IN a double bill at Beal na Marbh on Monday, Freddie Scannell from the Gaeltacht beat Alan Butler from Mid Cork in a Novice-A quarter-final score for a stake of €500 a-side.

Both went up sight in two, where Butler had a one-metre advantage. Scannell took back the lead with a fast, accurate bowl, and after two more he extended his odds. Butler made the top of the hill with his sixth and Scannell dropped a lot of odds when he misplayed his bowl right. Scannell recovered from that with two huge bowls past the rock, but Butler lined a couple of perfect bowls to the end of the lawn and Scannell’s odds was back to 25 meters.

Butler failed to go sight at the forest entrance in two and Scannell went out fully. Butler made the upper side of the entrance and Scannell in two more was sight for the line and had a bowl of odds winning margin. He now plays Alan Brickley from West Cork in the semi-final at Jagoes Mills.

In the return score, Conor Desmond from Mid Cork had a two bowls of odds victory over Conor Cotter from the Gaeltacht, playing for a stake of €1,750 a-side.

Cotter took the first three shots out straight road past the forest entrance, but from here it was all Desmond. He lined huge fourth, fifth and sixth shots past the rock to raise a bowl of odds, and had almost two bowls after three more shots, Cotter missed sight for the finish line, and Desmond goes on to play Dan O’Regan at Carrignavar.

Elsewhere, Timmy McDonagh beat Kieran Hickey, Mid Cork, in the Boys' U12 semi-final at Ballinagree. Hickey was in control for the first seven shots of this score but McDonagh was keeping it under the bowl of odds. An incredible eight from McDonagh down the hill to full sight reduced Hickey’s odds to 30 metres. McDonagh’s ninth was unlucky but it was enough to win him his first lead as Hickey was way right of sop.

Both made sight for the finish line, with McDonagh having a ten metre advantage. Hickey got a great bowl over the short straight that McDonagh just beat. Hickey was too tight right with his second last and McDonagh beat this by 20 meters for the last shots. Hickey missed the line and there was no doubt about McDonagh’s shot, played to perfection. He now plays Charlie Callanan in the final at Grenagh. Charlie beat Jack Ronan at Ballinacurra in the second semi-final.

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Lyre hosted the Girls U12 and U14 finals. First up, Ciara Harrington from Carbery played Cait Young from West Cork in the U12 final. After three shots each to Hegarty’s Wall, Young had three metres of odds. Harrington made the top of Mason’s Hill in two more and Young got a huge fifth to the bottom of the hill. Harrington replied with a well-played sixth to the start of the railings that Young beat by 50 meters.

Two more from Harrington past the double gates that Young beat by 20 metres. Harrington was clawing her way back into this score. Her ninth shot was very right and gave Young a huge opportunity to raise big odds, but she was also right and only beat the tip by 35 metres.

Harrington knocked further odds with a good bowl to the school kerbing and delivered an incredible eleventh halfway to the creamery that won her back the lead by almost a bowl of odds as both of Young’s bowls went left. Harrington went on top of the line with her last to take the honours and book her place in the inaugural U12 All-Ireland final, which will be played in Madden, Armagh, on Sunday, August 16th.

In the return score at Lyre, Aoife McCarthy from Carbery played Nicola Hurley from West Cork. There was nothing between them after their first. Hurley's second looked buried right but her left hand pull saved it and it made the start of the school, where she had a 15-metre advantage. McCarthy’s third shot was always right and Hurley made straight road. After two more it was an even bowl of odds for Hurley.

McCarthy had it under the bowl of odds with her sixth to O’Donovan’s pillars and had it back to ten metres after her next. However, McCarthy failed to make the top of the Mason’s Hill in two more, and here Hurley had a big advantage as she made up to the steps.

McCarthy made a bold effort with a tenth shot that went sight for the home straight but Hurley made the nooks on to the flat of the road. A blunder followed from McCarthy when she was too tight right and Hurley took full advantage, going to Hegarty’s wall in two big bowls to raise almost a bowl of odds and book her place in the inaugural girls U14 final, also at Madden, Armagh, on Sunday.

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Liam Kearney from the Gaeltacht beat Conor O’Donovan, Mid Cork, in a Novice-B quarter-final at Beal Na Marbh, playing for a stake of €690 a-side.

Kearney had 30 meters of odds and extended this to 80 metre after two more over the hill. Kearney got a great rub past the rock to extend his lead to 100 metres. O’Donovan halved that odds in two more at the start of the straight, and took his first lead at the middle of the hedging by two metres.

At the Forest entrance, O’Donovan had odds of only one metre but Kearney was back in front again looking at the line. O’Donovan was too tight left and missed the line and Kearney beat it.

It was a double victory for North Cork at Grenagh on Friday evening last when David Crowley beat Mickey Wall in the Junior-C quarter-final and Dan O’Regan beat Aaron Walsh in the Nov-D QF.

In the return score, Dan O’Regan showed his superiority with a trap to line win and a two bowls of odds winning margin over Aaron Walsh, playing for a stake of €700 a-side.

O’Regan now plays Conor Desmond from Mid Cork in the semi-final at Carrignavar.

