FINAL FEVER GRIPS WORLD OF BOWLING.
For those hard-wired into completing summer championships within deadlines and in time for All-Irelands the prospect of five more added and all to be played during the holiday month of August, looked on paper an almost impossible task. The passing of the motion in February 2022 to run inter-regional rounds from preliminaries to finals in all four novice grades as well as Jun C entailed a forty-two score series within a very narrow timeframe and, yet, for the third year running Richie Fitzgerald and his trusty fixtures team have trough a combination of persuasion, tact, an ultimatum or two and a good modicum of commonsense worked their way through the rounds to the deciding stages in all five grades. Much of the action has been compelling with lower novice especially generating a level of interest in the regions that seemed unimaginable. Last week and weekend were the epitome with no less than eleven quarter and semi-finals down for decision all attracting crowds and stake-money too that is usually only the preserve of higher ranked grades.
SEMI FINALS OF THE HIGHEST CALIBRE.
On Saturday evening at Caheragh, the meeting of Mid Cork’s Trevor O’Sullivan and West Cork’s Kieran Hourihane in the semi-final round of the junior C championship had two strong contenders for outright honours in opposition. For a €6,100 total, they showed their paces in a terrific score that had both men at the front and looking good at different stages. Bantry man, Hourihane, made a great start rising sixty metres with his opening three but was pegged back by O’Sullivan whose fourth past ‘Lisangle cross’ was the proverbial ‘screamer’. Two in succession from Hourihane went right and O’Sullivan took advantage with a big seventh to rise a hundred metres. Hourihane’s eighth was the shot of the score a beautiful cast towards ‘Madore’ and O’Sullivan’s lead was back to twenty. The Bantry, man’s next was not of the same class and O’Sullivan was away again to a handy lead. The Mid Cork champion rose a bowl of odds and held it to the line. He will have a joust now with Alan O’Leary at Courtmacsherry for the county title.
O'LEARY DOMINATES FROM THE START.
The second junior C semi took place at City venue, Curraheen, on Sunday evening proved a disappointment for the South-West camp as Vincent Cahalane never got going against O’Leary. The South-West man had impressed in a tough quarterfinal win over Olan Noonan, but his form deserted him from the outset at the City venue. He overcame a poor opener with a good second shot to lead briefly but a mistake then and O’Leary was away to a big lead that amounted to a bowl of odds after five. O’Leary making no errors, increased his odds with a big break at ‘the bridge’ and when he rose a second shot of odds at O’Mahony’s avenue’ the contest was effectively over. They played for a €15,400 total.
NO STOPPING HORGAN.
Saturday saw progress and elimination in equal measure for likely contenders in novice B both on the cusp of winning runs. Ballygurteen had a semi between West Cork’s Brian Horgan and Mid’s Kevin O’Cruolaoi both with very legitimate aspirations to county honours. Before another packed road and for a €14,000 total, the bowling was mixed at the outset with both slow to take advantage of some uncharacteristic errors over the opening five. Horgan, it was who showed his paces on the straight with three excellent efforts punishing O’Cruolaoi whose tendency to drag some of his deliveries to the left militated against him. A bowl of odds came between them and that margin was soon doubled beyond ‘Oakmount avenue’. O’Cruolaoi tried hard as a few from Horgan were of the erratic variety as well but the odds were too much and a riveting novice B final now awaits between Horgan and David Crowley, Ballinagree, the North Cork champion.
SCORE OF THE SEASON, SHAME TO HAVE A LOSER.
Crowley contested at Whitechurch with North East’s Billy Connolly of Carrginavar in the grades second semi. They produced one of the very best, a contest that did not deserve a loser. For €4,200, Connolly showed why he was touted as a likely outright winner with a storming start that yielded leads of up to one hundred metres as they played to ‘ bula’. Crowley was chasing and got his reward with a huge cast to the bottom of the hill that gave him a first lead. Following a series of quality exchanges, Connolly edged away to a handy lead again but Crowley, with a magnificent effort to ‘the farm’ levelled once more. The finish was electric. Both fired huge cast’s towards the line, after which Crowley was back in front for the last shots. Connolly’s last, a tremendous cast, looked a winner but Crowley found the reserves from somewhere to beat the mark with an equally perfect reply. It will surely be a huge confidence booster, but Brian Horgan is another severe test when they line out at Ballinacurra, Upton.
