SKIBBEREEN bowler Darragh Dempsey lived up to his favourite’s tag when he won the Munster junior A final at Ballinagree.

The former European U18 road bowling champion from 2022 added to his trophy haul by getting the better of Johnny O’Driscoll of Clonakilty in a score that went right down to the wire.

Because of the odds given there was no stake in this all West Cork clash.

Both reached An Capaillin Cross in two shots, with Dempsey in the lead. Poor third, fourth and fifth efforts from O’Driscoll left him battling for survival in this score, fighting a bowl of odds down.

Dempsey had big odds with the bowl at Horgan’s double gates, but O’Driscoll was keeping it to the even bowl at the Pink Cottage. It was the same odds at the falling pole after eight and nine shots.

O’Driscoll knocked the bowl with a superb tenth shot, as Dempsey was very right of play. It was still under the bowl at the Quay Wall, with O’Driscoll having played two great bowls.

Dempsey made the white wall in two more and O’Driscoll was still alive when he beat this tip by 40 metres. Dempsey enjoyed a good 15th looking down at the village, though O’Driscoll responded with another superb shot that Dempsey was lucky to beat – his bowl came off the left.

Now there was only 25 metres in it for the last shots.

O’Driscoll gave it everything and launched an incredible bowl with a touch of the kerbing well past the finish line. Dempsey had it all to do but lined his bowl well and also got a rub off the kerbing to beat the tip by 20 metres. A wonderful final.

Dermot Herlihy, a road shower for four generations of Dempseys, with Dan Quill, a grandnephew of the Bould Thady Quill. (Photo: Dan McCarthy)

***

It was mixed fortunes for the McDonagh brothers over the past weekend. Timmy McDonagh lost the intermediate final to Paddy Stokes at Ballinagree, while Arthur McDonagh won his senior quarter-final against Páidín Stokes at Conna.

In the intermediate final at Ballinagree, Stokes powered to a trap-to-line win, with two bowls of odds to spare. McDonagh, a runner-up in this grade in 2025, will have to wait another year. Paddy Stokes has become only the second player in the history of the game to win both the junior A and intermediate county championships in successive years. He now joins Billy Hurley who won junior A in 1975 and intermediate 1976.

The score at Conna between Arthur McDonagh and his cousin Páidín Stokes rolled back the years for those who remember the era of Mick Barry, Derry Kenny, Denis Scully, Johnny Creedon, etc., when bowling was of the highest standard. This was a super score that delivered in spades, with McDonagh outlasting Stokes in this battle. McDonagh bowled above senior with five superb shots from the bridge and Stokes did well to only lose by a bowl of odds.

***

The last quarter-final of the senior championship, played at Castletown, saw Aidan Murphy take on Brian Wilmot for no stake.

At Round Tower cross in four each, Murphy had five metres of odds. After three more throws each to Pynes corner, Murphy held 20 metres of odds. But from a bad stand, Wilmot opened sight for the netting and beat the end of the netting with his next to go almost a bowl of odds up.

Murphy missed sight from Pyne's corner and was in trouble. He went out to the line at Forshins Cross in two more where the deficit was under the bowl, as Wilmot missed the cross but was up for a loft.

After lofting, Wilmot had 50 metres of odds. Murphy’s 13th off the line pulled up right and Wilmot only beat this tip by 40 metres. After a huge 14th from Murphy to the junior line, suddenly the score swung in his favour. Wilmot was right with his next and fell a bowl down. He was well back of the finish line in 16 and Murphy just missed the finish line in 15, and will now play Bandon’s James O’Donovan in the semi-final.

***

The senior men, junior B, veterans, intermediate ladies and U16 boys are the next priority for bowling’s fixtures secretary in preparation for the second series of All-Irelands in Keady-Tassagh in Armagh on August 1st and 2nd.

At Ballinacurra, Ger Connolly, from the South West, enjoyed a one-bowl victory over Shane Lotty City in a junior B quarter-final score. They played for €4,000 a-side. By the waterworks entrance, Lotty led by 20 metres. But Connolly played the better from here, soon took his first lead, pushed on and raised a bowl of odds, enough to progress to the semi-final.

Ballygurteen held another junior B quarter-final score between Carbery man Colm Crowley and Kilcorney’s Shane Collins. They played for a stake of €2,600 a-side. The standard of bowling in this score for Collins was well below par, as Crowley surged into a lead of two bowls of odds by the Coffee Dock. Very soon, Collins had enough and Crowley advanced.

Baile Bhuirne was the venue for the third junior B quarter final, as 2013 junior A county and All-Ireland winner Denis O’Driscoll from Drimoleague took on the 2020 junior A county runner-up Davey Fitzgerald from Ballyvolane but playing out of the North East region. They played for a stake of €4,200 a-side. An exciting score, towards the end O’Driscoll unleashed a superb bowl that just fell short of the finish line but won him back the lead by a big margin. And he took the win.

Ger O’Driscoll, from Newcestown, booked his place in the last four of the junior B quarter-finals after he beat Eoin O’Riordan, Macroom, comprehensively at Beál na Marbh, playing for a stake of €1,250 a-side.

In the novice veterans, Pat O’Donovan (North East) beat Freddie Scannell (Gaeltacht) by two bowls of odds at Bweeng. In the same championship at Curraheen, Liam Linehan (North Cork) beat Ted Hegarty (South West) by one bowl for €800 a-side.

***

At Ballinagree on Sunday morning, the crowd gathered for the boys’ U18 county final between Culann Bourke from Berrings and Gerald McDonagh from Fermoy. There was no stake in this one. After a tight start where the lead swapped hands, McDonagh took control after poor ninth and tenth efforts from Bourke. By the end, McDonagh had raised a second bowl to book his place in the All-Ireland final in a week’s time.

***

Ballincurrig are back on their own road after resurfacing was completed in preparation for the King and Queen of the Roads on September 18th to 20th. In a Mick Barry Cup score, Tommy O’Sullivan beat Patrick Flood by the last shot, playing for a stake of €3,100 a-side.

Eoin McCarthy just held on to beat Gearoid McCarthy in the South West Junior C final at Fisher’s Cross, playing for a stake of €2,200 a-side.

Jagoes Mills held the Mid Cork Novice A final between Alan Butler from Bandon and James Kelleher from Newcestown, playing for €1,620 a-side. Both went through the cross in four shots with Butler taking all four and leading by 25 metres. Both went out of sight for the dump in five with Butler having 60 metres of odds. Kelleher missed this tip when he buried his sixth in right to fall a bowl of odds down. At Lawton’s in eight and nine shots, Butler increased his odds to a bowl and 60 metres. Three more for Butler to the railway entrance, still a bowl and 50 metres up, and at the novice line it was almost two bowls in Butler’s favour.