JIMMY BOWLS TO TRIUMPH IN PADDY MURRAY MEMORIAL CUP
Ballygurteen held the inaugural hosting of the Paddy Murray Memorial Cup, facing each other here we had Jimmy O’Driscoll from Skibbereen playing Denis Wilmot from Bandon for a total stake of €9,200. O’Driscoll went peeping sight in two great opening shots, Wilmot up and around in three and down past Dullea’s new house with his fourth, O’Driscoll still had nice odds, two more great bowls from Wilmot to the Women’s lane where he had almost a bowl of odds, as O’Driscoll got no traction out of his well played bowls. O’Driscoll recovered well with a huge bowl to just back of O’Mahony’s avenue that Wilmot only beat by fifteen meters in two. They were shot for shot to O’Mahony’s bungalow where O'Driscoll caught the ESB pole, they both went up level to O’Donovan’s cottage where Wilmot had a two meter advantage. From here O’Driscoll lined two huge bowls to McCarthy’s cross that rose almost a bowl on Wilmot and O’Driscoll took the honours. On hand to present their fathers cup were his daughter Joan and his son John, who thanked the club for putting up a cup in memory of their father and club chairman Vincent Dullea thanked all the players who took part and Timmy O’Brien who got the final over the line. In a return score here Mickey Harrington beat Luke O’Connor for €1,600.
JOHN A. SECURES SEMI-FINAL SPOT.
The Pike club held a quarter final round of the Ferghal Beamish cup, here John A.Murphy from Templemartin was in top form beating Liam Hurley Togher by a convincing margin. Stake at issue was €2,900. Hurley won the first shot that was to be his only lead, his third bowl caught a pillar and this resulted in him being a bowl down at Whites Cross. The only blip Murphy made was his shot off the Cross, it was very left but he recovered with three great bowls to Drapers where he had almost two bowls, he got the perfect rub off the bridge with his eight shot that gave him sight for Drapers. Hurley hit the back of the bridge. From Drapers up Murphy scored the Novice line in three more great bowls where matters were terminated.
At Ballinacurra Ger Connolly pushed Adrian Buttimer to a last shot. For €3,500 as, they were level in three great bowls each to Brinny Cross. Buttimer had a small margin of odds at the gas works, and Connolly levelled matters up at the GAA entrance. Two very poor shots from Buttimer and Connolly had a nice lead at the silvery gates, on to the Novice line and up the home straight. Connolly lined what looked a winner of a last shot but Buttimers played his bowl well and just beat the tip.
At Jagoes Mills in a junior tournament semi-final score Timmy Murphy led from start to finish over David Hegarty for €6,200. Murphy made O’Brien’s cross in two great opening shots, Hegarty kept the odds to thirty and forty meters at Lawton’s, the railway and on to the power station, but Murphy got two super bowls from here through the cross and rose a bowl on Hegarty that he could not recover or reel in.
TOBIN PROGRESSES TO NOVICE D RANKS.
The Gaeltacht region completed their Novice E championship at Clondrohid here Seanie Lehane from Inchageelagh and Trevor Tobin from Terelton for a total stake of €3,320. Lehane took the first two shots of this final before Tobin took over with his third that got a nice rub to the cottage, at Tier Beg cross nothing separated them, Lehane made O’Leary’s gate and Tobin put forty meters on this, both missed the Black House, from here Lehane made the start of the railings and Tobin extended his lead further with a huge bowl to just back of the Bell Inn. Lehane only beat this by twenty meters, Tobin played another good bowl past the Grotto and Lehane got rough play and missed this tip to concede a bowl of odds. Lehane made Kelly’s Bungalow but Tobin extended his lead further with a super bowl over Kelly’s hump and into the lag, Lehane got a good bowl to the end of the wall but Tobin was not going to be denied his crown as he beat the line to take the honours.
SEXTON WOULD NOT BE LED.