Up in Newcestown on Saturday at noon, Gaeltacht’s Gearoid Lucey put himself in the frame for county novice C honours. Facing the hard-beaten Drinagh man, Daniel Hayes for a €3,100 total, Lucey took advantage of an early slip by the Drinagh man to rise a bowl of odds at ‘O’Brien’s cross’ as they played out from the village. It was Lucey’s turn to lapse then but Hayes, whose form on the day was not quite at the level that brought him a string of wins through West Cork’s regional championship and early county rounds, could not close the gap enough to come in front. The end result was that the Gaeltacht champion pulled away again and won by two. Lucey will not be able to afford any mistakes when he takes on North East’s Jamie McDonagh in the county final. That score is fixed for North Cork venue, Firmount.
McDonagh prevailed in Wednesday semi-final at The Bog Road against North Cork’s hot fancy, Liam McCarthy. For €3,440, McCarthy, uncharacteristically, made a hesitant start and fell a shot down after three. The North Cork man, so impressive in all his outings to this point never got going and, with McDonagh consistent throughout, the victory was always going to the North East man.
SHAKEY START BUT O'REGAN SETTLES.
Novice D has proven a crowd-puller and none moreso than Lyre on Thursday where a county semi-final clash of Colm O’Regan of Belgooly, Mid Cork’s’ all conquering champion and Kieran O’Driscoll just out of under-age ranks but impressing hugely in adult grades when winning a sizable West Cork championship. A packed road saw a €23,000 total stake accumulated between the pair and, not for the first time, it was O’Regan who was on the backfoot at the outset. An excellent opened brace by O’Driscoll opened up a lead that bordered on a bowl of odds. Hesitant starts haven’t fazed the Mid Cork champion, and he found his groove with a huge drive to the ‘school cross’. He was aided O’Driscoll erred at ‘Carroll’s wall’ and suddenly the margin was down to fifteen metres. It was a thundering seventh by O’Regan up the straight to the ‘double gates’ that transformed this contest. O’Driscoll couldn’t match and was down then by almost a bowl of odds. A massive ‘rub’ with his thirteenth consolidated his odds and he marched with confidence to county final meeting with North Cork’s Martin McSweeney.
Martin overcame North East’s Gavin Quirke in the second semi at Whitechurch on Friday. This one carried a €4,600 total and turned out to be a cracking contest. Quirke’s fifth was a ‘rocket’ but McSweeney beat it. Quirke came again and led only for McSweeney to hit a huge thirteen to take valuable odds for the closing stages. Quirke nearly snatched with a massive last cast but, with some odds in hand, McSweeeny beat it by metres. O’Regan/McSweeney will battle it out for county honours at Grenagh.
MURPHY IN CONTROL.
In novice A, Gaeltacht’s Liam Murphy is going great guns. At Castletownkinneigh on Friday for a €1,500 total he put the brakes on Pat Daly’s winning run. Murphy was in control for most of the contest and a two-bowl margin at the ‘netting’ proved too much for West Cork champion to overhaul. Murphy’s county final clash for the novice A championship will take place at Beal na Morrive in the North Cork division.
