Victories for McCrea and Wilson in Antrim

Newtownabbey counts: Democratic Unionist Party members were triumphant at the East and South Antrim counts in Newtownabbey last night.

The party carried both seats, Sammy Wilson ending a 23-year reign by the UUP's Roy Beggs in East Antrim and Rev William McCrea winning back the South Antrim seat he lost to David Burnside of the UUP in 2001.

From about one hour after the ballot boxes were opened at 9am yesterday morning, both victors had arrived in the count centre looking confident and chatting happily with party workers, apparently certain of the result from the outset.

Rev McCrea first won the South Antrim seat in September 2000 in a byelection caused by the death of Clifford Forsythe (UUP). An Ulster Unionist seat since the constituency was revised in 1983, it remained with the DUP and Rev McCrea for less than nine months before Burnside snatched it back by less than 1,000 votes in 2001. Yesterday the pendulum swung again, this time back to Rev McCrea with 15,766 votes to 8,426.

The East Antrim seat was also a big loss to the UUP. Sitting MP Roy Beggs had held it for the party since it was created in 1983. But the DUP had been edging closer in recent years and came within 128 votes of Beggs in 2001. By lunchtime yesterday the onslaught seemed unstoppable. With the votes having only been validated prior to the first count, it became increasingly obvious that Wilson and McCrea had come to collect.

At the count a smiling Rev McCrea, having heard the predictions from the Alliance Party's computer, was confident enough to tell reporters he had won. By 3.00pm his opponent, David Burnside appeared to agree, telling reporters he was not depressed. He only got depressed when he himself did something wrong.

He thanked party workers for a good campaign but conceded that on the early figures, "it looks as if we are not going to get this, which would be very disappointing".

Alliance Party leader David Ford, who was contesting the South Antrim seat, chatted about his computerised tally which seemed to confirm the Ulster Unionists' worst fears. Noreen McClelland of the SDLP and Henry Cushinan of Sinn Féin featured little in the speculation.

After his win, Sammy Wilson said the challenge was now up to Sinn Féin as the DUP "would not go into coalition with people who bring armaments as well as arguments to the table".

Rev McCrea said there was now "a great sea change in politics". The "IRA lies have caught them out on dastardly deeds".