CARBERY BOWLING: Martin Coppinger v Arthur McDonagh tops the Dowtcha Boy bill in Skibbereen

THE West Cork Distiller’s sponsored ‘Dowtcha Boy’ festival of bowling will take centre stage this weekend when its fourth running will bring some of the game’s best to the Marsh Road for a seven-score series.

Topping the bill is a Sunday afternoon contest between two heavy-hitters, Martin Coppinger and Arthur McDonagh. The wide open stretches to the point known as the ‘silvery gate’ should give scope for an exhibition of power bowling before canniness and astute play will be required in the shots to ‘Thornhill cross’. Both are proven campaigners at the top level with All-Ireland titles in their locker and a contest to savour is in prospect when they lock horns for the first time in a while.

The north-south confrontations see Eugene McVeigh and Denis O’Sullivan renew rivalry, each having had a win apiece in their recent meetings. Bryan O’Reilly is travelling south in an attempt to reverse a recent Madden defeat to Tim Young. A rivalry of decades past will be renewed when Phillip O’Donovan and Donal O’Riordan clash on Sunday morning while Carbery’s David Shannon has intermediate graded Eamonn Bowen in sight also on Sunday.

A Ballydehob trio, powered by a towering performance from Shane Crowley, won the Carbery team bowling event at The Marsh Road on Sunday morning. A fine turnout of 12 teams of three competed for a place at the overall county play-offs at Castletownkenneigh on March 24th when the Sliabh Ban trophy will be up for grabs.

Crowley, a multiple winner of Carbery underage championships and current U16 champion, is in his first year competing at adult level and showed his paces with a super shot from the ‘avenue gate’ to ‘the concrete’, and with Shane O’Mahony and Bryan Regan from the D ranks giving good support, a high tempo was maintained throughout their ten-shot segment.

Beating the novice D line by over 100 metres set a big early target but Leap, in the third score out, rose to the challenge. Kieran O’Sullivan, Cian Minihane and Martin Collins were on form too and made ‘Hurley’s bridge’ in four excellent shots. They were within hailing distance coming up to ‘Coombe’s gate’ but their closing sequence saw them fall an agonising 14 metres short of the Ballydehob mark. Ballydehob join The Marsh Road (Denis Murphy, Jerry O’Sullivan, Michael O’Leary), winners at the opening day event at Schull, as Carbery’s representatives on March 24th.

Elsewhere, at The Phale Road, Sean Cuinnea’s good run in Ted Hegarty’s U16 tournament ended at the semi-final stage when he went down to Bandon’s Daniel Wilmot. There was no joy either for Jessica Baker in junior ladies when she lost out to county junior finalist Siobhan Kelleher.

Results

The Marsh Road: Carbery team event – 1. Ballydehob (Shane Crowley, Shane O’Mahony, Bryan Regan) D line plus 100; 2. Leap (Kieran O’Sullivan, Cian Minihane, Martin Collins) D line plus 86; Also competing, Schull 2 (Luka Bowen, Cian Bowen, Jimmy O’Regan); Schull 1 (Pat O’Driscoll, Ryan McSweeney, Luke Nolan); Reenascreena 2 (Michael O’Regan, Daniel O’Regan, Conor Jennings); Reenascreena 1 (Pat Joe Connolly, Finbarr Fitzpatrick, James O’Neill); Marsh Road 1 (James McNulty, Hugh McNulty, Ewan McNulty); Marsh Road 2 (Edwin Collins, Darren McSweeney, Kieran Shannon); Caheragh (Gavin Harrington, Damien Daly) Bauravilla (David McCarthy, Darren Lynch, Brendan Crowley); Rosscarbery (James Nagle, Martin Coughlan, James Coughlan) Marsh Road 3 (Corneilus Donegan, Brendan O’Driscoll, Paudie Hodnett).

Bantry: Dan Riordan Cup, Seamus Sexton defeated Patrick Flood, one bowl, for €2,400; return, Alan Sexton defeated Alan O’Sullivan, last shot, for €2,100.

Grange: Micheál O’Callaghan defeated Ivan Buchannon, one bowl, for €1,800; Eoin McCarthy defeated Kieran Corrigan, last shot, for €2,000; Sunday, Ger Connolly defeated Kenneth Murphy defeated David Hegarty, last shots, for €13,500; Luke Connors defeated Ryan Buckley, one bowl, for €3,600.

Lyre: Damien Burns defeated Kevin Coughlan, one bowl, for €2,000; John Connolly defeated Jamie McCarthy, last shot, for €400.

Phale Road: Ted Hegarty tournaments – Boys’ U16 semi-final, Daniel Wilmot won from Sean Cuinnea; Boys’ U14 semi-final, Culann Bourke won from Kevin Courtney; Boys’ U12 semi-final, Tadg Hickey won from Tadg O’Farrell; Boys’ U8, semi-finals. Tommy Coppinger won from Kieran Hickey; Timmie McDonagh won from Colm Bohane; Junior ladies/Girls’ U18; Siobhan Kelleher won from Jessica Baker; U16 girls’ semi-final, Sophie Murphy won from Dilly Barry Twohig.