SHANNONVALE held the final of their intermediate tournament for the Liam Daly Cup, played between Tim Young, David Shannon and Paul Buckley for a total stake of €8,000.
Buckley opened with a super first shot to the back of Cleary’s, and extended his odds with another great bowl to McSweeney’s where he raised a bowl on Young and was throwing big odds on Shannon. After a series of calls Shannon had Buckley’s odds back to five metres.
At the quarry in two more each, Young had the gap down to under the bowl and Buckley held 50 metres on Shannon. The latter got a huge bowl back of Buttimer’s that Buckley beat by 40 metres. Young was a bowl down at this juncture.
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Young’s eighth got slashed off badly and he missed sight at Desmond’s bend, while Shannon made full sight in eight, before an incredible seventh shot from Buckley. There was no let up from Buckley now as he was getting extra attempts – he now had one bowl on Shannon and two bowls on Young. Things didn’t get any better for Young as he had a dead bowl from here.
Shannon continued to press for a lead on Buckley with a series of well-played bowls past Kingston’s wall but there was no let up from Buckley as he followed and beat these tips to hold a bowl advantage on Shannon and big odds with two on Young.
Buckley was getting plenty shots in this score, with a series of calls between Kingstons and Campbells, but he held his odds to Campbell’s lane where he had almost two bowls on Shannon and three bowls on Young. After another past the Novice line, it was a star performance from Buckley who took home the Liam Daly Cup.
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Another final at Rosscarbery saw Darren Harrington up against Paudie Murphy, and they played for €1,850 a-side. This was a hard-fought tussle from start to finish. Both had opportunities of raising big odds at different stages but failed.
Both went up the hill in three where Harrington had 80 metres of odds, and in three more to the end of the Priest’s wall where Murphy got a super bowl to level the score. A bad mistake by Harrington with his tenth from Barry Boreen where he dropped big odds, and at the B&B Murphy had a lead of 30 metres. Murphy got a huge bowl from this juncture and won out in the end by a bowl of odds.
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Ballinagree in North Cork will host the first All-Ireland series in early July. So, the club and region held a fundraising weekend to raise some funds to defray some of the costs that such an undertaking can bring. Jimmy O’Brien and Eoin McCarthy got proceedings under way playing for €4,300 a-side, and the former came out on top. Wayne Parkes, down from senior to intermediate this year, got the better of Timmy McDonagh in the return score for a stake of €3,000 a-side.
John Cahalane and Jim Coffey have had many scores over the years and both are never found wanting when it comes to fundraisers. They played for €6,400 a-side in a score Cahalane won by three bowls. On the return route Jimmy O’Brien lost to local man Stephen Murphy for €5,500 a-side.
On Sunday in Ballinagree PJ O’Driscoll was defeated by Martin McSweeney for a stake of €3,500 a-side. David Hegarty then defeated Cathal Creedon in the return score for €5,000 a-side. In other scores played at Ballinagree Michael Desmond and Ciara Buckley are proving to be a pair hard to beat when they got the better Conor Lucey and Denise Murphy by almost two bowls for €4,100 a-side, and David O’Neill beat Eoin McCarthy by one bowl for €2,000 a-side.
