MICHAEL Murphy, last year’s junior A county and All-Ireland winner, booked his place in this year’s intermediate quarter-final with a convincing win over Wayne Callanan at Firmount.
This was a trap-to-line performance from Murphy, leading by ten metres after three shots; he extended this to a bowl of odds after six as Callanan got three wayward shots in a row. On a rough, tough piece of road Murphy held his odds to the cross. He raised a further bowl from here to the Grotto where Callanan had enough. Murphy now plays Timmy McDonagh in the quarter-final at Conna.
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Alex O’Donovan will represent the South West region in the junior B championship after his two-from-two victories over Ger Connolly. Played at Shannonvale, both went out the quarry bend in five each, Connolly fore bowl. It was three more to Desmond’s where Connolly had 15 metres of odds. O’Donovan was down to the end of Kingston’s wall in two huge bowls that raised a bowl of odds for him. Connolly had it under the bowl at Campbell’s but it was not enough as O’Donovan opened the bend before the finish line and raised and won by a bowl of odds. He now plays Patrick O’Brien of north east at Inchageelagh.
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In the midst of this busy season of championship Ballinacurra managed to complete their novice D tournament. In this final we had age and experience up against youth and strength: Tom O’Donovan, Innishannon, playing Brian Galvin, Templemartin, for a total stake of €2,000.
Galvin took the first three shots of this score and O’Donovan took his first lead with a great fourth to the railings. At the pub cross in six each Galvin was back in front by 40 metres. Three more each to the pitch and putt entrance where O’Donovan was back in front by one metre. It was a tit-for-tat battle to Murphy’s house with the next five and six shots where O’Donovan held a slender lead of only three metres. O’Donovan played a great last shot, Galvin had a big bowl to beat he made a great effort at it but it fell short by a mere three feet.
Boys' U12 finalists Tommy Coppinger and Cillian Murray with their families and supporters at Bantry.
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In the Mid Cork junior B final at Castletown, Brendan O’Neill beat John Butler by five metres. The stake at issue was €420 a-side. After a sluggish start from Butler, he reached the end of the railings in five shots and found himself a bowl of odds down. But from Rory’s house Butler lined some big bowls that O’Neill was kept under pressure to beat. Heading for the novice line O’Neill had big odds with the bowl, however Butler made sight at Pynes corner and O’Neill missed sight and at O’Leary’s wall O’Neill’s odds was down to 40 metres.
Butler got an incredible bowl from Pynes corner, and O’Neill just beat this tip to hold his bowl of odds advantage. Butler made another great bowl to the netting and O’Neill got caught left where he had no sight and beat Butler’s tip by 20 metres for the last shot. Butler's 14th was very tight, while O’Neill’s bowl did not quite pass all of the finish line so Butler had another chance. He lined a huge bowl and looked like a winner when O’Neill’s bowl went in left but got a nice rub and just beat the mark.
The Mid Cork region were the recipients of a beautiful memorial cup in memory of the late Peter Farrell. Martin Foley, Mid Cork chairman, thanked the Farrell family for donating this cup to the region for the junior B championship and said that Peter was a top junior player in his day.
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A junior B Gaeltacht semi-final between Cillian Kelleher and Liam Murphy was played at Macroom for a total stake of €4,700. Both reached the ivy rock in three, Murphy holding a 30-metre lead. Two massive bowls from Kelleher up past Mulcahy’s that Murphy followed, at which stage the odds were only ten metres. Kelleher took his first lead with a huge next to the gap. Kelleher had an opportunity to raise big odds with his eighth shot but it was always right and his odds were only 50 metres.
After two poor bowls from Murphy, at poundy’s lane Kelleher was a bowl up. Murphy was not giving up – he got a huge bowl to Denny Paul’s gate and another out to the layby that knocked the bowl of odds. Kelleher made it past the novice line but got a poor next and his odds were now whittled down to 30 metres. Murphy undid all his good work when he misplaced his last and Kelleher beat the line. He will now play the winner of Micháel Desmond or Darren Oliver in their regional final.
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David Hegarty, Lyre, beat 2023 junior B county winner Noel O’Regan in the Carbery-South West junior A championship at the Marsh Road and booked his place in the semi-final draw.
Playing off for a total stake of €9,200, Hegarty took the first shot, but it would take him a while to lead again. After three shots past the distillery O’Regan had 40 metres of odds. Hegarty’s fourth hopped the kerb and O’Regan could have punished him here but his bowl fell left at Longs bus entrance. Hegarty’s next wasn’t great and O’Regan extended his odds to 100 metres.
Two huge bowls to the lollipops from Hegarty won him back the lead but he undid all his good work with a poor eighth that gave O’Regan the lead again by five metres. Three more each out to the steps where Hegarty had a minimal lead of five metres. Three more out sight past Thornhill Cross and O’Regan had a 12-metre advantage. Hegarty’s 15th shot covered the whole straight to sight at the Avenue Gate, O’Regan missed this by 30 metres and two more poor bowls were to follow from O’Regan back of Crowley’s Avenue. Hegarty had a 30-metre advantage here. O’Regan was very right again and Hegarty lined a perfect bowl up the left track that beat the line. In the North-Mid-Gaeltacht side of the junior A, Sean Murphy had a convincing win over Eoin O’Riordan at Bweeng.
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Killarney man Jim Coffey got his junior C championship campaign off to a winning start when he beat Jimmy O’Brien by one bowl for a stake of €3,100 a-side at Ballyvourney. O’Brien got off to a flying start when he was throwing his odds over 60 metres at the barking dogs, but at the island Coffey took the lead by 40 metres and extended his odds with the shots past the council yard. At the novice line Coffey rose the bowl of odds and held this to the finish. He now plays Cathal Creedon in the next round.
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Most regions have completed their championships for the first series of inter-county scores: senior men, junior B, junior veteran, novice veteran, boys’ and girls’ U16, boys’ U12 and intermediate ladies. These will make for a very busy schedule over the next six weeks with some top-class scores to be played, with a place in the All-Irelands in Castletown on July 12th and 13th on offer.
