Section A:- Antrim Cavan & Donegal Antrim 73 [7pts] v Cavan 32 [1pt]
Cavan opened brightly and had Antrim under pressure in the early stages but as the Antrim team settled they started to dominate across most of the rinks with the last half of the game where Cavan came to their demise. U McKeeman 11 v 4 MJ O'Connor
The O’Connor foursome from Cavan scored a three on the fourth end to take a one shot advantage. They immediately fell behind on the following end as losing a count of four to give the momentum back to Antrim. Although the Cavan rink continued to pose questions for the Antrim four the more experienced quartet were able to control the rest of the game with singles over the last four ends to win five consecutive ends to win by seven. P Reid 11 v 8 J Argue
After four ends the Antrim rink were in trouble and facing a five shot deficit [3-8]. They then went on to win the remaining ends to claim the victory but it was a close call as they only took the lead on the seventh end with a count of four. It was a patient game by the Antrim skip who did not panic after the early deficit. A Weir 12 v 3 U Gamble
The all female rink skipped by a Weir was the only Antrim rink not to be behind at some stage of their match. They won the first four ends to lead by six shots and only lost two ends conceding a single and a double over the nine ends. R Stubbs 16 v 2 R Hamilton
Two consecutive fours on ends four and five gave the Antrim rink total control of this match as the Cavan four were unable to build on their good start. The were no early signs that the Antrim rink would dominate but once they settled after being 1-2 behind at the completion of the third Cavan had not answers. Antrim won six successive ends to close out the game. S McKinley 12 v 2 B Keenan
Cavan got off to a confidence boosting start winning the first end but that was immediately undone as they lost a count of four. The foundation of Antrim’s win was completed from ends two through to four as they accumulated eight shots. Antrim only lost another solitary end but did not run away with the game completely as their opposition were able to curtail the counts. S Hall 11 v 13 K Smith
This was the success story of the day for Cavan. The match started with Antrim scoring on the opening two ends giving ominous signs for Cavan but the Cavan rink held themselves together and a two on the third end gave them confidence. Then they almost blew Antrim away in one end scoring a large count of six to take the lead. In the following end Antrim lay two shots and had an opportunity of taking out a Cavan bowl for a count. It was a calculated risk but unfortunately for Antrim the end was killed and had to be replayed. The end proved another body blow to Antrim as the Cavan four found their range and peppered the jack to lift a count of five. From three shots in front Antrim now had a massive task on their hands as they lost thirteen shots in three ends to heap pressure on themselves. They did manage to win the concluding four ends but still came up two shots short as Cavan consolidated and ensured they did not lose a count. Donegal 66 [8pts] v Cavan 29 [0pt]
Donegal were ruthless in claiming all available points winning all the rink match-ups and took a one point advantage over Antrim going into the head to head. P McGee 11 v 4 MJ O'Connor
Donegal took control of this game winning the first four ends to claim an eight shot lead. Cavan did win three of the remaining five ends but were unable to get close enough on the scoreboard to put Donegal under pressure. Donegal were able to limit the scoring ant thereby control the game from the front. L Jacob 21 v 3 J Argue
Young L Jacob stepped into the breech left with a late withdrawal to skip his rink to a convincing win. He was aided an abetted by his brother at third with Isobel Duncan marshalling the rink from lead. A five on the opening end was a good start and further counts of four help them to a fifteen shot lead after five ends before Cavan replied with a three. It was the only end that the Donegal foursome lost as they galloped to one of the biggest wins of the day. D McClintock 9 v 4 U Gamble
After four ends Cavan had a one shot lead with only five shots scored between the teams in a tight encounter. Donegal then went on to lose only one more end as a two and a four on consecutive ends in the middle of the game proved decisive in the win for Donegal. J Quinn 6 v 5 R Hamilton
This was an extremely tight game with J Quinn being mighty relieved to come out ahead despite losing the majority of ends [five]. The match was level at two shots apiece after four ends when Donegal claimed a three. It was the only end of the game in which more than a single was scored and it proved critical. Donegal followed it up by winning the next end to go four shots in front. Cavan kept the Donegal rink under pressure right to the end as the won the last three ends but unfortunately for them Donegal were able to restrict the scoring to singles to grasp a narrow but vital one shot win and more importantly a rink point. A Steele 8 v 6 B Keenan
