Brinny bowler Murphy retakes Munster senior throne

DAVID Murphy has reclaimed top spot in Munster bowling.

A two-bowl victory over arch-rival Martin Coppinger at a packed Ballincurrig secured a first county crown since 2018 and sets him up for a tilt at All-Ireland glory against another long-time adversary, Thomas Mackle, at the same venue on July 9th.

The cliffhanger that was the expectation of the vast throng that descended on the East Cork venue did not materialise mainly due to the control the new champion exerted from the third shot onwards.

The estimation that it was a road to Murphy’s liking, as evidenced in his record-breaking six King of the Roads victories there, proved correct. Despite being on the receiving end in most of their recent head to heads, there was a confidence in his camp as they threw off, having matched the stake money at a whopping €42,400 aside.

Coppinger was up for it too in this their first championship final match-up, drilling a perfect opener to sight at the first bend and following up with a scorching second shot that opened an 80-metre gap.

The next exchanges would have a vital bearing. Murphy fired a searing third while Coppinger’s response was a shade right and stayed on that trajectory with the result that his big lead was reduced to a metre. Murphy’s fourth escaped from the left and ran well to the ‘creamery’. It gave him a lead he would not subsequently relinquish although Coppinger did well to come within metres.

Coppinger’s sixth from the no-play line, seemingly well-played, did not run kindly and Murphy’s steady play past ‘O’Riordan’s’ and on to the long straight reaped rich rewards in the shape of a bowl of odds lead. From well back, Coppinger’s brave attempt for sight at the ‘big turn’ did not escape the left chicane and Murphy, sensible and astute in all his choices, held his bowl of odds and metres with it as they faced up the short straight.

Coppinger’s 13th from here drifted left and Murphy was again inch perfect in increasing his odds. When the second bowl came between them two shots later, the Bantry native, sensing a lost cause, sportingly conceded. It is David Murphy’s fifth Munster title.

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Noel O'Regan celebrates his victory in Sunday's county junior B final at Ballincurrig.

The morning junior B final provided the thrills, spills and pulsating finish that perhaps the senior final lacked. For Noel O’Regan it was a day to remember while for Noel O’Donovan, who gave his all in a magnificent battle, there was the heartbreak of defeat after victory seemed a certainty in the early part of the score.

Togher Cross and West Cork came in numbers to support their man, but when O’Regan miscalculated with his third and subsequently missed the no-play line with his seventh, handing his Upton rival a bowl of odds and 70-metre lead, there seemed no way back.

Noel O’Donovan had all of Mid Cork in his camp and a forceful opening half saw him blaze through the lines in six. His play was assured and strong, best exemplified by a brilliant fifth shot around the ‘green’. O’Regan stared defeat defiantly and whipped an excellent eighth shot to ‘Heaphy’s’. It was the start of an incredible sequence.

It was back to the even shot after his tenth, but it was an audacious 12th to sight at the ‘big turn’ that stunned the road and brought the score level. O’Donovan had done nothing wrong and yet his big lead was gone. He showed great resolve in following another piledriver from O’Regan to retain a marginal advantage, but there was no stopping the Togher Cross man at this point as another brace brought him in front for the first time since the opening shot.

Piling it on, O’Regan rose a bowl with three to go but then, sensationally, handed O’Donovan a glimmer when missing the last corner from a good stand. The Upton man couldn’t get close enough to stall O’Regan’s momentum and the Moxley Cup went to West Cork. They played for a total of €33,300.