A look back at some of the weekends action including the West Cork Junior A Semi-Final, the Mid-Cork Novice A Final along with other club action
A round-up of last weekend’s action starts at Durrus where Denis O’Driscoll defeated Peter Murray in the West Cork junior A semi-final. O’Driscoll avenged a 2019 championship defeat to the same opponent by coming home a two-bowl winner and will play Tim Young in the regional decider. In junior C at Bantry, Drimoleague’s Sean O’Regan stayed on course in junior C with a narrow win over Neil Crowley. At Drinagh in U16 Eoin Hurley ended the good run of Daniel O’Sullivan. In Ballinacarriga in novice A there was a home win when Finbarr Lynch defeated Ciaran Nyhan, last shot for €700 and at Inch in the U18 semi-final, Brian O’Driscoll pulled out the stops in a hard-earned one bowl win from Con O’Sullivan.
John A Murphy won the Mid Cork novice A final at Beal na mBlath defeating Eoin O’Donovan by a bowl for a €3,000 total. Murphy’s five to ‘Bradfield’s cross’ were the catalyst for this win. In the U12 final at Ballinacurra, Upton, Leila Foley won a good contest with Eva O’Sullivan and U16 Rosin Allen won from Leah Deane and Costa Allen won from Niamh O’Callaghan.
In the vintage grade Donal Harnedy is through to the section B final against Michéal O’Callaghan after John Murphy pulled up injured at The Clubhouse. Harnedy looked in form lining a ferocious first shot but matters were terminated early after his Templemartin opponent was unable to continue. In section C, John Tringle is through to the final after his defeat of Tom O’Donovan at Togher Cross on Saturday.
In club action, Drinagh’s John Young scored a win at Beal na Morrive in the Nancy Hubbard Cup defeating Eugene Kiernan by a bowl for €2,300. There was a local win back when rising star, Conor Lucey got the better of Uibh Laoire’s Darren Kelly, last shot, for €2,800. At Shannonvale Alex O’Donovan avenged a recent Grange defeat to David Hubbard when inflicting a two-bowl defeat on the North Cork man for a combined €7,400.
For a generation, Eamonn Bowen of Carrignavar was one of the biggest names in senior bowling. His passing on Tuesday 14 will be mourned most of all by his nearest and dearest but also by the bowling community at large. Eamonn had a chequered career. A supremely talented bowl-player who didn’t always fulfil his true potential, he could spin a bowl like no other and was almost equally as good with his left hand as his right. The top prizes didn’t always come his way, but he won a lot and came very close. His talents shone early when he won the All-Ireland U16 championship of 1969 and it was a straight promotion to senior ranks on entering adult competition. He remained there throughout his bowling career until entering vintage category in his later years. At his prime, he battled with the best defeating Denis Scully in a memorable contest at Clogheen, jousting with Bill Daly when he Leap man was at the height of his powers, and had great scores with Donie Coveney, Michael Buckley, Seamus Sexton and Mickie O’Driscoll. Eamonn was runner-up to Bill in the county senior championships of ’84 and’85 and lost out to him again in the King of the Roads final of 2000. On the European stage, Eamonn was a big success. A key member of the 1977 senior men’s team at the home international of 1977, Eamonn took the silver medal on in the Road discipline behind Seamus Sexton who won gold and ahead of Jerry O’Driscoll, bronze, as the team swept the boards against the Germans and Dutch. Eamonn was one of those selected to Loft the Viaduct in 1985 and succeeded in putting a 16oz bowl over the famed Chetwynd structure. He leaves many memories. Eamonn’s funeral Mass was celebrated at The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Carrignavar on Saturday last. His coffin bore the Bol Chumann emblem and his many friends form the bowling game formed a guard of honour on his final journey. Sympathies are extended to the Bowen family.