Bowling Report - Week ending 08th June

O'DONOVAN V DALY, MURPHY V MCDONAGH AS MEN REACHES THE SEMI-FINALS

Bandon bowler James O'Donovan will take on gary Daly in a senior men's championship semi-final this Friday evening at Whitechurch. This was one of the many semi-final draws made at the June executive meeting. As senior, Intermediate, Junior B, Junior Veteran and all Under-Age semi-final draws were made we now know what the business end of the various championships look like. On the other side of the Senior men's championship Aidan Murphy will play Arthur McDonagh at Ballinagree on Sunday next June 15th. The intermediate semi-finals see Patrick Stokes meet David Shannon or Paul Buckley at Kilcorney, while it will be John O’Rourke or John Creedon v Timmy McDonagh or Michael Murphy at Newcestown. Junior B semi-finals Alex O’Donovan v Micháel Desmond or Shane Collins at Jagoes Mills and Brian O’Driscoll v Anthony Crowley @ Clondrohid. Junior Veteran semi-finals Andrew O’Leary v Jerry or Richard Murphy at Firmount and Denis Cooney v if P.J. Cooney at Macroom if John Cahalane at Derrinasaffa. In the under-age North or City play Gaeltacht or North East and Carbery or South West or Mid play East or West.

CROWLEY GETS A STEP CLOSER IN JUNIOR B CHAMPIONSHIP

Anthony Crowley from the city division and Brendan O’Neill from the Mid Cork engaged in a Junior B county quarter final score at Ballinagree, playing for a total stake of €2,000. there were great opening bowls out the first bend to Coakley’s Lane for both, Crowley seven meters fore bowl, O’Neill got a well-played second up through Capailin Ban Cross that gave him his one and only lead in this score by one meter. O’Neill played some perfect bowls up to the Pink cottage and was keeping it under the bowl but when he made a bad mistake with his seventh he found himself a bowl of odds down. O’Neill recovered with a super bowl his ninth past the Post Office, he was sure of the Quay Wall again but Crowley went peeping sigh with a big bowl. O’Neill went out to the Quay Wall but Crowley got an unbelievable tenth that cut up past the quay Wall and raised the bowl of odds again for him. O’Neill kept it to the bowl past the new houses but Crowley got another huge bowl out sight for the finish that rose a second bowl, and he now plays Brian O’Driscoll in the semi-final at Clondrohid.

Paudie Murphy from the Gaelteach took a step closer in the Novice Veteran with a convincing win over Timmy McDonagh from North East at Firmount. Playing for a stake of €1,120 a-side.

At Ballinacurra in a junior veteran quarter final former Senior & Intermediate player P.J. Cooney won easily over John Cahalane playing for a total stake of €5,200. Cahalane started in a blaze in this score leading by 50 meters after two shots, he got a poor third when his bowl hopped the kerb on the left but recovered his lead with a great bowl through the rough road at Brinny cross up to the church gate, Cooney got a big fifth shot past Foleys and won back a lead that he would relinquish no more. Poor sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth shots from Cahalane where he found himself a bowl down, Cooney rose almost the second bowl with a huge 8th to the bridge, O’Brien carried this odds out the last bend and won by two bowls.

In a return score at Ballinacurra former Senior & Intermediate player from the early noughties Paul O’Brien East Cork beat Connie Connolly West Cork by two bowls for €1,600 a-side in the novice veteran quarter final. Like Cahalane in the first score Connolly started very well and led for the first three shots, but a huge fourth from O’Brien that cut up the bridge to the GAA pitch entrance raised huge odds on Connolly, Connolly kept it under the bowl in the next three shots past Perriots sheds but another perfectly placed seventh shot from O’Brien to the Waterworks rose the bowl for him. O’Brien took this odds on through Brinny Cross onto the smooth, kerbed road and he had too much power for Connolly from here and won out in the end by almost two bowls.

SEXTON BOWS OUT OF JUNIOR A

Bryan O’Halloran progressed to the semi-final of the (Mid-Gaelteacht-North Cork) junior a championship at the expense of Edmund Sexton at Macroom for a stake of €300 a-side. O’Halloran was out sight at the bridge in three bowls just fore bowl. O’Halloran made up to the flyover in two more where he increased his odds to eighty meters and held this odds to Mulcahy’s gate. Sexton done well to keep it under the bowl heading for Poundy’s lane but an error from Sexton heading for Denny Paul’s railing gave O’Halloran the advantage of a bowl of odds. A huge bowl from Sexton just back of Mickey Tom’s cross and on up for Teddy’s House he had the odds down to thirty meters. But it was not enough as O’Halloran finished with two great bowls to win by a big last shot.

JIMMY TO PLAY HIS COUSIN JOHNNY IN JUNIOR A SEMI-FINAL @ GRANGE

Derrinassaffa held another of the (Car-South West-West) junior a championship quarter finals, Jimmy O’Driscoll playing Gavin Twohig for a stake of €4,650 a-side. Both out Nattie’s bend in six where they were level, two more through Cotters cross where O’Driscoll had valuable odds to make the Darkwood turn again, Twohig missed sight at the Darkwood turn and O’Driscoll beat this by thirty meters. O’Driscoll held this lead in two more past Walsh’s lane. Twohig got a huge bowl from here that won him back the lead by twenty five meters, O’Driscoll had it down to five meters after two more shots for the last shots, O’Driscoll lined a good last bowl and Twohig just fell short, O’Driscoll now plays his cousin Johnny in the semi-final at Grange. In a pick-up score at Derrinasaffa Jim Coffey beat Murish Buttimer by last shot for a total stake of €7,000.

A South West Novice a championship score was played at Ballygurteen between Gary Lombard from Ardfield playing John Connolly from Shannonvale playing of a stake of €1,200 a-side. Lombard opened the first bend in three good bowls where he was a bowl of odds up. He carried this odds in four more to the women’s lane, and on to O’Mahony’s avenue, but from here his form dipped dramatically, four poor bowls in succession gave Connolly his first lead at O’Mahony’s pole. He looked to be in control from here but a wayward next over left gave Lombard new wind and he went three quarter ways to O’Donovan’s bend, Connolly beat this by fifty meters, Lombard put down a good next that just missed the line, Connolly had a chance of the line but his bowl was very left and just beat the tip, Lombard’s last was not a huge one but it was enough to claim victory as Connolly was left again and missed tip by twenty meters.

YOUTH PROGRESWSING IN THEIR QUARTER FINAL SCORES.

The youth of the county are also getting on with their quarter finals. At Beal Na Marbh Gerald McDonagh North East beat Dylan O’Shea Gaelteach by two bowls of odds in the U-16 and Eoghan Kelly Gaelteach beat Niall Murphy North East in the U-12. Orla Murphy Gaelteacht beat Abbie McDonnell North East in the U-16. At Ballinacurra Tommy O’Donoghue East Cork beat Kevin Courtney West Cork in the U-16, Tommy Coppinger West Cork beat Tom O’Callaghan East Cork in the U-12.