Much of bowling’s mid-week action also centred around Castletownkinneigh with the meeting of and James O’Donovan and Thomas Mackle in the senior tournament Christy Teegan Cup on Friday a big draw. It was Mackle’s first appearance in a southern tournament since his Lyre debacle in April and, for an €8,100 total he was in front after three. O’Donovan fired a thundering fourth and it gave him a good lead but Mackle with good efforts to ‘Pynne’s’, had it back to metres. The All-Ireland champion forged in front then, but O’Donovan’s response was electric as two of the finest had him back in pole position at ‘Forshin’s cross’. This time O’Donovan held his lead and came home a deserved bowl of odds winner. In the last of the day on Friday, John Cahalane avenged his earlier defeat to Jim Coffey winning the rematch by a bowl for €14,000. Earlier on Friday, the northern contingent made a winning start to their sojourn south when Sean Donnelly, with two hug casts to ‘Forshin’s cross’ took a big bowl of odds win from Donal O’Riordan for a €26,000 total while, in a return, Jim Coffey rebounded with a win from John Cahalane for €18,000. Punting was at a premium at Castletownkinneigh on Thursday as the all-South-West clash of Gavin Twohig and Johnny O’Driscoll went off for €12,200. Twohig emerged the winner here by close on a two-bowl margin. Back the road, Cathal Creedon won by a similar margin from Jim Coffey for a €16,000 total. On Wednesday evening at Castletown Kevin Coughlan defeated Alan Brickley in the last shot of an exciting score played for an €8,200 total. Back the road, Adrian Cronin defeated Deccie O’Mahony, last shot, for €3,000.
Even on All-Ireland weekend a raft of scores including county junior and novice veteran finals and semi-finals and regional deciders all went on in tandem. Saturday was county final day at Templemichael and a thrilling affair it proved to be as North East’s Andrew O’Leary and South West’s Kieran O’Driscoll battled it for the junior veteran county cup. Their clash carried a €7,000 total stake and it was O’Leary who held sway at all points but only by the slimmest of margins. Fifty metres ahead after ten, crucial for O’Leary was his following a huge cast of O’Driscoll’s at the three-quarter stage. In a desperately close finish O’Driscoll fired a big shot over the last line but again O’Leary held steady and beat the mark to claim the county title. He will be favourite to now against the eventual novice veteran winner (Padraigh O’Brien/Declan O’Leary), to represent Cork in the over 50’s All-Ireland at Eglish on August Bank Holiday weekend. Back the road at Templemichael, Ballineen’s Eoin McCarthy defeated Maurice Connolly, Glanmire, by a bowl for €4,000. O’Brien from Castlelyons has been a revelation in the novice veteran grade. In the county semi-final at Curraheen on Saturday, he ended the hopes of strong Mid Cork contender, John O’Mahony, defeating the Kinsale man by a bowl, for €1,600. Next up for Padraigh is a county final assignment with City’s Declan O’Leary. There was time too for an intermediate lady’s county semi-final at Caheragh late on Sunday evening. This was an all West Cork shoot-out and it is Hannah Cronin who will contest the decider after a one bowl victory over Durrus exponent, Emma Hickey. Juliette Murphy or Ellen Sexton contest semi-final 2.
A raft of scores in the inter-regional rounds of the U12 and U16 grades saw bowling’s upcoming talent give of their best in several outstanding clashes. Clondrohid hosted the South-West v North Cork quarterfinal scores on Tuesday and here, the Twohig brothers representing South-West shared the spoils with strong North rivals. In U16 Culann Bourke who reached the final of the U14 county, continued his impressive rise with a narrow victory over Rory Twohig while in U12 Fionan Twohig kept the SW flag flying with a win over Jayden Crowley. At Beal na mBlath on Wednesday Cian Buckley of North East and Carbery’s Brian Harrington engaged in a splendidly contested quarterfinal. Cian, whose family lineage include no less luminaries than Bill Daly and the late Simon Buckley, edged this one in the last shot. At Jagoe’s Mills a thriller unfolded in U16 when West Cork’s Daniel O’Sullivan and East’s Tommy O’Donoghue took issue. O’Donoghue, the All-Ireland U14 winner last year led at all points to the last shots only to fall behind for the first and only time when O’Sullivan pulled a miracle last shot out of the bag to win it. There was West Cork success too in U12 as Jason Deane edged out Tommy O’Callaghan. Another making a strong bid in U12 is Gaeltacht’s Eoin Kelly. Eoin advanced to the semi-final at Kilcorney on Wednesday by virtue of a hard-earned win over Mid Cork stylish champion, James Murphy. In an U16 preliminary at Ballinacurra, Carbery’s Maebh Cuinnea won from City’s Dilly Barry-Twohig.
In a vintage grade a group B score at Timoleague had Donal Harnedy and Connie Connolly in opposition. For a €1,500 total, Harnedy prevailed after Connolly missed a presentable chance of winning it with two to go.
Regional action continues apace also. The West Cork novice C final at Kealkil on Saturday evening concluded a championship that had in excess of fifty starters. Drinagh’s Daniel Hayes and Bantry’s Darren Cronin had a rare battle for a €5,000 total and it was Hayes who made the early break. A bowl up after two to the ‘barrack’ the Drinagh man repelled Cronin’s best efforts to claw back the deficit in an exciting duel that had both at their best in several exchanges. Hayes just about stayed the course and won by the shot.
The Mid Cork novice B final at Dunderrow was an eagerly awaited showdown between Kevin O’Crualaoi and Kevin Coughlan and it was Innishannon’s O’Crualaoi who reserved his best of the season for the decider winning in great bowling by a shot of odds for €7,600. In Mid Cork the novice D championship is down to the final and generating plenty of interest. In a big-money semi-final at Jagoe’s Damien Healy defeated Mark Coleman, last shot, for €6,000. At Ballinacurra, Upton on Wednesday Colm O’Regan got the better of Shane Desmond for €1,300. O’Regan lost out in a score the following evening going down to Luke Forde at Jagoe’s Mills. In the South West division, Vincent Cahalane won the junior C final at The Pike coming with a big last shot to deny Dylan O’Driscoll. In Novice C, Cillian Twohig defeated Eric Harrington, last shot, for €800.
Gaeltacht’s championships advanced after a busy week. A novice C at Clondrohid, Adrian O’Driscoll defeated Tony Healy and in D at Baile Bhuirne Jonathan McCarthy defeated Garoid Lucey. Also, at Baile Bhuirne a junior ladies quarterfinal saw Rachel Desmond of Bol Chumann’s international panel in Germany secure a win from Abbey Lynch. At Cill na Martra Jack Lynch defeated Colm O’Leary.
In North Cork a novice D semi-final at Beal na Marbh, Martin McSweeeny defeated Pat Fitzgibbon. In the second semi at Firmount on Thursday, Luke Philpott defeated Brendan Cotter by a bowl, for €940. The novice C quarterfinal at Bweeng on Tuesday had Liam McCarthy and Paul Twomey in opposition for a €1,300 total. McCarthy won by almost a bowl. Back here, Jack Oldham defeated Paul Walsh for €600. In a novice C semi-final at Ballinagree on Wednesday, John McSullivan defeated Billy Healy by a bowl for €3,000. At Beal na Morrive in the B semi-final on Friday David Crowley defeated Tommy O’Donoghue for €800.