good for the game to have a mixture of potentially close games and also the opportunity of a surprise team coming through.

At the top of the draw two recent winners face each other. Armagh ladies won the title in 2003 but did not build upon that achievement and have taken backward steps over the past few years. However they are more determined than ever to get win the trophy and have had two comprehensive wins in the previous rounds the problem is that they have not yet had a close game therefore their nerve in a close game has not been tested.

Oriel provide the opposition and they have the quality to test Armagh to the full and if both teams hit their peak form then this will be a cracker and would be worthy of a final. Oriel like several of the ladies teams have suffered after success with the competitive edge being lost after they won the title. As with Armagh Oriel are trying to re-establish the chemistry and team spirit that is needed as winners. Either team can be a potent force on their day but they need the right team spirit to be combined with their talent.

The great under-achievers are South Tyrone who has the most successful ladies team in the plate competition in the past ten years but they have not been able to produce that winning form or formula in the main, more coveted competition. They delivered their best performance for some years at home to a strong East Antrim team and if they can continue with that form they will be major challengers however if they are to lift the trophy their reliance upon excellent individual performances will need to be reduced. The positive is that as a team unit they have the capacity to improve but all need to take more responsibility and improve on consistency.

West down are the visitors and they will go with confidence after two fine home wins as they try to claim the title that they surprisingly won in 2006. Over the past couple of seasons West Down have reached the heights of the competition and experienced the lows losing in the first round as defending champions. Their form is returning to near their best which should help with their confidence. Within their team they have a core of players who know how to win therefore they will always be dangerous in one-off games especially in the later stages due to that previous experience.

Mid Ulster versus South Down is another game that could be decided over the last few ends so order of play will have to be looked at very closely by both managements. It is vital when teams are equally matched that the first half rinks settle very quickly and do not hand the opposition the early initiative. There have been many games where a lead over the first three or four ends has been the deciding factor in the outcome as the teams have cancelled each other out over the remainder of the game.

Home advantage may swing the game for the home team and South Down have also been disadvantaged by the fact that they have not yet played a competitive game together in this competition. 

The last quarter final has the defending champions on their travels and they will be the favourites to progress. Mid Down are in a no lose situation as expectations and pressure will be on Western. The home side will be dangerous if they come out relaxed and get into their stride in the early stages.

Western has rightly moved to the top of the rankings and are fast becoming the most consistent team in the competition. They have the quality to dominate the main ladies competition over the next few seasons but they will have to deal with the extra burden of expectation. They are no longer the unknown quantity and have deservedly earned the respect of the other zones however that also means the others zones will be raising their game every time Western are the opposition.

The quarter final line up could produce one of the most intriguing days of ladies bowls and take this competition into a new dimension for quality of performance.

North Eastern v Donegal, Cork v North West, East Belfast v Lisburn will be fighting it out to join Monaghan in the semi-finals of the shield.