On Monday, South-West finally broke their duck at Clondrohid. They had gone down in each of the four novice grade county scores to North Cork opposition before junior C champion, Vincent Cahalane, took on Olan Noonan in a Monday evening quarterfinal. It was a tough task for Cahalane against an experienced campaigner who was good enough to contest a junior B county final albeit two decades ago and he was put to test immediately when doing well to follow two huge openers of Noonan to the ‘mulch yard’. He eventually got ahead of Noonan after fourth shot and built a fifty-metre lead by the ‘Bell Inn’. Noonan negotiated the rough stretch at this point with a splendid effort and took back the lead but it was short-lived as Cahalane fired an smashing cast ‘Kelleher’s’ in an excellent response. That spurred the Butlerstown man and two more of the highest order put him in control. Noonan rallied again with a big second last and might have snatched a late dramatic win, but Cahalane held tough and booked a semi-final meeting with North East’s Alan O’Leary. The stake money at Clondrohid on Monday amounted €6,900.
O’Leary, a county winner in the grade as recently as 2020 when he defeated Conor Creedon at Kilcorney, defeated Carbery’s Denis O’Sullivan in Wednesday’s quarterfinal at Beal namBlath. He was on the backfoot for all the early exchanges as O’Sullivan sought to make a breakaway. Good fourth and fifth shots yielded a fifty-metre lead, and it might have been had a better run materialised with his sixth. O’Leary upped it with a massive sixth of his own and it was good enough for a first lead. It would herald a period of dominance then for the North East champion as a big cast to ‘Dan Joe’s lane’ gave him substantial odds for the last quarter. O’Sullivan rallied with excellent ninth and tenth efforts to regain the lead but once again lost control when O’Leary’s fourteenth went sight for the line. There was no comeback a third time for the Carbery man and O’Leary took the verdict by a big for bowl.
ANOTHER YOUTHFUL SEMI FINAL SEES CROWLEY THROUGH.
Another eagerly awaited shoot-out on Wednesday was the meeting of City’s Anthony Crowley and North Cork’s Conor Lucey in the county novice A semi-final. Carrignavar were hosts and it was a duel that lived up to its billing in terms of closeness and excitement. For a €4,000 it was a shot for shot affair with Lucey marginally in front at all points to the ‘creamery cross’ a juncture they both reached in nine. There was little change as they played on the straight with small chances coming and going. Metres separated them for the last shots, Lucey hind by five. The North Cork man’s attempt did not gain traction and Crowley had it within his range. He was a shade fortunate though as he recovered from the grass to pass the mark by less than a metre. Anthony Crowley plays Liam Murphy in the county novice A final. Back the road at Carrignavar, Bernard O’Donovan defeated James Collins, last shot, for €4,600.
FUND-RAISER @ COURTMACSHERRY.
Another weekend fund-raiser saw a big programme completed at Courtmacsherry. Hosted by the London region in support of their September All-Ireland series scores on Saturday provided a fair level of entertainment with the clash of Padraigh Nugent of the London region and South West’s Kieran O’Driscoll an exciting tussle. For a €5,000 total, O’Driscoll had what looked like handy odds at the ‘mass rock’ only for Nugent to put in a storming finish and win in the last shot. Equally tight was the Patrick o’Driscoll/Johnny O’Driscoll which carried a €9,200 total stake. Patrick recovered from a second shot ‘dead bowl’ to take the verdict in the last throw. Earlier in the day, Jim Coffey got some measure of recompense for a heavy defeat to John Cahalane at Shannonvale by defeating the Skibb man by a bowl for €6,500. All results are in the Carbery section. On Sunday the Carbery combination of Darragh Dempsey and Shane Shannon were doubles winners over East Cork’s Willie O’Donovan and Mick Hurley before Hurley got quick revenge with a good win over Shannon in a singles return. Also, there were wins for Eoin McCarthy, and Ailbhe O’Shea.
KELLY MALLON THROUGH TO QUEEN QUALIFIERS CUP FINAL
Ballincurrig saw a welcome return to bowling action for Kelly Mallon who participated in two Cormican Cup Queen of the Road qualifiers. An impressive fifteen-shot showing on Saturday saw off the challenge of Catriona Kidney while, on Sunday it was newly crowned intermediate champion, Hannah Cronin, was the opposition this time at Ballinacurra, Upton. Kelly got the verdict here too, but she needed the two-bowl cushion she acquired in the bowling past ‘Perrot’s’ as Hannah fired an incredible late salvo that narrowed the gap significantly. They played for a €400 total.
