BANDON bowler James O’Donovan will take on Gary Daly in a senior men’s championship semi-final this Friday evening at Whitechurch – this was one of the many semi-final draws made at the June executive meeting.
As senior, intermediate, junior B, junior veteran and all underage semi-final draws were made, we now know what the business end of the various championships look like.
On the other side of the senior men’s championship, Aidan Murphy will play Arthur McDonagh at Ballinagree on Sunday next, June 15th.
The intermediate semi-finals see Patrick Stokes meet David Shannon or Paul Buckley at Kilcorney, while it will be John O’Rourke or John Creedon v Timmy McDonagh or Michael Murphy at Newcestown. The junior B semi-final draw is as follows: Alex O’Donovan v Michael Desmond or Shane Collins at Jagoe’s Mills, and Brian O’Driscoll v Anthony Crowley at Clondrohid.
In the junior veteran semi-finals, it’s Andrew O’Leary v Jerry or Richard Murphy at Firmount, and Denis Cooney v PJ Cooney at Macroom. In underage semi-finals, North or City play Gaeltacht or North East, and Carbery or South West or Mid play East or West.
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Anthony Crowley from the city division and Brendan O’Neill from Mid Cork engaged in a junior B county quarter-final score at Ballinagree, playing for a total stake of €1,000. There were great opening bowls out the first bend to Coakley’s Lane for both, with Crowley seven metres ahead. O’Neill got a well-played second up through Capailin Ban Cross that gave him his one and only lead in this score, by one metre. O’Neill played some perfect bowls up to the Pink cottage and was keeping it under the bowl but when he made a bad mistake with his seventh and found himself a bowl of odds down. O’Neill recovered with a super bowl ninth past the post office. He went out to the quay wall but Crowley got an unbelievable tenth that cut up past the quay wall and raised the bowl of odds again for him. O’Neill kept it to the bowl past the new houses but Crowley got another huge bowl that left him in command. He now plays Brian O’Driscoll in the semi-final at Clondrohid.
Bandon's James O'Donovan is in the last four of the senior men's.
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Paudie Murphy from the Gaeltacht took a step closer in the novice veteran with a convincing win over Timmy McDonagh from North East at Firmount. They played for a stake of €1,120 a-side.
At Ballinacurra in a junior veteran quarter-final, former senior and intermediate player PJ Cooney won easily over John Cahalane; they played for a total stake of €5,200. Cahalane started in a blaze, leading by 50 metres after two shots. He got a poor third when his bowl hopped the kerb on the left but recovered his lead with a great bowl through the rough road at Brinny cross up to the church gate. Cooney had a big fifth shot past Foleys and won back the lead that he would relinquish no more. Poor sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth shots from Cahalane left him a bowl down. Cooney rose almost the second bowl with a huge eighth to the bridge – he won in the end by two bowls.
In a return score at Ballinacurra, former senior and intermediate player from the early noughties, Paul O’Brien (East Cork) beat Connie Connolly (West Cork) by two bowls, for €1,600 a-side, in the novice veteran quarter-final. Like Cahalane in the first score, Connolly started very well and led for the first three shots, but a huge fourth from O’Brien raised huge odds on Connolly. The latter kept it under the bowl in the next three shots past Perriots sheds but another perfectly-placed seventh shot from O’Brien to the Waterworks rose the bowl for him. O’Brien took this odds on through Brinny Cross onto the smooth, kerbed road and he had too much power for Connolly from here – he won by almost two bowls.
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Bryan O’Halloran progressed to the semi-final of the (Mid Gaeltacht-North Cork) junior A championship at the expense of Edmund Sexton at Macroom, for a stake of €300 a-side. O’Halloran was out of sight at the bridge in three bowls, and reaching the flyover in two more he increased his odds to 80 metres. He held these odds to Mulcahy’s gate. Sexton did well to keep it under the bowl heading for Poundy’s lane but an error from Sexton, heading for Denny Paul’s railing, gave O’Halloran the advantage of a bowl of odds. A huge bowl from Sexton had the odds down to 30 metres, but it was not enough as O’Halloran finished with two great bowls to win by a big last shot.
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Derrinassaffa held another of the Carbery-South West junior A championship quarter-finals – Jimmy O’Driscoll took on Gavin Twohig for a stake of €4,650 a-side. Both were out to Nattie’s bend in six where they were level. Two more through Cotters cross where O’Driscoll had valuable odds to make the Darkwood turn again. Twohig missed sight at the Darkwood turn and O’Driscoll beat this by 30 metres. O’Driscoll held this lead in two more past Walsh’s lane. Twohig got a huge bowl from here that won him back the lead by 25 metres. O’Driscoll had the gap down to five metres after two more shots for the last shots. O’Driscoll lined a good last bowl and Twohig just fell short. O’Driscoll now plays his cousin Johnny in the semi-final at Grange. In a pick-up score at Derrinasaffa, Jim Coffey beat Murish Buttimer by last shot for a total stake of €7,000.
A South West Novice A championship score at Ballygurteen saw Gary Lombard from Ardfield play John Connolly from Shannonvale; there was a stake of €1,200 a-side. Lombard opened the first bend in three good bowls where he was a bowl of odds up. He carried these odds in four more onto O’Mahony’s avenue, but from here his form dipped dramatically – four poor bowls in succession gave Connolly his first lead at O’Mahony’s pole. He looked to be in control from here but a wayward throw gave Lombard new wind. He went three-quarter ways to O’Donovan’s bend, Connolly beat this by 50 metres, Lombard put down a good next throw that just missed the line. Connolly had a chance to reach the line but his bowl was very left and just beat the tip. Lombard’s last was not a huge one but it was enough to claim victory as Connolly was left again and missed the tip by 20 metres.
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The youth of the county are also getting on with their quarter-finals. At Beal na Marbh, Gerald McDonagh (North East) beat Dylan O’Shea (Gaeltacht) by two bowls of odds in the U16. Eoghan Kelly (Gaeltacht) beat Niall Murphy (North East) in U12. Orla Murphy (Gaeltacht) beat Abbie McDonnell (North East) in U16. At Ballinacurra Tommy O’Donoghue (East Cork) beat Kevin Courtney (West Cork) in U16. Tommy Coppinger (West Cork) beat Tom O’Callaghan (East Cork) in U12.
