HANNAH Sexton will bid for All-Ireland glory this weekend after defending her Munster crown.

With back-to-back titles, the Timoleague woman will be eager to go one step further when she returns to Ballinagree for the All-Ireland series.

Sexton, who has now won three senior titles since 2022, was just too strong for local Denise Murphy when they played before a huge crowd at Ballinagree, for a stake of €4,600 a-side.

Sexton raised an early bowl of odds with three great opening shots to the White Wall. Murphy knocked the bowl by ten metres with a super fifth effort past the new houses. From here, Sexton unleashed a bullet of a bowl that went around the Quay Wall, a distance of almost 200 metres. Murphy beat this by 15 metres in two shots.

Sexton was bowling with incredible power and after two more back of the falling pole, Murphy followed a huge bowl to keep the gap to under the two bowls of odds.

While Sexton’s seventh wasn’t her best, Murphy did not take her chance to close the gap and only beat this tip by two metres, just short of two bowls of odds. Sexton let go of another bullet and Murphy lined a super bowl and beat the tip by 25 metres.

At the junior finish, Sexton raised the two bowls of odds. Murphy lined a big 13th that knocked the two bowls again. Heading for An Capaillín Ban Cross, Sexton got a huge rub off the right dyke that took her down full sight. Murphy followed and made the cross with a huge bowl, with the gap well under the two bowls of odds at this juncture.

Sexton closed the score out with three great bowls over the line to win by a bowl of odds. She now plays Dervla Toal Mallon in the All-Ireland final, a title that she has yet to get her hands on after two previous defeats in 2022 and 2025.

The U18 county final presentation; from left, Caroline O'Leary, Ladies Committee Chairperson; Meabh Cuinnea, winner; Megan Collins, Ladies Committee Youth Officer; and Darcy O'Brien, runner-up. (Photo: Gretta Cormican)

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Meabh Cuinnea, from Rosscarbery, is on a roll right now. But spare a thought for Darcy O’Brien who had to succumb to another defeat in a county final, having previously lost U16 in 2022, and Junior and U18 in 2025. On this occasion, she lost to Cuinnea in the U18 final played at Ballinagree.

The Ross bowler, on the other hand, is no stranger to the podium, as an U12 winner in 2022 and a dual winner in U14 and U16 in 2024.

Cuinnea got off to a poor start – her first shot was very left, hopped the kerb and hit a pole. O’Brien opened with a super bowl to the Laine Bar. After two more shots, Cuinnea had the odds back to 20 metres. She then lined a super fourth well down the hill that yielded her the lead by 40 metres.

O’Brien was very unlucky to get caught at the white wall. She then lined a smashing fourth shot to the end of the houses. From here, Cuinnea got three poor bowls in succession and found herself fighting almost a bowl of odds down at the end of the Quay Wall, all to 25 metres. An important rub with her seventh kept the bowl down by 40 metres.

O’Brien, carrying a slight left-hand pull, got no justice out of her next bowl. A huge eighth from Cuinnea got her back into the score as she retook the lead by four metres. O’Brien replied with a good ninth shot but Cuinnea, carrying that little bit extra pep, got another great bowl and beat the tip by 25 metres.

A lapse in the road showing for O’Brien’s next cost her a lot of odds and she got punished by Cuinnea, who followed up with another fantastic shot that O’Brien beat by only 20 metres. There was almost a bowl in it at this juncture.

Cuinnea’s 11th wasn’t great, and O’Brien had a chance to close the gap but only beat the tip by 30 metres. Cuinnea finished with a massive 12th just back of the finish line that O’Brien missed to fall a bowl of odds down. Cuinnea now plays Megan O’Reilly, who has won the U16 All-Ireland for the last two seasons, in this weekend’s All-Ireland finals at Ballinagree.

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The junior ladies county final at Ballinagree was a very close contest from start to finish, with neither bowler leading by more than 25 metres at any stage in the score. Representing the Gaeltacht region Rachel Desmond played Kay Kelly from Banteer in the North Cork region for a stake of €1,300 a-side. It was Desmond who emerged the winner. Her opponent in the All-Ireland this weekend will be Alice Mackle, a sister of Thomas.

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In the men’s senior semi-final at Grenagh, Arthur McDonagh beat Gary Daly by a bowl of odds. He awaits the winner of Aidan Murphy v James O’Donovan for the final on July 26th.

Just when you think you have won a score, it can be cruelly snatched away from you by the stones of the road. This is what happened to Ger O’Driscoll, Newcestown, when he lost by the last shot to Colm Crowley, Bauravilla, in the junior B county semi-final at Derrinasaffa. His last bowl played perfectly, but veered off left, caught a stone and missed Crowley’s tip by ten metres.

In the second semi-final at the Marsh Road, Ger Connolly, Shannonvale, had a convincing win over Denis O’Driscoll, Drimoleague. They played for a stake of €12,000 a-side.

In regional boy’s u-16 finals, Jack Allen beat Luke Barry in the Mid Cork final at Ballinacurra. Fionán Twohig beat Darragh Ahern in the South West final at Lyre. Eoghan Hickey beat Oisin Murray in the West Cork final at Inch. Anna Deane won the girl’s U-16 Mid Cork final from Alison Kelleher at Castletown. Brian Harrington won the Carbery U-14 final from Cathal Gleeson at The Marsh Road. James Murphy won the Mid Cork U-14 Final from Sean Hickey at Newcestown. Conor O’Sullivan won the West Cork U12 from Harry Kingston at Bantry, Cait Young won the girls U12 from Farah Healy at Bantry. Billy Connolly won the North East junior C final from David Stokes at Grenagh for €4,000 a-side. Brian Coughlan won the Carbery Novice A from David Minihane for €750 a-side, Sidney Shannon won the Carbery Novice B from David. Abbie McDonnell won the North East U16 final from Carrie O’Donovan at Carrignavar.

In the midst of this busy season of championship fixtures, the Mid Cork club of Jagoe’s Mill’s managed to squeeze in their novice D tournament final for the “Kenneth Murphy Memorial Plate”, played out between local man Derick Murphy and Innishannon man Darren O’Driscoll, playing for a stake of €1,750 a-side. Even though O’Driscoll missed up sight with his first shot there was nothing between them after two. O’Driscoll took his first lead with a great third shot through the cross, and held his lead to one metre after two more to the dump. A great bowl from Murphy to the footpath won him back the lead but this was short lived as O’Driscoll replied with a super bowl to Lawton’s, where he was back in front again, three more each to the railway entrance and O’Driscoll’s odds was minimal, after two more to the power station Murphy won back the lead by five metres and finished the stronger to take the honours. In a return score Thomas Maloney took his third victory of the week off of Martin O’Donovan for a stake of €750 a-side.

No stone has been left unturned in Ballinagree for this weekend’s All-Ireland finals, as we have seen over the past two weekends of county finals, they have a huge hardworking committee, and the road is in pristine condition and the dykes well-manicured. They also have loads of parking so please everyone, park in the designated car parks. They have also produced a wonderful programme. We want to wish all the bowlers both North and South every good luck, and come Sunday we will have six new All-Ireland champions.