HEGARTY TO FACE TWOHIG IN THRILLING SEMI-FINAL AS MCDONAGH, ROCHE AND KELLEHER IMPRESS

Hegarty and Twohig secured hard-fought quarter-final wins to set up a semi-final clash, both edging tight finishes in Bauravilla and Derrinasaffa.
Timmy McDonagh, David Roche, and Cillian Kelleher all recorded strong victories to progress in their respective championships.
Elsewhere, key semi-finals and finals are taking shape across junior, intermediate, and ladies competitions after a busy weekend of action

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HEGARTY AND TWOHIG TO MEET IN SEMI-FINAL

In the pool C Junior A championship Quarter-Finals, two scores were played on Friday evening, at Bauravilla David Hegarty beat Noel O’Regan by one bowl for €4,370 a-side and at Derrinasaffa Gavin Twohig beat David Shannon by the last shot for €3,500 a-side. Back to Bauravilla Hegarty and O’Regan went through Robins cross in three shots each with O’Rgan having a forty meter advantage. They both went out the netting bend in two more with O’Regan still fore bowl by thirty meters. Hegarty got only an average seventh that O’Regan did not capitalise on this as he buried his bowl in left and only beat the tip by ten meters. Hegarty got a huge bowl out to the rock and would be led no more from here, he followed up with a huge bowl to the end of O’Sullivan’s railings that raised the bowl of odds. O’Regan laid down an incredible bowl to the bridge that knocked the bowl of odds briefly. But Hegarty restored it again with another huge bowl over the hump, and his last to O’Donoghue’s railings sealed the deal.

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At Derrinasaffa in the other pool C Quarter-Final both Twohig and Shannon were out Natties bend in seven shots each with Shannon slightly fore bowl. Twohig made three quarter way to cotters cross and Shannon was very left and missed tip. Twohig went up and around the darkwood turn in two more and had thirty meters of odds. At Dwyers wall nothing between them. Shannon was back in front again by fifty meters at O’Neill’s cross. Twohig rallied with two good bowls to Hon Grady’s that won him back the lead for the last shots. Shannon missed the line and Twohig with eighty meters to beat played it well and booked his place in the semi-final against David Hegarty, the other semi-final being Donal Riordan and Johnny O’Driscoll.

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MCDONAGH GETS INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONSHIP OFF TO A WINNING START

The Intermediate championship got under way this past weekend at Beal Na Marbh between Timmy McDonagh who recently won the Noel O’Callaghan Cup there playing Paul Buckley, disappointing enough that there was no stake in this score. McDonagh had an early advantage in this score throwing over twenty meters with his fourth shot. McDonagh got an incredible shot that skimmed the rock and on for Hubbard’s that raised a bowl and fifty meters of odds for him. Buckley was very tight right with his next but got a great bowl, McDonagh was left but got a nice run off the left dyke to hold his bowl advantage and forty meters. Another super bowl from Buckley past the lawn and onto the straight, but McDonagh followed it and put big odds on it with the bowl, Buckley had a huge bowl to make the forest entrance, he was right of play and missed sight, McDonagh went full sight and was almost two bowls up after Buckley’s next. From bend to bend McDonagh raised a third bowl and now meets Tim Young in the quarter final at Baile Bhuirne. In a return score Sean Paul McDonagh younger brother of Timmy beat Andrew O’Callaghan by the last shot for €1,300 a-side.

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At Ballincurrig a Junior Veteran championship Semi-Final was played between former intermediate players Trevor O’Meara and Andrew O’Leary, playing for a stake of €1,000 as. O’Leary opened with a huge bowl past Tattan’s and followed up with an equally impressive second shot to the river bend. Nothing separated them after two more out on to Barry’s straight, O’Leary holding a five meter lead. O’Meara got a big fifth to the honesty box that gave him his first lead by twenty five meters as O’Leary was left of play. O’Meara stretched his lead with another big bowl to the care home gate and raised a bowl of odds with his next and extended that to a bowl and sixty meters at the speed camera, after O’Meara’s ninth to O’Callaghan’s wall matters were terminated.

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ROCHE BOOKS HIS PLACE IN POOL A FINAL

At Grenagh in a Pool A Junior A SF David Roche played James Cooney, no stake in this one Roche a 3-1 favourite, Cooney took the first two shots and Roche the third out past the lollipops. Cooney was back in front by thirty meters heading up the straight. Roche got a massive bowl past the Bungalows that Cooney missed by ten meters. Cooney a super bowl up to the start of the palms that Roche missed by ten meters. Roche was back in front again after two more, Cooney with a severe right hand pull and a lot of the play of this road is on the right. Roche extended his lead at the end of the palms to almost a bowl of odds. He raised the bowl with the shots before Bula lane and had almost two bowls around Bula Lane bend. Roche finished with a big shot back of the cross to book his place in the pool A Jun-A final where he will play Danny Stokes.

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Shane Collins and Mark Bourke (Snr) had a ding dong battle in Kilcorney in the North Cork junior b semi-final, playing for a stake of €1,000 a-side. After three to the passage Bourke had a slight lead. Two more each around the bridge Collins led by five meters. At the novice d line Collins extended his lead to forty meters. A poor bowl off the d line from Bourke where he missed sight and Collins went full sight seventy meters fore bowl, the same odds separated them at the novice c line. Bourke got a massive bowl and Collins followed and beat it to hold almost a bowl of odds at the cross. Collins was back of the line in two more but only twenty meters fore bowl for the last shot, Bourke caught his leg with the last and Collins had nothing to beat. Collins awaits the winner of Conor Lucey and Dean Sexton.

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KELLEHER KEEPS HOPES ALIVE WITH FOOD WIN OVER CROWLEY IN THE PREMIER JUNIOR A

At Castletown in a Premier Junior A score Shane Crowley was a hot favourite against Cillian Kelleher playing for a no stake, no lead for Crowley in this score. After three shots each top Hennessy’s new house Kelleher had forty meters of odds. After two more to round tower cross, Kelleher had the same odds and had a big opportunity to go out Pynes corner in two more but he lobbed his sixth too high and it fell short of the novice line, and his odds was now back to twenty meters. Crowley was well back of the bend with his seventh and Kelleher went peeping sight. Crowley caught the rock on the bend with his next and Kelleher was too far left and caught the dyke. Both had big bowls to go sight from this juncture. Crowley’s bowl fell left and Kelleher unleashed a phenomenal shot that went out full sight and half way to the netting and raised the bowl of odds for him. Crowley got a good rub off the netting as did Kelleher. Crowley made the avenue with his eleventh and another smashing drive from Kelleher to just shot of Forshin’s cross secured a two bowls of odds win for him, to get him into a playoff v Brian O’Driscoll and Michael O’Donoghue.​

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Hannah Sexton booked her place in the senior ladies semi-final with her second win at Caheragh over Hannah Cronin, playing for a stake of €370 a-side. Great opening bowls from both players, but it was Sexton who opened up a bowl of odds gap at the tunnel. Sexton increased her odds through Reenroe Cross but Cronin laid down some good bowls to the bridge but there was no let up from Sexton as she followed and beat them all. At the pitch Sexton had good odds with the bowl. And increased this to almost two at the end.