Bowling county finals series heading towards a conclusion.
The third and final series of county finals are almost down to semi-final stage. At Jagoes Mills, Timmy Desmond travelled up from Wexford representing the East Cork region in the Novice C quarter-final to play Eoin Hurley from the Clubhouse. Hurley started impressively and raised almost three bowls of odds at the kerbing. Desmond finished strongly to reduce the winning margin to two bowls.
In an Novice A quarter-final at the same venue, David O’Brien, Dunmanway, beat Paul O’Brien, Leamlara in East Cork. Both opened with two great bowls but the Dunmanway man upped the ante and raised a bowl at the dump. Try as he might Paul could not reduce the odds and David won out in the end by two bowls and played for a stake of €1,320 a-side.
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At Firmount in a Novice A quarter-final, Padraig Scanlon from Blarney had a convincing win over Daniel Twomey, Kilmichael, playing for a stake of €2,400 a-side. Nothing between them for the first six to eight shots, both men having their moments of dominance. In the last quarter, Scanlon lined some good bowls and raised a bowl that Twomey could not reel in. Scanlon progresses on to the semi-finals.
At the same venue in a junior C quarter-final Cathal Creedon, Ballyvourney, was in control from the off against Daniel Murphy, Ballyclough, playing for a substantial stake of €6,200 a-side.
Creedon had a bowl of odds after his first three shots. After two more to the cottage, he extended his odds with the bowl. At the bridge, in nine and eleven shots, Creedon had almost two bowl. Murphy knocked the two bowls briefly at the cross but Creedon went full sight at the last bend and raised the two again.
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At Lyre, a double-header between Carbery and Mid Cork took place, up first we had the Novice C quarter-final between Barry Coughlan, Templemartin, and James Murphy, Schull. Coughlan led from start to finish, three poor opening bowls from Murphy and he was down an early bowl of odds before the Mason’s bend.
Coughlan had luck on his side he buried his fourth on top of the hill but it came out and made the bottom of the Mason’s hill where he had a bowl and thirty meters. At the double gates the odds remained the same, Murphy got a huge bowl to the school but Coughlan followed and beat it. There was no let up for Coughlan and he won out in the end by almost two bowls, they played for €2,050 a-side.
In the return score David Minihane, Leap, beat Anthony Broderick, Kinsale, playing for a stake of €3,150 a-side.
After three to the Creamery Broderick had almost a bowl of odds, but a bad blunder to the right with his fourth gave Minihane a lifeline. Minihane lined a huge fifth to the school cross and was right back in the score again. Two more bowls each to O’Donovan’s pillars where Minihane took his first lead.
From here, Broderick’s form took a very bad turn. It took him five bowls to sight for the home straight where he was a bowl of odds down. Broderick got a good bowl to the hedging but Minihane had too much odds and won out in the end by a bowl.
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Caheragh was the venue for a junior C quarter-final between Eoin O’Donovan, Belgooly, and Kieran O’Driscoll, Clonakilty, playing for €1,550 a-side.
This was a trap to line performance for O’Donovan. After four huge opening bowls to the bridge he had a bowl of odds, he doubled this in two more back of Madore cross and held it to Shellie’s Farm, he now goes on to play Michael Ahern from Conna in the semi-final.
The Vintage championship is run on the same format as the junior A. The Carbery-South West-West Vintage A final was played at The Clubhouse between Chris O’Donovan, Ballineen, and Humphrey O’Leary, Drinagh. O’Leary was well fancied in this one having beaten O’Donovan earlier in the season in the veteran championship.
Unfortunately, the bowling did not reflect this. It took them five each to go out the chip cross, O’Donovan went through Clon cross in five more where he raised a bowl of odds he held this odds to Murray’s pillars and on past O’Riordan’s. O’Leary knocked the two bowls briefly back of the school but after another the two bowls were up again.
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At Rosscarbery, in a Tim White Memorial Cup score, Timmy Murphy from Ballyclough beat David Hegarty for a stake of €1,400 a-side.
Four each at the back of the Priests house, Murphy had twenty meters of odds, very lucky with two of his shots. Two good bowls up Barry’s straight from Hegarty that Murphy beat by a valuable fifteen meters. An incredible eighth shot from Hegarty past Barry’s Boreen won him his first lead. After two more to the farm entrance, Murphy was back in front again. Hegarty missed the no-play line in two more and Murphy took a bowl out to Cahermore Cross and up past Froe Cross.
Hegarty was back in the score after a super fourteenth that Murphy only beat by forty meters in two. But Hegarty undid all his good work with two bowls in succession in right that gave Murphy a bowl advantage again with only two shots to go.
Another Tim White Memorial Vup score was played on Sunday between Andrew O’Callaghan from Mallow against Darragh Dempsey, Skibbereen. Playing for a stake of €1,200 a-side. Dempsey had a bowl after three shots to the new estate entrance. O’Callaghan knocked the bowl briefly up past the priest’s house but Dempsey restored it again with a massive drive up Barry’s hill and on to the B&B. Three more to the novice line, Dempsey was still a bowl up that he took out to Cahermore cross.
O’Callaghan got a great bowl to Froe cross that Dempsey only beat by forty meters in two. Two more above the rectory pillars for O’Callaghan and he was right back in this score as Dempsey’s lead was down to fifteen meters.
Unfortunately, O’Callaghan missed full sight at the last bend and Dempsey had a valuable thirty meters for the last shots. O’Callaghan beat the line but not enough as Dempsey beat it independently.
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King and Queen qualifying scores continued at Ballincurrig. In a Mick Barry Cup score James O’Donovan had a last shot win over Michael Bohane and Seamus Sexton with a stake of €3,650 a-side between Bohane/Sexton. In another Mick Barry Cup score, Gary Daly beat Martin Coppinger by one bowl. In the final score of the weekend, another Mick Barry Cup score, Aidan Murphy had a trap to line win over Patrick Flood, no stake in this one.
