THE vintage championship is progressing and first through to the last eight in section B (Group A) which has 15 starters is Drinagh’s Connie Connolly.
Denis Nyhan was the opposition at Shannonvale on Wednesday last and they had a good tussle to ‘Desmond’s’. Connolly fired his winning sequence from here unleashing three big ones that brought him to the lag by ‘Kingston’s’.
Vintage C group A has 32 in the hat and there are now two from Rossmore in the last 16 after Finbarr Fitzpatrick showed that class is permanent with a fine first round win over previous sectional winner, Jerome O’Mahony, at Timoleague. Following on from Pat Joe Connolly’s victory last week, Fitzpatrick came through on the back of a display of pin-point accuracy and smooth delivery all achieved with minimal run-in. Advancing too are Jack Cahalane and Jim Cronin who had respective wins at Drinagh over Donal O’Mahony and Fachtna Keane.
Brian Murray captured the West Cork novice C title on his home road, Ardcahan, on Friday coming with a late surge to deny U18 champion Mark Deane who had made the early running. They played for a total of €2,200.
The D final at Derrinasafa on Saturday evening went the way of local contender Johnny Kelly who edged out Peter Hickey for a €940 total. Sean O’Leary and Alan Brickley played out a thrilling novice B semi-final at Drimoleague on Thursday. O’Leary went almost a bowl up after a tremendous opener but undid his good work with a poor second. Brickley was to the fore in the next exchanges and rose a bowl of odds in the shots to the no-play line.
O’Leary wasn’t done a fired five incredible shots that not only wiped out Brickley’s lead but won the score in the last shot. He played David O’Brien who defeated Seamus O’Regan in his semi-final at Drinagh on Wednesday, in the novice B decider at Drimoleague on Sunday evening. For a €2,640 total, O’Leary went almost a bowl up after four but was hauled back in the ensuing exchanges as they went level in ten each to the no-play lines. O’Leary could not repeat his finishing semi-final surge and it was O’Brien who took the laurels in the last shot. In the West Cork junior ladies championship on the Inch road, Dunmanway, Eirinn O’Donovan won from Grace Hickey and Marie Russell edged out Emer O’Connell. The winners meet in the final this week.
Gaeltacht’s Novice C final on Monday night in Terelton attracted a huge crowd for the meeting of Joe Creedon, Inchigeelagh and Mattie McDonagh from Clondrohid with a combined stake of €8,600 indicating big support for both camps. Both played average opening shots to the middle of the graveyard. Creedon was unlucky when his next fell right and McDonagh played an absolute miler to the lollipops which Creedon only beat by 40 metres. Both made Foley's in five with McDonagh 30 metres fore and there was no big change down towards the garage, but here Creedon turned the score on its head with a bullet down past the pumps to the laurels. McDonagh followed it but missed the tip a yard, the first lead for Creedon who increased the lead to twenty metres after two more.
McDonagh then lined a perfect bowl to past ‘the ducks’ which Creedon missed by 15 yards resulting in the lead changing again in terrible weather conditions. There was to be one more twist with the next exchange going to Creedon by metres. McDonagh was a shade unlucky and Creedon took his chance and narrowly missed the line and was eighty metres up for the last shot. McDonagh played absolute train past the line which left Creedon with a tricky bowl to beat but beat it he did independently to claim the Novice C championship in Reiguin Na Gaeltachta.
The D final on the Coolea Road on Wednesday, Jamie McCarthy fired six outstanding opening shots which put him on his way to a one-bowl victory over Brian Crowley. For a €2,000 total stake, Crowley, who went two behind mid-way through, fought back well in the last quarter but could not get close enough. Colm McLoughlin defeated Darren Kelly in a return score at Ballyvourney.
At Cill na Martra on Sunday night Liam Murphy from Baile Bhuirne, another of the younger generation of players, met Brian Crowley in The Gaeltacht novice B final. Crowley was away early and led by 30 yards after five to ‘Browne's’. Murphy upped the tempo with four big shots to the halfway point to lead by ten yards. Murphy produced two massive shots to the ‘teach mor’, and rose a bowl with Crowley a shade unlucky not to beat the second of those big shots. Along the straight, Crowley managed to bring the odds under the bowl. Facing down for the last two shots, Murphy had 120 yards and beat the line in his next to win by almost a bowl. Murphy had beaten his father Paudie in the semi-final and looks another player with a big future. Ailbhe O’Shea put the disappointment of her narrow U18 semi-final loss at Beal na mBlath on Friday firmly behind her when, on the following evening, she scored a hard-earned regional junior ladies win at Clondrohid over Kilnamartyra’s Laura Creedon. Ten excellent shots to the ‘corner house’ gave the Macroom girl leeway enough for victory.
