A SPIRITED Provincial Towns side prevailed over the Private Greens League and clinched the IBA Inter-Association Championship in the Ward Park sunshine last weekend.
In a winner-takes-all shootout, with both teams arriving into the final game unbeaten, it was the young Provincials who overturned a two-and-a-half point deficit to defeat the reigning champions.
The Inter-Association Championship sees the four bowling associations in Ireland – the Northern Ireland Bowling Association (NIBA), Northern Ireland Private Greens Bowling League (NIPGL), Northern Ireland Provincial Bowling Association (NIPBA) and Irish Lawn Bowls (ILB) – play each other in round robin contest.
NIBA president and Bangor Bowling Club man Mark Shannon captained his association’s team, which featured players from the Bangor, Castle and Donaghadee clubs and finished in third position.
Event organiser and Irish Bowling Association (IBA) president Henry McFarland said the standard of bowling was ‘exceptional’ and paid tribute to greenkeeper Stevie Andrews and Ards & North Down Borough Council for their work in maintaining the playing surface.
Final standings
NIPBA 22.5
NIPGL 18
NIBA 9.5
IBL 4
