CLUBS are making great inroads into their tournaments at this time of year. No fewer than three finals were played this past weekend.

At Shannonvale, vintage player David Walsh put in a great performance to beat the youth of Diarmuid Hurley, playing for a stake of €1,250 a-side. Walsh took a bowl of odds out to Desmond’s cross, raised another in three great bowls past Kingston’s wall and held this advantage to the line.

Schull held a novice D tournament final where Shane O’Mahony (Ballydehob) beat Aaron Barry (Goleen) by one bowl for €1,500 a-side. And at Beal na mBláth in a doubles tournament final, Mark Cahalane and Ciarán Hoey beat Teddy and Dylan Murphy for €470 a-side.

Meanwhile when one tournament finishes another begins, and at Ballygurteen, two Paddy Murray Cup scores were played. Micháel Desmond from Macroom could do no wrong in his convincing win over Kieran Murphy (Templemartin), playing for €2,000 a-side.

This was a trap-to-line win for Desmond. He opened the first bend in three where he led by 30 metres, and increased this to a bowl of odds with a huge fourth past Dullea’s house. In two more past the Women’s Lane he held a bowl and 40 metres. After two more from Desmond to O’Mahony’s avenue his odds were almost doubled to two bowls. Murphy knocked the two bowls briefly with a good 11th shot but at the Coffey shop Desmond restored the two bowls again and increased it to almost three bowls when Murphy missed O’Donovan’s bend.

In the second Paddy Murray Cup score, defending winner Jimmy O’Driscoll played Liam Murphy from Baile Bhurine, playing for a stake of €2,000 a-side. Both missed out the first bend in three where O’Driscoll took his first lead. O’Driscoll held a 25-metre lead back of the Women’s lane and increased this to 70 after two more to O’Mahony’s avenue. He raised the bowl of odds after three more to the Coffee shop and had almost two bowls at O’Donovan’s bend. O’Driscoll raised and won by two bowls at Burke's entrance. In pick-up scores at Ballygurteen, Tim Cahalane beat Deckie O’Mahony by the last shot for €500 a-side, and Donnacha Lucey beat Jack Cahalane by the last shot for €500 a-side.

At Ballinacurra, David Hegarty reversed the defeat of the previous week to Cillian Kelleher when they played for €1,500 a-side. At Brinny Cross in three, Hegarty was throwing his odds over five metres. Two more great bowls to Foley’s where he raised a bowl of odds. He increased this to two bowls at Perriot’s and held this to the Bridge and on for Innishannon Cross. Kelleher had it under the two bowls at the junior line but Hegarty powered on from there again to win out by two bowls.