News
First blood to John O’Brien in junior B championship
FORMER champion John O’Brien, took the first point in the Carbery junior B championship when he just edged arch rival, Michael Crowley, in an exciting duel at Ballydehob, on Sunday afternoon last.
The two have been Carbery’s leading junior exponents over the past two decades and have rarely failed to provide an excitng encounter whenever they clashed. Last Sunday was no exception and, although O’Brien was on his home road, Crowley had won their most recent meeting at the venue over the Christmas period.
Crowley won the opening shots by a small margin but was overtaken on the incline with O’Brien sharing the tips in eight around the ‘cottage’. That lead didn’t last long either as Crowley lined a big throw to the brow of the hill to level and the Bauravilla man followed up with a big drive to the novice D line to take the ascendency once more.
In keeping with the trend, O’Brien’s response was immediate and he regained pole position with a great throw at the ‘tarmac’. Only metres separated them for the last shots, O’Brien just ahead, and the verdict went the Ballydehob man’s way when Crowley missed the finish line from his stand. The next scor in the junior B championship is at Reenascreena on Saturday after next (Eastern Road) when Joe Carroll takes on Kevin Minihane.
The novice veteran championship progresed with four scores. D.D. Carroll belied his novice B grading with a five-star performance at Reenascreena on Saturday. The defending champion was over two bowls too good for Pat O’Sullivan (Shannonvale) but his bowling, seven beyond O’Sullivan’s bungalow and eight to the top of the hill would have seen off any challenger.
John Nagle defeated Pat McCarthy at Leap on Sunday morning. Nagle’s two from ‘Gurteenaduig Cross’ to sight at the last corner gave him his bowl of odds winning margin.
In section 2 of novice veteran, Roy Shannon and Dan McCarthy had a good tussle at Bauravilla. Shannon just edged the result here. Curly Collins advanced as well. The Union Hall man won by a bowl from Finbarr Lynch (Caheragh), in another first round contest also played in Bauravilla.
Sunday’s junior A championship score at Ballydehob between Dec O’Donovan and J.C. Desmond was deferred to a later date.
In tournament action at Caheragh, Mick Gould qualified for the semi-final of the Bill Barrett Cup with a last shot victory over Gerry Gibbons. This was a close enough contest for most of the way. Gibbons looked to have the winning of it approaching the finish but Gould snatched the victory in the final throw.
Gibbons did have the satisfaction of winning the return pick-up from the City man. Veterans Donal Harnedy and Dinny Nyhan had a good contest on the upper Marsh Road on Sunday morning. After the lead had changed hands on a few occasions, the Skibb man came out on top in the last shot. Harnedy was in record breaking form in the return against Nyhan covering the downward route in ten shots.
Pat Joe Connolly’s good run in the Keating Cup at Drinagh continues. A faultless display on Sunday morning against Paul Harrington booked a semi-final spot in the competition. Connolly led from the start and went a full shot ahead by half-way. He doubled his lead towards the finish. His semi-final assignment is an all Carbery affair. The Rossmore man goes head-to-head with Tony O’Sullivan on Sunday morning next for a place in the Mick Keating Cup final.
Last Wednesday night’s intermediate championship draw was anything but kind to Carbery’s three contenders Jerry Hegarty and Michael Bohane are involved separately in the only two preliminary round scores while Liam O’Sullivan has a tough opponent in Seamus Sexton (Jun) in the first round proper. That contest is allocated to Ballyvourney.
Carbery’s most successful campaigner, Hegarty, may give it one more shot. He has Patrick O’Donoghue to contend with in his first score and should he come through he will face Andrew O’Leary of Newcestown. Michael Bohane has probably the hardest route. He meets Billy McAuliffe in the preliminary round at Ballinacurra with the winner going in against the in-form Gary Daly in the first round.
Inadvertantly omitted from Carbery’s novice C championship draw, published last week was Tim O’Donovan, Curragh. O’Donovan who won the D title in 2008 plays Flor Crowley in the first round.
Results
Carbery Championships: Junior B at Ballydehob, Sunday 7, John O’Brien defeated Michael Crowley, last shot for e3,000.
Junior veteran section I: Reenascreena, Saturday 6, D.D. Carroll defeated Pat O’Sullivan (SV), two bowls for e1,800.
Leap: Sunday 7, John Nagle defeated Pat McCarthy, one bowl.
Bauravilla: Section II: Sunday 7, Roy Shannon defeated Dan McCarthy last shot for e400; Curly Collins defeated Finbarr Lynch one bowl for e500.
Club results
Caheragh: Bill Barrett Cup quarter-final; Michael Gould defeated Gerry Gibbons, last shot for ]1,200; return score, Gibbons defeated Gould, one bowl for e1,200.
Marsh Road: Sunday 7, Novice I tournament; Donal Harnedy defeated Dinny Nyhan, last shot for e1,340; return score, Harnedy defeated Nyhan two bowls for e1,200.
Ballydehob: Pascal McCarthy defeated Cornelius McCarthy two bowls for e1,600; Patrick O’Sullivan (Caheragh) defeated Connie Bowen last shot.
Reenascreena: Saturday 6, Johnny Hourihane defeated James Coughlan last shot for e800; doubles, Freddie Scannell/Pa McCarthy defeAted Noel Dempsey/Patie O’Sullivan last shot for e1,800.
Drinagh: Sunday 7, Tim Cahalane defeated Joe Tyner last shot for e3,200; Keating Cup quarter-final: Pat Joe Connolly defeated Paul Harrington, one bowl for e900; International Fund Score: Aidan Murphy defeated Martin Coppinger, one bowl for e2,000; David Sugrue and Johnny Byrne’s played three scores, Byrne’s winning two for stakes of e600, e1,500 and e400.
Durrus: Novice 2 tournament; Muiris Buttimer defeated William Coughlan, one bowl for e700; Bernie Kelly defeated Joe Wiseman, one bowl for e1,000.
The Pike: Sunday 7, Novice 2 tournament; Donncha Lucey defeated Jack Cahalane, last shot for e700; Lucey also won the return from Cahalane last shot for e900.
Shannonvale: International Fund Scores; Sunday 8, Gary Daly defeated Seamus Sexton (Jun) last shot for e2,700; P.J. Flood defeated Donal O’Sullivan last shot for e2,000.
Grange: Mick Murphy won two from two with Tony McCarthy one bowl and last shot for e1,000 and e1,300.
Gloun: Novice 2 tournament final; John Murphy (Togher Cross) defeated Harry Russell, last shot for e3,000.
Togher Cross: Sunday 8, Padraig O’Callaghan defeated Dermot Cotter, one bowl for e340; Diarmuid Hurley defeated Dan O’Callaghan, last shot for e350.
Clubhouse: Con Collins defeated Gearoid White, one bowl for e700.
Drimoleague: Saturday 6, Donal McCarthy defeated Brian McCarthy, last shot.