SUNDAY was a busy day at Ballinacurra, Upton. The last of four scores was a junior B tournament semi-final involving Kenneth Murphy and Johnny O’Driscoll and it was a dead level contest for the opening phase as both made ‘Foley’s’ in good bowling.
The deciding exchanges came when Murphy fired a few lengthy piledrivers in the section between ‘Perrot’s’ and Innishannon cross. These had the effect of rising a bowl of odds for the Spur Hill based Murphy and, with O’Driscoll uncharacteristically erratic in his bowling to ‘Cronin’s avenue’, the lead was consolidated resulting in a big bowl of odds victory and a place in the decider against Adrian Buttimer. The stake at issue amounted to €4,000.
On Sunday morning the Mid Cork U10 competition final was played out for the Jerry Murphy Memorial Cup. The late Jerry from Beal na mBlath was a major presence in Mid Cork bowling for a generation and it was indeed his grandson, Jerry, son of former multiple county U18 champion, Johnny, who captured the coveted cup after a great score with Michael Foley (Jun). Both boys showed their potential in a well-contested play-off. Also, at Ballinacurra, were two big money shoot-outs between Michael Gould and Flor Crowley. City man Gould won the first of these by almost two for a €10,000 total but Caheragh native, Crowley, rebounded well winning the return by a bowl of odds for €13,000.
At Whitechurch, county junior C champion Shane Collins put in a blistering finish to thwart Willie O’Donnell for a €3,600 total. North East regional champion, O’Donnell, showed his paces early on rising a bowl of odds in the bowling to the top of the hill, before two explosive efforts from Collins to ‘bula lane’ wiped out the deficit and put the Rathcoole man in pole position. Collins continued in a rich vein extending his lead with a series of powerful deliveries and was a convincing winner by the end. In a double back here, Stephen Bowen/Johnny Curtin defeated Bernard O’Donovan/Jeremy Downey, last shot for €2,000.
Michael Carroll, Gloun, won the Beal na mBlath three-way decider in the last shot, from Sidney Shannon while injury forced out third contender, Donal Crowley. The stake money amounted to €1,500. The Jerh Cotter Cup at Terelton had Liam Kearney and Con O’Sullivan in opposition in a Saturday quarterfinal contest. For a €1,800 total, Kearney was on top from the off and ran out a comprehensive winner. Also here, Joe Creedon defeated Sean O’Leary, in the last shot, for €1,000 and, in a third score, local Andrew Kelleher scored a last shot win from City’s Tom Reaney, for a €2,000 total. In junior action at Templemichael, Craig Moynahin defeated Mick Hurley, last shot, for €900. Back the road in a novice contest, Bernard O’Donovan won from Dean Mooney, last shot, for €600.
At Jagoe’s Mills, Kieran Corrigan and Damien Burns shared the spoils in two good scores. Corrigan, thanks to a big effort from the ‘power station’ won the first for €1,000 total while Burns of the Gaeltacht division took the return, last shot, for €1,200. Also here, Mark Coleman defeated Brian Harrington, last shot, for €1,300. Back in the City division at The Bog Road, in a doubles contest Denis Connolly with John Donnellan defeated Sean O’Leary/Paul Murphy, last shot, for €1,200. Sean O’Leary defeated John Donnellan in a return, one bowl, for €1,700; Cellie and Gearoid Spillane defeated Declan and Jack O’Leary last shot, for €880 and Denis Connolly/Noel Hegarty defeated Mark Long/Bernard O’Donovan, last shot, for €1,200. Also here, Cellie/Gearoid Spillane defeated Mark Long/Tony Dunlea, last shot, for €1,000; Paul Walsh defeated Bernard O’Donovan last shot for €800; Paul Walsh defeated Bernard O’Donovan last shot for €1,400 as. John Donnellan/Jeremy Downey defeated Stephen Bowen/Tom Connolly last shot, for €1,700.
In Gaeltacht novice E at Baile Bhuirne, Jack Lynch won from Finbarr Buckley for a €500 total while, in the same category in North Cork, Firmount hosted the meeting of John Buckley and Alan McMahon. Buckley took the verdict here for a €740 total. Back the road, Aughabullogue’s free-scoring dual county medallist Matthew Bradley was in action and left it late to score a win over Adrian O’Connor for a €1,000 total. O’Connor was leading all the way to the last shots before Bradley found his groove to hit the winner.
