MCDONAGH TOO GOOD FOR O'DONOVAN IN HEADLINE SCORE AT CASTLETOWNBERE
The Christmas was packed with scores, tournaments, club fund-raisers, benefit scores. Junior a nine man tournaments seem to be the norm at the moment, such scores were played at Ballinacurra and Grange. At Grange Noel O’Regan had a bowl to spare on Johnny O’Driscoll and Donie Harnedy in the first semi-final played for a total stake of €6,300. In a John John O’Driscoll intermediate tournament semi-final Denis O’Sullivan beat Wayne Parkes by one bowl for €3,900 as. And at the same venue on Stephens day Jim Coffey had two from John Cahalane for €14,000 & €16,200.
DENIS WILMOT, NOEL O'DONOVAN AND CIAN BOYLE TO CONTEST BALLINACURRA FINAL
Denis Wilmot won his three way encounter with David O’Mahony and Conor Creedon for €7,800 in the annual Ballinacurra nine man tournament. All three to Brinny Cross in four shots, O’Mahony was a bowl down at the GAA entrance and Wilmot and Creedon were level, they held this margin to the Novice line on O’Mahony, Wilmott rose a bowl on Creedon at the Junior c line and O’Mahony slipped ahead of Creedon and that’s how they finished. In the second semi-final Noel O’Donovan snatched a win from David Hegarty and Kieran Murphy, Murphy was absolutely cruising in this score while Hegarty & O’Donovan were fighting it out for second spot, four super bowls to Foleys where Murphy had a bowl on both, he held this odds to the muddy gap, extended his lead to almost two bowls on Hegarty at the GAA entrance and was still throwing his odds on O’Donovan, but from here Murphy’s bowling faltered greatly, it was down to an even bowl at the double gates, that he held to the junior c line, two poor bowls up the straight both in left for Murphy, Hegarty got two super bowls and O’Donovan too far left and got caught at the avenue entrance, all went out sight for the line with Murphy holding big odds, Hegarty lined a great bowl, O’Donovan went in left but came out nicely and beat Hegarty’s tip, Murphy with eighty meters to beat was too far left and gifted O’Donovan the win. Murphy led in all but the last shot in this score. In the third and last semi-final at Ballinacurra Cian Boyle took the honours from Andrew O’Callaghan and Michael John O’Brien, they were level at Foleys and on to Perriots, with Boyle just shading the lead, at the novice line Boyle rose a bowl on O’Brien and throwing his odds on O’Callaghan, this continued to the junior c line, all three were in it for a last shot, O’Brien missed the line, O’Callaghan beat this tip and Boyle beat both tips to set up a three way final with Denis Wilmot and Noel O’Donovan.
At Lyre an intermediate tournament score was held between Timmy McDonagh, Fermoy and David Shannon, Skibbereen playing for €4,000, this was a very below par score from both players, both were back of the Forest Entrance in three with McDonagh fore by thirty meters. Over the tunnel in five more McDonagh had a bowl of odds. Eleven and twelve shots to Crowleys bend where McDonagh still held a bowl. At the underpass McDonagh had big odds with the bowl and held this in three more to the line where he won by a bowl and now plays Tim Young in the semi-final.
BRIAN O'DRISCOLL TAKES THE HONOURS AT BALLYDEHOB.
Ballydehob held the final of their Novice a tournament, here Brian O’Driscoll won from Peter Nagle for €900. Clubs in Carbery and West Cork held their one day club fund-raisers, at Caheragh Gavin Crowley and Natalie Dempsey beat Shane McCarthy and Marie Russell for €1,600, Colm Crowley beat Eoin McCarthy for €6,400, Alan Brickley and Eoin Hurley beat Finbarr Coughlan and Gavin Harrington for €5,700 and Michael O’Leary beat Darren Lynch for €4,600. At Togher Cross Cathal Creedon beat Diarmuid Hurley for €3,200, David Deane beat Barry O’Donovan for €6,000 and Eoin McCarthy beat Alan Brickley for €9,000. At Drimoleague James and Marie Russell beat Denis Murphy and Natalie Dempsey last shot €2,900, Darren Cronin beat Eoin Hurley last shot €3,300, Jimmy O’Leary beat Patrick Crowley 1bowl €3,500 and Alan Keane beat Peter Kelly 1bowl €3,840. At Rosscarbery Peter Nagle beat Kevin Minihane for €1,800, Darren Whooley and James O’Neill beat Mike Cussen and Neil McCarthy €2,000, Kieran O’Driscoll beat Michael O’Sullivan €4,000 and Ritchie Lawton beat Sean O’Neill €2,000.
