Bowling Report - Week ending 27th July

All county scores for the second series of all-Irelands at Keady Tassagh Armagh have now been completed.

At Castletown the girls U-18 final between Emma Hurley Drinagh & Darcy O’Brien Clondrohid was played for a stake of €1,500 a-side. Hurley got an incredible first shot of approx. 200mt that raised the bowl of odds for her. O’Brien was not fazed by this and got a super third shot of her own that knocked the bowl and at the Hollies, O’Brien had the odds down to thirty meters. At the junction turning right Hurley raised the bowl again but should have had more odds at Dommo’s House but got three poor bowls in succession. O’Brien lined a perfect eleventh shot past Dommo’s House and here the odds was now down to thirty meters again. O’Brien missed the finish line in two more and Hurley over the line in two and will travel north to play.

CROWLEY THROUGH TO ANOTHER U-18 ALL-IRELAND.

A double header was held in Bantry on Friday evening last, Shane Crowley Schull retained his under 18 county when he beat Cathal Creedon from Ballyvourney by two bowls of odds, Creedon opened with a huge drive to McSweeney’s avenue, but alas this was to be his only lead of the score. Crowley showed his class and determination when he powered on with a huge second, third and fourth shots that raised the bowl for him, he went sight at Cronin’s in six huge bowls that extended his lead to two bowls and matters were terminated well before the finish line. He now joins the elite few that have won back to back U-18 titles, Jim O’Driscoll in 1973/1974, James Buckley in 1983/1984, Donnacha O’Brien in 1993/1994/1995, Johnny Murphy in 1998/1999/2000, Thomas Buckley in 2007/2008, and Wayne Parkes in 2019/2020. It is hoped he can go one better this year and add the All-Ireland to his cabinet of trophies when he plays Eoghan McVeigh.

TOP DRAWER BOWLING FROM YOUNG KELLY

In the return score at Bantry Eoghan Kelly of Macroom beat last year’s U-12 County & All-Ireland winner Fionán Twohig of Rossmore in the U-14 final. This score took a similar vein as the U-18, Twohig opened with a huge first bowl but this was to be his only lead of the score. Kelly responded with three shots of the highest order that took him past Cronin’s Cross and catapulted him into a two bowls of odds lead. Past the fuchsias and on for McSweeneys farm, Twohig done well to hold him to two bowls, but it is Kelly who travels north this weekend to contest the all-Ireland against Emmet O’Reilly.

SEXTON SISTER STAR IN MUNSTER DOUBLE

Another double bill was played out in Bauravilla on Saturday, this time the turn of the Ladies. The Sexton sisters from Timoleague won the senior and Junior Munster titles from Hannah Cronin Togher and Darcy O'Brien Clondrohid. Hannah Cronin and Hannah Sexton played for a stake of €1,550 a-side. Two great bowls each to the School with Cronin just fore bowl. Sexton went out the netting in three massive bowls from here and had almost a bowl at Deckers. Cronin did well to keep it to the bowl for the next exchange but when Sexton went out the rock with a sublime ninth shot that raised almost two bowls for her and followed up with another incredible twelfth out sight at the bridge the margin for Cronin was now too large to bridge. She now plays the might of Kelly Mallon in the Senior All-Ireland on Sunday next at 11.00am.

Back the Bauravilla road Darcy O’Brien playing in her second Munster final of the week when she took on Laura Sexton in the junior ladies final playing for a stake of €3,000 a-side. This was a trap to line performance for Sexton even though O’Brien came close on occasions to taking the lead. Sexton was out the bridge in three where she was almost a bowl up, at O’Sullivan’s cross in two more the bowl was up. O’Brien got a fantastic bowl out the rock, Sexton bowl was always left and missed sight. Two more sensational bowls from both players past Decker’s and O’Brien was keeping it under the bowl. With two more each out the netting Sexton was throwing over fifty metes. O’Brien got another incredible bowl past the avenue and a mistake here from Sexton saw her odds down to thirty meters. It all hinged now on the next shots to Robins Cross. O’Brien’s bowl was always right and missed the cross, Sexton was right also but her left hand pull saved it and she went out full light and raised the bowl of odds again and held this to the finish. Laura’s opponent in the inaugural junior ladies all-Ireland will be Jessica Hughes on Sunday next at 12.30pm.

It’s a very rare occurrence that you see two members of the same family winning two county titles in different grades on the same road. Well done to the Sexton Sisters all five of them who since they came onto the scene in 2011 when the eldest Katie won the South West U-12 have rarely been out of a county final.

Ballinacurra held the final of their Christmas 9-man junior a tournament between Timmy Murphy, Ballyclough, Timmy McDonagh, Fermoy and Eoin O’Riordan, Macroom playing for a total stake of €600. O’Riordan was a bowl of odds down at Brinny Cross, McDonagh had a forty meter advantage on Murphy. Murphy got a huge bowl to the Waterworks that gave him his first lead he followed this up with another huge bowl to the Gas line where he raised a bowl on McDonagh and big odds with a bowl on O’Riordan. Murphy held this odds to the bridge on McDonagh but O’Riordan slipped into second place here. All out sight for the home straight Murphy throwing his odds over O’Riordan and with a bowl over McDonagh. Murphy playing did not falter as at the end of the straight he held his bowl advantage on McDonagh and O’Riordan had slipped back to third position and this was how they finished.

With the second series of county finals now completed. Our attention turns to the Junior C & Novice Regional Finals for the third and final series of all-Irelands in Drogheda in September.

Most regions have all their championships now completed for 2025 and will get on with running their tournaments over the winter. Junior-C at Firmount Conor Lucey beat Stephen Murphy. Novice-A at Clashmore Paul O’Brien beat Shane O’Hara beat Seanie O’Farrell, at Timoleague John Connolly beat Gearoid McCarthy. Novice-B at Ballinagree Tommy O’Donoghue beat Sean Moylan, at Leap David Minihane beat Darren Whooley, at Templemartin Anthony Broderick beat James Kelleher, at Macroom Kenneth O’Brien beat Joe Creedon. Novice-C at Templemartin Barry Coughlan beat Dylan Galvin, at Bweeng Billy Healy beat Stephen Spillane. Novice-D at Beal Na Marbh Mark Bourke (Jnr) beat Pat Fitz, at The Bog Road David Kidney beat Eoin Leahy. At Schull Cathal O’Sullivan beat Sean O’Neill. Inter-county scores will get up and running this week.

The King and Queen of the roads after Armagh is the next biggest festival of bowling. Draws were made recently for the Queen of the Roads.

(A); - Triona Kidney v Denise Murphy @ Grenagh on August 9th.

Megan Collins v Emma Fitzpatrick @ The Clubhouse on August 4th

Veronica O’ Mahony v Juliet Murphy @ Beal Na Marbh on August 4th

Hannah Cronin v Triona Kidney or Denise Murphy venue TBC

The King of the Roads qualifiers got under way on Sunday last in the Mick Barry Cup.

Aidan Murphy had a last shot win over Gary Daly for €10,000 a-side and James O’Donovan won over Martin Coppinger and Patrick Flood for a total stake of €4,500. Also in a Jim O’Driscoll Cup Timmy McDonagh beat Michael Murphy beat Tim Young with a stake of €4,250 between Young & McDonagh.