EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR ARTHUR MCDONAGH IN EAMONN BOWEN MEMORIAL CUP FINAL
Bottlehill was the venue that took the crowds last weekend for the
third hosting of the Eamonn Bowen memorial tournament, honouring a man who gave his life to bowling. On Saturday all three semi-finals were thrown, the first of these a three hander between Martin Coppinger the inaugural winner of this cup in 2022, Aidan Murphy & Gary Daly, all three had their moments in front in this score, Daly led after five, Coppinger after 7 and Murphy took the lead in the second last shot and won by the last shot from Coppinger and a bowl on Daly, total stake €21,000. A poor start for James O’Donovan in the second semi-final and Arthur McDonagh powered on to raise a bowl of odds after nine and a further bowl between there and the finish the played for €31,000. Tommy O’Sullivan was victorious in the third and last semi-final played for a total stake of €18,000, Seamus Sexton the holder of this cup kept pace with him for the first five or six shots but after that it was all O’Sullivan who went on in the end to win by a bowl. So a new name will be added to this Cup.
The final on Sunday had a three way stake of €2,500, McDonagh a well fancied favourite in this one. This was a score of three thirds, the first third belonged to Murphy as he started the better in this final he rose a bowl on O’Sullivan very early in the score and was throwing big odds over McDonagh. However McDonagh played a few spectacular bowls of his own and took the lead over Murphy and had almost two bowls on O’Sullivan, but O’Sullivan wasn’t giving up and put in a storming finish to line four incredible bowls and take the lead and rise a bowl on Murphy and reeled in the two bowls of odds that McDonagh had on him to push this score to a last shot with McDonagh having a fifteen meter advantage. O’Sullivan lined a great bowl but alas there was to be no lead for him as McDonagh beat this comfortably and took the Eamonn Bowen Mem Cup and the €1,000 prize fund. Support score this weekend included Patrick Flood beat Wayne Parkes €8,000. Eamonn Bowen/Ciara Buckley beat Wayne Callanan/Emma Fitzpatrick €5,000. Jim Coffey beat Evan Buckley €10,000. This was also a fund-raising weekend for Cancer Research and well done the Bottlehill/Carrignavar bowling committee’s on running off a very successful weekend and raising the huge sum of €15,420.
O'DRISCOLL SHOWS HIS CLASS IN VINTAGE FINAL
At Clondrohid the overall vintage final was played between Kieran O’Driscoll, John Nagle and Benny Hoare, no stake in this one, as O’Driscoll the higher graded player was well fancied and he did not disappoint, he played what can only be described as a flawless score leading from start to finish. He had a bowl on Nagle early in this score as poor third and fourth shots cost him ground, Hoare had big odds on Nagle at the Avenue Gates but Nagle kept in touch with Hoare when he played a great seventh and eight shots to the Black House where now only ten meters separated them, and O’Driscoll had almost two bowls on them. O’Driscoll unleashed a cannon of a sixth to just back of the Bell Inn, Nagle produced a beauty of his own to the Bell Inn and took the lead from Hoare. All over Kelly’s Hump in ten for O’Driscoll and twelve for Hoare and Nagle with Hoare back in front of Nagle again, the fight for second place was hotting up now. Out and around Kelleher’s Corner where it was under the two bowls and Hoare had five meters on Nagle, O’Driscoll got a fantastic bowl full sight for the line declaring him the winner, both Nagle and Hoare hit Kelleher’s Wall and Nagle was fore bowl for the last shot by four inches, Hoare got a massive bowl worked his left hand pull on it nicely and beat the line well, Nagle was slightly right and it fell in right and missed the tip.
CREEDON THROUGH TO 9-MAN FINAL
Lyre held the semi-final of a nine man Junior a tournament between Conor Creedon, Denis Wilmot and David Hegarty, two great opening bowls from Hegarty, but a dip in form between here and the tunnel had Wilmot throwing his odds over both players. Two super bowls from Wilmot to peeping sight at Crowley’s bend where he had a bowl on Hegarty and throwing his odds over Creedon. After the crossover Wilmot had fifteen meters on Creedon and a big bowl of odds on Hegarty. Creedon opened McCarthy’s bend and a bad mistake here from Wilmot he missed up. At McCarthy’s Wall Creedon had thirty meters on Wilmot and a bowl on Hegarty. Hegarty lined two super bowls from here and slipped into second place ahead of Wilmot. Creedon held on to win by the bowl. Stake in that score was €5,400. A return score at Lyre saw Adrian Buttimer beat James O’Sullivan for a total stake of €4,000. Both down to McCarthy’s bend in 4 each O’Sullivan with thirty meters of odds, both down and around Crowley’s bends for the home straight Buttimer just fore bowl, Buttimer held the lead with two more great bowls to the tunnel. O’Sullivan unlucky to miss the line by a meter in four more, Buttimer lined a great last that was very beatable, but unfortunately for O’Sullivan he was right of play and missed the tip by a few meters.
MINIHANE CLAIMS HIS PLACE IN MIKIE HOURIHANE CUP FINAL
Bauravilla held the third semi-final of their Mikie Hourihane Cup tournament between Kevin Minihane, Pat Daly and Finbarr Coughlan. Minihane dominated this score from the off, he rose a bowl on Coughlan at decker’s and had two bowls on Daly, out the bridge in eleven for Minihane where his odds on Daly increased to three bowls and he still held a bowl on Coughlan, he held this margin to the finish. He now plays Denis O’Sullivan and Colm Crowley in the final