DALY IN TOP FORM AT GRANGE.
On an exceptionally busy weekend the big club score was at Grange a high-profile Willie Whelton Cup semi-final between Gary Daly and Aidan Murphy. They went for a €21,000 total and it was Daly who produced a tour-de-force particularly with an opening half sequence that was close to record-breaking proportions. Out the ‘stud farm’ in two a bowl up, he doubled his odds with excellent bowling to the ‘school-house cross’. Murphy didn’t give up the ghost and halved the margin with a mighty cast to ‘Hodnett’s’ but his follow-up left him down and Daly comfortably held a bowl of odds lead to the finish. On the other side of the draw county champion, Martin Coppinger awaits in the decider.
At Ballincurrig a doubles mid-week saw Wayne Parkes bring some of his Shannonvale form to East Cork when he partnered Denis O’Sullivan to a doubles victory over North East pairing, Pa Flood and Timmie McDonagh. They played for €4,740.
MARIE CROWNED BEST IN THE WEST.
In regional championship action, Marie Russell won the West Cork junior ladies final at Togher Cross on Saturday. Marie had a tough battle with Ballinacarriga’s Emer O’Connell before coming out on top in a close finish. Scores centred on the completion of girls u12 and U14 championships which will as well as women’s junior, play out to county final stages. Caroline Creedon is Gaeltacht u12 champion after a great contest at Clondrohid with last year’s winner, the stylish Lily Scannell. Earlier in the week, Caroline had won her semi-final from Robyn O’Brien while Lily had a three-way win from Catherine and Shiela Bradley. At Firmount a four-way play-off for the u14 North Cork championship saw the impressive Chloe Hubbard just edge out Jena Healy with Mia Hubbard and Catherine Murphy a little further back. Back The Bog Road, after McDonagh/McCarthy on Wednesday, Tony Flynn defeated Stephen Bowen, last shot, for €1,500. In regional action West Cork’s novice E championship has scores at Ardcahan on Tuesday. Here, Jeremy Hurley edged out Gavin McCarthy in the last shot for €1,640 while it was equally close in the return, when Liam McCarthy defeated Jamie Kearney, last shot, for €1,820. At Ballinacurra on Monday, Shane Healy defeated Bernard O’Donovan for a €1,200 total. In a mixed doubles contest at Newcestown on Tuesday, Jack and Karen O’Callaghan combined for a last shot win over Joe Madden and Chloe Desmond. The stake at issue amounted to €600. Down in the East Cork/West Waterford division the junior ladies champion is Decie domiciled Castletownkenneigh native, Aisling O’Callaghan, who prevailed in a spirited contest with Dunmore’s East’s Joanne Carroll.
CARBERY NOTES
MURAL IN ROSSCARBERY SALUTES TOWNS BOWLING HISTORY.
On Friday evening, John Maloney and Steve Hayes, respective chairs of Rosscarbery Tidy Towns and Rosscarbery Bowling Club jointly unveiled a mural sited by the start line on the famed Cahermore road depicting an action scene from a bowling match. Commissioned by Rosscarbery Tidy Towns with full support from the local club, the mural marks another reference point in the towns history and heritage and acknowledges over a hundred years of bowling on the road. The mural was painted by street art expert, Kevin O’Brien. Incorporated into the unveiling was a celebration of a centuries old song that has always been associated with the road. ‘When McCarthy won The Flower of Cahermore’ recalls a famous contest that was played in the early 1900’s. It has endured through generations and remains a popular offering at countless social gatherings. Pat McCarthy outlined a brief history of Felix McCarthy and his family who resided at Mealasheen, Leap, and Mick Russell treated the gathering to a fine rendition of the old song. Speaking complimentary words on the entire project were Lord Mayor, Cork County, Joe Carroll, Christopher O’Sullivan, T.D. and John Maloney who all tried their hand with the ‘28’ in a special long-shot competition in which they were joined by Rosscarbery champions, past and present, Emma Fitzpatrick, Maria Nagle and Meabh Cuinnea.
