Bowling Report - Week ending 02nd June

FORMER CORK FOOTBALLER JULIET MURPHY INTO INTERMEDIATE LADIES FINAL

Juliet Murphy secured her place in this year’s intermediate ladies final with a win over Ellen Sexton @ Clondrohid, playing for a total stake of €1,000. Three shots each to the bark mulch Murphy was five meters fore. Two more each to Tier Beg cross and Sexton edged in front by ten meters. At the Black House in three more Sexton still held a five meter advantage both had sight. Two more each back of the Bell Inn, Sexton could have had more odds but some shots were weak and fell off the road. Murphy took back the lead with a good bowl to the Grotto. Two more each on the rough cantankerous piece of road to Kelly’s bungalow and still nothing separated them. Murphy got a huge bowl from here to Geoff’s Lane that rose a bowl of odds for her. Both out to the waterfall full sight with their next Murphy still holding odds with the bowl. Sexton got a super bowl past Kelleher’s farm full sight for the finish line, Murphy missed this and another twist was to come when she missed the finish line. Sexton made a gallant effort but Murphy had too much odds and beat the tip by ten meters. She now awaits the winner of Julianne Hayes or Ailbhie O’Shea in the final @ Castletown.

Inter-county scores came hot and heavy over the weekend, a total of fourteen scores were played at various grades and ages.

John Cahalane representing the Carbery region had a convincing win over Humphrey O’Leary from West Cork in the preliminary round of the junior veteran championship at Ballygurteen mid-week playing for a total stake of €1,550 a-side. Cahalane new to this grade this year had a trap to line win. Cahalane was up peeping sight at the first bend in two good bowls, O’Leary missed it in three and was a bowl down early in this score. Cahalane piled on the pressure with two more huge bowls past Dullea’s new house where he rose the two bowls of odds. It was under the two bowls at the women’s lane, at Mahoney’s Avenue it was still under the two bowls but that was a good as it got for O’Leary as Cahalane got good eleventh and twelfth shots that rose two and three bowls and he now progresses on to the quarter final playing P.J. Cooney from East Cork @ Ballinacurra.

MICHÁEL DESMOND TAKES GAELTEACH JUNIOR B FINAL

The Gaelteacht junior B final was held at Clondrohid between Cillian Kelleher and Micháel Desmond playing for a total stake of €2,600. Desmond had a bowl of odds after two big opening shots. Kelleher put down some great bowls and at the Black House the odds was down to sixteen meters. Kelleher took his first lead at the Bell Inn and held a marginal lead over Kelly’s hill and on for the cottage, from here Desmond went full sight at the waterfall and won back the lead again, nine fantastic bowls thrown to this juncture. Desmond was very tight right with his bowl past Kelleher’s farm but got away with it and made sight for the novice line, Kelleher missed this to go a bowl down again. Kelleher laid down a massive bowl to the lollipops that Desmond missed well but made sight, his next was very tight left, if it had stayed there score would have been dead level but rubbed sight for the finish line. Kelleher could not put a shot in front of him and Desmond beat a good line and now plays Shane Collins (North Cork) in the quarter final @ Castletown.

O'DONOVAN, MCDONAGH,AND DALY BOOK THIER SPOTS IN SENIOR MEN'S SEMI-FINALS

Newcestown hosted the first quarter final of the senior men’s championship between James O’Donovan and David Murphy playing for a total stake of €16,000. This was one of those evenings that nothing went right for Murphy. After two good opening bowls from O’Donovan he was a bowl up, and had almost two bowls in two more to Mac’s cross. Murphy had it back to an even bowl at Allen’s lane, but at Desmond’s lane and on down into the dip O’Donovan had almost two bowls again. A very well played thirteenth up the rising road past Kelleher’s rose the two bowls for O’Donovan. Murphy knocked the two bowls briefly going out to O’Brien’s Cross but at the Cross they stood at an even two bowls for O’Donovan again. Both missed sight at the lollipops two poor bowls off the cross, both made the Pitch and Putt entrance where almost two bowls again and O’Donovan marches on to the semi-final draw.

In Baile Bhuirne in another senior quarter-final Arthur McDonagh snatched victory from Michael Bohane, playing for €3,400 a-side. Bohane took the first two opening shots of this score, McDonagh took the third shot but did not capitalise on a couple of poor bowls from Bohane, at the Island McDonagh could have had a bowl of odds instead he had only forty meters. At Herlihy’s entrance McDonagh left another chance go a begging. Bohane got a massive eleventh shot past the Novice line that won him back the lead, but it was short lived as after three more to the junior line McDonagh was back in front by ten meters, but he gave away the lead again with a short bowl at O’Riada’s, a great seventeenth from McDonagh to McSuibhnes entrance that Bohane missed twice as his first effort was “called”. If you call me I’m going to call you back and that’s what happened with McDonagh’s eighteenth, but he done no better on the second attempt either. Both made out sight for the finish line with their next where McDonagh got a very valuable rub and had a thirty meter lead. Bohane only made a poor effort for the line and missed it and McDonagh beat it easy. In a return score at Baile Bhuirne, Cathal Creedon beat Sean Paul McDonagh. In the third and last senior quarter final played at Grenagh between cousins Gary Daly and Patrick Flood, Daly was an easy winner.

