Ellen Sexton bowls her way to All-Ireland U18 glory

ELEVEN and counting, Kelly Mallon’s place at the pinnacle of women’s bowling is secure after another barnstorming All-Ireland display sees her enter the record books as the game’s leading national championship winner.

In surpassing Michael Toal’s tally of ten, Kelly demonstrated the full range of her capabilities in a comprehensive win over Cork’s Geraldine Daly-Curtin at Eglish.

The wide margin at the end, close on four bowls, does not reflect a spirited challenge by the Cork champion, particularly in the middle third of the score, but it does emphasise the gulf that exists between the Madden woman and those who aspire to her crown.

The first of the heavy showers that permeated the weekend came just before throw-off, but it did not affect the Ulster champion who powered a splendid opener down to ‘Moy point’. Geraldine did well to come within 30 metres, but an uphill battle beckoned when her second went right too soon giving Kelly the opportunity to go eighty in front.

The task looked daunting when Kelly drilled a fourth shot tightly at ‘Daly’s corner’ that cannoned back onto the smooth surface and a bowl of odds separated them at that early juncture.

It was two bowls after another beautifully-executed cast, her sixth of the day. Such was her flawless delivery in almost every shot, that the odds continued to mount as they played to the half-way point.

Geraldine stemmed the tide with an excellent brace and the odds were back to two before Kelly powered another rocket to ‘Ewing’s corner’. That and another superb effort to ‘Lisgobban lane’ enabled the Ulster champion to score the line in 17 and record her historic win.

Ellen Sexton, centre, was crowned All-Ireland U18 girls’ champion at Eglish. She is pictured with, from left, Chris Mallon, Chair Ból Chumann Ard Mhaca, Michaela Greene (runner-up), Caroline O'Leary, Chair Ladies Committee, and Michael Brennan, Chair Ból Chumann.

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The Crowley-O’Carroll Cup for the men’s intermediate championship was in Brian Wilmot’s grasp without having to throw a shot after Ethan Rafferty’s unfortunate leg injury forced him to withdraw from his Sunday afternoon decider.

This left the junior A final second on the billing and, while it did at times live up to its promise, it was a prolonged affair spoilt by over-elaboration with road play choices. Cork’s Denis O’Sullivan and Tyrone’s Eugene McVeigh came with big reputations and the stage seemed set for a classic when both delivered opening shots of excellent quality and followed-up with two in similar vein, firing prodigious efforts to sight at ‘McNally’s corner’.

A metre separated them then in O’Sullivan’s favour but the standard deteriorated and it was McVeigh who took a 60-metre advantage when the Cork champion spun two in succession into the right. McVeigh lost valuable ground when he misplayed his sixth into the left and it was O’Sullivan who held sway in mixed fare to the half-way point.

Inconsistency was McVeigh’s bugbear as he again hit the left with his 11th and eventually fell a bowl of odds behind when he badly crossed his 14th.

He showed his best with an astonishing 15th up the rise that cut the odds to 30 metres. Again, he failed to follow-up and the lead was back to almost a bowl of odds in O’Sullivan’s favour when he fired an excellent effort to ‘Reid’s corner’.

The late drama that unfolded nearly saw a sensational swing. After a double call, O’Sullivan fired a super effort close to the line. McVeigh did well to beat the mark, keeping it under the bowl and almost got a late reprieve when O’Sullivan missed the finish point from a good stand.

On the road he is well familiar with, the local man fired a big effort to win it, but O’Sullivan held his nerve and beat a testing tip to atone for his defeat in last year’s junior B final at Newtownhamilton. The stake in the junior A final amounted to 10,000 (Euro-Sterling).

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The three underage finals all went Cork’s way. Ellen Sexton was superb in her U18 title-winning performance. Michaela Green from the Madden club is a highly regarded talent in Ulster bowling and rightly so given her impressive opening salvo in Sunday’s second final. Ellen wasn’t fazed and produced a display of fast, accurate bowling when overturning an early deficit before running out a two-bowl winner.

Michaela showed her skills in beating a big opener from Ellen and followed up with a beautifully judged second shot that put her 80 metres up.

Ellen’s response was electric. Two of the finest, both delivered with speed and precision, wiped out her northern rival's lead and put her a bowl of odds up.

Her sixth and seventh were similarly executed and now her lead was close to two. Michaela strove hard and kept the margin under two but there was no denying the South West champion the Jackie Ryan Cup for 2023.

Her sister Hannah was a previous two-time U18 champion. The girls’ U18 final carried an 8,200 total stake.

Tommy O’Sullivan held all the aces in his U18 final clash with Ulster’s Oisin Gribben.

The weekend’s opening score on Saturday had Oisin, who also won Ulster U16, giving away a few years' advantage but he pluckily stayed in touch as his intermediated-graded rival, who carried superior power, took a while to get going. Only 15 metres separated them after four and it took an excellent effort from O’Sullivan to ‘Ewing’s bend to rise a bowl of odds.

The Cork man’s 14th was well driven and it catapulted him into a two-bowl lead. Gribben kept it at that to the finish.

There was a gulf too in U14 when Cork’s Tommy O’Donoghue took on Drumcairn’s Dan Sweeney. Tommy rose a bowl of odds with a smashing seventh. Sweeney battled hard but to no avail and a big 14th over the line ensured a two-bowl win for the Cork champion.