O’Rourke moves up to road bowling's senior ranks

THERE will be 12 in the senior men’s grade for 2022. The only change is the promotion of John O’Rourke, All-Ireland intermediate champion, with the 11 from 2020 retaining their status.

Contesting for the game’s premier championship are Michael Bohane, Eamonn Bowen (Jun), Martin Coppinger, Arthur McDonagh, defending champion James O’Donovan, Aidan Murphy, David Murphy, Seamus Sexton, John O’Rourke, Killian Kingston, Michael Harrington and Gary Daly.

There were quite a number of changes in men’s intermediate. Four long-serving campaigners move down to junior ranks for 2022. Forty-four summers have elapsed since the wonderful Christy Mullins contested in junior ranks. The years have rolled and it’s time for a return. Junior A is also an elite grade and all genuine bowling followers hope there may be a few more scores in one of the game’s greatest campaigners. Down, too, is former senior John Creedon of Ballyvourney, Patrick O’Donoghue of Mallow who won intermediate in 2010 and Rossmore’s Gavin Twohig a two-time winner the last as recent as 2016.

Andrew O’Callaghan, junior A champion for 2020, automatically goes up to intermediate while from the west, filling big shoes with Christy Mullins’ departure, is Tim Young of Bantry. Tim has the power and ability to make his mark at this higher level and his progress will generate plenty of interest in Drinagh and Bantry. At the moment, graded intermediate for 2020 are Raymond Ryan, Jimmy O’Driscoll, Edmund Sexton, Brian Wilmot, Wayne Callanan, Paul Buckley, Billy McAuliffe, Willie O’Donovan, Donal O’Riordan, Tim Young and Andrew O’Callaghan. There is the possibility that others could join them at January’s regional grading.