Bowling Report - Week ending 31st August

Vintage at Paddoes Loxey O'Driscoll, Mo O'Connor, Joe Lotty & Seamus O'Tuama with Commitee & support

Unlimited Intermediate Ladies Final Joy Robinson (Co-Action Ballydehob) bt Kelly Newman (Independant

Under 12 SF @ Jagoes Lily O'Sullivan (West) bt Saoirse O'Farrell (East) with reff Tim Buckley

Unlimited Intermediate Final @ Bantry Darren Lawless (Cope Clonakilty) bt Paul Colgan (Co-Action) Du

U-8 Finalists @ Ballinagree Siun O'Rourke & Hannah Sexton with Regional Chairman Olan Noonan

Novice-2 Finalists @ Beal Na Blath Cathal O'Sullivan (Car) & Billy Healy (North) with reff Jimmy Hen

Novice-1 Finalists at Clondrohid Padraigh Scanlon (NE) & Michael A.Cronin (West) with reff Eamonn Mc

All in redyness for the All-Ireland Team event in Drogheda, the team from Carrignavar

U-8 Finalists @ Ballinagree Ryan O'Rourke, Jamie Collins and Luke Rinan with Regional Chairman Olan

HIGH STAKES AND HIGH DRAMA AT SHANNONVALE

Shannonvale bowling club and Margaret Daly held their annual fund-raising weekend for the Bowel Cancer Research Unit of the CUH. Because all benefit weekends were curtailed by Bol Chumann from May 1st to September to ensure championships could be completed this was the first fund-raiser since Easter. The Shannonvale event has been an annual fixtures since 2015 with the exception of Covid, Margaret Daly herself who had to avail of the CUH unit's services in 2014 has worked tirelessly to give back. Over the past decade over €61,000 has been raised for the cause.

The weekend saw top-class scores played out, beginning on Thursday where Wayne Parkes finished strongly from Desmond’s cross where he was a bowl down to beat Michael Bohane by the last shot in a score that carried a stake of €2,800 a-side. John Cahalane and Jim Coffey had a good tussle to Sams lane, where Cahalane got “called” from here he upped his game and opened the bend at Campbell’s where he raised and won by a bowl. Another encounter between Tim Young and Paul Buckley playing for €8,400 a-side. Two each to the Rock where Buckley had a one meter advantage. After three more to the Quarry bend Young took the lead by forty meters. He increased this to a bowl at Desmond Cross in eight and nine throws. Buckley had it under the bowl at Sam’s Wall. Buckley missed sight at Campbell’s with his fourteenth, Young made full sight and this was enough to secure victory for him. Gavin Twohig snatched a last shot victory from Jimmy O’Driscoll when they played for €1,800 a-side. O’Driscoll was in total control of this score from the off, he raised a bowl around the quarry bend and doubled his odds at Desmond’s Cross. Twohig had it back to a bowl at Sam’s Wall. Twohig from here unleashed a massive bowl to the Palms that knocked the bowl of odds and followed up with another huge bowl to sight for Campbell’s. Two poor bowls from O’Driscoll and suddenly the odds was down to four meters. Both missed the finish line but Twohig got another incredible bowl back of the junior line that O’Driscoll missed to give Twohig his only lead of the score.

On the return route Johnny O’Driscoll cousin of Jimmy played Noel O’Regan for a stake of €7,500 a-side. This was a trap to line victory for O’Regan. Five each to Sam’s Wall where O’Regan had eighty meters of odds. He increased this to almost a bowl at Desmond’s Cross. He raised the bowl fully at the Quarry bend and held this advantage to the finish line. In a doubles score Donal Riordan and Darragh Dempsey beat Johnny and Jimmy O’Driscoll for a stake of €11,000 a-side. This was a tit-for-tat affair up to Buttimer’s pillars. Dempsey’s ninth shot got “called” but he missed Desmond’s cross and missed it again with his second effort. Johnny O’Driscoll’s tenth shot was “called” where he had made full sight at Desmond’s his second attempt caught the left dyke and missed out and suddenly they found themselves a bowl in arrears. Riordan/Dempsey held this bowl advantage to Sam’s Wall and were not going to be denied victory on the day winning by a bowl of odds.