On Saturday, also at Grenagh, a further two county quarter-final scores were held. In a Nov-A QF, Tommy O’Donoghue beat Eamonn Murphy by two bowls of odds for a stake of €1,100 a-side.

In the return score, Danny Quirke beat Mark O’Flynn by one bowl of odds for a stake of €1,000 a-side.

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Beal Na Marbh held the last of the Junior C QFs between Anthony Lynch from the Gaeltacht and Eugene Kiernan from Mid Cork. They played for a stake of €2,200 a-side.

Lynch got a huge eight shot past Hubbard’s that won him his first lead of the score, but Kiernan was back in front again at the start of the lawn.

After 12 each to the forest entrance, Kiernan odds was only ten metres. Two poor bowls from Kiernan in succession put himself out of the score. Lynch was facing down for the finish line and Kiernan only beat this tip by 20 meters. Lynch missed the finish line and Kiernan missed this tip.

Beal Na Marbh wrapped up the last of the quarter-finals when John Hickey from Mid Cork beat Evan Kelleher from the Gaealtach in a Novice-C quarter-final score playing for a stake of €2,200 a-side.

At the pump in three shots each, Hickey had a one-metre lead. At the top of the hill in two more, Hickey extended his lead to 20 metres. Two more to Hubbard’s from Hickey and he gained a further advantage.

Kelleher got a super eight shot that knocked the odds back to ten metres. At the end of the palms in ten shots each, Hickey was keeping his nose in front by 25 metres. Two more shots each from Hickey to the Forest entrance and he had a huge advantage as Kelleher missed full sight and only beat the tip again by a few metres short of a bowl of odds. From here it was corner to corner and three more over the line, where Hickey will progress to the semi-final to play Danny Quirke from East Cork at the Bog Road.

Fishers Cross was the venue for the last Novice-B quarter-final between Shane Dennehy from North Cork and Sidney Shannon from Carbery. Such a long trip for Dennehy but he made it worth his while when he won by two bowls of odds for a stake of €1,700 a-side.

Both missed up sight for the first bend. Dennehy went out to Footman’s Cross in five and it took Shannon six, a bowl of odds down. After two more past O’Sullivan’s entrance, Dennehy held his bowl of odds advantage. He got a super bowl back of the Galley Bridge and he had almost two bowls of odds at this juncture, which he held out to the Carhouse bend. He now plays Liam Kearney at Castletown in the semi-final.

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Lyre held a junior a tournament score between Edmund Sexton and Jimmy O’Driscoll playing for a stake of €2,200 a-side.

O’Driscoll had 50 metres of odds. Sexton’s fourth shot was 'called' and his second attempt was too tight right. Over the tunnel in five and six, Sexton was keeping it under the bowl of odds. O’Driscoll got a super sixth past Crowley’s Wall and Sexton did better when he made Crowley’s domestic entrance. O’Driscoll missed sight for Crowley’s bend with his seventh and Sexton came up and around that.

Sexton crossed over and O’Driscoll buried his next two shots in right and suddenly Sexton was a bowl of odds in front. O’Driscoll got a great eleventh shot up and around McCarthy’s bend that knocked the bowl of odds briefly, but Sexton restored his bowl advantage with a huge eleventh to the big tree. But it wasn’t over yet as Sexton got two poor bowls and suddenly his odds were back to 40 metres for the last shots. O’Driscoll just beat the line and Sexton had two attempts at beating this as his first attempt was 'called' and he beat it well with his second attempt.

In a return score, Darren Harrington beat Fergus 'Quenchers' O’Sullivan by two bowls of odds for a stake of €5,200 a-side.

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Ballygurteen are progressing on with their Paddy Murray Cup. On Sunday, Micháel Desmond beat David Shannon in a below par score for a stake of 1,800 a-side.

They were both out the first bend in three each, with Shannon fore bowl by 12 metres. That was his last lead as Desmond took over from the fourth shot onwards, and at the Women’s Lane he was throwing his odds over 40 meters.

Desmond got a good bowl and Shannon missed this tip to fall a bowl down.

Desmond had almost two bowls of odds, all to one metre, as Shannon was very right of play.

Shannon got some good bowls and had it back to an even bowl up past Mahoney’s coffee dock and on to O’Donovan’s bend, where it was an even bowl of odds.

Shannon got an incredible bowl from here that looked like it might knock big odds but the killer came when Desmond followed and beat the tip by 20 meters with the bowl.

There was no way back now for Shannon, who got caught right and Desmond beat this well to book his place in the semi-final.

In other county scores, Don O’Driscoll, West Cork, beat Jamie Carroll, North East, in the Novice-C quarter-final, Robert Coleman, North East, beat Brendan Dudley (one bowl) in the Novice-D quarter-final for €2,550 a-side, Alan Brickley, West Cork, beat Arthur Pio McDonagh in the Novice-A quarter-final for no stake (all at Baile Bhuirne), John Linehan, City, beat P.J. O’Driscoll, South West, in the Novice-C quarter-final by two bowls for €1,350 a-side, Timmie O’Sullivan, South West, beat Declan O’Leary, City, by the last shot for €3,250 a-side in the Novice-B quarter-final, and Garreth Burke, City, beat Stephen O’Connell, South West, by the last shot for no stake (all at Ballinacurra).