Murphy v Mackle headlines All-Ireland weekend

West Cork bowlers bidding for All-Ireland glory at Ballincurrig

BOWLING’S All-Ireland finals series reaches another milestone on this historic weekend at Ballincurrig.

The 60th hosting is, perhaps appropriately, at one of the sport's most iconic venues.

In his foreword to Gretta Cormican’s seminal publication, Glory Days – A Complete History of Road Bowling All-Ireland Finals 1963-2013, the man at the helm, Seamus O’Tuama, states, ‘When the first All-Ireland was played in 1963, it set off a chain reaction in the sport of bowling that continues to have huge impacts today. The authenticity of that first score set a template for all subsequent All-Irelands’.

In the same publication, Brian Toal, the most ardent advocate of the All-Ireland series, remarked that ‘road bowling had embarked on a new and exciting era’.

It’s ten years on from when those words were written, and All-Ireland final weekends, now expanded to three annually, remain bowling’s cornerstone, the Mecca for all aspiring to write their name in the history books.

This weekend is no exception as a seven-score clár promises the best the game can offer.

Emma Hurley and Laura Sexton, finalists in the girls' U16 at Beál na mBláth. (Photo: Gretta Cormican)

Fourteen finalists will vie for national honours in grades ranging from U12 boys to veteran (over 50s) men. Feature, of course, will be the finale on Sunday afternoon when the battle for the Hughie Trainor Cup will be fought. Similar to 1963, when Danny McParland and Derry Kenny, enthralled thousands on the Cathedral Road, Thomas Mackle and David Murphy will vie for All-Ireland senior glory.

The permutations are endless. Can Mackle make it third time lucky having lost out at Portmor-Blackwaterstown and at Grenagh in their previous All-Ireland head-to-heads? Familiarity with the road should not be an issue. Murphy has won six King of the Roads titles, Mackle four and they have scored a win each in their final match-ups here. Murphy’s bowling, for the most part, in his Munster final win over Martin Coppinger was top-notch but he knows that any slippage will be punished by the defending champion who will be very much up for the fray.

Phillip O’Donovan will be the hottest of favourites to win the veteran title given his almost senior-like performances in recent weeks. He takes on Johnny Kelly on Saturday. The women’s intermediate final takes pride of place on Saturday. Armagh’s Aoife Trainor will be hoping its third time lucky as she has lost out twice in finals to Aileen Murphy and Maria Nagle but has shown ability in abundance in those deciders. Ciara Buckley is Munster champion, and if her performance at Whitechurch on Saturday is an indicator, this is a championship that should stay in Cork. In junior B, the confidence that comes from winning the toughest battles on his way to county glory will surely stand to Noel O’Regan when he pitches up against Jake Cullen who has All-Ireland experience having been runner-up to Darragh Dempsey in the U12 decider of 2015. Jake has also come through a tough campaign in Ulster.

The three underage finals on Saturday promise a feast of exciting action. First off, Cork’s hopes in U12 lie with Eoghan Hickey of Durrus, who has proved himself a very capable county champion. Eoghan takes on Jack O’Reilly from the Madden club in Armagh in the weekend’s opening final.

In U16 Oisin Gribben is back for another tilt having gone down to Liam Murphy’s power-play last year at Newtownhamilton. Cork though, have a quality champion in John O’Donoghue from Mitchelstown whose star has risen exponentially with each score he plays.

Drinagh’s Emma Hurley will bring big support in her quest for U16 honours and will need to be at her best as Megan O’Reilly comes with a big reputation. Megan is the elder sister of U12 finalist Jack. Due to pre-planned holiday arrangements by some finalists, the organisers have accommodated five of the weekend’s finals on Saturday with just junior B and senior on Sunday’s programme.