YOUNG SETS UP FINAL SHOWDOWN AGAINST O'SULLIVAN
At Templemartin on Saturday Gaeltacht man Micháel Desmond had a convincing win over John A.Murphy. Played for €1,800. Both out Slynes corner in four great bowls, seven and eight each to the end of the straight where Desmond had minimal odds of ten meters. After a huge eight shot from Desmond to O’Riordan’s Cottage, Murphy kept it under the bowl here by two meters. Desmond replied again with a huge ninth past Collin’s wall that rose the bowl for him, and drove on yet again with another big one to the school cross where he was throwing big odds with the bowl. Two more super bowls down around the stone field corner rose the second bowl, nothing Murphy could do with those exceptional five shots. In the same score back Micháel Desmond won again for €1,600.
At Lyre in an Intermediate tournament semi-final score Timmy McDonagh could only manage one fore bowl from Tim Young. Playing for a total stake of €3,500. Both made the Forest Entrance in two good bowls, a poor third from McDonagh in right and Young put nothing on this in after it. Two more each over the tunnel where Young gave away a bad lead misplacing his bowl, but recovered with a tremendous sixth shot up past Crowley’s Wall and took back the lead. Three poor bowls from the tunnel got McDonagh up to Crowley’s bend, where Young was throwing his odds over twenty five meters. Young did not crossover fully and McDonagh made the double gates. Young not up full sight at McCarthy’s bend and McDonagh only beat this tip by twenty meters. A good bowl from a bad stand from Young with is eleventh shot and McDonagh kept it under the bowl by twenty meters. Young delivered one of his special ones and McDonagh missed this by a big margin, he missed the line again and Young progresses on to play Denis O’Sullivan in the final of this tournament.
PARKES LEAVES THIS ONE AFTER HIM.
At Ballygurteen Michael Bohane opened the new O’Connell/Dullea Cup tournament with a victory over Wayne Parkes for a stake of €2,520 as. Parkes opened the first bend with two huge bowls, Bohane kept it under the bowl for the next three shots to the Women’s lane and up past O’Mahoney’s Avenue, where Parkes had a misplaced bowl and the odds was only forty meters. Bohane got a massive ninth shot and Parkes made the same tip, score dead level. A turning point came in the next shots, Bohane tenth he played it out to far and it turned in and caught a pole. Parkes came up the middle pulled his bowl right and went inside the pole and half way to O’Donovan’s bend. Bohane only beat this tip by twenty meters with his next. Parkes rose the bowl of odds with a smashing bowl up and around O’Donovan’s bend. But from here his form dropped dramatically, Bohane made McCarthy’s cross in two well played bowls, Parkes made a dreadful blunder with his thirteenth in Burke’s entrance, and only beat Bohanes tip again by ten meters. It was expected that they would sail out to the bridge in two from here but that did not materialise. Bohane got a much unexpected lead at O’Mahony’s house, when Parkes dropped his bowl and it fell left. Both our around the bridge with their fifteenth shots and Bohane had a fifteen meter advantage for the last shot. Parkes put down a good bowl but it was not enough, even though Bohane was very left of play it was enough for him to beat the tip by five meters. In a return score Donal McCarthy beat Ger O’Leary by the last shot for €1,000 as.
MURPHY GETS ONE BACK OFF O'SULLIVAN
The Ballinagree club held a Bold Thady Quill Cup semi-final score between Tommy O’Sullivan and Aidan Murphy for a stake of €9,000 as. O’Sullivan has had the upper hand of Murphy in their recent encounters, but it was Murphy who took the honours in this score. O’Sullivan took the first shot by thirty meters, O’Sullivan laid down some big shots but Murphy followed and beat them, at the junior line O’Sullivans odds was forty meters, up through An Capailin Ban Cross Murphy took the lead by two meters. Murphy rose odds with every shot from here to the finish, so much so that at the Post Office he had a bowl and fifty meters, at the Quay Wall a bowl and one hundred meters. He made sight for the pub and beat the line to win by a bowl. In a score proceeding this Jimmy O’Brien beat Conor Lucey by the last shot for €3,050 as.
O'SULLIVAN JUST SHADES WIN.
Rosscarbery was the venue for a Michelle Hayes memorial cup score between James O’Sullivan and Adrian Buttimer playing for €1,800 as. They were level at the Priests House and up the hill on for Barry’s Boreen, on to the B & B nothing separating them, a great bowl from Buttimer here to Maguire’s sheds, both made Cahermore Cross in two more, Buttimer at the first line throwing his odds over O’Sullivan on the second line. Buttimer made Froe Cross and O’Sullivan through the cross, Buttimer rose a bowl with four shots to go but undid all his good work from back of the high pillars, O’Sullivan opened the last bend and Buttimer only beat this in two shots to force a last shot finish, O'Sullivan put down a good last and Buttimer missed this.
MURPHY BACK TO TOP FORM AT SHANNONVALE
Shannonvale held the crowd on Monday for a Phair Cup semi-final, last week was spoken of the Gen-Z well this week we can turn back the clock to the millennials, David Murphy and James O’Donovan played for a stake of €5,720 as. This was a trap to line victory for Murphy and as good a display of bowling as we have seen from him for a while. A poor first shot from O’Donovan and it was an uphill battle from there. Murphy was up past the rock in two. O’Donovan got an excellent third shot but Murphy beat this by eighty meters that O’Donovan only beat by a meter with his fourth. Murphy out around the Quarry Bend, up past Buttimers pillars and out to Desmonds Cross in three more where O’Donovan did well to keep it to the bowl of odds. Seven is the average to here, six is exceptional bowling. O’Donovan lined an absolute miler off the Cross up to the flat of the road but Murphy followed it but missed the tip by five meters. Murphy’s eight even if it was a bit lucky made past Kingston’s Wall, O’Donovan missed this by a big margin. Both players got caught left with their next shots, but Murphy still had big odds with the bowl. O’Donovan missed sight for Campbell’s and Murphy got every conceivable rub that was there and down full sight. Both out the last bend in two more and up past the Junior Line Murphy won by two bowls. Twelve fantastic bowls. Back the road Shane O’Mahony beat Thomas Cronin by two bowls for €4,000 as.
HANCY HUBBARD CUP.
Beal Na Marbh held the semi-final of their junior tournament between two North Cork players Andrew O’Callaghan and John O’Rourke for €1,280 as. O’Rourke was in control of this one from the off, he made light in two great bowls and down to the end of the Cottages with his third, O’Callaghan was keeping it under the bowl here. After six O’Rourke rose the bowl and an unbelievable seventh rose a further bowl, he held this to the Novice line and out the last bend to secure his spot in the Hancy Hubbard Mem Cup Final where he will play John Young, Drinagh.
There was a big turnout for the selection of the girls U-12 and U-14 for Newcastle at Castletown on Saturday, high figures being set by Chloe Hubbard and Layla Fleming in the U-14 and by Aoife McCarthy and Aimee McCarthy in the U-12. Another selection date to take place in early March.
Gealtacht and South West held their team events over the past weekend at Ballyvourney and The Pike with big turnouts at both venues. In the Gaeltacht Diarmuid Lucy, Dan Lucy and D.D McCarthy were tops with Shane O’Driscoll, John O’Driscoll and Brendan O’Callaghan in second place. For the South West the Timoleague team of Donal O’Donovan, Ritchie Lawton and Brian Harrington came in ahead of the Pike team A Donal O’Sullivan, Mickey Harrington and Ger Shanahan.