GAVIN Twohig held on by his fingernails to beat Wayne Callanan in a junior tournament score at Ballinacurra.

Playing for a stake of €1,500 a-side, Twohig opened with three huge bowls to Brinny cross where he held an early bowl of odds. Twohig held these odds in two more well-played bowls to Foley’s. He followed up with a super sixth shot past the waterworks entrance.

Callanan unleashed a fantastic eighth shot to Brinny House and followed up with an equally impressive ninth to the hurling alley, keeping Twohig’s odds to an even bowl. Callanan knocked the bowl of odds with a huge tenth to the bridge. When Twohig followed up with two poor bowls to Innishannon Cross, suddenly his odds were back to 20 metres.

Two more each out onto the straight road where Callanan took his first lead by five metres to set up a grandstand finish up the last straight.

Callanan held onto the lead by a mere metre after two more throws past the avenue. Twohig went out of sight for the line with a huge bowl, as Callanan followed and beat this by three metres for the last shot. Twohig put down a perfect last that beat the finish line, while Callanan’s was played equally as good but just fell short by one metre.

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Ballydehob were the hosts of a Féile na Gaeilga weekend of bowling to support a village festival of different activities that included wood carving, beekeeping, hurling and football skills, trad sessions and, of course, road bowling.

Rachel Desmond and her boxing sister Christine were on hand to give a road bowling demonstration to the visitors and locals, as all were encouraged to give it a try.

On the road, there were plenty of scores, too. Geároid Lucy beat Eoin Hurley by one bowl for €1,500 a-side. Michael O’Leary got the better of Martin Cronin by one bowl for €1,500 a-side. Kevin Ó’Crualáoi beat Finbarr Coughlan by the last shot for €2,600 a-side. Kevin Courtney defeated Tom McCarthy by two bowls for €1,200 a-side. Johnny O’Driscoll beat Liam Murphy by one bowl for €1,400 a-side. Paudie Murphy got the better of Darren Harrington, three bowls, for €1,500 a-side. Jimmy O’Regan beat Donal McCarthy for €1,000 a-side. Shane Shannon beat Ger Connolly by two bowls for €4,000 a-side and Shane Shannon beat Ger Connolly in a second score for €4,550 a-side.

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Firmount held a junior tournament score between Mark Bourke and Trevor O’Meara, and Bourke’s winning trail of late came to an end when O’Meara beat him by one bowl of odds, for a stake of €2,050 a-side. This was a trap-to-line win for O’Meara. Three shots each up past the school, O’Meara held a five-metre advantage. A poor fourth from Bourke and O’Meara punished him. Up past the pump house O’Meara held a 40-metre advantage. Bourke got himself back into the score back of Buckley’s Cross, but O’Meara got a huge bowl through the cross that extended his lead again. A huge bowl to McCarthy’s bungalow from O’Meara raised almost the bowl of odds for him. Bourke kept it under the bowl past McCarthy’s farm but O’Meara raised the full bowl of odds with two shots to go. There was no way back for Bourke.

Fermoy’s Gary Daly beat Brinny’s Aidan Murphy in the Willie Whelton Cup at Grange.

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A Noel Phair Cup score took place at Shannonvale, as Martin Coppinger reversed the result of Clondrohid when he beat Patrick Flood by two bowls of odds for a stake of €450 a-side.

After three shots each to McSweeney’s bungalow, Coppinger held a 40-metre lead. A short fifth from Flood that Coppinger missed by 15 metres across left and an opportunity gone.

But Coppinger recovered well and won back the lead well above Buttimer’s pillars. Flood was well back off Buttimer’s pillars and given no hope of making Desmond’s, but he did the impossible and levelled up the score in eight shots each to Desmond’s cross.

Flood was back in front again with his ninth shot off the cross. He misplaced his tenth left but it got a kind rub and made Kingston’s lane as he looked in control of this score.

Coppinger replied with a great bowl to the end of Kingston’s wall, keeping himself in the score as Flood was left of play and only beat the tip by 20 metres. After two more poor bowls from Flood to the back of Tobin’s bungalow, Coppinger was now in control. Both missed sight for Campbell’s and here Flood was a bowl of odds down. Another poor effort from Flood when he missed sight at the last bend and Coppinger extended his odds to almost two bowls and no back for Flood.

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Another senior score took place in Grange in the Willie Whelton Cup, as Aidan Murphy and Gary Daly lined out for a stake of €3,150 a-side with Murphy carrying the favourite’s tag.

A huge start from Daly when he opened the Stud Farm bend in three huge shots even though his first wasn’t the greatest. Murphy pulled his second, third and fourth all right and was an early bowl of odds down.

Murphy’s fifth bowl missed sight at Holland’s and Daly made the start of Holland’s wall. Murphy’s sixth shot was brought out too far and right again, while Daly got a massive fifth just short of sight at De Barra’s. Murphy got a lovely rub with his seventh to keep the odds under two bowls. Both missed the School Cross with their next, Daly lofted and made Hegarty’s Wall and Murphy threw a perfect shot and had it under the bowl of odds by 30 metres.

Two more huge shots each up past the big tree where Murphy still had it under the bowl of odds if only by six inches. Daly’s tenth was not a great one and gave Murphy an opportunity to knock further odds and he beat this tip by 70 metres.

Any blip from Daly and the score could have been level but Daly’s next was a huge bowl past Noelie’s bungalow that Murphy only beat by 25 metres, not his quickest and his bowl fell left. Daly got a great bowl up the rising road to the White House and Murphy again beat this tip by 70 metres.

There was no doubt about Daly’s 13th shot, played well up the centre and out full sight halfway to the pub. Murphy was right with his 14th effort and it hit the back of Barry’s wall, as he fell a bowl down again. Murphy beat the finish line, but it was not enough on this occasion.

In a return score at Grange, Tom Reaney and Dylan O’Brien will have nightmares as to how they lost their score to Michael O’Leary and Thomas Maloney, going from almost two bowls up to losing by a bowl for a stake of €1,000 a-side.

Also, Clashmore held a junior A final between John O’Donoghue (Snr) and James Cooney, playing for a stake of €600 a-side, with O’Donighe coming out on top.