All roads led to Ballincurrig at the weekend for the 40th hosting of the King and Queen of the Roads. They have a newly re-surfaced road that really needed more time. James O’Donovan blazed a trail in his qualifying scores on the tarmacadam surface, but since the chips were laid it has become a different road-surface. Little did this club think when they ran off their first weekend on October 26th and 27th in 1985 that it would become the most prestigious tournament after the All-Irelands in the road bowling calendar, attracting players from Germany, Holland and this year from the Umbria region of Italy along with our good friends from Ulster.

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The children form Scoil Naomh Eoin entertained the public under the guidance of Mo O’Connor. It was only fitting that Bill Daly the first King of the Roads winner was appointed the grand marshal for this occasion and he cast the first shot of the weekend to get the games under way.

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Proceedings then got under way with the Queen of the Roads semi-finals. First up we had reigning champion Silke Tulk going for five in a row v Munster champion Hannah Sexton v Meghan Collins. Collins was an early bowl down at Din Tough’s. Sexton and Tulk five each to the top of the short straight where Tulk had fifteen meters. They both missed down the short straight where they had two bowls on Collins. Tulk held this odds to Leahy's Wall. From here down the long straight and on to Heaphy's Tulk increased her odds on Sexton with sheer power and had over three bowls on Collins where she fell out. At the Pony Gate, Tulk raised the bowl on Sexton and won out by two bowls.

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In the second semi-final All-Ireland winner Kelly Mallon v Queen R-up in 2017 & 2023 Anke Klopper v Maria Nagle. Nagle picked up an injury in practice so pulled out. Kelly Mallon not playing with her usual free flowing fluency due to a recent ankle injury did enough to book herself into Sunday's Final v Silke Tulk when she beat Anke Klopper from Germany by one bowl of odds. Six shots each to the top of the short straight where Klopper had thirty meters of odds. Mallon was back in front after a big seventh to the big corner, a lead she would relinquish no more, eventhough Klopper came within thirty meters of taking the lead again heading for the creamery when her bowl was accidently blocked. Mallon raised the bowl with a big seventeenth to the black sign and won out in the end by a bowl. This sets up a ninth meeting between Mallon and Tulk in the Queen final. With Tulk leading 5-4 going into Sunday's Final.

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In The Jim Geary Invitational we had for the first time an Italian by the name of Andrea Volpi playing Ben Cooney (Munster) v Eoghan McVeigh (Ulster). This was really a duel between McVeigh and Cooney. Volpi was a bowl out of it before the Creamery and was three bowls down at the acre and Cooney had a bowl on McVeigh. McVeigh replied with three great bowls to the top of the long straight that levelled the score with Cooney and Volpi still three bowls down. McVeigh was back in front going up the short straight and raised big odds at the sycamores he opened the last bend in three more and had a bowl of odds to spare over Cooney and four bowls on Volpi.

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In The Jim O'Driscoll Munster Cup final we had a repeat of the County Intermediate final where cousins Timmy McDonagh and Páidín Stokes played out for a stake of €500 a-side. This was a trap to line victory for Stokes. He raised a bowl at the creamery as one of McDonagh's bowls broke badly off the play and was accidently blocked. McDonagh had it under the bowl at O'Riordan's and held it under the bowl to the halfway line. At the big corner in 11 and 12 Stokes was a bowl up again. Two more to the top of the short straight Stokes held the bowl advantage, he opened the last bend in fourteen and won by the bowl to book his place in Sunday's final v Eoghan McVeigh.

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In the Brian Wood Invitational P.J. Cooney and Paul O'Brien were in blistering form when they played Ronan McClelland and Anthony McVeigh for a stake of €7,000 a-side The Cork pairing took their first lead at the top of the short straight, two more to Leahy's pillars where the tips were even. The northern pair were back in front again at the half way line but from here Cooney unleashed a huge eight shot that the northern pair missed in two to go a bowl of odds down. They held this bowl of odds to the Pony Gate and on for the Creamery where they extended it to almost two bowls.

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In the first of the King of The Roads semi-final James O'Donovan the qualifier from the Mick Barry Cup tournament played reigning All-Ireland winner Ethan Rafferty for €7,000 a-side v Manuel Runger (FKV). After two huge opening bowls from O'Donovan he had a bowl on Runger and throwing over 35mts on Rafferty. At the no-play line O'Donovan held the same odds on both players. O'Donovan made the acre with his seventh and Rafferty got a super eight that gave him a chance of sight at the end of the long straight in two more. Runger at this juncture was a big bowl of odds in arrears. A big turning point came when O'Donovan's tenth shot was "called" his 2nd effort fell 40mt short of his first shot that gave him only a slight chance of the big corner. He missed the corner and Rafferty went full sight and suddenly O'Donovan's odds was down to 35mt. They both had almost two bowls on Runger. Rafferty took his first lead of this semi-final with a perfect bowl up the short straight that O’Donovan missed by 1mt, but O'Donovan hit back with a great bowl to Din Toughs to win back the lead again, however Rafferty got one of his special shots to the serpent that O'Donovan missed well, O’Donovan’s sixteenth shot was played well played but turned back left no sight at the last bend, Rafferty made sight, O’Donovan was wide right with his next, Rafferty was too tight right with his bowl and only 40mts separated them for the last shots. O'Donovan's bowl went right as did Rafferty's but he still won by 50mts.

