Having suffered the disappointment of a third IBA Irish Cup final defeat - beaten by rivals Coleraine in an epic encounter - the Ballymoney boys turned in a magnificent performance to defeat Portrush in a league ‘play-off’. The teams had finished level at the top of the table, having pocketed 78-and-a-half points at the end of the campaign. Instead of the league being decided on shot advantage, Ballymoney and Portrush met in a ‘winner takes all’ collision at Lodge Road, Coleraine. Willie McCaw was Ballymoney’s top performer, skipping his rink to an impressive 24-10 over Simon Colvin. Brian McAlary and Gary Kelly also made a significant contribution by beating Jackie Smyth (23-19) and Gary McCloy (26-14). Ian McClure kept Portrush’s flickering title hopes alive with a 29-14 victory against Alistair Steele, but it wasn’t enough to for his team to retain the championship they won last season. “We are thrilled,” said McCaw. “We were all totally disappointed after the cup final win, but we regrouped to turn in a great performance which won us the league.