Arthur McDonagh too strong for Murphy in Munster Decider

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​Our premier championship of the year, did not live up to expectation, Aidan Murphy and Arthur McDonagh both playing in their 5th Munster title, Murphy going for his 4th title and McDonagh his 3rd. It was McDonagh from the off. Murphy lined a huge 1st shot that McDonagh beat by twelve meters. Murphy's next two were not of Senior standard and McDonagh lined a phenomenal 3rd that beat Murphy‘s tip by a 100 meters. After two super bowls from McDonagh to the island he had a full bowl of odds. Murphy's right hand pull was playing havoc with him, he was hitting sops but spinning bowls off the road to the right. Two more to the Council yard and Murphy was keeping it to the bowl of odds. Murphy played a smashing ninth shot back of the Novice finish, it looked like knocking the bowl of odds and would have if McDonagh‘s bowl went in where it was played but it turned out right and beat the tip by 40 meters with the bowl of odds. Murphy's 10th shot went right and McDonagh covered a quarter mile of road with his 9th, Murphy did very well to beat this tip by 50 meters. An uncharacteristic error from McDonagh with his 10th he brought the bowl too far and it fell in right, only 20 meters in it now with the bowl. Murphy replied with another huge bowl to the piggeries but McDonagh was back in the grove and beat this tip by 40 meters with the bowl. A blunder from Murphy with his next and McDonagh punished him with a miler past O.Riada's Cross that raised the 2nd bowl of odds for him. Both missed sight for the finish in two more and McDonagh was crowned the winner and will now play the 2024 All-Ireland Senior winner Colm Rafferty at Tassagh Armagh on Sunday next. Colm beat his cousin Thomas Mackle in the Ulster final.

JACK CROWNED MUNSTER U-16 CHAMPION

From Baile Bhurine to Clondrohid for a double bill of boys and girls U16 county finals. First up we had the boys U16 where Culann Bourke who was also a finalist in the U-18 played Jack Allen from Newcestown. Allen’s first three bowls were all left but got incredible rubs so much so that he had a bowl of odds just short of Tier Beg Cross. He increased this after two more big bowls out sight at the Black House, Bourke made a bad blunder with his sixth shot from O’Leary’s pillars in right. Two more each to the Bell Inn where Allen’s odds was a bowl and fifty meters. Bourke knocked the bowl with a super ninth to the Grotto and knocked further odds over Kelly’s hump. Allen was too tight right at Kelly’s hump and only made the cottage, this gave Bourke a huge opportunity to open the bend before Kelleher’s farm in two, he got a super 11th shot to the end of the wall but his 12th veered off right and no sight. Allen had big odds here with two shots to go. Bourke played his last bowl very well but it came out of the right track and across left. Allen lined his last bowl well to win by big odds and now plays Johnny Campbell in the All-Ireland final next weekend.

CUINNEA WINS WITH AN INCREDIBLE FINISH IN U-16

In the return route the Girl’s U-16 was played between the U18 winner Meabh Cuinnea and Anna Deane for Coppeen. Cuinnea took the first two shots to the end of Kelleher’s Farm, Deane got a huge third shot out and around the Well Bend and straight road, Cuinnea followed this but fell short by 6 meters. Cuinnea got a short fourth and Deane put nice odds on this. At Kelly’s Hump on a very false and rough surface, Deane got an extraordinary bowl, it went all over the road but made the Bell Inn a huge shot. Cuinnea beat this tip by 2 meters in two shots to fall almost a bowl down. Two more each back of the Black House where Deane was throwing her odds with her 10th shot, she got another incredible bowl that raised the bowl fully for her as Cuinnea was too tight right. Cuinnea made Tier Beg cross and Deane put 40 meters on this with the bowl. Three poor bowls in succession all left from Deane and a huge 13th from Cuinnea knocked the bowl of odds by fifty meters, after another from Deane the odds were down to only 2 meters. Another rocket of a shot from Cuinnea towards the line won her back the lead by thirty meters. Deane missed the line and Cuinnea added the U16 county to her previously won U18 county, a feat achieved only once before by Hannah Sexton in 2018.

CLASSY PERFORMANCE FROM COLLINS IN NOVICE VETERAN DECIDER

Jimmy Collins, Union Hall put in a polished performance in the Novice Veteran county final at Inch, playing Liam Linehan, Berrings, they played for a stake of €3,550 a-side. Collins opened with an incredible first shot that yielded him almost two bowls of odds. Linehan got off to a very shaky start. It was an uphill battle for Linehan after going down such big odds so early in the score. Collins raised the two bowls of odds with his second shot and went out the bridge with his third, a feat not seen in Inch since the days of Dermot Sullivan, Billy Hurley and other good West Cork Junior A players. Collins out to the Ballabuidhe track entrance in two more and he raised another bowl of odds with a huge sixth shot. Linehan lined some good bowls but Collins covered each tip and ran out a convincing winner, he now plates the junior veteran winner Eoin O'Riordan for a place in the All-Ireland final on the August Bank Holiday weekend.

