PAUL Buckley progressed to the quarter-finals of the intermediate championship after his victory over Tim Young at Shannonvale.
Playing for €2,890 a-side, it was a poor start from Buckley as he reached the rock in three shots, by which stage Young had almost a bowl of odds. Buckley got to the back of the quarry bend in two more and Young’s odds were down to 50 metres here.
Two more for Buckley to Buttimer’s upper pillar and Young was just back of Buttimer’s lower pillar in six; he had a chance of reaching Desmond cross from here but lobbed his bowl too far out and left and caught the dyke. Buckley also missed out to Desmond’s so it was almost a bowl of odds in Young’s favour here.
Buckley made it down to the end of Kingston’s wall in two bowls off the cross; his eleventh was a very well-played bowl, settled into the right track and made the end of the wall. It took Young three shots to get there and his odds were now down to two. Buckley’s 12th shot was totally misplayed right but got the rub of the green down to the t-pole – that yielded him his first lead, by 40 metres. Even though Young played his bowl much better it veered off right and got caught up in the high grass.
Young missed sight for Campbell’s lane with his next and Buckley was very unlucky not to go to Campbell’s lane. He had four great bowls thrown from Desmond’s cross. Young beat this by 45 metres. Buckley 14th was a great bowl for the junior line but it was ‘called’. His second attempt fell 30 metres behind. Young kept it under the bowl by 50 metres but Buckley got a good 15th to extend his odds. Young’s last two shots were not great and Buckley won by a bowl and now meets David Shannon in Lyre.
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Also at Shannonvale on Sunday morning Kieran O’Driscoll had a convincing win over Ivan Buchannan in the junior C championship. O’Driscoll took off at a blistering pace – he was up to the Rock in two great bowls where he had almost a bowl. Two more for O’Driscoll out to the Quarry bend and three more to Desmond’s where his odds was doubled to two bowls. Buchannan knocked the two bowls briefly at Kingston’s Wall but O’Driscoll got a huge 11th shot to the t-pole that raised almost three bowls, and this is where hands were shaken.
Anna Deane beat Leila Foley in the Mid Cork U16 Championship final at Newcestown.
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At Templemartin in a junior C championship score, three players with little bowling done over the past 12 months – Chris Murphy, Eoin O’Donovan and Eugene Kiernan – played off with a stake of €1,100 a-side between O’Donovan and Kiernan.
Murphy took the first two shots but missed out Slyne’s bend in two more where O’Donovan had nice odds on both. Three poor bowls from O’Donovan and Kiernan had almost a bowl on both. Kiernan rose the bowl of odds on both with a huge seventh shot. Three poor bowls in succession from Kiernan and at the School cross his odds was down to 40 metres on O’Donovan and almost a bowl on Murphy.
Murphy got a huge 14th out full sight at the stonefield bend, O’Donovan followed this but missed the tip by two metres. The slip had to come from Kiernan but he got a perfect bowl clipping the right dyke and made it just back of Buttimer’s house where he had huge odds again. O’Donovan kept the pressure on Kiernan with a great next bowl below Buttimer’s, a bad blunder here from Murphy and he was almost a bowl done. Kiernan held a 40-metre advantage for the last shot over O’Donovan. O’Donovan missed the line and Kiernan with 100 metres to beat played his bowl perfectly and almost made the big corner.
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The ladies intermediate championship continued at Leap, as Lisa Hegarty and Julieanne Hayes played with a place in the semi-final up for grabs. Playing for a total stake of €200, nothing separated these two women after six shots to Mealasheen cross. After three more to the stone wall Hayes held a 12-metre advantage. Hegarty got a great tenth shot up the hill back of O’Sullivan’s avenue, two more good bowls for Hegarty to the Forge gave her the lead in the score for the one and only time. Both missed sight for the last bend, Hayes held a six-metre advantage only for the last shot, but Hegarty’s bowl went left and missed the line and Hayes beat the tip easily. Julieann now plays Ailbhie O’Shea in the semi-final in Templemartin.
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The Marsh Road completed their novice C tournament for the Con Twohig Memorial Cup. Con was a long-standing member of the Marsh Road bowling committee and was fixtures secretary of the Carbery region for ten years from 2002 to 2012. In opposition here we had Leap man Martin Collins playing Skibbereen man Shane McCarthy for a stake of €950 a-side.
Both were out to Jim Hurley’s bend in five shots each with Collins having a ten-metre advantage. Four more great bowls from Collins past the senior line where he had almost a bowl of odds, while McCarthy was inclined to take his bowls too far. Collins reached the last bend for the line in 11, and two more over the finish where he won by a bowl. Con’s son Declan made the long trip from America to be at this final and to make the presentation of his dad’s cup to the inaugural winner Martin Collins.
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John A Murphy and John Young had a ding-dong battle at the Pike in the Ferghal Beamish Cup semi-final, playing for a total stake of €2,400. Seven each to Whites cross, well below par for the road, and they were level. Four more each to Draper's cross, and it was still level. Up past the novice line in four more where Murphy had a slight lead. Both lined great bowls from here but it was Murphy who won out in the end and awaits the winners of David Hubbard or Conor Creedon in the final.