Youths officer, Dan McCarthy, brought Carbery’s 2024 under-age championship programme to completion at the Marsh Road on Saturday evening with finals in girls U14 and U12. Both were competitive with the finalists tested in lead-up rounds and all four acquitted themselves in their quest for the top prize. Meabh was always the most likely in U14 given her accomplishments in the higher U16 grade, but Saoirse O’Neill was not fazed, and it was close enough to half-way. Meabh edged away in the last quarter and won by two. The Rosscarbery girl goes forward now to the inter-regionals as she attempts a county double. Long-time Marsh Road clubman, Jerry Murphy, sponsored and presented the winners’ cup to Meabh. U12 was a battle to the end. Ciara Harrington made a splendid start on the downward stretch and held good odds at ‘Jim Hurley’s bend’ but Lauren McCarthy came with a strong finish to take the championship in the last shot. Lauren too will have a shot at county honours in the coming weeks.
O'SULLIVAN BOWS OUT IN BEAL NA BLATH.
Another defeat to North East opposition at Beal na mBlath was the lot of Carbery’s intrepid followers who travelled in support of Denis O’Sullivan for his county junior C quarterfinal against Alan O’Leary on Wednesday last. The Caheragh man could not be faulted for effort turning over a deficit at the three-quarter point only to succumb to O’Leary’s piledriver to sight to the last bend.
County Championships Results:
Beal na mBlath; Junior C quarterfinal, Alan O’Leary (North East) defeated Denis O’Sullivan (Carbery), last shot, for €4,000; Caheragh, Junior C semi-final, Trevor O’Sullivan defeated Kieran Hourihane, one bowl, for €6,100.
Carbery Championships.
Leap: Junior ladies: Abbey Caverley won from Jessica Baker.
Marsh Road: Girls u14 final, Meabh Cuinnea won from Saoirse O’Neill; Girls U12 final, Lauren McCarthy won from Ciara Harrington.
Club:
Derrinasafa: Liam Hurley defeated Alan Sheehan, last shot, for €3,360.
Lyre: Kieran O’Sullivan (L) defeated Eoin Hurley (D) last shot, for €2,680.
Ballygurteen: Doubles, Cathal Creedon/Anthony Lynch defeated Diarmuid Hurley/Kevin Murphy, last shot, for €2,400.
Courtmacsherry: All-Ireland find-raisers; Saturday, Aug 17th, Jim Coffey defeated John Cahalane, one bowl, for €6,500; Padraigh Nugent defeated Kieran O’Driscoll, last shot, for €5,000; Patrick O’Driscoll defeated Johnny O’Driscoll, last shot, for €9,200; Kieran O’Driscoll defeated Jim Coffey, last shot, for €7,000; Doubles, Kieran O’Driscoll/Johnny O’Driscoll defeated Jim Coffey/Anthony Crowley, last shot, for €9,400; Sunday Aug 18, Darragh Dempsey/Shane Shannon defeated Willie O’Donovan/Mick Hurley, two bowls, for €4,400; Mick Hurley defeated Shane Shannon, one bowl, for €4,400; Eoin McCarthy defeated Chris Murphy, one bowl, for €6,600; Ailbhe O’Shea defeated Ellen Sexton, last shot, for €1,200.
Caheragh: Darren McCarthy defeated Cian Bowen, one bowl, for €2,000.
Grange: Willie Whelton Cup, Semi-final, Gary Daly defeated Aidan Murphy, one bowl, for €21,000.
Castletownkinneigh: Timmie O’Sullivan defeated Jamie McCarthy, last shot, for €4,000.
NEWCESTOWN Chloe Desmond/Mark Courtney defeated Stephen Moore/Karen O’Callaghan 1bl €450 as. Karen/Jack O’Callaghan defeated Chloe Desmond/Joe Madden ls €300 as. Kevin Murphy defeated David Desmond ls €600