A FLAWLESS DISPLAY FROM O'SHEA BOOKS HER PLACE IN ALL-IRELAND

Ailbhie O’Shea from Coachford put in a flawless display at Ballinacarriga when she won the ladies Intermediate county final from Ellen Sexton at Ballinacarriga. Ellen is a seasoned county campaigner having won U12 in 2018, U14 & U16 in 2020, U18 in 2023 & 2024 and was an intermediate r-up in 2024 also. Ailbhie was not fazed by this having won a junior ladies county title herself in 2023. They played for a stake of €3,200 a-side, this was a trap to line victory for O’Shea. Sexton got off to the worst possible start both of her first bowls pulled right well back of Granure cross, where O’Shea was throwing her odds over thirty meters. After two more past McSweeney’s yard O’Shea raised a bowl of odds and extended this to a bowl and twenty meters at the GAA cross. Sexton missed out Lynch’s Bend in two more and O’Shea extended her odds to almost two bowls in seven excellent shots. There was no let-up from O’Shea when she opened the Creamery cross in two more and made the middle of the wall with her tenth shot and booked her place in the All-Ireland final on the August Bank Holiday Saturday against Lily O'Rourke.

O'RIORDAN A CHALLENGE TOO FAR FOR COLLINS

Jimmy Collins had a wonderful veteran championship season, but playing Eoin O’Riordan from Macroom 24 years his junior and two grades higher in the overall veteran final was a task too much for him at The Clubhouse. They played for a stake of €1,250 a-side. Collins took the first shot, his one and only fore bowl. Four and five shots each to the chip cross O’Riordan had a bowl of odds. O’Riordan buried his fifth in right and gave Collins a chance to get back into this score but he was left of play and only beat the tip by thirty meters. A misplaced seventh from O'Riordan gave Collins another chance but his bowl fell right and only beat the tip by forty meters. O’Riordan got a huge next through the rough surface at Clonakilty Cross and Collins' bowl slashed off right to fall a bowl down again. Collins got a good tenth shot to the hump and this knocked the bowl of odds again as O’Riordan misplaced his ninth in right but again he recovered with a well-played tenth well past Murray’s pillars that raised the bowl of odds again. He raised further odds with a smashing eleventh well past O’Riordan’s Cottage that he held to the end of the railings. Collins made back of the school cross and again O’Riordan misplaced his bowl and it was only the bare bowl of odds there. Collins got a good bowl past the School, but on this occasion it was not enough and O’Riordan won out in the end by a bowl of odds and now plays Johnny Kelly in the All-Ireland Veteran Final on Bank Holiday Sunday in Armagh.

The South West region completed their novice B championship at Timoleague between Jason Harrington, Kilbrittain and Timmie O’Sullivan, Shannonvale, playing for a stake of €1,220 a-side. Harrington had a bowl of odds after three shots out sight for the Cottage. O'Sullivan got an unreal fifth shot past the Cottage to the Guards house that Harrington beat by thirty meters. O’Sullivan got another big bowl over the hill and down towards Barryshall cross that gave him his first lead of the score by ten meters. Harrington was back in front after their ninth shots to the monument. O'Sullivan got a big bowl past the double gates and was back in front again as Harrington’s bowl turned in right, O'Sullivan extended his odds with his next three shots and raised a bowl with one shot to go. Harrinton put down a good last but not enough.

Evan Kelleher beat Patrick Moynahan in the Gaeltacht Nov-C final at Ballingeary, Eamonn Murphy beat Tommy O’Donoghue in the North Cork novice A final at Berrings playing for €380 a-side he won by one bowl of odds. John Cahalane won the Carbery Jun C from Denis O’Sullivan at Caheragh playing for €3,000 a-side. Brendan Dudley beat Davin Ross in the West Cork Nov D final at Togher Cross with no stake in this one. Niall Crowley beat Chris Cronin in the West Cork junior C final at Drimoleague. Conor Cotter beat Conor Kelleher in the Gaeltacht nov D final at Baile Bhuirne playing for €1,150 a-side. Conor Desmond won the Mid Cork novice D from Barry Murphy at Dunderrow playing for €1,550 a-side.

P.J. O’Driscoll won the South West novice C from Conor Sheehy at Grange playing for €450 a-side. David Crowley won the North Cork junior C from Mark Sheehan at Ballinagree playing for €1,000 a-side. Sindey Shannon Carbery beat Timmie Desmond from East Cork in the Novice B preliminary round at Castletown. Lilly McDonagh from Clondrohid beat Mia Murphy from Ballyclough in the girl’s U12 quarter final at Bweeng. Culann Bourke got through to his second county final with a win over Richard O’Driscoll (City) at Grenagh in the U16. Meabh Cuinnea is also through to her 2nd county final when she beat Jena Healy, Kilcorney in the U16 semi-final at Newcestown. Anna Deane from Coppeen will be Meabh Cuinnea’s opponent in the U16 final when she beat Abbie McDonnell in the U-16 semi-final at Macroom. Aoife McCarthy, Carbery beat Alisha Relihan, Fermoy in the girls U14 quarter final and Ciara Harrington, Carbery beat Abbie Walsh, City in the girls U12 quarter final both at Castletown