Bantry hosted the Mick Young Cup semi-finals and final in very poor weather.  O’Brien then dominated the final against Young to claim the title, while Ciara Buckley produced a huge second-last throw to snatch victory over Hannah Cronin in the ladies’ contest.
Elsewhere, John A. Murphy advanced in the Michelle Hayes Cup, and the Ladies Committee confirmed the group draws for the upcoming senior and intermediate championships​​

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Bantry hosted the Mick Young Cup semi-finals and final in very poor weather conditions last weekend. The two under-dogs came out on top in each semi-final Michael John O’Brien and Tim Young.

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In the first played between Shane Crowley, Michael John O’Brien and Cillian Kelleher playing for a total stake of €7,500. Neither player started well, O’Brien took control of this score with a big third shot and followed up with an equally as good fourth past McSweeney’s farm where he had a full bowl on Kelleher and was throwing his odds over thirty meters on Crowley. At Casey’s Cross O’Brien raised a full bowl on Crowley as Crowley’s bowl broke badly left. Kelleher at this stage and so early in the score was almost two bowls down. O’Brien got another huge bowl to Cronin’s bend, but Crowley replied with a super bowl that knocked the odds. Crowley got two huge bowls past the crush that knocked further odds by fifty meters. Kelleher was almost two bowls down at this juncture. So much so that he fell out. O’Brien got a poor ninth shot and suddenly Crowley had the odds back to fifty meters. But Crowley undid all his good work when he opted for the right track, his bowl broke in right and he was a bowl of odds down again on O’Brien. Crowley recovered again with a super bowl to the junior line that O’Brien missed by thirty meters. Crowley got two opportunities with his next shot but both efforts caught Connolly’s pillar. O’Brien went out sight and Crowley beat this tip by forty meters and had sight for the line. O’Brien was lucky with his second last as it caught the left dyke but dribbled out of it and he had a forty meter advantage for the last shot. Crowley beat the line but it was not enough.

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In the second semi-final Wayne Parkes v Timmy McDonagh v Tim Young playing for a total stake of €20,400 with Parkes a favourite in this one. Parkes got one of the longest bowls thrown off the line when he went past the avenue. Young only beat this tip by thirty meters in two and McDonagh line a bullet of a second shot back of McSweeney’s farm that won him the lead as Parkes second was way inside left and only just beat Young’s tip. McDonagh had fifty meters on both. Young got a super third shot that won him the lead from McDonagh by two meters, both were throwing their odds over Parkes. After the next exchange Parkes was a bowl down and Young held a slight advantage on McDonagh. At Harrington’s bungalow in five each McDonagh won back the lead from Young by five meters. At Casey’s lane in six each Young and McDonagh were on level tips with Parkes now trailing by two bowls, he was playing the left hand tracks with left hand play and it just didn’t suit him. Young got a huge bowl with the aid of a rub out Cronin’s bend and had a big advantage on McDonagh as he only beat the tip by thirty meters in two. Young had almost a bowl on McDonagh after his next, Parkes called it a day at this juncture. McDonagh lined an incredible bowl past the Crush that Young only beat by forty meters so score on again. McDonagh followed up with another huge bowl past the junior line that Young beat by thirty meters. O’Brien missed Connolly’s wall and Young got the perfect touch off the wall to go up full sight, a massive advantage. McDonagh missed the line in two more and Young won with a well-played last shot.

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BUCKLEY SNATCHES VICTORY WITH HUGE 2ND LAST SHOT

A ladies score was also played at Bantry between Hannah Cronin and ciara Buckley, playing for a stake of €2,800 a-side. Cronin took her first lead by twenty meters after five shots. At Casey's lane Cronin held a nice advantage of forty meters and was on straight road. Buckley got a big bowl to Harrington's bungalow but Cronin extended her odds to seventy meters here. Buckley never let the bowl go up ad with three to go Cronin was throwing her odds over forty meters. An phenomenal second last shot from Buckley, that Cronin just beat in two shots to go almost a bowl up with the line in sight. Buckley beat the line to snatch victory.

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And so on to Sunday where the Mick Young Cup final was played out between Tim Young and Michael John O’Brien for a stake of €1,000 a-side. Young a runner-up in this tournament last year was hoping to go one better and lift his father’s cup. Unfortunately for Young this was a trap to line victory for O’Brien. At McSweeney’s farm in three each O’Brien had odds of seventy meters. O’Brien raised the bowl of odds with a huge fifth to Harrington’s bungalow as Young was very right of play. Two more huge bowls from O’Brien to Cronin bend where he held his odds of a bowl. At the crush O’Brien raised a second bowl, Young had it under the two bowls as he made sight for Connolly’s Wall with a well-played thirteenth, and when O’Brien only beat this tip by fifteen meters we were back to a bowl of odds. Young got another good bowl up past Connolly’s wall to full sight, O’Brien was too far right and it was now under the bowl of odds. O’Brien made sight for the finish line and Young’s bowl never swung with the road. O’Brien last was well played and beat the line easy. Mick Young was on hand to make the presentation and thanked all the players who took park in nasty conditions. He congratulated Michael John and wished him well in the junior a championship.

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JOHN A. MURPHY ADVANCES

Rosscarbery held a Michelle Hayes Cup quarter-final score between John A.Murphy and Donie Harnedy playing for a stake of €1,200 a-side. After two each to the lollipops Harnedy held a ten meter advantage, after two more his advantage was only five meters. From here Murphy done some serious bowling, he was up back of Barry’s Boreen in three huge bowls, where he had a bowl of odds, Harnedy’s seventh and eight were not great, both caught in the left dyke. Murphy got a huge eight to the B & B that raised a second bowl for him and after another to the farm entrance Harnedy conceded.

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LADIES DRAWS

The Ladies Committee of Ból Chumann made their senior and intermediate draws. Both championships will be played in groups, with the top two from each group to qualify for the semi-finals. In the senior championship, Group A, Denise Murphy, Ciara Buckley, Triona Kidney and Veronica O’Mahony, Group B features last year’s finalist Hannah Cronin, defending champion Hannah Sexton and Meghan Collins. In the intermediate, Group A Lisa Hegarty, Laura Sexton, Ailbhie O’Shea and Rachel Kingston and in Group B we have Julieann Hayes, Ellen Sexton and Emma Fitzpatrick.