POPEYE O'BRIEN'S WIN IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF ACTION PACKED FUNDRAISING FESTIVAL

The bumper of the weekend was the final score between Patrick “Popeye” O’Brien and David Hegarty playing for €15,250 a-side. O’Brien opened with two of the longest every thrown bowls on this road where Hegarty was almost a bowl down. After four more each facing down for Desmond’s cross the odds was down to ten meters, an error here from Hegarty when he missed sight at Desmond’s and O’Brien went full sight. After two more down past Buttimer’s pillars Hegarty took his first lead as O’Brien got two poor bowls off the cross. But that was a good as it got for Hegarty as O’Brien left rip a never before seen shot on to the straight after the Quarry Bend, Hegarty missed this in two to fall a bowl behind. O’Brien held this odds to the finish in incredible bowling. Support scores saw Gearoid Lucey beat Eoin Hurley (K) for €3,500 a-side. Eoin McCarthy beat Kieran O’Driscoll for €3,100 a-side. Jack O’Driscoll beat Adrian Cronin for €2,000 a-side. Timmie O’Sullivan beat Ryan Buckley for €3,500 a-side. Shane Crowley beat Cillian Kelleher for €3,040 a-side, Patrick O’Brien beat Ger Connolly for €4,000 a-side. Jimmy O’Connor beat Thomas Maloney for €5,700 as.

PADRAIGH SCANLON GETS THE BETTER OF MICHAEL A.CRONIN

Attention now turns tothe third and final series of All-Irelands at Drogheda this weekend. The Novice-1 Final was played at Clondrohid between Padraigh Scanlon (Carrignavar) and Michael A.Cronin (Togher) for a total stake of €4,000. Scanlon was out of the traps at high speed where he raised an early bowl of odds with a massive third throw. After two more to the Black House Scanlon doubles his odds. Cronin knocked the two bowls briefly with a great eight over the rise towards the Bell Inn but Scanlon restored the two bowls again up Kelly’s Hill and on for Geoff’s Lane. He held this odds out to the lime kiln, and got a massive bowl past Kelleher’s farm to win by two bowls.

KANTURK SUPPORTERS ON THEIR WAY TO DROGHEDA

The Novice-2 Final was played at Beal Na Blath between Billy Healy (Kanturk) and Cathal O’Sullivan (Caheragh), no stake in this one. This was a trap to line victory for Healy even though O’Sullivan came within seven meters of taking a lead. After five each to Murphy’s Palms nothing separated them. The biggest change in this score came when O’Sullivan got a poor bowl through Bradfield’s Cross and Healy got a miler to Lynches lane to put decent light between them. But O’Sullivan fought back with a super eight, but Healy made the Bull’s Gate in ten big bowls where he raised the bowl as O’Sullivan got caught left. Healy took this odds out the last bend and over the line to win by a bowl.

The annual West Cork unlimited road bowling finals recently took place in Bantry. There were athletes from many centres around West Cork, these groups trained hard since April and their hard work paid off. Under the guidance of Bol Chumann Na h-Eireann, Horizon Cope came out on top with four winners, Darren Lawless, Leo Buckley, Eamonn Donnelly and Maura O’Driscoll. The following is the full list of results, Senior Men, Michael Collins C-Action Bantry beat Chris Walsh Co-Action, Bantry. Intermediate A men Darren Lawless Cope Clonakilty beat Paul Colgan Co-Action Dunmanway. Intermediate B men, Patrick Batterberry, Co-Action Clonakilty beat Jerry McCarthy Co-Action Bantry. Junior men Cian O’Mahony Co-Action Skibbereen beat Abdullah Waseem, Co-Action Dunmanway. Novice A men Leo Buckley Cope Clonakilty beat Paul O’Driscoll Cope Clonakilty. Novice B men Eamonn Donnelly Cope Clonakilty beat Alan Coakley Co-Action Clonakilty. Novice C men Kieran Molloy Co-Action Ballydehob beat Richard Nolan Cope Clonakilty. Senior Ladies Colette O’Leary Co-Action Castletownbere beat Andrea O’Grady Co-Action Skibbereen. Intermediate Ladies Kelly Newman, Co-Action Ballydehob beat Joy Robinson Independent. Junior Ladies Ellie Connolly Co-Action Clonakilty beat Laura Robinson Co-Action Skibbereen. Novice A Ladies Claire O’Regan Co-Action Drimoleague beat Laura Hourihane Co-Action Bantry. Novice B Ladies Breeda Maloney Co-Action Bantry beat Abi Lombard Co-Action Clonakilty. Novice C Ladies Kathy Lehane Co-Action Bantry beat Diane Dwyer Cope Macroom. Wheelchair Men John Paul O’Donoghue Co-Action Bantry beat Mark Harrington Co-Action Castletownbere. Wheelchair Ladies Maura O’Driscoll Cope Clonakilty beat Carol Harrington Co-Action Clonakilty.