Lyre held the last semi-final of their 9-man tournament Nadd man Edmund Sexton took the honours from Noel O’Regan, Togher and Donie Harnedy from Skibbereen, they played for a three-way stake of €1,100 as, and a €4,000 as stake between Sexton/O’Regan. Sexton led this one from trap to line. There was a bowl of odds on Harnedy early in this score due to four poor opening shots from him to the Forest entrance. O’Regan’s third went up left and Sexton’s third hugged the yellow line on the right and rose big odds on O’Regan. After two more to the tunnel Sexton was in control throwing big odds over O’Regan and odds with a bowl on Harnedy. In the law of average when you are at the tunnel or over it you should open Crowley’s bend in three, but on this occasion Sexton fumbled his seventh shot left and had no sight. Harnedy missed Crowley’s bend with his ninth, O’Regan went full sight with his eight and suddenly we had a score again. Sexton made a good bid at going sight past the concrete but it just fell short, Harnedy missed the crossover so two bowls on him again. O’Regan played a nice bowl to make sight up for McCarthy’s bend. Sexton was tight right but had nice odds on O’Regan and big odds with two bowls on Harnedy. O’Regan should have done better with his next but it was always going right and only just beat Sextons tip. Sexton was way too tight at McCarthy’s bend and O’Regan got a great touch off the right ditch to take him to the farmyard. Harnedy made the end of the railings with his 13th and Sexton recovered big odds with a mighty bowl to the big tree. O’Regan’s twelfth fell down right and there was no denying Sexton his victory. He now plays Conor Creedon and Ger O’Driscoll in the final. In a return score Kevin Flynn beat Deckie O’Mahony for a total stake of €3,000.
JOHN SEXTON RIP.
The community of Courtmacsherry, Barryroe and the wider Ibane peninsula lost a central figure last week with the passing of that great nonagenarian John Sexton. A man of many parts, John over nine decades, through his mastery of the pen and his weekly column in the Southern Star, ensured that all aspects of parish life was front and centre to the almost total exclusion of everything outside of his local domain. Bowling was right in there too in a colourful blend of politics, matters of GAA, horse and greyhound racing, where a local winner at Thurles, Fairyhouse or Curraheen Park was assured of a prominent slot firmly on the media front line. Among the rank and file of bowling John Sexton invariably commanded a deep level of respect and admiration. He put the founding fathers of Bol Chumann Na hÈireann, Flor Crowley and Eamonn O' Carroll, high up on a pedestal of their own. Hardly surprising either that his score reports were often written in harmony with Crowley and O'Carroll where he would have seen two school teachers of a bygone era as something of an education in the science of bowl playing. It was however, while reporting on the bowling exploits of the players from the barony of Ibane that John Sexton's passion and pride of place came very much into its own. Shades of Kickham's 'Knocknagow', for the sake of the little village and for the honour of the old home. Laced here and there with an interesting jot of history, John Sexton loved to regale us with stories from the Croke Park of bowling, the never to be forgotten bowlers of Bandon's Clancool Hill, Delaney and Bennett away back at the start of the 20th century and quickly moving forward to the battle fought between Brendan O'Donovan, Courtmacsherry, and Mickie Harte, Gaggin, almost half a century later. In the eyes of John Sexton the O'Donovan era had and continues to have a magical aura unrivalled in bowing's history, wherein Brendan is lauded for his 1958 County Junior final win over Fin Casey at Enniskeane, a triumph surpassed almost thirty years later when Declan brought the Hughie Trainor cup back home to West Cork . Today James O'Donovan is among the top half dozen senior players of the day. It would be remiss of course not to recall that red letter day in Ballyshonin in 1980, when with John Sexton in the hot seat of number one road shower, PJ McCarthy, a player of great scope with a loft to match, lifted the All-Ireland intermediate title at the expense of that great Armagh sportsman Sean Webb. A memorable day in North Cork, a day when John Sexton strode a bowling colossus, the number of handshakes received almost surpassing those of a graceful champion PJ McCarthy. The bowling fraternity extends its condolences to his wife Betty and the extended family on the passing of John Sexton.