Steele’s rink scored eight shots from end two through to end six and were able to take the victory even though Cavan fought back to win the last three ends. C Mabon 11 v 7 K Smith
A count of five on the second end put Donegal in control but a loss of three shots on the penultimate end meant that it was a more nervous final end than expected. Donegal 43 [4pts] v Antrim 43 [4pts]
This game went right down to the last bowl of the game and although P McGee was on the receiving end of a defeat by the McKeeman four he held his nerve under the utmost pressure to draw the shot and level the overall score ensuring Donegal progressed despite never being ahead in this vital head to head. It was an all or nothing bowl for McGee who rose to the occasion meaning euphoria for one side and utter disappointment for the other. Donegal showed what a fighting team they are and that they are in top form at present as they pulled back a deficit which had reached nine shots going into the last third of the game. They are a resilient group who have the happy knack of producing their best when faced with adversity. P McGee 3 v 11 U McKeeman
Donegal won the first end. Antrim replied winning the following seven ends accumulating eleven shots to lead 11-1. The Antrim foursome had put their team on the brink of victory but McGee proved the unlikely hero in defeat for Donegal as he claimed that excellent drawing shot. McKeeman had already saved the game once for Antrim taking out a Donegal bowl but McGee delivered the final bowl with Antrim now out of ammunition. L Jacob 6 v 12 P Reid
Reid’s four took a grip on the game with counts of six and four on the fifth and sixth end to lead by ten shots. It could have been a calamitous ending for the Donegal Jacobs but despite not being accustomed to such tension as skip and third they held their nerve and did not panic. The Antrim tactics changed becoming more attacking which if successful would have killed off their opposition however some narrow misses allowed the Donegal four to capitalise on open heads to win the remaining three ends to help reduce the overall arrears. D McClintock 4 v 5 A Weir
The scores were locked together at 2-2 after six ends as the teams shared two tied ends in succession. Antrim were very unfortunate not to have a lead as Donegal contrived somehow to restrict the scoring and negate the dominance of the all lady rink that they had displayed on the mat. It was even more frustrating for the Antrim foursome as they fell behind on the seventh end. Antrim were trailing by a shot going into the final end but produced the crucial deliveries to claim two shots and a very important point for Antrim. In the context of the overall game Antrim had to win this game otherwise Donegal would have been through prior to the final game between McGee and McKeeman finishing. To their credit the ladies came to the fore keeping Antrim in the game with the skip even disappointed that she did not promote a toucher into the ditch for a third shot. J Quinn 9 v 6 R Stubbs
Donegal only won three of the regulation nine ends but they played an excellent ‘match play’ game by restricting their opponents to minimal shots when losing an end while maximising the opportunities that came their way. A mixture of excellent bowls and massive dollop of good fortune made the sixth end vital as Donegal walked away with a count of five. A Steele 9 v 4 S McKinley
A count of four on the fourth end assisted Donegal to a 6-4 lead with only two ends to go. The overall game was in the balance but Donegal were the side that came up with the important bowls to win the last two ends scoring three shots. C Mabon 12 v 5 S Hall
The Antrim four replicated their first game by winning the first two ends. Then for the second game running they lost a count of five which totally derailed them and visibly gave Donegal a huge boost of confidence. Donegal proceeded to win the next four ends and take a seven shot lead. A double on the ninth end halted the Donegal charge and gave Antrim hope of reducing the deficit further in the final end however Donegal were up for the challenge and claimed two shots for a significant seven shot win. Donegal seemed to relish the closeness of the match and responded with some excellent bowls while some Antrim players let the tension of the closing ends get the better of them. Antrim were in a position to win this game comfortably but they could not shake off a very competent Donegal unit who thrived on the occasion. It may be harsh but the reality is that Cavan have a small pool of players to select from and as a result lack the strength in depth to compete at this level. The experience was certainly beneficial for their players but only to a degree. The way forward would be for them to compete at their own level with victories and close games being of more benefit to them than comprehensive defeats. Donegal 12 pts Antrim 11 pts Cavan 1pt | 