ANOTHER SUCESFULL FUND-RAISER AT CASTLETOWNBERE.
At the annual RNLI fund-raiser at Castletownbere, Bryan O’Reilly took first blood from David Shannon for €37,200. O’Reilly had almost a bowl after five shots past the truck park, he held this out past the graveyard and onto to the double bends, things got no better for Shannon and O’Reilly won by the bowl. In a mixed doubles back in David Hegarty and Ellen Sexton beat Noel O’Regan and Hannah Cronin for a total stake of €16,000. They were level in three each to the council yard with Hegarty/Sexton just fore, Cronin got a great bowl out sight and Sexton missed this, Hegarty replied with a huge bowl back of the double bends and O’Regan totally misplayed his and they faced almost a bowl down, O’Regan however got a super rub off the right dyke and now the odds was down to forty meters again. After two more great bowls at the start of the graveyard O’Regan/Cronin took the lead by two feet. Incredible bowls from the ladies in this score both down to the truck park with Hegarty/Sexton back in front again. After two more past the grotto Hegarty/Sexton had a thirty meter advantage for the last shot. O’Regan got a massive last that stole the show. A poor start from Murphy when he engaged with Tommy O’Sullivan for a total stake of €26,500, at the trailer park O’Sullivan was a bowl up, on past the graveyard and up past the quarry and on for the double bends O’Sullivan held the bowl of odds, as they proceeded up the straight on for the council yard O’Sullivan still held his bowl advantage, at the Junior line Murphy had it under the bowl and had a chance of reducing the odds further approaching the finish but only beat the tip by thirty meters for the last shots, O’Sullivan just missed the line and Murphy only beat the tip and the line. Back down Kieran Shannon (Brother of David who bowled earlier in the day) had a good victory over Thomas Maloney for €16,000. On Sunday Michael John O’Brien and Eamonn Bowen had a score each, Michael John won the first for €20,000 and Bowen the second for €24,000, the big one for the weekend was Arthur McDonagh and James O’Donovan who played for a total stake of €50,000, O’Donovan had only one lead in this score and that was his second shot, McDonagh recover the lead with an incredible third bowl to the truck park, two more each to the end of the graveyard wall McDonagh twenty five meters fore, O’Donovan missed sight for the double bends and McDonagh another well played bowl went full sight. McDonagh rose the bowl with his eight, after two more shots each above the council yard McDonagh had a big bowl of odds, O’Donovan did not take advantage of a poor shot from McDonagh to the junior line but got it under the bowl by fifteen meters, O’Donovan had another opportunity with the second last shot but it was played out to far and turned in on him, McDonagh went on top of the line with a super last that O’Donovan missed. To round off the weekends bowling Wayne Parkes beat Patrick Flood for €12,000, Flood led to the first bend and on past the council yard, on down to the double bends and on for the graveyard where Parkes led by fifteen meters, at the truck park, Parkes increased his lead to thirty meters, after two more Parkes odds was forty meters back of the Grotto, Floods second last caught the left dyke and threw it across the road and Parkes was very unlucky got caught left before the cope centre, Flood lined a beauty for the last shot but Parkes beat this by twenty meters. Well done to the Castletownbere bowling club in raising €10,000 for the RNLI and the Keith Hegarty Fund.
At Beal Na Marbh former Intermediate and Senior player Edmund Sexton had a good win over newly promoted junior a player Conor Creedon. Playing for a stake of €6,800, Creedon had three meters after five shots, Sexton took the lead at the rock, and produced a huge seventh past Hubbard’s to rise almost a bowl, down past the hedging and on to the Novice line, sexton throwing over fifty meters, he held this for the last shot, Creedon missed the line and Sexton had nothing to beat. In supporting scores to this Cathal Creedon/Anthony Lynch beat Kevin Manning/Eamonn Murphy for €3,100. Stephen Spillane beat Donnacha Lucey €3,000 and David Hubbard/Martin Kelleher beat Cathal Creedon/Anthony Lynch €2,400