STOKES BOOKS HIS PLACE IN COUNTY JUNIOR A FNAL

The (City-East-North East) junior a championship final was completed at Ballincurrig and first into the overall county final is Paddy Stokes when he had a one bowl of odds win over Michael John O’Brien playing for a total stake of €10,600. Both into the green in four bowls Stokes two meters fore bowl. Stokes beat the no-play line in two more and was throwing his odds over sixty meters. Stokes rose the bowl with a good seventh to the end of the acre. Stokes three more good bowls to O’Leary’s Wall where he extended his odds to a bowl and forty meters. At Din Toughs in three more he still held his bowl of odds. Stokes was out the last bend in fifteen good bowls and won by a bowl.

O'DRISCOLL THROUGH TO JUNIOR B SEMI-FINAL

A junior B quarter final was played at Jagoe’s Mills between Brian O’Driscoll (West Cork) a county & All-Ireland junior C winner in 2023 playing an U-18 county runner-up from 2024 John O’Donoghue (East). This one carried no stake. O’Driscoll dominated from the start making Mac’s cross in two fine shots where he rose a bowl of odds. When O’Donoghue missed sight with his first shot he was in trouble. Two more past the dump and two more to Lawton’s, O’Driscoll still held big odds with the bowl. O’Driscoll got a poor seventh back of the power station that gave O’Donoghue a small glimmer of getting back into this score but O’Driscoll recovered his bowl of odds lead again with a very smart ninth shot, he crossed the main road in eleven and at the planters he had almost two bowls where hands were shook.

O'LEARY KEEPS HIS HOPES ALIVE OF RETAINING JUNIOR VETERAN TITLE

On to Inchageelagh from Jagoes to a junior veteran quarter final score between last year’s county & All-Ireland veteran winner Andrew O’Leary (North East) playing (South West) representative Kieran O’Driscoll for a stake of €600 a-side. No lead for O’Driscoll in this score, his first three shots put him on the back foot, O’Leary got s big third past O’Riordan’s farm entrance, he rose the bowl of odds with his fifth shot. O’Driscoll knocked the bowl of adds briefly at the Castle entrance, and on past the barking dogs in eight and nine O’Leary was a bowl of odds up again, O’Leary played no short bowls and covered almost all of O’Driscoll’s tips, O’Driscoll had it under the bowl again at the layby but O’Leary had too much odds and powered on up the rising road to the Grotto where he had almost a bowl he was back of the line in two more almost a bowl of odds winner.

At The Clubhouse in a Novice Veteran preliminary round score Ger Fitzpatrick from The Pike beat John Nagle from Rosscarbery for a stake of €3,050 a-side. Fitzpatrick led from the off, he was out the chips cross in four good bowls for the grade where he was a bowl of odds up. At Clon cross Nagle had it well under the bowl and at Murray’s pillars only forty meters separated them. Fitpatrick’s 13th was very left but he got a kind rub off a stone and made the start of the Garage yard. Nagle got a good bowl to the end of the Garage but it was not enough as Fitzpatrick went sight for the finish line and beat it with his fifteenth shot. He now goes on to play from Mid Cork winner Clement Deane in the quarter final at Togher Cross.

Inchageelagh hosted a Junior B quarter final county score between Alex O’Donovan from Shannonvale and Patrick O’Brien from Doneraile playing for €1,500 a-side. O’Brien took the first three shots of this score to O’Riordan’s farm, from here O’Donovan took over and would not be led again. Four very well played bowls from O’Donovan past the Castle entrance where he was throwing his odds over seventy meters. Back of the Grotto O’Brien knocked the bowl briefly, O’Donovan got a huge thirteenth shot past the Grotto that almost rose the bowl again all to fifteen meters. O’Donovan’s fourteenth was back of the line and O’Brien could not put a shot in front of him.

The youth also got up and running in the county rounds this week at Carrignavar Chloe Hubbard (North Cork) beat Caoilinn Callanan (City) in the under 16 QF. At Inch in preliminary round scores Darragh Ahern (South West) grandson of one of the founder members of Bol Chumann Tom Ahern beat Eoin Crowley (Carbery) U-16, Meabh Cuinnea (Carbery) beat Grace Ahern (South West) U-16 and Ed McCarthy (Carbery beat Daniel Callanan (South West) U-12.