A LARGE contingent of West Cork people made the long journey to Westport this past weekend for the fourth and final All-Ireland series of the year, supporting Don O’Driscoll from Drimoleague and Eoin Hurley from Kilronan, Dunmanway.

O’Driscoll, in the novice 2 semi-final, was the first score of the weekend, playing Chris Kiernan from London and Joe Sheridan from Connacht. There was no stake in this one.

Sheridan was on the back foot from the off, as he missed sight at the first bend at the monument. After a poor second shot from O’Driscoll, Kiernan took full advantage as he went full sight at the Stonewall bend in two more where he had a full bowl on Sheridan and almost a bowl on O’Driscoll.

There was no let-up from Kiernan as he was at the treatment plant in three more big shots. He had almost three bowls on Sheridan here and throwing his odds with a bowl on O’Driscoll, but Kiernan made a slip with his eighth shot to Maguire’s entrance while O’Driscoll got a super bowl to Moran’s Lane, knocking huge odds.

Hoping for another blunder from Kiernan that wasn’t coming, O’Driscoll got another super bowl down the Oak Tree straight, but Kiernan went sight for the netting in two more.

O’Driscoll failed to make the long bend netting and Kiernan had almost a bowl of odds again. Sheridan was three bowls down now.

Kiernan went out the last bend in two more where he now had a full bowl on O’Driscoll. There was a dramatic twist when Kiernan got a poor 14th shot, but was still throwing his odds over 25 metres. He beat the line in three more to win by a big last shot, which was disappointing for the strong Drimoleague following.

In the second semi-final, Mark O’Rourke (Armagh) took victory from Brian Weimer (North America) and Timmy Cooney (Leinster).

Eoin Hurley with his grandad Connie O'Riordan and neighbour Bill Deane, who have been his mentors from day one. (Photo: Gretta Cormican)

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Back in the road, we had the first junior C semi-final between Anthony McVeigh (Armagh) up against Fergal Carr (North America) and JP Clinton (Leinster). Carr took the honours by a bowl over McVeigh and two bowls on Clinton. In the second junior C semi-final, Padraigh Nugent (London) took the victory from Christy Stokes (Munster) by the last shot; there was no stake in this one.

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In the first of the novice 1 semi-finals, Diarmuid Grimley (Armagh) had an easy victory over Florrie O’Mahony (North America) and David Hughes (Connacht), no stake in this one.

In the second semi-final, Eoin Hurley saved this score from the jaws of death when he beat Pat Callanan, originally from the Pike but representing Leinster, and Jeremiah Fitzpatrick, originally from Rosscarbery but representing London. As the score developed into a battle between Hurley and Fitzpatrick, both went out the last bend with their 15th shots with Hurley ahead by ten metres.

Both got excellent shots up the rising road from here, with Hurley’s margin back to three metres, and Callanan was a bowl down at this point. Both missed the finish line with Hurley still fore bowl by eight metres. Fitzpatrick’s last was a touch left and fell left and Hurley beat this easily to advance to the final.

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All three finals were held on Sunday. First up we had the novice 2 final between Mark O’Rourke (Armagh) playing Chris Kiernan, originally from Armagh but representing London. There was a stake of €500 a-side. Victory here went to O’Rourke, who built a lead of almost three bowls when Kiernan conceded.

In the return final, Fergal Carr, originally from Armagh but representing North America, played his near neighbour in Armagh, Padraigh Nugent, who hails from Armagh also but was representing London. They played for a stake of €6,350 a side in this junior C final. Carr came out on top.

The last and final score of the weekend involved Eoin Hurley from Kilronan, representing Munster, playing Diarmuid Grimley from Armagh, for a fine stake of €10,850 a side, with Hurley carrying the favourite’s tag.

Both missed sight at the monument in their first shots, with Grimley ahead by 30 metres. Three more shots each out the stonewall bend with Grimley holding a ten-metre lead.

Hurley got a super fifth shot to the top of the hill that gave him his first lead of 30 metres, as Grimley’s bowl hopped in right. He extended this to 60 metres at the treatment plant, but from here Grimley got an extraordinary bowl that cut the left bend and made the double bungalows. Hurley lofted his seventh shot way out, it looked buried left but escaped and went to within half a metre of Grimley’s tip.

Both were right with their eighth shots. Hurley got two huge bowls down the Oak Tree straight that gave him a 150-metre lead. Grimley replied with two huge and incredible shots to the netting on the long bend, looking like taking the lead back but Hurley got the most incredible rub off a pole that took him full sight for Mount Brown road.

Hurley went out the last bend in two more where he now had almost a bowl of odds. He finished off this score with a massive 15th shot just back of the line to win by a bowl of odds. His dad Johnny was an unlucky beaten finalist in this same championship, when he was beaten by Niall Smith in 2008 at the very same venue.

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The novice team All-Irelands have now become a feature in the fourth series of All-Irelands and were played out for the third year on Sunday morning in Aghagower.

The Ballinacurra team of Martin Cronin, Chris Hayes and Brian Galvin set the pace for the others when they carded a score of 1,518 metres with their ten shots, but coming along in the last group we had Kilcorney, with Evan Murphy, Kevin Healy and Martin McSweeney, who piped them with a score of 1,560.2 metres to snatch the gold from Ballinacurra.

Full results: 1. Kilcorney 1560.2m; 2. Ballinacurra 1,518m; 3. Newtownhamilton 1,464.8m; 4. Monaghan 1,391m; 5. Berrings 1,321.6m; 6. Aghagower 1,320.4m; 7. Grenagh 1,290.5m; 8. Waterford 1,278m.