Bowling Report - Week ending 05th May

AIDAN MURPHY TOO GOOD FOR WAYNE PARKES IN SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SCORE

At the Marsh road on Monday Wayne Parkes could not keep up with the pace of Aidan Murphy in their senior championship encounter. After three each to the end of the distillery Parkes led by 10 meters, after two more to the veterinary entrance he had odds of 25 meters. After a blunder from Murphy with his sixth that was too tight left Parkes had a huge chance of rising big odds but ran too low and left his bowl right. But from here Murphy upped his game and made out to the silvery gate with his sixth shot that Parkes only beat by 3 meters in two shots. Three more good bowls each out to the steps Parkes holding it to a bowl of odds. Three and four more shots out sight for Ballyhilty and Parkes was now facing a two bowls of odds deficit. Murphy up to Crowley’s boreen in two more very well played bowls that rose the two bowls of odds. Parkes just short of the Bridge in two more and had it under the two bowls here, but Murphy rose the two bowls again with a great nineteenth shot and progresses on to the next round.

HURLEY TAKES LYRE FINAL BY THE LAST SHOT

Lyre bowling club held the final of a novice c tournament between Gearoid Lucey from Baile Bhurine and Eoin Hurley from Kilronan Dunmanway, playing for a stake of €2,225 a-side. Lucey got the dream start in this one going almost a bowl of odds up after his first shot. Hurley kept it under the bowl at the School Cross, from here Hurley got two incredible bowls up sight past O’Donovan’s pillars that gave him his first lead in the score. However this lead was short lived as Lucey was back in front again facing up the Masons Hill, Hurley missed up full sight and looked in trouble when Lucey made the top of the hill, but Hurley produced a magnificent shot to DOD’s pillars winning back the lead again. But again Lucey put down a great bowl to the hedging and Hurley missed this by 50 meters. Hurley got an average bowl to Hegarty’s entrance but an uncharacteristic blunder from Lucey in left that missed the tip for the last shots. Lucey was too tight left again and just fell short of the line and Hurley beat the line and took the score.

Also at Lyre in a junior a tournament score Johnny O’Driscoll beat Andrew O’Callaghan by one bowl. Playing for a total stake of €2,600. Three shots each to the forest entrance O’Callaghan had 30 meters of odds. O’Callaghan held this lead over the tunnel in two more. Both missed Crowley’s bend in two more but O’Driscoll was back in front a lead he would relinquish no more. At McCarthy’s bend in three more O’Callaghan missed sight and O’Driscoll had valuable odds. At the big tree O’Driscoll had 40 meters of odds and finished with two huge bowls from here over the line to win by a bowl.

The Mid Cork championship continued at Newcestown, where Brendan O’Neill had a convincing win over Kenneth Murphy for €1,200 a-side. This was an uphill battle for Murphy from the word go, as he was carrying a knee injury. He found himself a bowl down after the first shot. After five good bowls from O’Neill to Allen’s entrance, Murphy was two bowls in arrears. At Desmond’s lane the same odds separated them. O’Neill got good bowls up the hill for Buttimer’s and Murphy followed them. Murphy missed out to O’Brien’s cross and O’Neill had three bowls of odds there. Two more each to the pitch and putt course still three bowls and O’Neill win and awaits the winner of John Butler v Denis Murphy in the Final.

CONNOLLY & HEGARTY VICTORIOUS ON A SUPER SUNDAY IN GRANGE

Grange held two very exciting finals on Sunday. First up Conor Creedon v Ger Connolly v Donie Harnedy playing for a total stake of €9,000. A blistering start in this score from Harnedy, he was down past Noelie’s bungalow in three huge bowls where he was throwing his odds over 20 meters on Creedon and 100 meters on Connolly. Connolly got a huge touch with his fifth that took him down past John Bill’s, Harnedy’s fourth bowl three quarter ways down the hill. Creedon missed this to go a bowl down and Connolly only beat the tip by twenty five meters. Harnedy made his first bad blunder of the score with his fifth past the muddy entrance, he was very right of play and it cost him a lot of law. He had big odds on Connolly and it was under the bowl on Creedon. None of the three players played their next bowls. Harnedy only made the start of the green with his next and Creedon and Connolly made the upper end facing up the school hill. Creedon got two poor bowls from here and was a bowl out of it again at De Barra’s, Connolly from back of De Barra’s line an absolute beauty to the end of the New House wall, Harnedy went full sight at Hollands, Connolly got a beautiful touch off the white wall and went dirty sight at the stud farm bend, both Creedon and Harnedy missed this, Creedon a bowl down and Harnedy missed the tip by 2 meters. Creedon fell out here. Harnedy got a great bowl to the Farm entrance and Connolly tight left missed the tip but it was “called” his second effort was the winning of the score for him as he beat the tip by 40 meters. Harnedy lined a super last but it was not enough as Connolly beat it by 30 meters to retain his title as he won the same tournament last year.

The second final was equally as exciting in Grange, in this one Jimmy O’Driscoll v Noel O’Regan v David Hegarty playing for a total stake of €4,500. All three out and around the Stud farm bend in three each, with O’Regan in front. After two more great bowls from O’Regan below De Barra’s he had a bowl on Hegarty and was throwing his odds over O’Driscoll. O’Driscoll got a poor bowl down the hill, Hegarty a super bowl to the start of the green and O’Regan made full sight at Hegarty’s with his 7th. A massive 8th from O’Regan to the muddy gap that both O’Driscoll and Hegarty missed, O’Regan had a bowl on both here. Hegarty lined an incredible 10th up the rising road past the big tree, this knocked the bowl on O’Regan and raised big odds on O’Driscoll. Three poor bowls in succession from O’Regan put him in trouble, one was “called” but he did no better on the 2nd attempt. O’Driscoll 12th shot was a massive bowl past Noelie’s bungalow and looked like it would win him back the lead but Hegarty lined his equally as good and beat the tip by 30 meters. O’Regan missed Hegarty’s tip also to give him only his 2nd lead in the score. But we weren’t done yet. O’Driscoll a poor 13th, O’Regan made back of Fiona’s house and took the lead again from Hegarty. O’Driscoll missed sight a Barry’s, Hegarty out full sight and back in front again as O’Regan missed the tip by 15mt. O’Driscoll got a huge rub off of Barry’s wall that took him to the Car park, O’Regan to the Car park also but missed O’Driscoll tip, it looked like a last shot score but Hegarty lined a beauty that beat the line and took the honours. In a pick-up score Cathal Creedon beat Jonathon Dean by one bowl for €3,700.

Clubman Brendan O’Sullivan thanked all the players for a very entertaining days bowling, well done to Ger & David and hard luck to Conor, Donie, Jimmy & Noel. The club also made a presentation of €2,500 to Cancer Connect and Liam Barry was in attendance to accept the cheque.