IT’S been a busy week on the road as we get closer to the fourth series of All-Irelands that will be held in Aghagower, Mayo on September 5th and 6th. 

A hat-trick of losses for North Cork and almost a hat-trick of wins for West Cork but in the novice A county final at Templemartin, Alan Brickley faltered in the last quarter to complete what would have been a clean sweep for West Cork. 

The first of the county finals last weekend was played at Templemichael on Friday evening between Dan O’Regan from North Cork up against Robert Coleman from the North East Region. They played for a stake of €1,820 a-side. Here, Coleman finished well and won in the end by a bowl of odds. 

On Saturday at Castletown, Christy Stokes from the City region outclassed David Crowley from North Cork in the junior C county final, playing for a stake of €14,700 a-side. His winning margin was two bowls of odds, he led from start to finish and will represent Munster in Mayo in early September.

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Three finals were down for decision on Sunday. First up we had the novice C county final between John Hickey from Templemartin playing Don O’Driscoll from Drimoleague at Lyre. They played for a stake of €8,700 a-side. 

Despite a poor start from Hickey, he recovered with a well-played second shot that gave him his one and only lead of the score. Two huge bowls to the school followed from O’Driscoll where he raised a bowl of odds as Hickey’s fifth shot was left and caught the wall at Carroll’s entrance. 

After two more to the school sign, O’Driscoll’s odds were a bowl and 30 metres. Hickey got a big bowl to O’Donovan’s pillars that knocked the bowl by 20 metres as O’Driscoll’s bowl was left of play. After two more up the Mason’s hill, Hickey had it still under the bowl of odds. 

O’Driscoll was very right with his tenth shot but it was fast and got a nice rub back of the steps to take him sight for the home straight. Hickey missed this to fall a bowl down again. Hickey got a good 12th past the lollipops that knocked the bowl of odds again but the road was running out. O’Driscoll made the start of the concrete with his next and Hickey just beat this again. O’Driscoll beat the line to win by a bowl of odds. 

Catherine and Margaret O'Callaghan present the Connie & Brendan Memorial Cup to Novice B county winner Eoin Hurley at Clondrohid.

From Lyre it was on to Clondrohid for the novice B county final between Eoin Hurley from Kilronan, Dunmanway, and Shane Dennehy from Grenagh but representing the North Cork region. They played for a stake of €8,000 a side.

This was a very-one sided affair with Hurley leading from trap-to-line and hardly breaking a sweat. Dennehy’s first shot was right at the end of the Test Centre wall, Hurley’s looked like going the same way but got a massive rub and beat the tip by 100 metres. 

After two more from Dennehy to the Bark Mulch, he was almost a bowl of odds down. Hurley got an incredible third shot to the start of Tier Beg Cross that raised almost two bowls of odds for him. There was no let-up from Hurley as he opened the Black House bend in two more where he had three bowls of odds. 

Dennehy got a good bowl to the Bell Inn but Hurley followed and beat it. Two more each up to Kelly’s bungalow where Dennehy had it under the three bowls by 25 metres. Hurley opened the bend before Kelleher’s farm in two more that raised the three bowls again for him and declared him a winner. Catherine and Margaret O’Callaghan were on hand to present the Connie and Brendan O’Callaghan Memorial Cup to the winner. 

From Clondrohid to Templemartin for the last county final of the weekend. Here Tommy O’Donoghue from Rathcormac in East Cork played Alan Brickley from Dunmanway in West Cork for a stake of €5,500 a-side in the novice A county final. 

After three shots past Desmond’s cow passage, Brickley was two metres ahead, a phenomenal fourth shot from O’Donoghue almost out to Slyne’s bend won him back the lead by 50 metres. O’Donoghue extended his lead with a well-casted next bowl. 

Gretta Cormican presents her father’s cup, the Mick Hegarty Memorial Cup, to Novice A county winner Tommy O'Donoghue. Included is runner-up Alan Brickley.

Brickley got a super bowl to the New House that O’Donoghue only beat by 35 metres. Brickley’s eight was played to perfection and made past O’Riordan’s Cottage but O’Donoghue played his equally as good, if not better, and beat this tip by 40 metres when he made Collin’s Wall. 

Brickley’s ninth fell right and O’Donoghue had a big opportunity to put daylight between them, but his bowl only beat the tip by 35 metres. You should make the cross in two from their stand but strangely enough they both missed the cross as they were both right, with Brickley just fore bowl. 

O’Donoghue went halfway to the Beet field bend and Brickley got a huge bowl, cutting the bend nicely. Brickley’s next would have sealed the deal for him as it made Buttimer’s Pillars but it was ‘called’. His second attempt was not as kind as it went left a good 70 metres short of the first tip. O’Donoghue got a huge 14th shot and Brickley’s form dipped from here – he missed this tip to give O’Donoghue back the lead by 12 metres. Brickley missed the line in two more and O’Donoghue beat it well. 

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Shannonvale held a Noel Phair Cup score between Gary Daly and James O’Donovan. They played for €7,800 a-side. O’Donovan led this score from start to finish. Towards the end, Daly got a huge 16th shot that O’Donovan beat by 30 metres. Daly’s last was doing a lot of hopping and got caught at the bend, and O’Donovan beat this by 30 metres to take the honours.

The vintage championship also continued and at Ballinacarriga in a Pool C vintage C semi-final, John Tringle beat Timmie O’Brien by two bowls of odds.