O'DRISCOLL, NAGLE AND HOARE TO CLASH IN VINTAGE FINAL.
Kieran O’Driscoll, John Nagle and Benny Hoare will contest the 2024 vintage final this weekend, three vintage finals were played over the past weekend, on Saturday at Bantry John Nagle, Rosscarbery beat James O’Leary, Macroom playing for a total stake of €2,500. Nagle didn’t have the best of starts in this one, O’Leary had big odds at McSweeney’s cross, O’Leary had a big chance of rising more odds at Casey’s cross but got two poor bowls together, from here on Nagle finished with six of the finest bowls but O’Leary wasn’t giving up and Nagle only won by a big fore bowl. On Sunday the other two finals were played at Ballinacurra, in the vintage A Kieran O’Driscoll, Ardfield, played Chris O’Donovan, Ballineen for a total stake of €1,000. O’Driscoll was through Brinny cross and almost at the church in four great bowls where he had a bowl of odds. An excellent fifth past Foleys raised almost another bowl, O’Donovan got a great eight to the Muddy Gap that knocked the bowl, at the end of Perriots sheds O’Driscoll was throwing over thirty meters but it broke badly on him and suddenly the odds was down to thirty meters. After two more to Innishannon Cross O’Driscoll had forty meters, O’Donovan missed sight in two from here and O’Driscoll just peeping, O’Donovan got a good fourteenth out on to the straight road, O’Driscoll beat this by thirty meters for the last shot, O’Donovan lined his last well but not enough as O’Driscoll beat it easy.
Back in the same route the Vintage C final was played between local man Tom O’Donovan and Benny Hoare from Glenabo, playing for €600, three each back of Innishannon Cross where Hoare had fifteen meters of odds, after three more up past the GAA entrance Hoare extended his lead to twenty five meters, a massive seventh from Hoare to the Muddy Gap rose a bowl of odds, O’Donovan responded with a good bowl of his own and knocked the bowl at the Gasline, after three more to the waterworks Hoare was throwing his odds, two more down through Brinny Cross for Hoare where he now had a full bowl of odds, O’Donovan knocked the bowl again between here and the pedestrian crossing, but Hoare finished with two very speedy shots to win by a big last shot.
A GOOD FINISH GIVES MURPHY VICTORY.
At Ballinacurra on Saturday a junior a score played between Gavin Twohig and Kieran Murphy resulted in a bowl win for Murphy. Twohig got off to the dream start in this score, having a bowl of odds after his first shot, through Brinny Cross in three more where Murphy had it just under the bowl. Twohig raised the bowl again with a super bowl to Foley’s and on past the Waterworks with his sixth where he had almost two bowls, two more well played bowls to the Crush from Twohig but Murphy had it under the bowl here. Murphy got two great bowls to sight for Innishannon Cross and here there was only the bare bowl in it. Murphy got a super twelfth bowl up to the silver gate that knocked the bowl as Twohig was right of play and only made Innishannon Cross. The odds was down to forty meters after Twohig’s next. Both out the bend for the last straight and only five meters separated them here. Murphy bowled this straight the better and took his first lead at the avenue wall. A terrible error here from Twohig and now he faced a bowl of odds deficit, with the line fast approaching no road to recover. Murphy finished with two great bowls to win by a bowl. In a return score at Ballinacurra Jimmy O’Brien beat Eoin McCarthy for €2,200.
PARKES TAKES QUARTER FINAL SPOT AT THE MARSH ROAD.
At the Marsh Road, Skibbereen, an Intermediate tournament quarter final between Tim Young, Bantry and Wayne Parkes, Clonakilty was played for a total stake of €5,000. Young had the better start in this encounter passing the NCT centre entrance with a massive first shot, but squandered a lot of odds when he misplaced his second bowl right. A huge third and fourth shot from Parkes even if they were helped with the aid of rubs saw him take his first lead at the start of the Council Yard wall, a lead he would not relinquish anymore. Three more well played bowls from Parkes to just back of the Silvery Gate where he had big odds with the bowl. Four more great bowls out and around the Steps bend for Parkes where he doubled his odds. Things got no better for Young as Parkes rose a third bowl out the bend for Ballyhilty.
LOCAL PLAYERS TAKE THE SPOILS AT BALLINAGREE.
Ballinagree held a couple of club scores in the first score local man David Crowley took his one and only lead in a last shot win over Kevin O’Crualáoi, both out to Mannning’s Lane in three where O’Crualáoi was slightly fore, three more each to McCarthy’s Cottage and still O’Crualáoi had minimal odds, down on past Harrington’s Cottage and on for the bridge, O’Crualáoi still had only slender odds, for the last shot O’Crualáoi had thirty meters of odds but it was Crowley who lined his last better and took the honours. They played for a total stake of €1,200. Back in the road in Ballinagree another local player Stephen Spillane played Paudie McSweeney, for €1,800, in this score McSweeney was in control from the off, he was almost a bowl up at the bridge, and he rose the bowl after O’Leary’s House, he held this to McCarthy’s Cottage but Spillane made inroads into his lead between this and the pump house, out the last bend at Mannings Lane only ten meters separated them, they came dead level at the Ploughman’s yard and Spillane took the score with a great last shot.
COPPINGER WINS OPENING SCORE OF WILLIE WHELTON CUP.
Martin Coppinger a beaten finalist in the last Willie Whelton cup at Grange in September, opened the new tournament with victory over David Murphy played for €12,000. In the inward journey from Lislevane three each to the stud farm bend where Coppinger had two meters, three more down to De Barra’s Murphy had a fifty meter advantage, a blunder here from Coppinger into the right nook and Murphy made the start of the green, Coppinger down and around to the other side of the green, Murphy throwing his odds played a perfect parley que that went peeping sight, Coppinger another poor bowl here and Murphy now almost a bowl up, both up to Mickey Sullivan’s with their next, Coppinger got a great bowl from here to John Bill’s and Murphy just back of Noelies Bungalow huge bowl. Coppinger missed this to concede a bowl. Luck was on the side of Coppingers next even if it was his thirteenth, with ferocious power it ricketshade nicely off of the concrete entrance and made up back of the white house, two wayward bowls from Murphy and suddenly his odds was down to twenty meters. Two more each to Seamie’s wall from here Coppinger made the car park and Murphy got caught left and was well back of the pub. Coppinger wins by a big fore bowl.
LONG JOURNEY, NO JOY FOR MCVEIGH AT LYRE.
Eugene McVeigh made the long journey from Eglish, Co. Tyrone to take on newly promoted senior player Denis O’Sullivan at Lyre, playing for €4,200, this was a start to finish victory for O’Sullivan, both past the forest entrance in three where O’Sullivan had sixty meters, McVeigh got a poor fourth but recovered with a massive fifth over the tunnel that O’Sullivan only beat by three meters, but this was as close as it got for McVeigh, O’Sullivan lined two super bowls to Crowley’s bend from here and McVeigh missed sight in three, O’Sullivan two more to McCarthy’s bend where his odds was now almost two bowls, O’Sullivan caught the back of McCarthy’s wall with his tenth and McVeigh got a great bowl to the big tree, that O’Sullivan only beat by twenty meters with the bowl, O’Sullivan lined three more great bowls to win by a bowl