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In the second King of the Roads semi-final reigning King Colm Rafferty, brother of Ethan played Munster champion Arthur McDonagh v Patrick Zieverink (NKB). There was a stake of €5,500 between Rafferty and McDonagh. Nothing between all three at the black sign, Zieverink threw four super opening bowls but undid all his good work with a poor fifth at Bob’s wall. At the no play lines Rafferty had a bowl on Zieverink and was throwing his odds over McDonagh. Rafferty got a poor bowl from here that McDonagh did not take full advantage of. McDonagh got a huge bowl to the no play line that gave him his first lead. Zeverink was almost two bowls down at Leahy's. At the big corner in twelve each McDonagh was just fore bowl. Rafferty got an incredible bowl from a poor stand up the short straight that won him back the lead but both had only poor sight. McDonagh got an extraordinary bowl from here, it shaved the right dyke and turned our left all the way to din toughs, and Rafferty only beat this tip by 40mts in two shots. McDonagh made the serpent with his next and out sight the last bend with his sixteenth to book his place in a repeat of the All-Ireland final at Castletown where Ethan Rafferty took the honour.

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STOKES TAKES JIM O'DRISCOLL CUP

Sunday was finals day at Ballincurrig starting off with the Jim O’Driscoll Cup that was a repeat of the Intermediate championship All-Ireland where Páidín Stokes took on Anthony McVeigh for a stake of €4,000 a-side. Stokes catapulted himself into a big lead with his fourth shot to the end of the green. Stokes missed the no-play line in two more that gave McVeigh an opening. McVeigh got two good bowls to the start of the acre but Stokes kept piling on the pressure, so much so that at the top of the long straight he had almost a bowl of odds. At the big corner in twelve and thirteen shots it was still under the bowl. Stokes made the serpent in four more great bowls where he raised the bowl and held it to the finish.

SHANE CROWLEY & EMMA HURLEY POWER PAST THE DUTCH

In the Youth Triple Crown the U-18 All-Ireland pairing of Emma Hurley and Shane Crowley were put to the pin of their collar for three quarters of this score when they narrowly beat the Dutch pairing of Max Oude Engberink and Lotte Telgenhof with the German pair of Tomke Harms and Jannis Saathoff well back in third position. After four shots each the Irish pairing were fore bowl at the muddy gap. Max made full sight at the top of the short straight with his fifth, Jannis missed sight and Shane Crowley held the lead for the Irish, three more great bowls to Leahy’s wall and the Irish pair were just keeping their nose in front of the Dutch pair with the German pair a bowl out of it. Max for the Netherlands took the lead with a big bowl onto the long straight and they were still in front at Heaphy’s, after five more to the pony gate the lead was only five meters for the Dutch. The German pair were now two bowls down. Crowley from here got a superb bowl to the Creamery, and a bad bad blunder from Max when his bowl fell right, into the stones. Emma Hurley raised the bowl at the middle of the green and they held this to the finish.

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ARTHUR MCDONAGH ADDS ANOTHER CUP TO HIS ALREADY FULL CABINET

We have a new King, “King Arthur” he has been knocking on the door for a few years but just could not put it together, but this past weekend he done everything right and got his just rewards. McDonagh played with accuracy and speed. McDonagh opened with two huge bowls but Rafferty had it level at the Green. McDonagh made the no-play line in four more where he had a bowl of odds. Poor bowling from Rafferty from the no-play line and McDonagh extended his odds to almost three bowls at Leahy’s, McDonagh went out the big corner in eleven and Rafferty fourteen where he had enough and McDonagh claimed the crown. There was a stake of €6,150 a-side.

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ARMAGH ACE KELLY MALLON POWERED TO HER EIGHT QUEEN OF THE ROADS CROWN

The Queen final, as it has done over the years created excitement aplenty. Silk Tulk going for five in a row and a total of nine titles and Kelly Mallon going for her eight title, they played for a stake of €1,450 a-side with Tulk seriously favourite. Mallon got off to the worst possible start when her first shot was accidently blocked, but she rallied well and went out sight at the top of the short straight in four more very well played bowls, Tulk had a big advantage of thirty meters and no bowl to open the big corner. Mallon made full sight at the big corner with her sixth and an uncharacteristic error on Tulk’s behalf when she lobbed her bowl out to far and it fell in left no sight and giving Mallon her first lead. Give Mallon a reprieve like this and she will take full advantage. Tulk got a super ninth onto the long straight but Mallon held a fifty meter advantage. Two poor bowls from Tulk both went right and at the acre Mallon had almost a bowl, Tulk kept it under the bowl when she followed two super bowls from Mallon past the Pony Gate. Mallon raised the bowl at the end of the green, but there was another twist to come. Tulk unleashed a phenomenal seventeenth shot to the black sign that Mallon missed by fifty meters, and missed the finish line again, there was hope for Tulk but her last got too much dyke on the left and Mallon played her last very well to even up the titles at eight apiece.

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This concluded a hectic schedule for the Ballincurrig club, all ran off efficiently by the organising committee and congratulations to them on their hosting of the 40th anniversary and we hope that it will continue for many years to come.